beehiiv vs Ghost
Both are newsletter platforms aimed at writers, creators and independent publishers. They differ most on free plan, audience growth tools and publication website.
At a glance
| beehiiv | Ghost | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 83/100 Higher | 73/100 |
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Paid from | $49/mo monthly; $517/yr billed annually | $18/mo monthly; $15/mo billed yearly |
| Positioning | growth platform | publishing platform |
| Launched | 2021 | 2013 |
| Best for | Newsletter operators who want growth tools and ad revenue built in, and expect to outgrow a hobby list. | Writers and publications that want a real website with the newsletter attached, and to keep all subscription revenue. |
Where each one leads
| Dimension | beehiiv | Ghost | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 4/5 | 1/5 | beehiiv |
| Paid subscriptions | 4/5 | 4/5 | Tie |
| Value for money | 3/5 | 4/5 | Ghost |
| Ease of use | 4/5 | 3/5 | beehiiv |
| Low transaction fees | 5/5 | 5/5 | Tie |
| Audience growth tools | 5/5 | 4/5 | beehiiv |
| Automation | 4/5 | 2/5 | beehiiv |
| Publication website | 4/5 | 5/5 | Ghost |
Scores are 1–5 per dimension. beehiiv leads on 4 dimensions, Ghost on 2. The overall figure weights these for newsletter platforms generally — see methodology.
Pricing
Plans are listed per tool rather than paired row by row — tiers rarely line up, and putting one vendor's second plan beside another's implies an equivalence that is not there.
| Tool | Plan | Per month | Terms |
|---|---|---|---|
| beehiiv | Launch | Free | — |
| Scale | $49 | monthly; $517/yr billed annually | |
| Max | $109 | monthly; $1,151/yr billed annually | |
| Ghost | Starter | $18 | monthly; $15/mo billed yearly |
| Publisher | $35 | monthly; $29/mo billed yearly | |
| Business | $239 | monthly; $199/mo billed yearly |
Pricing checked 24 September 2026 against each vendor's own pricing page. beehiiv: Billed in USD. Paid prices are for up to 1,000 subscribers and rise with list size; annual billing saves about 12%. Ghost: Ghost(Pro) managed hosting, billed in USD. Prices are for up to 1,000 members (Business: 10,000); yearly billing saves about 17%.
Verdict
beehiiv
- +Free for up to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited sends, a website and your own domain.
- +Takes 0% of paid-subscription revenue on paid plans — you pay only Stripe’s processing fee.
- +A recommendation network on every plan, plus a referral programme and ad network from Scale up.
- −Paid subscriptions, automations and the ad network all need the Scale plan, from $49 a month.
- −Prices climb with the list: Scale is $49 a month at 1,000 subscribers and $109 at 10,000.
Ghost
- +A full publishing website and newsletter in one, with a free custom domain on every plan.
- +Takes 0% of paid-subscription revenue from the Publisher plan up.
- +Recommendations, a referral programme and the Ghost Explore network on every plan.
- −No free plan on the managed service — only a free trial.
- −The $18 Starter plan cannot take paid subscriptions or use custom themes; both need Publisher at $35 a month.
Common questions
Is beehiiv cheaper than Ghost?
beehiiv starts at $49/mo (monthly; $517/yr billed annually), and Ghost starts at $18/mo (monthly; $15/mo billed yearly) — so Ghost is the cheaper entry point. Compare what each includes at that tier, and what it renews at, rather than the headline figure alone.
Does beehiiv or Ghost have a free plan?
beehiiv has a free plan, and Ghost has no free plan.
Which is better, beehiiv or Ghost?
On our weighted scoring across the use cases in this category, beehiiv comes out ahead overall. The honest answer is that it depends on the use case — the tables above break the score down by dimension so you can weight it to your own priorities.
Other comparisons
Sources & verification
- ghost.org — checked 24 September 2026Founded April 2013.
- ghost.org — checked 24 September 2026No free plan on Ghost(Pro) — each plan starts with a free trial. Ghost is also open-source software you can host yourself.
- beehiiv.com — checked 24 September 2026
- beehiiv.com — checked 24 September 2026Launch plan: free for up to 2,500 subscribers, with unlimited email sends, a website and custom domains. No card required. Paid subscriptions, automations and the ad network need a paid plan.