Ghost vs Zoho Campaigns
Ghost is a newsletter platform while Zoho Campaigns is a email marketing platform. Zoho Campaigns is the more affordable option at $4.70/mo, which is $13.30 less than Ghost's $18/mo entry point. Both offer free plans to get started. Ghost stands out with advanced analytics, while Zoho Campaigns offers marketing automation and A/B testing.
Quick Verdict
Ghost wins on integrations.
Zoho Campaigns wins on price, rating.
Best for most users: Zoho Campaigns (small businesses already using zoho crm or zoho one).
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.
Zoho Campaigns
Affordable email marketing deeply integrated with the Zoho ecosystem
Zoho Campaigns is the email marketing arm of the Zoho ecosystem, launched in 2012 and designed to work directly with Zoho CRM, Zoho One, and 45+ other Zoho products. Its standout value proposition is extraordinary affordability — starting at just $3.50/month with unlimited email sends — making it one of the cheapest full-featured email marketing platforms available. For businesses already invested in Zoho's suite, the native CRM sync eliminates the data silos that plague multi-tool setups.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Ghost | Zoho Campaigns |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.1/5 | 4.3/5 |
| Starting Price | $18/mo | $4.70/mo |
| Free Plan | Self-hosted open-source version is completely free; no free tier on Ghost(Pro) | 2,000 contacts, 6,000 emails/month, 5 users |
| Founded | 2013 | 2012 |
| Email Templates | 50 | 50 |
| Integrations | 1,000 | 40 |
| Deliverability Rate | 95% | 95% |
| Marketing Automation | No | Yes |
| A/B Testing | No | Yes |
| Landing Pages | No | No |
| Segmentation | Yes | Yes |
| Drag & Drop Editor | No | Yes |
| SMS Marketing | No | Yes |
| Ecommerce Features | Yes | Yes |
| API Access | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-Language | Yes | Yes |
| Web Push Notifications | No | No |
| Live Chat | No | Yes |
| Advanced Analytics | Yes | No |
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
Zoho Campaigns: Pros & Cons
Pros
- + Native two-way sync with Zoho CRM auto-updates email lists when contacts become customers, eliminating manual data transfers
- + Exceptionally affordable starting at $3.50/month for 500 contacts with unlimited emails — one of the lowest entry points in the market
- + Forever Free plan includes 2,000 contacts, 6,000 emails/month, and 5 users, generous for small teams getting started
- + Professional plan includes 25+ workflow automation components with contact scoring, cart abandonment, and optimal send-time optimization
- + 14-day free trial with full feature access and no credit card required lets users test all capabilities before committing
Cons
- − Email deliverability is inconsistent with users reporting emails failing for no clear reason and higher-than-expected bounce rates
- − Interface design feels dated compared to modern competitors with slow loading times that impact daily workflow productivity
- − No built-in landing page builder — a significant gap when competitors like Mailchimp and MailerLite include this feature
- − Third-party integrations outside the Zoho ecosystem are limited to around 40 native connections, requiring middleware for most external tools
- − Reporting lacks real-time insights and advanced customization, falling behind competitors on campaign performance analytics depth
The Verdict
Zoho Campaigns edges ahead with a 4.3/5 rating compared to Ghost's 4.1/5. The gap comes mainly from ease of use (4.4 vs 3.9) and support (4.4 vs 3.9).
| Criterion | Weight | Ghost | Zoho Campaigns |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | 30% | $18/mo | $4.70/mo Winner |
| Deliverability | 25% | 95% | 95% |
| Rating | 25% | 4.1/5 | 4.3/5 Winner |
| Integrations | 10% | 1000 Winner | 40 |
| Free Tier | 10% | Yes | Yes |
Weights determine how much each criterion counts toward the final score. See full methodology
Choose Ghost if…
- + You need advanced analytics
- + You're a independent publishers and bloggers
- + You're a newsletter creators who want zero platform fees
Choose Zoho Campaigns if…
- + You want lower starting costs ($4.70/mo)
- + You need SMS marketing
- + You need marketing automation
- + You need A/B testing