Ghost vs MailerLite Comparison
Compare Ghost vs MailerLite features, pricing, and more.
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.
MailerLite
7.1/10
MailerLite is an email marketing platform for small businesses and creators, combining newsletters, automations, landing pages, sites, forms and digital product sales.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 6.9/10 | 7.1/10 |
| Scalability | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Ease of Use | 7/10 | 9/10 |
| Customization | 8/10 | 7/10 |
| Security | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Support | 5/10 | 5/10 |
| Cost | 7/10 | 8/10 |
| Integration | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Analytics | 6/10 | 6/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Cheapest paid plan | Contact for pricing | $12/mo Comfort |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Contact for pricing | $25/mo Power |
| Features | ||
| A/B Testing | ||
| Email Marketing | ||
| Landing Pages | ||
| Segmentation | ||
| E-commerce Features | Not listed | |
Ghost vs MailerLite cost by team size
| Team size | Ghost | MailerLite |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | Contact for pricing | FreeFree |
| 5 users | Contact for pricing | $25/moPower |
| 10 users | Contact for pricing | $25/moPower |
| 25 users | Contact for pricing | $25/moPower |
| 50 users | Contact for pricing | $25/moPower |
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 Scalability score (7/10 vs 6/10)
- Higher Customization score (8/10 vs 7/10)
Why choose MailerLite
- Has a free plan (Ghost does not)
- Higher Ease of Use score (9/10 vs 7/10)
- Higher Cost score (8/10 vs 7/10)
- Better fit for small business (9/10 vs 7/10)
- Better fit for startups (8/10 vs 6/10)
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.
MailerLite
Pros
- The interface is clean, and reviewers say automations are quick to set up even for first-time users.
- Automations are included even on the free plan.
- Paid plans start at $12 a month, which reviewers say is cheaper than Mailchimp or Constant Contact.
- Native e-commerce integrations with Shopify, WooCommerce and Stripe feed purchase-based automations.
- Reviewers report deliverability ranking first in an independent EmailToolTester test.
Cons
- Many users report accounts suspended or terminated with little warning and difficult appeals.
- Support is email-only on Comfort, and some reviewers say replies are slow.
- The free plan has been cut more than once and now allows only 250 subscribers.
- Prices rise steeply as the list grows, according to a competitor's analysis.
- Reviewers find reporting and segmentation limited for larger companies.
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
MailerLite scores higher on our Marketing criteria: 7.1/10 against 6.9/10 for Ghost. The largest gap is in Ease of Use: 7/10 for Ghost and 9/10 for MailerLite.
MailerLite has a free plan; Ghost does not list one.
MailerLite is the better fit for small business: we rate it 9/10 for them, against 7/10 for Ghost.
MailerLite has A/B Testing, which Ghost lacks.
