Ghost
Medium
Ghost
Medium
No signals
Ghost
Medium
No signals
Ghost
Medium
Ghost
Medium
Ghost
Medium
No signals
Ghost
No signals
Medium
Users: Unlimited
Storage: Depends on host
Limits: Requires technical skills, server management, and ongoing maintenance. Mailgun setup required for newsletters.
Users: 1 staff
Storage: Limited
Limits: 1,000 members max, 1 staff only, Monday-Friday email support, 90-day analytics only
Users: 3 staff
Storage: Standard
Limits: 1,000 members included, Mailgun-only emails, Limited theme marketplace
Users: 15 staff
Storage: Large
Limits: 1,000 members base, Expensive for small publishers, Significant price jump from Publisher
Users: Custom
Storage: Custom
Limits: Pricing not transparent, Minimum subscriber requirements, Annual commitments
Users: 1
Storage: N/A
Limits: Limited to 3 paywalled articles/month, No audio features, Constant paywall prompts
Users: 1
Storage: N/A
Limits: No writing-specific features included, Reading only
Users: 1
Storage: N/A
Limits: Same as monthly membership
Users: 1
Storage: N/A
Limits: Primarily a way to support writers, minimal additional features
Users: 1
Storage: Unlimited
Limits: Must be accepted into program, 100 followers required, Earnings vary wildly
| Feature | Ghost | Medium |
|---|---|---|
| Publishing | ||
| Built-in newsletters Native email newsletters with Stripe integration | ||
| Markdown editor Clean, distraction-free writing experience | ||
| Pricing | ||
| Free publishing Write and publish for free | ||
| Self-hosting option Open-source, can self-host for free (with complexity) | ||
| Monetization | ||
| Membership/subscriptions Paid subscriptions with tiered access | ||
| Partner Program monetization Earn from member reading time | ||
| Predictable earnings Earnings are highly volatile | ||
| Growth | ||
| Built-in audience Millions of readers, but reaching them is difficult | ||
| Performance | ||
| Fast page loads Significantly faster than WordPress | ||
| SEO | ||
| Native SEO Built-in SEO without plugins needed | ||
| Usability | ||
| Beautiful reading experience Clean, distraction-free design | ||
| Development | ||
| Headless CMS API Powerful Content API for custom frontends | ||
| Collaboration | ||
| Publications Collaborative publishing, though less powerful now | ||
| Engagement | ||
| Engagement features Claps, highlights, comments | ||
| Access | ||
| Mobile apps iOS and Android apps | ||
| Audio articles For members, articles can be read aloud | ||
| Maintenance | ||
| No plugin management Most features built-in, no plugin conflicts | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Multiple email providers Mailgun only - no SendGrid, SES, etc. | ||
| API access Very limited API | ||
| Control | ||
| Audience ownership Cannot export follower emails | ||
| Customization | ||
| Visual theme customization Code required for customization beyond basics | ||
| Large theme marketplace Only 92 themes total, 15 free | ||
| Distribution | ||
| Algorithm transparency Opaque, frequently changing | ||
| Email newsletter Limited email features | ||
| Selling | ||
| E-commerce Memberships only, no product sales | ||
| Branding | ||
| Custom domain (free) Requires payment for custom domain | ||
| Design customization Very limited options | ||
| Content | ||
| Media library management No proper media organization or reuse | ||
| Support | ||
| Weekend support Starter tier has Monday-Friday only | ||
| Quality customer support 1.7/5 Trustpilot rating | ||
| Core | ||
| Full website builder Publishing-focused only, not full CMS | ||
| Localization | ||
| Multi-language support English-focused, portal/emails hard to translate | ||
