Ghost

Ghost runs your site, your membership tiers, and your newsletter send off one content database, so a post can go out as a public page, a members-only page, and an email at the same time without duplicating it anywhere. Native Stripe integration handles paid subscriptions and gated content, and themes are fully customizable since Ghost is open-source rather than a closed template system.

You can self-host Ghost for free (the software itself has no license cost), paying only for a VPS, a domain, and a transactional email service, which typically runs $7 to $25 a month all in for a small publication. Managed Ghost(Pro) hosting starts at $18 a month ($15 billed annually) for 1,000 members on the Starter tier, with Publisher at $35 a month adding paid memberships and custom themes, and Business at $239 a month for larger teams. Either way, Ghost takes no cut of subscription revenue, a real contrast with Substack's 10%. It suits a writer or small publication that wants to own its website and membership system, not just send an email.