Ghost vs Memberstack
Ghost
ghost.orgMemberstack
memberstack.comSide by side
| Figure | Ghost | Memberstack |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $18/mo | $25/mo |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 4 | 4 |
| Spec score · Membership Site Platforms | 8.9 (#10) | 8.5 (#22) |
| Account Security | All plans include device verification and email-based two-factor authentication. | Authentication options include email and password, one-time login codes, and social logins. |
| Content gating | post | Users can lock pages, sections, or elements behind a plan or login without code. |
| Custom Domain | Ghost(Pro) includes a free ghost.io subdomain and supports custom domains. | Yes |
| Free plan | No | No |
| App Integrations | Ghost connects with services including Stripe, Zapier, Slack, YouTube, Google Analytics, and GitHub. | The integrations directory describes native connections, third-party connections through Zapier, Make, or webhooks, and custom JavaScript integrations through the API and frontend SDK. |
| Member limit | 1000 | 1000 |
| Paid from | 18 | 25 |
| Subscription billing | both | both |
| Transaction fee | 0% Ghost fee; payment processor fees apply | 4% on Basic, plus standard Stripe processing fees |
Plans
Ghost
- Starter$18 a month
- Publisher$29 a month
- Business$199 a month
- CustomPriced on request
Memberstack
- Basic$25 a month
- Professional$39 a month
- Business$79 a month
- Established$399 a month
In their own words
Ghost
Ghost is an open-source blog and newsletter platform for professional publishers, with tools for publishing, memberships, analytics, and editorial workflows. It runs on the web and supports custom domains, theme customization, SEO tools, multilingual content, and CSV export. Publishers can send multiple email newsletters and offer free or paid memberships with monthly or yearly billing. The editor supports galleries, GIFs, video, audio, products, files, and bookmarks. Integrations include Stripe, Zapier, Slack, YouTube, Google Analytics, and GitHub. Paid plans start at $18/mo (annual), with a 14-day trial and no permanent free plan. Starter costs $18 a month, billed yearly, and includes 1,000 members, one staff user, and a 5 MB file upload limit. Ghost charges a 0% fee on publication revenue; payment processor fees still apply. Ghost(Pro) includes security protections, while all plans include device verification and email-based two-factor authentication.
Memberstack
Memberstack has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.