Ghost vs Substack, Which Platform Should You Use For Your Newsletter?

Flodesk vs Mailchimp, Which Email Tool Is Right For Your Business?

Substack vs Medium, Which Platform Is Best for Publishing Your Blog?

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Do you need help deciding between Ghost and Substack to deliver your Notion Newsletter content? The right platform can significantly impact your newsletter's success. In this blog, we'll compare Ghost and Substack to help you determine the best fit for your needs.

Feather's send emails from Notion can be a game-changer for your Notion Newsletter strategy. This tool integrates your Notion workspaces with your email marketing efforts, making it easy to deliver engaging content to your audience.

Ghost vs Substack at a Glance

At their core, Ghost and Substack are fundamentally different. Substack is a no-code platform that empowers creators to send newsletters and engage with subscribers. Ghost CMS, on the other hand, is a robust tool for monetizing blogs and newsletters through memberships.

Ghost and Substack look similar on the surface, as they are platforms that combine blogs with newsletters. But this isn't the truth.

A Blogger's SEO-Friendly Platform

Ghost CMS is suitable for creators who give more importance to their blogs and publish articles, as their SEO is fantastic. Also, Ghost has more customization and monetization options than Substack.

All-in-One Tool for Diverse Content and Community Building

On the other hand, Substack is best for creators who want to publish different types of content (newsletters or videos) using only one tool. Substack also has some social features, like chats with subscribers.

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What Is Ghost?

Ghost is a non-profit and fully open-source platform founded in 2013 following a Kickstarter campaign and run by John O’Nolan.

Platform Goals

Enable independent journalists to earn a living online

Support writers in monetizing their content

Empower content creators with sustainable income opportunities

To date, it claims over three million installations or sites. You can use it to manage a:

Blog

Paid newsletter

Membership site

Podcast

Ghost CMS is an excellent platform for bloggers and writers who want to publish content and monetize it with memberships. Its most vital points are its SEO and ease of use.

Benefits of Using Ghost

Safe and secure

Fast performance

Optimized out of the box

Focus on content creation instead of technical tweaks

Using the open-source version can be daunting. Nevertheless, Ghost is super easy to use with managed hosting like Ghost (Pro) because this type of service takes care of:

Updates

Backups

Installation

What Is Substack?

Substack is mainly a newsletter tool, but they are trying to become a place to publish all kinds of content like:

Blog

Podcast

Chat with subscribers

Have a Twitter "clone" called Notes

Since the platform was created in 2017, it has significantly impacted media by popularizing paid newsletters.

Substack is one of the main reasons newsletters are becoming so popular again, as it makes monetizing content easy.

Substack focuses on empowering writers by providing essential tools for success. The platform offers features tailored to independent content creators, including:

Monetization opportunities

Audience ownership

Creative control

Sustainable career building

Marketed as “a place for independent writing,” Substack enables writers to:

Launch a paid newsletter or blog business

Build and engage with a community

Generate revenue from subscriptions

They claim that zero tech knowledge is required and aim to “take care of everything except the hard part (the writing itself).” They promise “true independence” where the writer keeps the copyright to all their content.

Its operation is pretty simple, so it now boasts more than 35 million active subscriptions, three million of which are paid.

Content Import and Setup Options

Import content from Mailchimp, WordPress, Tinyletter, Medium, Tumblr, and custom-built sites.

Set up a new site from scratch in just a few minutes.

Once live, the creator chooses which posts are free and which are gated behind the Substack paywall.

Ghost vs Substack: Detailed Feature Comparison

Features

Ghost and Substack are two of the most popular platforms for publishing newsletters. In terms of features, Ghost offers more flexibility and robustness than Substack. Both platforms offer core features such as:

Blogging

Built-in newsletter support

Member management

Ghost: Unleashing Your Design Vision

Ghost goes further with themes and integrations. Ghost stands out in the ability to use Ghost themes to gain complete control over your site's design. This means you can customize the look and feel of your site to suit your brand. In contrast, Substack is more limited in design customization, allowing only basic color choices.

When it comes to integrations, Ghost leads the way. It integrates with many third-party services and offers a Zapier integration that allows you to connect to various apps for automation. This makes Ghost more versatile and opens up possibilities for monetization beyond subscriptions.

Custom Design & Branding

In terms of design customization and branding, Ghost takes the lead. Ghost provides users with the flexibility to fully customize their site's design, including:

Logos

Colors

Layouts and more

Ghost: A World of Themes at Your Fingertips

With a versatile theme ecosystem and developer features, Ghost allows users to create a unique online brand presence. Ghost offers hundreds of premium themes through its theme marketplace, giving users plenty of options.

Substack: Limited Design Freedom

Substack limits users to predefined layouts and minimal theme options. While users can make minor styling adjustments, Substack's design options are more limited than Ghost's.

Setup and User Experience

Substack has an edge in terms of setup simplicity. Creating an account on Substack is straightforward, and users can manage their newsletters from a simple dashboard. Content creation is easy with a basic text editor that resembles Word or Google Docs.

Ghost, on the other hand, offers two ways to use the platform. Users can opt for the paid Ghost Pro service for a simpler, non-technical experience similar to Substack. Alternatively, users can self-host the Ghost software, which requires more technical knowledge but provides full control over the platform. Ghost Pro users benefit from an onboarding wizard and a user-friendly dashboard for managing their site.

