Encharge vs Ghost
Encharge is a all-in-one marketing platform while Ghost is a newsletter platform. Ghost has been around since 2013, giving it a 5-year head start over Encharge (founded 2018). Ghost is the more affordable option at $18/mo — that's $61 less than Encharge's $79/mo entry point. Ghost offers a free plan (Self-hosted open-source version is completely free; no free tier on Ghost(Pro)), while Encharge does not. Encharge has the edge with marketing automation, A/B testing, a drag-and-drop editor.
Quick Verdict
Encharge wins on deliverability.
Ghost wins on price, integrations, free tier.
Best for most users: Ghost (independent publishers and bloggers).
Encharge
Email & marketing automation, simplified
Encharge is a marketing automation platform built for SaaS and product-led companies. It excels at behavior-based email sequences triggered by in-app user actions, making it strong for onboarding flows, trial conversion campaigns, and lifecycle marketing.
Ghost
Open-source publishing platform with built-in newsletters and memberships
Ghost is an independent, open-source publishing platform built for professional content creators who want full control over their audience and revenue. It combines a beautiful writing editor, built-in newsletters via Mailgun, and native membership/subscription billing with zero platform fees. Available as a free self-hosted solution or as managed Ghost(Pro) hosting starting at $18/month.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Encharge | Ghost |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.1/5 | 4.1/5 |
| Starting Price | $79/mo | $18/mo |
| Free Plan | No free plan | Self-hosted open-source version is completely free; no free tier on Ghost(Pro) |
| Founded | 2018 | 2013 |
| Email Templates | 30 | 50 |
| Integrations | 55 | 1,000 |
| Deliverability Rate | 96.5% | 95% |
| Marketing Automation | ✓ | ✕ |
| A/B Testing | ✓ | ✕ |
| Landing Pages | ✕ | ✕ |
| Segmentation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Drag & Drop Editor | ✓ | ✕ |
| SMS Marketing | ✕ | ✕ |
| Ecommerce Features | ✓ | ✓ |
| API Access | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-Language | ✕ | ✓ |
| Web Push Notifications | ✕ | ✕ |
| Live Chat | ✕ | ✕ |
| Advanced Analytics | ✓ | ✓ |
Encharge: Pros & Cons
Pros
- +Excellent behavior-based automation for SaaS user onboarding and lifecycle emails
- +Visual flow builder is intuitive with granular event-based triggers
- +Native integrations with Stripe, Chargebee, and HubSpot for SaaS workflows
- +14-day free trial with no credit card required
- +Visual flow builder makes complex automation sequences easy to understand
Cons
- −No free plan and pricing starts at $79/mo for 2,000 subscribers
- −No SMS or push notification channels
- −Template library is limited compared to competitors
- −Smaller integration ecosystem than enterprise alternatives
- −No built-in landing page builder — requires third-party tools
Ghost: Pros & Cons
Pros
- +Completely open-source with self-hosting option at zero cost
- +Built-in membership and paid subscription system with 0% platform fees on revenue
- +Distraction-free professional editor optimized for long-form writing
- +Significantly faster page load times compared to WordPress, boosting SEO and reader engagement
- +Native newsletter delivery integrated directly into the publishing workflow
Cons
- −Newsletter emails are limited to Mailgun as the sending provider, which is no longer free
- −No plugin ecosystem or marketplace unlike WordPress — limited extensibility
- −Analytics are basic and only show the last 90 days on the dashboard
- −No drag-and-drop email builder or A/B testing for email campaigns
- −Starter plan limited to only 1 staff user and 1 newsletter with no paid subscription support
The Verdict
Encharge and Ghost are closely matched — both score within 0.0 points of each other in our overall rating. Your decision should come down to specific needs rather than overall quality. On deliverability, Encharge reports 96.5% compared to 95% for Ghost — a meaningful difference if inbox placement is critical for your campaigns.
| Criterion | Weight | Encharge | Ghost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | 30% | $79/mo | $18/mo |
| Deliverability | 25% | 96.5% | 95% |
| Rating | 25% | 4.1/5 | 4.1/5 |
| Integrations | 10% | 55 | 1000 |
| Free Tier | 10% | No | Yes |
Weights determine how much each criterion counts toward the final score. See full methodology
Choose Encharge if…
- + You need marketing automation
- + You need A/B testing
- + You're a SaaS companies
- + You're a product led growth teams
Choose Ghost if…
- + You want lower starting costs ($18/mo)
- + You need a free plan to get started
- + You're a independent publishers and bloggers
- + You're a newsletter creators who want zero platform fees