Ghost vs Zapier Comparison
Compare Ghost vs Zapier 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.
Zapier
7.3/10
Zapier is a no-code automation platform that connects thousands of business apps and adds AI steps, agents, and chatbots to workflows for teams of any size.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 6.9/10 | 7.3/10 |
| Analytics | 6/10 | 6/10 |
| Cost | 7/10 | 4/10 |
| Customization | 8/10 | 7/10 |
| Ease of Use | 7/10 | 9/10 |
| Integration | 7/10 | 10/10 |
| Scalability | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Security | 7/10 | 8/10 |
| Support | 5/10 | 6/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Cheapest paid plan | Contact for pricing | $30/mo Professional |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Contact for pricing | $104/mo Team |
| Features | ||
| A/B Testing | Not listed | |
| Email Marketing | Not listed | |
| Landing Pages | Not listed | |
| Segmentation | Not listed | |
| More features | ||
| AI Agents | Not listed | |
| Chatbots | Not listed | |
| Private Deployment | Not listed | |
| API Access | Not listed | |
| Workflow Automation | Not listed | |
| Text Generation | Not listed | |
| Enterprise Controls | Not listed | |
Ghost vs Zapier cost by team size
| Team size | Ghost | Zapier |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | Contact for pricing | FreeFree |
| 5 users | Contact for pricing | $104/moTeam |
| 10 users | Contact for pricing | $104/moTeam |
| 25 users | Contact for pricing | $104/moTeam |
| 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 4/10)
- Higher Customization score (8/10 vs 7/10)
Why choose Zapier
- Has a free plan (Ghost does not)
- Higher Integration score (10/10 vs 7/10)
- Higher Ease of Use score (9/10 vs 7/10)
- Better fit for sales teams (7/10 vs 1/10)
- Better fit for agencies (7/10 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.
Zapier
Pros
- Its app catalog is the largest among automation tools, which reviewers single out as unmatched.
- Non-technical users can build simple two- or three-step workflows quickly from templates or Copilot prompts.
- Agents, chatbots, and AI steps sit alongside existing workflows, so you do not need a second platform for AI.
- Holds a SOC 2 Type II attestation and SOC 3 report, with SAML SSO and audit logs from the Team plan.
Cons
- Every action step uses a task, so multi-step and high-volume workflows get expensive quickly.
- Overage on monthly plans is charged at 2.5 times the base task rate.
- The free plan allows only two-step Zaps and lacks filters and AI by Zapier.
- There is no self-hosted or private deployment option, unlike n8n or Activepieces.
- Users report complaints about billing, refunds, and an all-day outage in October 2025.
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
Zapier scores higher on our Marketing criteria: 7.3/10 against 6.9/10 for Ghost. The largest gap is in Cost: 7/10 for Ghost and 4/10 for Zapier.
Zapier has a free plan; Ghost does not list one.
Zapier is the better fit for sales teams: we rate it 7/10 for them, against 1/10 for Ghost.
