Ghost vs Substack vs beehiiv: Newsletter Platform Showdown
Picking between Ghost vs Substack vs beehiiv really depends on what you want out of your newsletter platform. How much control do you need? How do you want to make money? And, honestly, what kind of tools are you hoping to use to grow?
If you want maximum customization and true ownership, Ghost gives you full control. Substack keeps things simple, while beehiiv leans into advanced growth and monetization features. Each platform offers its own mix of flexibility, built-in audience tools, and ease of use.
You might lean toward Ghost if you want a fully customizable, self-hosted setup. Substack’s great if you just want to start writing ASAP and skip the technical details.
beehiiv stands out for those who care about scaling their audience and maximizing revenue with built-in marketing and referral tools. It’s a lot to consider, honestly.
Your best choice depends on your goals for design, audience engagement, and how you want to earn. Understanding the differences in features, pricing, and control will help you pick the right fit for your publishing style and future plans.
Ghost vs Substack vs beehiiv: Key Differences
Each newsletter platform—Ghost vs Substack vs beehiiv—takes a different approach to publishing, monetization, and audience growth. Your pick really comes down to how much control you want, what tools you need, and how you plan to earn from your work.
Overview of Each Platform
Substack keeps things simple. You can launch a free or paid newsletter with barely any setup. It handles hosting, payments, and email delivery for you.
But customization? Pretty limited. Substack takes a 10% cut from paid subscriptions, plus payment processing fees.
Ghost is open-source, so you get full control over your site and content. You can self-host or use Ghost(Pro), and it supports memberships, paid content, and site customization.
No platform transaction fees here, but you’ll pay for hosting and Stripe processing. That’s the trade-off.
beehiiv is all about growth. It’s got advanced analytics, segmentation, A/B testing, referral programs, and ad network integration. You can start for free up to 2,500 subscribers.
No platform transaction fees, just Stripe’s cut. It’s a good deal if you want to grow fast.
Comparative Analysis
| Feature | Substack | Ghost | beehiiv |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of Use | Very easy | Moderate–Advanced | Easy–Moderate |
| Customization | Limited | Full | Moderate–High |
| Monetization | Paid subs only | Subs, ads, affiliates | Subs, ads, boosts |
| Transaction Fees | 10% + Stripe | 0% + Stripe | 0% + Stripe |
| Growth Tools | Minimal | Basic integrations | Built-in advanced |
Substack is perfect if you want speed and a no-fuss setup. Ghost is better for folks who care about independence and brand control.
beehiiv’s built-in growth features mean you don’t need third-party tools. It’s ideal for creators who want all-in-one solutions.
Ghost requires more technical skill, especially if you self-host. Substack and beehiiv take care of the infrastructure, but beehiiv gives you more audience-building tools right out of the gate.
Who Each Platform Is For
Pick Substack if you want to get started fast, focus on writing, and skip the tech stuff. It’s ideal for solo writers and small newsletters.
Go with Ghost if you want full ownership, advanced customization, and maybe even a full-blown membership site. It’s best for creators who want independence and don’t mind handling a few technical details.
Choose beehiiv if you’re planning to scale, want built-in marketing tools, and like data-driven growth. It’s great for creators aiming to build large audiences and monetize in multiple ways.
Platform Features and Customization
Ghost vs Substack vs beehiiv all differ in how much control they give you, how easy they are to use, and how they connect with other tools. Your pick depends on whether you care more about full design freedom, quick setup, or built-in growth features.
Customization Capabilities
Ghost CMS hands you full control over your site’s design and structure. Since it’s open-source, you can edit themes, add custom code, and host it yourself or with Ghost(Pro).
This makes Ghost ideal if you want a unique brand presence. You’re not boxed in by someone else’s templates.
Substack keeps customization super basic. Change your logo, tweak colors, and adjust the layout a bit, but don’t expect to dig deep into templates or add complex features.
It’s simple, but that’s kind of the point. Flexibility isn’t its thing.
Beehiiv sits somewhere in the middle. You get more design options than Substack—custom domains, advanced email templates, and branding tools—but you can’t go as deep as with Ghost.
