Quick Answer
- Ghost is a publishing platform for membership-oriented blogs, aimed at independent creators.
- It has clean editor, built-in email, and Stripe-powered paid subscriptions with 0% platform fees.
- You can self-host Ghost for free or pay for Ghost(Pro), the fully managed hosting service.
What Ghost Is
Ghost was created to give writers, journalists, and small media brands a simpler alternative to bloated platforms.
Ghost.org is a strong fit if you care about owning your platform, your email list, and your billing relationship with readers. It is especially attractive for privacy-conscious writers and Bitcoin/tech folks who dislike ad-driven, algorithmic platforms.
Ghost combines a distraction-free editor with newsletter and membership tools, so you can run a blog and Substack-style publication from one place. You can publish posts to the web and send them as email newsletters, with options to segment your audience into different lists.
It also has native membership and subscription support: readers can sign up for free or paid tiers, and content can be restricted to members or paying subscribers. Ghost connects directly to Stripe, so creators pay Stripe’s processing fee but Ghost itself takes 0% of your subscription revenue.
Hosting, Pricing, and Self-Hosting
You can download Ghost and run it on your own server or VPS if you’re comfortable with Linux and Node.js. That route gives you maximum control and can be privacy-friendly if you choose a good host and manage your own analytics.
If you don’t want to manage infrastructure, Ghost(Pro) handles hosting, updates, and backups for a monthly fee. The hosted service runs on a global CDN with performance and security tuning built in, aimed at serious bloggers, newsletters, and indie media businesses.
