Ghost vs Kajabi: Complete Comparison (2026)
An in-depth comparison of Ghost and Kajabi to help you choose the right tool for your business.
Last updated: November 2026
Ghost
6.9/10
Open-source publishing platform that combines a website, newsletters, and paid memberships for independent publishers, creators, and media businesses.
Kajabi
5.3/10
All-in-one platform for creators and coaching businesses that sell courses, communities and memberships, with built-in email marketing, funnels, landing pages and checkout.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 6.9/10 | 5.3/10 |
| Scalability | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Ease of Use | 7/10 | 8/10 |
| Customization | 8/10 | 5/10 |
| Security | 7/10 | 5/10 |
| Support | 5/10 | 7/10 |
| Cost | 7/10 | 3/10 |
| Integration | 7/10 | 5/10 |
| Analytics | 6/10 | 4/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | Contact for pricing | $179/mo Basic |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Contact for pricing | $249/mo Growth |
| Features | ||
| Email Marketing | ||
| Landing Pages | ||
| Segmentation | ||
| A/B Testing | Not listed | |
Ghost vs Kajabi cost by team size
| Team size | Ghost | Kajabi |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | Contact for pricing | $179/moBasic |
| 5 users | Contact for pricing | $249/moGrowth |
| 10 users | Contact for pricing | $249/moGrowth |
| 25 users | Contact for pricing | $499/moPro |
| 50 users | Contact for pricing | $179/moBasic |
The plan that fits each team size, billed monthly, before add-ons and usage charges. Each cost opens that tool's pricing calculator for the team size.
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose Ghost
- Higher Cost score (7/10 vs 3/10)
- Higher Customization score (8/10 vs 5/10)
- Better fit for enterprise (5/10 vs 2/10)
Why choose Kajabi
- Higher Support score (7/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Ease of Use score (8/10 vs 7/10)
Pros & Cons
Ghost
Pros
- Ghost takes no percentage of membership revenue, unlike Substack's 10% fee, so publishers pay only the plan price and Stripe fees.
- Website, newsletter, and paid memberships work together without plugins.
- The open-source core can be self-hosted for free, and APIs and webhooks support custom builds.
- More than 100 listed integrations, including Zapier, Stripe, Mailchimp, and privacy-focused analytics tools.
Cons
- Email features are basic: segmentation is limited and there is no built-in A/B testing or SMS.
- Email delivery depends on Mailgun, which users say can be costly or unreliable when self-hosting.
- Lower plans get email-only support with no weekend coverage, and Trustpilot reviews complain about billing and refunds.
- The Starter plan excludes paid subscriptions, custom themes, and integrations.
Kajabi
Pros
- Funnels, landing pages and marketing emails are unlimited on every plan, so sending more does not cost more
- Course, community, website, checkout and email all live in one account, which removes Zapier glue between separate tools
- Email sequences support conditional logic and report revenue per email
- Reviewers rate support well, with 24/7 chat and an active user community
Cons
- The entry plan costs $179 a month, which is high next to Teachable or Thinkific
- Reviewers call the email tools basic, with limited advanced segmentation and limited email reporting
- Platform fees of 0.5% to 2% apply when you use third-party payment providers
- The native integration library is small, so many connections need Zapier
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
Ghost scores higher on our Marketing criteria: 6.9/10 against 5.3/10 for Kajabi. The largest gap is in Cost: 7/10 for Ghost and 3/10 for Kajabi.
No, neither Ghost nor Kajabi lists a free plan.
Ghost is the better fit for enterprise: we rate it 5/10 for them, against 2/10 for Kajabi.
