Ghost vs Listmonk
Ghost and Listmonk are both popular choices in the newsletter platform space. Ghost has been around since 2013, giving it a 5-year head start over Listmonk (founded 2018). Ghost starts at $18/mo, while Listmonk is free. Their pricing is not measured the same way, so we don't rank them on price. Both offer free plans to get started. Ghost stands out with ecommerce integrations, while Listmonk offers a drag-and-drop editor.
Quick Verdict
Ghost wins on integrations.
Listmonk wins on deliverability.
Best for most users: Listmonk (developers).
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.
Listmonk
Self-hosted newsletter and mailing list manager
Listmonk is a free, open-source, self-hosted newsletter and mailing list manager written in Go. It handles millions of emails with minimal resources and is best for developers and technical users who want full control over their email infrastructure.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Ghost | Listmonk |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.1/5 | 4.1/5 |
| Starting Price | $18/mo | Free |
| Free Plan | Self-hosted open-source version is completely free; no free tier on Ghost(Pro) | Unlimited (self-hosted, open source) |
| Founded | 2013 | 2018 |
| Email Templates | 50 | 5 |
| Integrations | 1,000 | 10 |
| Deliverability Rate | 95% | 97% |
| Marketing Automation | No | No |
| A/B Testing | No | No |
| Landing Pages | No | No |
| Segmentation | Yes | Yes |
| Drag & Drop Editor | No | Yes |
| SMS Marketing | No | No |
| Ecommerce Features | Yes | No |
| API Access | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-Language | Yes | Yes |
| Web Push Notifications | No | No |
| Live Chat | No | No |
| Advanced Analytics | Yes | Yes |
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
Listmonk: Pros & Cons
Pros
- + Completely free and open source with no usage limits
- + Handles 7+ million emails with minimal CPU and 57 MB RAM
- + Single binary deployment with Docker support
- + SQL-based subscriber segmentation for advanced querying
- + Zero recurring costs — self-hosted with no per-subscriber fees
Cons
- − Requires technical knowledge to set up and maintain
- − No built-in SMTP, must configure an external provider like Amazon SES
- − Lacks automation workflows, A/B testing, and landing pages
- − Community support only via GitHub
- − No managed hosting option — you handle server maintenance yourself
The Verdict
Ghost and Listmonk 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, Listmonk reports 97% compared to 95% for Ghost — a meaningful difference if inbox placement is critical for your campaigns.
| Criterion | Weight | Ghost | Listmonk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | 30% | $18/mo | Free |
| Deliverability | 25% | 95% | 97% Winner |
| Rating | 25% | 4.1/5 | 4.1/5 |
| Integrations | 10% | 1000 Winner | 10 |
| Free Tier | 10% | Yes | Yes |
Weights determine how much each criterion counts toward the final score. See full methodology
Choose Ghost if…
- + You need ecommerce integrations
- + You're a independent publishers and bloggers
- + You're a newsletter creators who want zero platform fees
Choose Listmonk if…
- + You're a developers
- + You're a self hosters
- + Completely free and open source with no usage limits