Monetization

Ghost and Substack offer different options for monetization. Ghost CMS allows users to monetize their content through memberships and display ads. Memberships work well for newsletters or episodic posts, while display ads are suitable for informational content. Setting up memberships on Ghost is simple. Users can:

Connect their Stripe account

Set prices

Start monetizing their content

Substack, on the other hand, focuses on monetizing through paid memberships. While some writers on Substack incorporate advertisements into their posts, this practice violates Google guidelines. Substack does not offer native support for display ads, limiting users' monetization options.

Community & Support

Both Substack and Ghost have active online communities that offer support to publishers. Yet, Ghost's open-source nature fosters a unique community dynamic. The passionate Ghost community comprises experts:

Developers

Designers

Publishers

They collaborate to create resources, tools, and templates.

Substack provides introductory email and ticketing support through its internal team. In contrast, Ghost offers a network of certified developers and agencies that offer professional services for a fee. The Ghost community also produces free resources to help publishers succeed.

Freedom & Ownership

A significant distinction between Ghost and Substack lies in freedom and ownership. Substack is a closed, proprietary solution, leaving publishers dependent on Substack's platform and roadmap. In contrast, Ghost is an open-source platform that grants publishers ownership of their content and code. Publishers retain full control over their tech stack and business assets, avoiding lock-in and preserving independence.

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Ghost vs Substack: Pricing Comparison

Ghost and Substack are two prominent newsletter platform options. One area where they notably differ is pricing. To delve into the details, let's compare Ghost's pricing structure to Substack's.

Substack

Substack offers a free tier that provides basic newsletter functionality without transactions. Nevertheless, if you aim to monetize your work through paid subscriptions, Substack takes a 10% cut of all revenue generated above $50,000 annually. In addition, payment processors like Stripe charge standard processing fees of around 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction.

Ghost

In contrast, Ghost operates on a straightforward pricing model. They charge monthly or annual hosting plans that range from $9 to $49 per month, depending on usage and features required. Ghost's significant advantage is that it takes 0% of any subscription or paid content revenue. All profits from memberships and payments go directly to the publisher, ensuring a transparent and predictable cost structure.

Comparative Analysis

Imagine a publisher earning $3,000 monthly from 600 subscribers, paying $5 each. The publisher would pay $300 per month with Substack due to the 10% revenue cut. In contrast, Ghost's simple hosting fees of $348 per year mean the publisher retains 100% of profits, potentially leading to higher earnings.

While Substack offers a free tier, it does impose a 10% cut on revenue above $50,000 annually. Ghost's straightforward pricing model ensures that publishers keep all earned profits. Nevertheless, Ghost users need to pay the standard 2.9% + $0.30 processing fee for card payments, similar to the fee charged by Substack.

Full Ownership of Earnings

In the pricing comparison between Ghost and Substack, Ghost emerges as a more lucrative option for creators and publishers who wish to own their businesses wholly. The absence of ongoing commissions ensures that publishers retain all earned profits.

Ghost vs Substack: Which Platform Should You Choose?

You must consider your specific needs and goals when determining the best platform for your writing venture.

Substack is simple, but better options may exist than running a paid newsletter or blog. The 10% commission on paid subscribers can accumulate over time, and the platform has limitations regarding customization, integrations, and SEO.

On the other hand, Ghost offers more flexibility and control over your site's design, especially with the Ghost Pro service. With Ghost, you can also benefit from more design flexibility and a more powerful CMS for your:

Blog

Newsletter

Other business aspects

Feather: A Notion-Based Solution for Comprehensive Content Management

If you seek more design flexibility and control, consider Feather's Notion to blog and newsletter concept. Using Notion as your CMS and publishing your blog on Feather, you can enhance productivity and seamlessly integrate your blog, newsletter, and other tools. This setup can provide a more holistic Hubspot experience than Ghost.

When making your choice, reflect on your:

Desired level of control

Customization needs

Specific goals you have for your writing venture

By selecting the platform that aligns best with your needs, you can set yourself up for success in your writing endeavors.

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Send Emails From Notion and Go From Notion to Blog With Ease Today With Feather

Feather is an all-in-one SEO-friendly blog and email newsletter tool that operates directly through Notion.

Benefits of Using Feather

Publish blog content and newsletters without coding or design skills

Streamline content creation process

Enhance online visibility

Avoid managing multiple tools and platforms

Feather offers a range of features tailored for content creators, including:

Write blog content directly in Notion and publish it automatically to your Feather blog

Efficient and straightforward content management

Set up a subfolder blog (domain.com/blog) to enhance SEO and improve search engine rankings

With Feather, companies can:

Manage CRM and website blog directly through Notion

Avoid switching between platforms for better organization

Customize blog design with custom CSS

Collect emails and utilize additional features

Feather extends beyond blog management by allowing you to:

Send newsletters directly to subscribers from Notion

Streamline email marketing efforts

Reach your audience more effectively

Manage both blog and newsletter from one centralized location

Feather simplifies content creation by enabling you to:

Write in Notion and automatically publish to your blog

Utilize SEO-friendly features

Access customization options

Manage newsletters

Feather is the ultimate solution for businesses seeking to streamline their content strategy. Ready to start a smooth journey to newsletter success? Create a new account with Feather today and enhance your content management process. With Feather, you can easily send emails from Notion and watch your content strategy thrive!