Editing the backend or making totally custom layouts isn’t really possible here.
| Platform | Design Control | Custom Code | Custom Domain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ghost | High | Yes | Yes |
| Beehiiv | Medium | Limited | Yes |
| Substack | Low | No | Yes |
User Interface and Experience
Substack has the simplest interface. You can start publishing in minutes, no tech skills needed.
The editor is clean but pretty minimal. Not a lot of formatting options, but hey, sometimes less is more.
Beehiiv’s dashboard feels modern and gives you more analytics and audience tools. It’s still friendly for beginners, but you’ll find more menus and options than Substack.
Ghost’s interface is polished and professional. Writing feels easy, but the advanced settings and customization might take a little time to figure out.
If you’ve used WordPress or similar CMS tools, Ghost will feel familiar. Otherwise, there’s a learning curve, but not a scary one.
Integrations and Plugins
Ghost lets you integrate with a wide range of services using native options and tools like Zapier. You can connect payment processors, analytics, and marketing tools.
Since it’s open-source, you can even build your own integrations if you’re into that sort of thing.
Substack barely offers any integrations. Most features are built-in, and you can’t add plugins or third-party extensions.
This keeps things simple, but it’s limiting if you want to expand your toolkit.
Beehiiv supports integrations with analytics, e-commerce, and automation tools. It’s not as open as Ghost, but you get enough connections for most creators who want audience growth and monetization without heavy technical setup.
Monetization Options and Paid Subscriptions
Ghost vs Substack vs beehiiv all give you ways to earn from your audience, but the details matter. The main differences come down to how you charge for access, how you deliver content, and how much of your revenue you actually keep.
Paid Memberships
Ghost, Substack, and beehiiv all let you run paid memberships for exclusive content. That’s a must these days, right?
With Ghost, you can set up monthly or yearly plans and have full control over pricing. You own your subscriber list and get to customize your members’ experience.
Payments run through Stripe, and Ghost takes 0% of your revenue beyond your hosting cost. That’s a big plus.
Substack supports paid memberships, but you get fewer options for customizing the experience. Free and paid tiers are possible, but design and features are fixed.
Stripe handles the payments here too. It’s straightforward, but don’t expect bells and whistles.
Beehiiv allows paid memberships on higher-tier plans. You can mix free and premium content, but some advanced features only show up if you upgrade.
Again, Stripe handles transactions. It’s a common thread with all three.
Subscription Models
Ghost supports flexible subscription structures. Offer monthly, annual, or custom plans—your pick.
You can also combine free posts with members-only content to attract new readers, while keeping premium stuff behind a paywall. It’s a smart way to grow.
Substack keeps things simpler. Most creators go with a single monthly or yearly price.
You can send free posts, but the subscription system isn’t as flexible as Ghost’s. Sometimes that’s fine, sometimes it isn’t.
Beehiiv offers multiple subscription options, including free, paid, and “founding member” tiers. You can segment your audience and test different pricing levels.
Some advanced segmentation tools are locked behind premium beehiiv plans. Not ideal, but it’s the trade-off.
Platform Fees
Here’s where Ghost vs Substack vs beehiiv really split.
| Platform | Platform Fee | Payment Processor Fee (Stripe) |
|---|---|---|
| Ghost | 0% | 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction |
| Substack | 10% | 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction |
| Beehiiv | 0% (on paid plan) | 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction |
With Ghost, you pay a flat hosting fee, and all subscription revenue is yours after Stripe fees. That’s pretty appealing if you’re planning to scale.
Substack takes a 10% cut of all paid subscription income. As your audience grows, that fee can really add up.
Beehiiv doesn’t charge a transaction fee on paid tiers, but you’ll need to upgrade to access monetization. On the free plan, you can’t run paid subscriptions at all.
Content Creation and Publishing Tools
Ghost vs Substack vs beehiiv each offer different levels of control over how you create, format, and publish your work. The tools can shape your writing workflow, the look of your newsletter, and how easily you reach your audience.
Writing and Editing Experience
Substack gives you a simple, distraction-free editor. You can format text, add images, embed media, and schedule posts—no technical skills needed.
