Ghost

Ghost is built from the ground up as a membership and publishing platform with email baked into its core. You create paid subscription tiers, publish content restricted by membership level, and Ghost handles sending newsletters automatically to subscribers. The email editor is clean and the delivery infrastructure is solid, so newsletters feel native rather than bolted-on.

Ideal for newsletter creators, writers, and media outlets who want to charge for content and email their subscribers. Unlike membership-first platforms like Podia, Ghost prioritizes publishing quality and newsletter experience. It's especially strong if you're building a content business where email is the primary member touchpoint rather than one feature among many.