Ghost vs Teachable
Side-by-side comparison of Ghost and Teachable.
Open-source publishing platform built for serious creators
Sell courses and coaching without technical headaches
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.
Teachable
Teachable is a hosted course platform where creators build, publish, and sell online courses, coaching packages, and digital downloads. It handles payments, student enrollment, and content delivery in one place, making it popular with independent educators and subject-matter experts. The trade-off is that transaction fees apply on lower-tier plans, and the course editor feels dated compared to newer competitors.
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 hosting and monetization. Starts at 29/mo.
- +No coding required to launch a fully functional course site
- +Integrated payment processing with support for coupons and bundles
- +Built-in affiliate marketing tools on mid and higher tiers
Which to choose
Ghost and Teachable both cover hosting, monetization, 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 Teachable.
Pricing checked 3 Jun 2026.