The design is minimal and easy, but customization for layout and style is limited. Some folks love that, others might find it lacking.
Ghost brings a more advanced editor with Markdown support, custom HTML blocks, and the ability to manage multiple content types from one dashboard.
You can integrate with external tools and plugins, which gives you more flexibility if you want a custom workflow. It’s a little more work, but the payoff is there.
beehiiv uses a modern, block-based editor. You get drag-and-drop content blocks, pre-built sections, and styling options without any coding.
Adding polls, surveys, and referral prompts is quick, making it easier to combine writing with audience engagement features. That’s a nice touch.
Newsletter Delivery
Substack handles email delivery automatically. You can send posts right away or schedule them, and every email is mobile-optimized.
Segmentation and automation? Pretty limited, though. Not great if you want to get fancy.
Ghost connects to email delivery services like its built-in Ghost(Pro) email or third-party providers. You can segment your list, set up automated sequences, and control sending frequency.
This takes more setup, but you get a lot more control over how and when your emails go out.
beehiiv focuses hard on deliverability and growth features. You can segment by subscriber behavior, send automated welcome flows, and run A/B tests on subject lines.
The platform also supports cross-promotions and referral programs, all tied right into your email sends. It’s built for growth-minded folks.
Content Types Supported
Substack is mainly for text-based newsletters, but you can embed audio, video, and images. Podcast hosting is also available if you want to branch out.
Ghost supports blog posts, newsletters, membership content, and landing pages. You can publish public or members-only content, so it works well if you want both a website and a newsletter.
beehiiv supports newsletters, landing pages, and basic website content. You can embed media, run interactive polls, and create multiple signup pages for different campaigns.
While beehiiv focuses on email, it offers enough flexibility for varied content formats. Not perfect, but honestly, it covers most needs.
Audience Growth and Distribution
Ghost vs Substack vs beehiiv—each of these platforms takes a different route when it comes to audience growth. Their tools for building your subscriber list, helping new readers find you, and nudging existing subscribers to share your work can really shape your growth.
The best pick? Honestly, it boils down to how much you want to lean on built-in discovery versus rolling up your sleeves with your own outreach.
List Building
Let’s face it: growing a newsletter starts with how easily you can grab email addresses.
Substack gives you basic signup forms and lets you add them to your site with simple embed codes. It’s easy enough, but you don’t get much in the way of targeting or segmenting different audience groups. That’s a bit limiting, honestly.
Ghost puts you in the driver’s seat for signup forms and landing pages, especially if you self-host. You can design custom opt-in flows, hook up to external tools, and grab more than just an email if you want.
beehiiv (yep, another contender in the Ghost vs Substack vs beehiiv debate) comes loaded with more list-building features right out of the box. You can spin up multiple landing pages, segment subscribers at signup, and connect to other platforms via API. The free plan even lets you get up to 2,500 subscribers, which is pretty generous if you’re just starting out.
Discovery Features
Getting found by new readers without hustling nonstop? That’s where built-in discovery features come in.
Substack has a public directory and a “Reader” app where people can browse and follow newsletters. This can drive organic signups, but you’ll be competing with a lot of other writers in the same space.
Ghost skips built-in discovery entirely. You’re on your own with marketing—think SEO, social media, maybe some partnerships. That’s more work, but you get more control.
beehiiv offers a recommendation network that links you up with other newsletters in similar niches. When someone subscribes to a partner newsletter, they might see yours recommended too. This can bring in a steady trickle of new readers if you join the right categories. It’s one of those subtle advantages in the Ghost vs Substack vs beehiiv comparison.
Referral and Recommendation Systems
Getting your current subscribers to spread the word? That’s huge for growth.
Substack lets you recommend other Substack publications, and they can return the favor. This works best if you’ve got friends or connections in your niche, but it’s a nice touch.
Ghost doesn’t offer a built-in referral system. You can rig one up with third-party tools or custom code, but it’s not native.
beehiiv goes all-in with a built-in referral program. You can set rewards for subscribers who bring in new readers, and “Boosts” let you earn revenue by promoting other newsletters while getting exposure from their audiences. It’s a solid growth lever, especially if you’re looking at Ghost vs Substack vs beehiiv through a growth lens.
