Ghost (Newsletter and publishing platforms)
Created by: John O'Nolan

Ghost's pricing is the principle — zero platform cut on subscription revenue, member-tier pricing on managed hosting. The pricing page is the proof.

TL;DR: Ghost(Pro) prices by member count with a flat-per-tier subscription, charges zero percent on subscription revenue beyond Stripe fees, and ships self-hosting free under the open-source license. The pricing model is structural proof of the ownership positioning: at scale, Ghost is dramatically cheaper than managed creator networks. The lesson for indie founders: when your positioning depends on a principle, the pricing page should be the most concrete evidence of it.

What they sell: An open-source publishing platform for newsletters, blogs, and membership publications.
Who it's for: Writers, publishers, and small media companies who want a fully owned site with no platform cut on subscription revenue.
Pricing model: Member-count tiered subscription (Ghost Pro) with free self-host alternative
Payment frequency: Monthly or annual; annual discount; member-count-based tier triggers.
Free trial behavior: Ghost Pro offers a 14-day free trial; self-host is permanently free open-source.
Number of tiers: 5

Anchor pattern: Self-host-as-floor, member-count-as-ladder
The free self-host option anchors the entire pricing page as 'this is open source, you can run it yourself'. Ghost(Pro) then prices managed hosting on member-count tiers — a usage-aligned metric that scales with the publisher's success rather than with their team or seat count. The Business tier sits as the implicit enterprise ceiling.

Upgrade trigger: Member-growth as upgrade driver
Upgrade from Starter to Creator is triggered at ~500 paying members — typically when a newsletter has demonstrated real product-market fit. Subsequent tier upgrades follow member growth at fixed thresholds. The zero-revenue-cut economics mean the publisher captures the marginal revenue from growth, not the platform.

What's working:
Zero platform cut on subscription revenue is structurally cheaper than Substack at scale, and the math is verifiable.|Self-host option proves the open-source positioning is real, not marketing.|Member-count tiers align platform cost with publisher growth rather than team size.|Tier thresholds are publicly visible — no quote-wall, no negotiation surface needed.|Annual discount aligns publisher cashflow with annual subscription revenue patterns.

What to adapt:
If your positioning depends on a principle (ownership, transparency, no-lock-in), the pricing page is your most concrete evidence — make it match.|Usage-aligned pricing (member count, customer count) feels fairer to growing customers than per-seat for the same revenue.|Publishing tier thresholds publicly reinforces transparency positioning; quote-walls contradict it.

What to avoid:
Do not copy zero-revenue-cut economics if your platform genuinely depends on percentage revenue — the math has to work.|Do not assume open-source self-host will dominate revenue — Ghost(Pro) is the commercial engine.|Do not price below cost for the principle alone — Ghost's economics work because the marginal cost per member is low.

Brunson lens:
Stack: Self-host → Starter → Creator → Team → Business; member-count-aligned stack.
Value ladder: Free self-host → Starter for new publications → Creator for growing → Team for publications → Business for scale.
Decoy/anchor: Self-host anchors the entire ladder as principled; Business is the implicit ceiling.
Payment mechanics: Member-count tiered monthly or annual; zero platform cut on subscription revenue beyond Stripe fees.

Pricing last verified: 2026-05-18