Ghost(Pro) alternatives
At 10k subs, Ghost(Pro) costs $105 a month. 6 newsletter platforms cost less, from $4.30 (Sendy + SES). Ranked by price at the size you pick, with free plans, price hikes and how to switch.
Alternatives to Ghost(Pro) at 10k subs, cheapest first
- Substack: free +10% of paid subs (No plan fee). Free plan: unlimited subscribers.
- Sendy + SES: $4.30/mo +$69 license, own server (Self-hosted, SES à la carte at $0.10 per 1k). Free plan: none.
- MailCheap: $39/mo, $792 a year less than Ghost(Pro) (Plan for one issue a week (~4.3 emails per subscriber)). Free plan: none.
- Flodesk: $72/mo, $396 a year less than Ghost(Pro) (Lite plan (Pro above 25k)). Free plan: none. Last price hike: Dec 2025.
- Bento: $79/mo, $312 a year less than Ghost(Pro) (Marketing Platform). Free plan: none.
- Buttondown: $79/mo, $312 a year less than Ghost(Pro) (Base plan, no add-ons). Free plan: up to 100 subscribers. Last price hike: Mar 2023.
- MailerLite: $89/mo, $192 a year less than Ghost(Pro) (Comfort plan). Free plan: 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails/mo. Last price hike: Jun 2026.
- Mailchimp: $110/mo (Essentials (Standard above 50k)). Free plan: 250 contacts, 500 sends/mo. Last price hike: Apr 2026.
- beehiiv: $139/mo (Lite plan). Free plan: up to 2,500 subscribers, 1 publication. Last price hike: Oct 2026.
- Kit: $139/mo (Creator plan). Free plan: up to 10,000 subscribers, no automations. Last price hike: Sep 2025.
Prices at every size
- Ghost(Pro): 1k subs $18/mo, 5k subs $75/mo, 10k subs $105/mo, 25k subs $169/mo, 50k subs $249/mo, 100k subs $329/mo
- Substack: 1k subs free, 5k subs free, 10k subs free, 25k subs free, 50k subs free, 100k subs free (+10% of paid subs)
- Sendy + SES: 1k subs $0.43/mo, 5k subs $2.15/mo, 10k subs $4.30/mo, 25k subs $10.75/mo, 50k subs $21.50/mo, 100k subs $43/mo (+$69 license, own server)
- MailCheap: 1k subs $19/mo, 5k subs $39/mo, 10k subs $39/mo, 25k subs $79/mo, 50k subs $149/mo, 100k subs $149/mo
- Flodesk: 1k subs $25/mo, 5k subs $52/mo, 10k subs $72/mo, 25k subs $162/mo, 50k subs $389/mo, 100k subs $689/mo
- Bento: 1k subs $29/mo, 5k subs $29/mo, 10k subs $79/mo, 25k subs $229/mo, 50k subs $479/mo, 100k subs $929/mo
- Buttondown: 1k subs $9/mo, 5k subs $29/mo, 10k subs $79/mo, 25k subs $239/mo, 50k subs $319/mo, 100k subs custom pricing
- MailerLite: 1k subs $19/mo, 5k subs $49/mo, 10k subs $89/mo, 25k subs $179/mo, 50k subs $319/mo, 100k subs $439/mo
- Mailchimp: 1k subs $26.50/mo, 5k subs $75/mo, 10k subs $110/mo, 25k subs $270/mo, 50k subs $385/mo, 100k subs $800/mo
- beehiiv: 1k subs $59/mo, 5k subs $109/mo, 10k subs $139/mo, 25k subs $199/mo, 50k subs $299/mo, 100k subs $469/mo
- Kit: 1k subs $39/mo, 5k subs $89/mo, 10k subs $139/mo, 25k subs $199/mo, 50k subs $379/mo, 100k subs $679/mo
Cheapest paid plan that can send a weekly newsletter to the whole list, billed monthly. Plans priced by emails sent assume one issue a week, about 4.3 emails per subscriber a month.
How to move from Ghost(Pro) to Substack
- 1. Export your subscribers from Ghost(Pro). Look for Export in Ghost(Pro)'s settings.
- 2. Import them into Substack. Substack imports a subscriber CSV from its dashboard (Settings → Import). Paid subscribers need their Stripe data moved too; Substack's support helps with that.
- 3. Move paid subscriptions. Check how Substack handles existing paid subscribers before you cancel anything.
- 4. Point your domain and authenticate sending. Move your custom domain to Substack and add its SPF, DKIM and DMARC records so the first issue lands in inboxes. Delete Ghost(Pro)'s old DNS records at your DNS host.
- 5. Keep old links working. Add redirects from your old post URLs to the new ones so links and search rankings survive the move.
- 6. Send a test, then a short 'we moved' issue. Send to yourself first. A few unsubscribes after the first send from a new platform is normal.
- 7. Cancel Ghost(Pro) after one clean send. Keep Ghost(Pro) until the first issue from Substack has landed, download any invoices you need, then downgrade or cancel.
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Everything about Ghost(Pro)'s own prices and price hikes: Ghost(Pro).