Ghost vs Simple Membership Plugin
Ghost
ghost.orgSimple Membership Plugin
simple-membership-plugin.comSide by side
| Figure | Ghost | Simple Membership Plugin |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $18/mo | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 4 | 4 |
| Spec score · Membership Site Platforms | 8.9 (#10) | 8.3 (#30) |
| Content gating | post | page |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| App Integrations | Ghost connects with services including Stripe, Zapier, Slack, YouTube, Google Analytics, and GitHub. | The addon directory lists integrations including MailChimp, Zapier, bbPress, WooCommerce, ConvertKit, MailerLite, and AWeber; it separates free and premium addons. |
| Subscription billing | both | both |
Plans
Ghost
- Starter$18 a month
- Publisher$29 a month
- Business$199 a month
- CustomPriced on request
Simple Membership Plugin
- Core Simple Membership PluginFree
- Paid support$39, paid once
- Two-Factor Authentication Addon$39.95, paid once
- Form Builder Addon$47, paid once
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.
Simple Membership Plugin
Simple Membership Plugin has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.