Beehiiv vs Ghost
Detailed comparison to help you choose the right tool for your needs
G
Ghost
The creator platform for independent publishers
4.2
Editorial RatingQuick Comparison
Rating
4.6
vs4.2
Starting Price
Free
vs$9
Pricing Model
freemium
vspaid
Feature
Beehiiv
Ghost
Newsletter sending
Paid subscriptions
Referral program
Analytics
Ad network
Segmentation
Membership tiers
SEO tools
Full blogging CMS
Self-hostable
Beehiiv Pros
- Best monetization tools of any newsletter platform
- Built-in ad network for passive revenue
- Referral system drives organic growth
- Strong analytics and subscriber insights
- No revenue cut on paid subscriptions
Beehiiv Cons
- Free plan limited to 2500 subscribers
- Less established than Mailchimp or ConvertKit
- Scale plan expensive for smaller newsletters
Ghost Pros
- Open source — full ownership of your content
- Best SEO of any newsletter platform
- No revenue cut on paid subscriptions
- Self-hosting option for maximum control
- Professional blogging CMS built in
Ghost Cons
- More technical setup than Substack
- Design customization requires knowing Handlebars/CSS
- No built-in discovery network
- Member limits on lower plans