Automation and Workflow
Solid automation can save you time, keep things consistent, and help you scale without burning out. The right tools handle repetitive stuff, trigger messages when subscribers act, and keep your audience engaged on your schedule.
Automation Features
Substack keeps it simple. You can send posts right away or schedule them, but there’s no built-in segmentation, tagging, or fancy triggers. If you want more, you’ll need to bolt on third-party tools.
Ghost opens up automation through integrations. With Zapier or native webhooks, you can trigger emails, update lists, or connect to your CRM. It’s flexible, but you’ll have to set things up and maybe get your hands dirty with some tech.
beehiiv packs more automation into its core. You can segment audiences, run referral programs, and set up triggered emails based on what subscribers do. It’s not as deep as a full-on marketing automation platform, but it covers most needs for creators who want growth-focused workflows without coding headaches. Another win for beehiiv in the Ghost vs Substack vs beehiiv showdown.
Scheduling and Drip Campaigns
With Substack, you can schedule posts for later, but you can’t create multi-email drip sequences. Each email needs to be scheduled on its own, which can be a pain if you want a smooth onboarding flow.
Ghost lets you do drip campaigns using integrations with email services like Mailgun or ConvertKit. You can build sequences for onboarding, promos, or member-only content, but you’ll rely on outside tools to make it work.
beehiiv just makes it easier. You get native drip campaigns, so you can set up welcome sequences, drip out educational content, or run timed promos without leaving the platform. That’s a big plus if you want a consistent subscriber journey from signup to long-term engagement.
Pricing and Cost Comparison
Ghost vs Substack vs beehiiv all use different pricing models, and that really shapes how and when you pay. Some take a cut of your earnings, others charge a flat subscription fee that goes up as your audience grows. Your budget, revenue goals, and growth plans all factor in.
Free vs Paid Plans
Substack stays free if you only have free subscribers. Once you start charging, you’ll pay 10% of your paid subscription revenue plus Stripe fees. There’s no limit on free subscribers, which is nice.
Beehiiv gives you a free plan with up to 2,500 subscribers, three publications, and unlimited sends. Paid plans start around $49/month for smaller lists, and the price climbs as your subscriber count and features (like ads and boosts) increase.
Ghost skips a permanent free plan—just a 14-day trial. The entry tier is about $9/month (if you pay yearly) for up to 500 members. Costs jump as your list grows, and you’ll need higher tiers for advanced features or bigger lists.
| Platform | Free Plan | Entry Paid Plan | Pricing Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Substack | Yes | 10% of revenue | % of paid subs |
| Beehiiv | Yes (2,500 subs) | ~$49/mo | Subscriber tiers |
| Ghost | No | ~$9/mo | Subscriber tiers |
Value for Money
If you want to get started without spending upfront, Substack and Beehiiv let you build an audience before you pay. Substack’s percentage fee can get pricey as your revenue grows, while Beehiiv’s fixed pricing makes costs more predictable.
Beehiiv’s free plan throws in perks like a custom sending domain, which you’d pay extra for on Ghost or Substack. Plus, its ad and boost networks can help cover your subscription costs if you’re monetizing.
Ghost stands out for site customization and tiered memberships at a low entry price, but you’ll pay from the start. If you want a website-plus-newsletter setup and don’t mind a slower audience build, it can be cost-effective.
Your best value? It depends if you’d rather pay a percentage of earnings, or stick with a fixed monthly fee that grows with your list. That’s a key question in the Ghost vs Substack vs beehiiv debate.
User Control and Data Ownership
Your platform pick really affects how much control you keep over your content, subscriber list, and tech setup. Some tools give you full ownership and flexibility, while others lock you into their ecosystem and rules.
Data Portability
Ghost lets you export all your content, subscriber data, and site settings anytime. Since it’s open-source, you can move your data to another server or platform with no strings attached.
Beehiiv lets you export your subscriber list, but only in certain formats. You can take your audience with you, but moving design or automation settings may take some extra work.
Substack gives you export tools for your email list and posts, but you’ll still depend on their export process. You can’t just pick up your whole setup and move it, and analytics or other features might not transfer.
