Ghost vs Kit
Both are newsletter platforms aimed at writers, creators and independent publishers. They differ most on free plan, publication website and automation.
At a glance
| Ghost | Kit | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 73/100 | 81/100 Higher |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Paid from | $18/mo monthly; $15/mo billed yearly | $33/mo monthly; $390/yr billed annually |
| Positioning | publishing platform | specialist email |
| Launched | 2013 | 2013 |
| Best for | Writers and publications that want a real website with the newsletter attached, and to keep all subscription revenue. | Creators who want to charge for a newsletter from day one without paying a monthly fee first. |
Where each one leads
| Dimension | Ghost | Kit | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 1/5 | 5/5 | Kit |
| Paid subscriptions | 4/5 | 5/5 | Kit |
| Value for money | 4/5 | 3/5 | Ghost |
| Ease of use | 3/5 | 4/5 | Kit |
| Low transaction fees | 5/5 | 4/5 | Ghost |
| Audience growth tools | 4/5 | 4/5 | Tie |
| Automation | 2/5 | 5/5 | Kit |
| Publication website | 5/5 | 3/5 | Ghost |
Scores are 1–5 per dimension. Ghost leads on 3 dimensions, Kit on 4. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ghost | Starter | $18 | monthly; $15/mo billed yearly |
| Publisher | $35 | monthly; $29/mo billed yearly | |
| Business | $239 | monthly; $199/mo billed yearly | |
| Kit | Free | Free | — |
| Creator | $33 | monthly; $390/yr billed annually | |
| Pro | $66 | monthly; $790/yr billed annually |
Pricing checked 24 September 2026 and 23 September 2026 against each vendor's own pricing page. Ghost: Ghost(Pro) managed hosting, billed in USD. Prices are for up to 1,000 members (Business: 10,000); yearly billing saves about 17%. Kit: Billed in USD. Paid prices are for 1,000 subscribers and rise with list size; annual billing saves 17%.
Verdict
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.
Kit
- +Free up to 10,000 subscribers, and the free plan can already run a paid newsletter.
- +Unlimited automations and email sequences come with any paid plan.
- +A free recommendations network across Kit creators helps a new list grow.
- −Takes 3.5% + 30¢ of each subscription payment, card processing included — about 0.6% more than processing alone.
- −The free plan is broadcasts only; automations and sequences need a paid plan.
Common questions
Is Ghost cheaper than Kit?
Ghost starts at $18/mo (monthly; $15/mo billed yearly), and Kit starts at $33/mo (monthly; $390/yr billed annually) — 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 Ghost or Kit have a free plan?
Ghost has no free plan, and Kit has a free plan.
Which is better, Ghost or Kit?
On our weighted scoring across the use cases in this category, Kit 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.
- kit.com — checked 24 September 2026Paid newsletters and recurring subscriptions on every plan, including free. 3.5% + 30¢ per transaction, inclusive of card processing — Kit says its own share is 0.6%.