Ghost vs Skool: Complete Comparison (2026)
An in-depth comparison of Ghost and Skool 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.
Skool
5/10
Skool is an all-in-one community platform that lets creators, coaches and small businesses run paid online communities with courses, live calls and gamification.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 6.9/10 | 5/10 |
| Analytics | 6/10 | 4/10 |
| Cost | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Customization | 8/10 | 2/10 |
| Ease of Use | 7/10 | 9/10 |
| Integration | 7/10 | 3/10 |
| Scalability | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Security | 7/10 | 4/10 |
| Support | 5/10 | 4/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | Contact for pricing | $9/mo Hobby |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Contact for pricing | $9/mo Hobby |
| Features | ||
| Landing Pages | ||
| A/B Testing | ||
| Email Marketing | Not listed | |
| Segmentation | Not listed | |
| SMS Marketing | Not listed | |
| Webinars | Not listed | |
Ghost vs Skool cost by team size
| Team size | Ghost | Skool |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | Contact for pricing | $9/moHobby |
| 5 users | Contact for pricing | $9/moHobby |
| 10 users | Contact for pricing | $9/moHobby |
| 25 users | Contact for pricing | $9/moHobby |
| 50 users | Contact for pricing | $9/moHobby |
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 Customization score (8/10 vs 2/10)
- Higher Integration score (7/10 vs 3/10)
- Better fit for enterprise (5/10 vs 2/10)
- Better fit for marketing teams (5/10 vs 2/10)
- Includes Landing Pages, which Skool lacks
Why choose Skool
- Higher Ease of Use score (9/10 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.
Skool
Pros
- Feed, courses, calendar and leaderboard sit in one simple interface, so members need little onboarding.
- The points and levels system can gate content and encourages members to return.
- Both plans include unlimited members, courses and videos at a flat monthly price.
- Skool acts as merchant of record, handling sales tax and paying out weekly.
- A discovery page can bring in new members without paid advertising.
Cons
- The Hobby plan's 10% fee becomes expensive once monthly revenue passes about 1,300 USD.
- There is no native email marketing, landing page or funnel builder.
- Branding is limited to a custom URL, and fonts, colours and layout cannot be changed.
- Zapier, webinars, affiliates and the custom URL are Pro-only.
- You cannot use your own Stripe account, and Trustpilot reviews complain about cancellations and unanswered support requests.
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
Ghost scores higher on our Marketing criteria: 6.9/10 against 5/10 for Skool. The largest gap is in Customization: 8/10 for Ghost and 2/10 for Skool.
No, neither Ghost nor Skool lists a free plan.
Ghost is the better fit for enterprise: we rate it 5/10 for them, against 2/10 for Skool.
Ghost has Landing Pages, which Skool lacks.