If keeping a full, portable copy of your work matters, check how each service handles exports and what formats you get. Platforms with open standards make future moves way less painful.
Platform Independence
Ghost stands out for independence and self-hosting. You can run it on your own server or use a managed host, and you control the backend, design, and integrations without waiting on some company’s roadmap.
Beehiiv is a hosted service, so you depend on their infrastructure. You get customization options, but you can’t self-host or tweak the core software.
Substack is fully hosted and proprietary. You have to work within their design and feature limits, and your business is tied to whatever decisions they make.
If you want full control over your tech stack, hosting, and future changes, Ghost is the way to go. Hosted platforms like Substack and beehiiv trade off some control for convenience and built-in goodies. It’s another thing to weigh in the Ghost vs Substack vs beehiiv choice.
Community and Support
Support and community can make or break your experience. Each platform offers something different in terms of getting help and connecting with others. How quickly you get answers, the kind of help you get, and how active the user base is—they all matter.
Customer Support Channels
Substack offers email support and a public help center. The knowledge base covers the basics, but response times can be hit or miss, especially if you’re not a paying user. No live chat, so urgent stuff might take a while.
Ghost gives tiered support depending on your plan. If you pay for Ghost(Pro), you get priority email support. Self-hosted users rely on community forums and docs. Since it’s open-source, you can also hire developers or agencies for custom help if you’re stuck.
beehiiv includes email support on all plans, with faster replies at higher tiers. Premium plans get onboarding help and dedicated account managers for big publishers. Their help center is well-organized, and they’re pretty good about sharing updates and fixes.
If you want quick, direct support, beehiiv and Ghost(Pro) are more reliable than Substack. But if you self-host Ghost, you’ll handle most troubleshooting on your own (or with a techie friend).
User Communities – ghost vs beehiiv vs Substack
Substack has an active creator base that mostly hangs out on the platform. Writers share tips in discussion threads, and you can follow others to see what works for them. There are also external groups on Reddit and Twitter if you want more perspectives.
Ghost leans on a strong developer and publisher community. The official forum is lively, and users share open-source themes, integrations, and code snippets. That’s gold if you want to customize your site or swap notes with other membership-driven publishers.
beehiiv encourages networking through its Recommendation Network and private creator groups. Publishers often collaborate on cross-promos, and the company hosts webinars and workshops for growth. You also get access to case studies and success stories, which can spark ideas for your own newsletter.
Choosing the Right Newsletter Tool
So, Ghost vs Substack vs beehiiv—how do you choose? It really comes down to how much control you want, your earning plans, and what tools you need to grow. Pricing, customization, and ease of use all play a part in finding the right fit for your workflow and audience. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but at least you’ve got options.
Factors to Consider – beehiiv vs ghost vs Substack
Let’s start with ownership and control. Ghost gives you full control over your content, design, and pricing—there’s no platform revenue share.
Substack is simpler but limits customization. It takes a 10% cut of paid subscriptions, which honestly stings if you’re just getting started.
beehiiv offers strong growth tools and doesn’t take a transaction fee. But, you’ll need Stripe for payments, which is pretty much the norm these days.
Now, look at ease of setup. Substack is super quick to launch and barely needs any setup at all.
beehiiv is also beginner-friendly. It tosses in more advanced analytics and segmentation, which can be nice if you want to nerd out a bit.
Ghost requires more technical skill—especially if you go the self-hosted route. But, you get deeper customization as a reward.
Let’s talk audience growth features. beehiiv builds in referral programs, cross-promotion, and ad network options right out of the box.
Substack leans more on your own outreach, so you’ll have to hustle a bit. Ghost depends on whatever integrations and marketing strategy you set up yourself.
| Platform | Control | Growth Tools | Transaction Fee | Skill Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Substack | Low | Basic | 10% + Stripe | Easy |
| Ghost | High | Flexible* | 0% + Stripe | Medium–High |
| beehiiv | Medium | Advanced | 0% + Stripe | Easy–Medium |
*Depends on integrations you set up.
