Beehiiv vs Ghost: Which Platform Actually Works for Creators in 2025?

So you’re trying to choose between Beehiiv and Ghost. Smart move doing your research first. These two platforms get thrown around a lot in creator circles, but they’re actually solving different problems. One’s built for people who live and breathe newsletters. The other’s for folks who want to publish serious content and happen to need email capabilities too.

Here’s what I found after digging deep into both: Beehiiv wins if growing your newsletter is job #1. Ghost takes it if you’re building a real publishing business. But let’s get into the details because your specific situation probably matters more than any general recommendation.

The short version: Beehiiv feels like it was made by newsletter people, for newsletter people. Ghost feels like it was made by publishers who take their craft seriously. Neither is wrong—they’re just aimed at different creators.

Beehiiv vs Ghost — Quick Comparison

Beehiiv vs Ghost — Features Comparison

Beehiiv

Think of Beehiiv as the platform built by people who actually grew a newsletter to millions of subscribers. Morning Brew’s team started this after they figured out what actually works in the real world.

The magic is in how everything connects. You write a newsletter, it automatically becomes a blog post. Someone shares it, your referral program kicks in. A reader loves it, they can subscribe with one click through “magic links.” It’s like they thought through every step of newsletter growth and built tools for each one.

The editor isn’t fancy, but it doesn’t need to be. You drag, you drop, you add a poll or two. The templates are clean without being boring. And here’s the thing—fast loading times happen automatically. No tweaking server settings or optimizing images. It just works.

Ghost

Ghost started as “WordPress but simpler” and evolved into something more interesting. It’s what you get when developers who actually write decide to build a publishing platform.

The editor is probably the best you’ll find anywhere. Markdown support means you can write fast. Rich formatting means your content looks professional. You can embed anything, create product review cards, add member-only sections. It feels like a tool built for people who care about their words.

SEO comes baked in. The sites load incredibly fast because they’re built on Node.js instead of the PHP that powers most of the web. You get real control over how everything looks and works. The catch? You need to want that control, because it comes with complexity.

Beehiiv vs Ghost — Pricing Comparison

Beehiiv’s free plan is genuinely useful—2,500 subscribers is enough to build something real. Ghost’s pricing starts lower, but remember you’re comparing apples to oranges. Beehiiv includes hosting, design, and all the newsletter tools. Ghost assumes you know what you’re doing.

Beehiiv vs Ghost — Free Plan Comparison

Ghost’s open source version gives you everything, but you need to host it yourself. That means dealing with servers, updates, and backups. Beehiiv’s free plan just works, but you can’t charge for subscriptions until you upgrade.

Pros & Cons

Beehiiv

People love how Beehiiv gets out of your way. You’re not spending weekends configuring plugins or optimizing database queries. You’re writing newsletters and watching them grow.

The monetization tools actually work. The ad network sends real opportunities—some users report 3-6 sponsorship offers monthly. The referral program gamifies growth in a way that feels natural, not forced.

But some users hit walls. The website builder is functional, not beautiful. Advanced automation needs workarounds. And a few people report deliverability hiccups, though that seems less common lately.

Ghost

Ghost users tend to be loyalists. Once you get comfortable with Markdown and the publishing workflow, everything else feels clunky by comparison.

The member management is sophisticated—you can create complex subscription tiers, offer free trials, and track engagement at a granular level. Sites consistently load fast and rank well in search results without much effort.

The learning curve is real though. New users often struggle with the Markdown editor and miss the visual formatting they’re used to. Plus, the theme ecosystem isn’t as rich as WordPress, so customization sometimes means hiring a developer.

Beehiiv vs Ghost — User Testimonials & Reviews

Overall rating:

4.2

/5

G2:

4.6

Trustpilot:

3.6

Capterra:

4.3

See other alternatives

Overall rating:

3.7

/5

G2:

4.1

Trustpilot:

2.2

Capterra:

4.7

Which One Should You Pick?

Here’s how I’d think about it: If your main goal is growing a newsletter and you want tools that help with that specific job, Beehiiv is probably your answer. The growth features work, the monetization options are real, and you can focus on writing instead of managing technology.

But if you’re building something bigger—a publication, a membership business, a content brand that happens to include newsletters—Ghost gives you more room to grow. The SEO is better, the content management is more sophisticated, and you own the whole stack.

Go with Beehiiv if:

• Newsletter growth is your main focus
• You want built-in monetization without complexity
• The free plan’s 2,500 subscriber limit works for testing
• You prefer tools that just work over tools you can customize

Choose Ghost if:

• You’re building a serious content business
• SEO and content discovery matter to your strategy
• You want control over every aspect of your platform
• The open-source model appeals to you

There’s also Sender if you need more traditional email marketing automation at a lower price point. Sometimes the best choice isn’t choosing between the obvious options.

Both platforms work well for their intended audiences. The key is being honest about what you’re actually trying to build and how much complexity you want to manage along the way.