Ghost vs Substack
A side-by-side look at Ghost and Substack for filmmakers: what each one can do, what it costs, and where they actually differ.
-
Open-source publishing for newsletters, paid memberships and a site you own
- Price
- Ghost(Pro) from $18/mo billed yearly (Starter); self-host free
- Learning
- Moderate
- Best for
- A film or documentary team running a paid behind-the-scenes or case-study newsletter on its own domain
-
Paid newsletters, podcasts and video for film writers, critics and creators
- Price
- Free to publish; 10% of paid subscription revenue plus Stripe processing fees
- Learning
- Easy
- Best for
- Film critics and festival reporters with a paying readership
The short version
Where they differ
- Only Ghost offers public API.
- Only Ghost offers desktop / local.
- Only Ghost offers open source.
All 2 offer: commercial use.
Feature by feature
Ghost vs Substack: capabilities
| Ghost | Substack | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Ghost(Pro) from $18/mo billed yearly (Starter); self-host free | Free to publish; 10% of paid subscription revenue plus Stripe processing fees |
| Node / flow builder | Partial | No |
| Team collaboration | Yes | Partial |
| Public API | Yes | No |
| Mobile app | Not confirmed | Yes |
| Desktop / local | Yes | No |
| Open source | Yes | No |
| Free tier | Partial | Yes |
| Commercial use | Yes | Yes |
Each column comes from that tool's own researched page. "Not confirmed" means the vendor doesn't say.
The verdict
Which one should you pick?
Ghost
Pick it for
- A film or documentary team running a paid behind-the-scenes or case-study newsletter on its own domain
- A freelance editor or DP selling a paid tier of tutorials, LUTs or breakdowns
- Agencies or production companies that want a branded site, newsletter and member list in one system
Stands out
- Open source under MIT: you can self-host the full platform for free, or move your site off Ghost(Pro) without losing the content model.
- No revenue share on memberships: Ghost(Pro) paid plans charge 0% on member payments (Stripe fees still apply).
Watch out
- Email sequences and sequence analytics are still in beta and only cover welcome flows
- No free hosted plan, and Starter has no custom themes or native advanced analytics
Substack
Pick it for
- Film critics and festival reporters with a paying readership
- Production-diary writers who sell behind-the-scenes posts to paid readers
- Doc filmmakers and podcast hosts pairing a written newsletter with audio and video episodes
Stands out
- Built-in paid subscriptions and email delivery: no separate newsletter tool, payment setup or landing page needed
- Free to publish, with no monthly software fee; Substack's cut is 10% of paid revenue plus Stripe fees, so cost scales with income
Watch out
- 10% fee plus Stripe fees: third-party estimates put the combined take at 13 to 16% of gross
- Little control over layout, automation or email sequences compared with Ghost or Kit
Each column comes from that tool's own researched page, checked against vendor pricing and changelog pages (oldest check: ). Sources are listed on each tool's page.