- Choose Beehiiv for built-in growth tools, an ad network and low setup.
- Choose Ghost for open source ownership, your own site and full design control.
- Neither takes a cut of subscription revenue; both use Stripe for payments.
- Both have APIs, so you can build custom tools on either.
At a glance
| Topic | Beehiiv | Ghost |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Publishers focused on growth and ad monetization | Publishers who want to own their site, members and data |
| How you pay | Paid plans by list size and features | Ghost(Pro) hosting plans by member count, or self-host; paid memberships from the Publisher plan up |
| Growth tools | Referrals, recommendations, paid recommendations and growth analytics | Recommendations and social web (ActivityPub) following; fewer built-in growth levers |
| Ad monetization | Built-in ad network plus direct sponsorships | No ad network; direct sponsorships sold independently |
| Ownership | Hosted platform | Open source; self-host or managed |
| Design | Good control over site and email design | Full theme control for site and email |
| API and integrations | API for posts, subscriptions, automations and webhooks (creating posts requires a higher-tier plan) | Admin and Content APIs plus webhooks |
| Effort | Low | Moderate, higher if self-hosted |
The real difference
Beehiiv gives you a growth engine out of the box: referrals, recommendations, paid recommendations and an ad network, all tuned for newsletters. Ghost gives you a publishing platform you own, with a full website, themes and memberships, and leaves growth tactics more to you.
Choose Beehiiv if
- Growth and ad revenue are top priorities
- You want to launch quickly without developers
- You value built-in referral and recommendation tools
Choose Ghost if
- You want your site and data fully under your control
- A full website with custom design matters
- You are comfortable investing in setup or hosting
Moving between them
Subscribers and posts export from both, and both connect to Stripe, so paying members can usually be carried across with careful planning. See our migration guide and platform migrations.
What most comparisons miss
Growth tools can be rebuilt; ownership is harder to add later
You can add referral programs and growth tooling around Ghost. Adding true ownership to a hosted platform is not possible, so decide which matters more long term.
Ad networks are a floor, not a ceiling
A built-in ad network fills unsold slots, but direct-sold sponsorships usually pay more. Either platform can support direct sales with the right system.
Self-hosting changes the cost math
Self-hosted Ghost can be inexpensive, but count the time spent on updates, backups and email delivery.
Platforms change their features and pricing often. Check each platform's current plans before you decide.