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, which is $81 less than Encharge's $99/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, rating, 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 | 4/5 | 4.1/5 |
| Starting Price | $99/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 | Yes | No |
| A/B Testing | Yes | No |
| Landing Pages | No | No |
| Segmentation | Yes | Yes |
| Drag & Drop Editor | Yes | No |
| SMS Marketing | No | No |
| Ecommerce Features | Yes | Yes |
| API Access | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-Language | No | Yes |
| Web Push Notifications | No | No |
| Live Chat | No | No |
| Advanced Analytics | Yes | Yes |
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 $99/mo for 2,000 subscribers ($79/mo billed annually)
- − 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 0.1 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% | $99/mo | $18/mo Winner |
| Deliverability | 25% | 96.5% Winner | 95% |
| Rating | 25% | 4/5 | 4.1/5 Winner |
| Integrations | 10% | 55 | 1000 Winner |
| Free Tier | 10% | No | Yes Winner |
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