Platform Suitability by Use Case – Email Marketing
If you want maximum customization and to own your entire publishing stack, Ghost is probably your best bet. It works well if you have some technical skills or a developer friend who owes you a favor, and you want to build a branded membership site.
For fast setup and minimal management, Substack is hard to beat. You can start publishing in minutes—seriously, it’s that quick. It’s perfect if you want to focus on writing and basic audience interaction without wrestling with a bunch of tools.
If your goal is rapid audience growth and monetization, beehiiv stands out. Its referral programs, Boosts, and ad network help you grow quickly.
beehiiv fits creators who want built-in marketing features with zero heavy coding. Choosing between Ghost vs Substack vs beehiiv really depends on whether you care more about control, simplicity, or growth tools.
Frequently Asked Questions
Each platform approaches monetization, customization, analytics, and pricing differently. You’ll also notice differences in subscriber management, engagement features, and how well each service actually delivers emails to your audience. Ghost vs Substack vs beehiiv—it’s not a one-size-fits-all thing.
What are the key differences between Ghost, Substack, and Beehiiv in terms of monetization features?
Substack focuses on paid newsletter subscriptions. It takes a 10% cut of your revenue, plus whatever Stripe charges.
Ghost lets you set your own pricing and keeps 0% of your subscription money. Stripe fees still bite, but hey, that’s everywhere.
Beehiiv supports both free and paid subscriptions. You also get an ad network, affiliate programs, and cross-promotion tools, all without platform transaction fees.
How does the email deliverability compare between Ghost, Substack, and Beehiiv?
Substack handles deliverability for you and uses its own infrastructure. For most creators, it works just fine.
Ghost’s deliverability kind of depends on your setup. If you use Ghost(Pro) hosting, you get built-in email sending, but self-hosting means you’ll need to connect an email service provider.
Beehiiv manages deliverability in-house. On higher-tier plans, they even offer dedicated IPs to help large senders land in the inbox more often.
What customization options are available for publishers using Ghost, Substack, and Beehiiv platforms?
Substack has minimal design changes unless you want to mess with CSS or HTML. You can tweak colors and fonts, but not much else.
Ghost gives you full control over themes, layouts, and your whole site structure. Self-hosting opens up even more options if you’re comfortable tweaking things.
Beehiiv provides customizable templates, landing pages, and layouts. There’s even a drag-and-drop website builder through Typedream integration, which is honestly pretty neat.
Which platform between Ghost, Substack, and Beehiiv offers better analytics and audience insights?
Substack includes pretty basic analytics—open rates, subscriber counts, that sort of thing.
Ghost gives you more detailed metrics if you hook up third-party tools. The built-in analytics are a bit limited, though.
Beehiiv offers advanced analytics like segmentation, A/B testing, and poll results. You get a deeper look at how your audience behaves, which is awesome if you’re into data.
How do Ghost, Substack, and Beehiiv handle subscriber management and engagement?
Substack lets you talk to readers through comments and email replies, but segmentation is pretty limited.
Ghost supports member-only content. You can integrate with other tools for segmentation and automation if you want to get fancy.
Beehiiv comes with built-in segmentation, polls, surveys, and referral programs. It really tries to help you grow and engage your audience actively.
So, Ghost vs Substack vs beehiiv? It’s a tough call, but hopefully this helps you figure out what fits your style and needs.
What are the pricing models of Ghost, Substack, and Beehiiv, and which provides the best value for money?
Substack lets you start for free. But when you earn from paid subscriptions, they take 10% of your revenue, plus Stripe fees—it adds up faster than you’d think.
Ghost works differently. You pay a monthly fee, and that depends on your subscriber count.
But here’s the twist: Ghost doesn’t take any cut from your earnings. No platform transaction fees at all, which is honestly refreshing compared to the others in the Ghost vs Substack vs beehiiv debate.
Beehiiv throws a free plan your way too, covering up to 2,500 subscribers. Once you grow past that, you’ll need a paid tier, but you get more advanced tools and higher limits.
And like Ghost, Beehiiv skips the platform fees. That’s a big plus if you’re serious about keeping more of your revenue, especially when you’re comparing Ghost vs Substack vs beehiiv head-to-head.