Ghost vs Trustpilot: Complete Comparison (2026)
An in-depth comparison of Ghost and Trustpilot 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.
Trustpilot
5.6/10
Trustpilot Business is a review collection and reputation platform that lets companies invite, display, and analyse customer reviews on Trustpilot to build trust and support marketing.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 6.9/10 | 5.6/10 |
| Scalability | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Ease of Use | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Customization | 8/10 | 5/10 |
| Security | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Support | 5/10 | 4/10 |
| Cost | 7/10 | 3/10 |
| Integration | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Analytics | 6/10 | 6/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Cheapest paid plan | Contact for pricing | Contact for pricing |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Contact for pricing | Contact for pricing |
| Features | ||
| A/B Testing | ||
| E-commerce Features | Not listed | |
| Email Marketing | Not listed | |
| Landing Pages | Not listed | |
| Segmentation | Not listed | |
Ghost vs Trustpilot cost by team size
| Team size | Ghost | Trustpilot |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | Contact for pricing | FreeFree |
| 5 users | Contact for pricing | Contact for pricing |
| 10 users | Contact for pricing | Contact for pricing |
| 25 users | Contact for pricing | Contact for pricing |
| 50 users | Contact for pricing | Contact for pricing |
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 freelancers (8/10 vs 2/10)
- Better fit for small business (7/10 vs 4/10)
Why choose Trustpilot
- Has a free plan (Ghost does not)
- Better fit for enterprise (7/10 vs 5/10)
- Better fit for marketing teams (7/10 vs 5/10)
- Includes A/B Testing, which Ghost lacks
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.
Trustpilot
Pros
- Its TrustScore and star widgets come from a review site consumers already recognise, which makes them useful as social proof.
- The free plan lets a business reply to reviews and collect up to 50 invited reviews a month.
- Ready-made integrations with Shopify, WooCommerce, Klaviyo, Salesforce, and HubSpot can send review invitations automatically.
- The Invitation Optimizer can A/B test subject lines, email copy, and send delays.
Cons
- Paid plans are expensive, starting at about 3,800 dollars a year for each domain.
- Contracts last 12 months, renew automatically, and do not allow downgrades mid-term.
- Independent sources report renewal price increases of 32 to 78 percent.
- Some reviewers complain that moderation is inconsistent and that fake reviews get through.
- The listed prices are annual only. The pricing page shows no monthly price.
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
Ghost scores higher on our Marketing criteria: 6.9/10 against 5.6/10 for Trustpilot. The largest gap is in Cost: 7/10 for Ghost and 3/10 for Trustpilot.
Trustpilot has a free plan; Ghost does not list one.
Ghost is the better fit for freelancers: we rate it 8/10 for them, against 2/10 for Trustpilot.
Trustpilot has A/B Testing, which Ghost lacks.
