beehiiv vs Ghost
Newsletter-led growth or a website-centered publication?
beehiiv
Consider beehiiv when the newsletter is the business you want to grow.
Read beehiiv profile →
| Difference | beehiiv | Ghost |
|---|---|---|
| Best for (editorial) | Publication-led newsletter businesses | Independent publishers building a publication website |
| Pricing model | subscriber-based | subscriber-based |
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Starting paid price | USD 49/month · annual billing equivalent · Lite · 1,000 subscribers in the displayed selector | USD 18/month · annual billing equivalent · Ghost(Pro) Starter · 1,000 members |
| Pricing conditions | Free tier supports up to 2,500 subscribers. Lite adds automations and paid subscriptions; Pro adds webhooks and advanced analytics. | Managed hosting has no free plan. Starter covers a website and newsletter; Publisher adds paid subscriptions. Open-source self-hosting is a separate deployment choice. |
| Newsletters | Supported | Supported |
| Landing pages | Supported | Not verified |
| API | Supported | Conditional — Admin API and custom integrations require Publisher or above. |
| Automation | Conditional — Lite or above. | Conditional — Through external integrations; not equivalent to a native email-sequence builder. |
| Paid subscriptions | Conditional — Lite or above; payment-processing fees apply. | Conditional — Ghost(Pro) Publisher or above. |
| Digital products | Supported | Not verified |
| Webhooks | Conditional — Pro or above. | Conditional — Publisher or above. |
| Custom domains | Not verified | Supported |
| Platforms | Web: Supported — Browser-based service; other platforms have not been assessed. | Web: Supported — Browser-based service; other platforms have not been assessed. |
| Researched integrations | Not verified; omission does not mean unsupported | Not verified; omission does not mean unsupported |
Pricing note
beehiiv
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- Yes
- Pricing model
- subscriber-based
- Starting paid price
- USD 49/month · annual billing equivalent · Lite · 1,000 subscribers in the displayed selector
Free plan available. Free tier supports up to 2,500 subscribers. Lite adds automations and paid subscriptions; Pro adds webhooks and advanced analytics.
Annual billing equivalent. Confirm the subscriber selector and checkout total; payment processing is separate.
Pricing verified: October 4, 2026. Prices and plan limits can change.
beehiiv official pricing ↗Ghost
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- Yes
- Pricing model
- subscriber-based
- Starting paid price
- USD 18/month · annual billing equivalent · Ghost(Pro) Starter · 1,000 members
No free plan for the researched offering. Managed hosting has no free plan. Starter covers a website and newsletter; Publisher adds paid subscriptions. Open-source self-hosting is a separate deployment choice.
Annual billing equivalent for managed hosting. Publisher is required for paid subscriptions and custom integrations. Self-hosting has separate operating costs.
Pricing verified: October 4, 2026. Prices and plan limits can change.
Ghost official pricing ↗Editorial recommendation
Choose around the workflow you will repeat. Build a sample issue and signup flow, then confirm the plan requirements in the sourced facts below.
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Sources & review status
Research-based profile, not a hands-on review. Last verified: October 4, 2026. Verification covers the sourced facts below; unknown fields remain unverified.
Categories: Newsletter platform
- beehiiv pricing and plans ↗ · pricing · October 4, 2026
Editorial guidance is a research-based assessment, not a measured ranking or hands-on test.
Sources & review status
Research-based profile, not a hands-on review. Last verified: October 4, 2026. Verification covers the sourced facts below; unknown fields remain unverified.
Categories: Newsletter platform · Website builder
- Ghost pricing and plans ↗ · pricing · October 4, 2026
- Ghost integrations directory ↗ · official · October 4, 2026
Editorial guidance is a research-based assessment, not a measured ranking or hands-on test.
Sources & review status
This comparison is based on product research, not hands-on testing. Check the current plans for the features you need. Last reviewed 4 October 2026.