Ghost vs Mailchimp
Side-by-side comparison of Ghost and Mailchimp.
Open-source publishing platform built for serious creators
Email marketing platform built for growing audiences
What they are
Ghost
Ghost is an independent publishing platform that combines a CMS, email newsletter tool, and membership system in one place. It is used by independent writers, journalists, and media companies who want to own their audience without relying on third-party platforms. The open-source core can be self-hosted for free, while Ghost Pro handles hosting at a monthly fee. The tradeoff is that it is more opinionated than WordPress and has a steeper learning curve for non-technical users.
Mailchimp
Mailchimp is an email marketing and automation platform used by independent creators, small businesses, and e-commerce brands to build subscriber lists, send campaigns, and track engagement. It offers drag-and-drop email builders, audience segmentation, and basic landing pages. The platform is mature and well-documented, though its pricing scales quickly once your list grows beyond a few hundred contacts.
if you need hosting and monetization. It has a usable free tier to start with.
- +No platform cut on membership revenue, unlike Substack
- +Built-in email newsletter delivery included on paid plans
- +Clean, distraction-free editor focused on writing
if you need email marketing. Starts at 13/mo.
- +Extensive template library covers most creator use cases out of the box
- +Audience segmentation lets you target specific subscriber groups
- +Built-in analytics show open rates, click rates, and revenue attribution
Which to choose
Ghost and Mailchimp both cover email marketing, so this is a real either-or for some teams. The right pick depends on which one's wider feature set and pricing fit how you work.
Read the full reviews for Ghost and Mailchimp.
Pricing checked 3 Jun 2026.