Ghost vs Mautic: Complete Comparison (2026)
An in-depth comparison of Ghost and Mautic 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.
Mautic
6.5/10
Mautic is free, open source, self-hosted marketing automation software. It covers email, landing pages, segmentation, lead scoring and multichannel campaigns for businesses that want control of their data.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 6.9/10 | 6.5/10 |
| Scalability | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Ease of Use | 7/10 | 4/10 |
| Customization | 8/10 | 9/10 |
| Security | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Support | 5/10 | 3/10 |
| Cost | 7/10 | 10/10 |
| Integration | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Analytics | 6/10 | 5/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Cheapest paid plan | Contact for pricing | Contact for pricing |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Contact for pricing | Free Open Source (self-hosted) |
| Features | ||
| A/B Testing | ||
| Email Marketing | ||
| Landing Pages | ||
| Segmentation | ||
| SMS Marketing | Not listed | |
Ghost vs Mautic cost by team size
| Team size | Ghost | Mautic |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | Contact for pricing | FreeOpen Source (self-hosted) |
| 5 users | Contact for pricing | FreeOpen Source (self-hosted) |
| 10 users | Contact for pricing | FreeOpen Source (self-hosted) |
| 25 users | Contact for pricing | FreeOpen Source (self-hosted) |
| 50 users | Contact for pricing | FreeOpen Source (self-hosted) |
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 Ease of Use score (7/10 vs 4/10)
- Higher Support score (5/10 vs 3/10)
- Better fit for freelancers (8/10 vs 3/10)
- Better fit for small business (7/10 vs 5/10)
Why choose Mautic
- Has a free plan (Ghost does not)
- Higher Cost score (10/10 vs 7/10)
- Higher Customization score (9/10 vs 8/10)
- Better fit for sales teams (5/10 vs 1/10)
- Better fit for agencies (8/10 vs 4/10)
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.
Mautic
Pros
- There are no licence or per-contact fees, so costs stay flat as your contact list grows.
- Self-hosting gives you full control of your data, which helps with GDPR and data sovereignty.
- The core feature set is broad: a visual campaign builder, lead scoring, segments, forms, landing pages and email A/B testing.
- The open source code, REST API and plugin system allow deep customisation.
Cons
- Reviewers describe a steep learning curve and a difficult installation for non-technical users.
- Support comes from the community unless you pay a partner, and there is no vendor ticketing.
- Upgrades should be run from the command line, and reviewers mention slow development and patchy documentation.
- Email A/B testing works only with segment emails.
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
Ghost scores higher on our Marketing criteria: 6.9/10 against 6.5/10 for Mautic. The largest gap is in Cost: 7/10 for Ghost and 10/10 for Mautic.
Mautic has a free plan; Ghost does not list one.
Ghost is the better fit for freelancers: we rate it 8/10 for them, against 3/10 for Mautic.
Mautic has A/B Testing, which Ghost lacks.
