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Ghost vs Mailchimp: cost and features compared (2026)
Last verified against official pricing pages · USD, monthly billing, excluding tax
Prices change often. Every price here was checked against the platform's official pricing page on the date shown, but plans, promos and taxes vary. Always confirm on the official site before you buy or switch. Not financial advice.
Quick answer
- Basic newsletter: Ghost is cheaper at 1,000, 10,000 and 25,000 subscribers; they cost the same at 5,000 subscribers.
- With automations: only Mailchimp has a verified option at every size we checked.
- Paid newsletter: only Ghost has a verified option at every size we checked.
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Cost at 1k, 5k, 10k and 25k subscribers
Basic newsletter (no automations)
| Subscribers | Ghost | Mailchimp | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $18 (Starter) | $26.50 (Essentials) | Ghost by $8.50/mo |
| 5,000 | $75 (Publisher) | $75 (Essentials) | Same |
| 10,000 | $105 (Publisher) | $110 (Essentials) | Ghost by $5/mo |
| 25,000 | $169 (Publisher) | $270 (Essentials) | Ghost by $101/mo |
With automations (welcome sequences, drips)
| Subscribers | Ghost | Mailchimp | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | n/a | $26.50 (Essentials, limited) | Mailchimp (only option in our verified data) |
| 5,000 | n/a | $75 (Essentials, limited) | Mailchimp (only option in our verified data) |
| 10,000 | n/a | $110 (Essentials, limited) | Mailchimp (only option in our verified data) |
| 25,000 | n/a | $270 (Essentials, limited) | Mailchimp (only option in our verified data) |
Ghost has no native automation builder in our data, so that scenario shows n/a.
Paid newsletter (5% of subscribers pay $8/mo)
| Subscribers | Ghost | Mailchimp | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $64.40 (Publisher) | n/a | Ghost (only option in our verified data) |
| 5,000 | $222 (Publisher) | n/a | Ghost (only option in our verified data) |
| 10,000 | $399 (Publisher) | n/a | Ghost (only option in our verified data) |
| 25,000 | $904 (Publisher) | n/a | Ghost (only option in our verified data) |
Switching? Ghost → Mailchimp cost · Mailchimp → Ghost cost · Best platform for your needs
Cheapest plan on each platform that covers the list size and required features. Paid totals = plan + platform cut + Stripe card fees (2.9% + $0.30 per payment, estimate) + Stripe's 0.7% Billing fee on recurring payments where confirmed (beehiiv, MailerLite, Ghost, Buttondown, Substack and AWeber); not added for GetResponse (not confirmed); Kit's 3.5% + $0.30 is all-in. How we model fees. "limited" = feature is capped on that plan. Run your exact numbers →
Key differences
| Ghost | Mailchimp | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | no free plan | free up to 250 subscribers |
| Fee on paid subscriptions | 0% platform cut + Stripe fees | not verified (not listed on the official pricing pages) |
| Cheapest plan with automations | not available | Standard (from $20/mo) |
| Cheapest plan with own domain | Starter (from $18/mo) | not verified |
| Cheapest plan without platform branding | Starter (from $18/mo) | Essentials (from $13/mo) |
| Plans | Starter, Publisher, Business | Free, Essentials, Standard, Premium |
| Prices verified | 2026-10-20 | 2026-10-20 |
Who each is best for
Ghost is best for
Publishers who want a full website and membership business on their own domain, with 0% platform fees and the option to self-host.
- No free hosted plan; Starter is capped at 1,000 members and does not include paid subscriptions. source
- 0% Ghost transaction fees on Publisher and above; Stripe fees apply. source
- Ghost is open-source software, so you can also self-host it instead of paying for Ghost(Pro). source
- No drip/automation builder is listed on the Ghost(Pro) pricing page. source
Mailchimp is best for
Small businesses that want an all-round email marketing tool with automation flows (Standard and up) and are fine with contact-based pricing and overage billing.
- Priced by stored contacts (the peak in each billing period); each tier includes a monthly send limit of 10× (Essentials), 12× (Standard) or 15× (Premium) your contacts. source
- Going over the contact or send limit on a paid plan adds overage charges rather than pausing sending. source
- Free plan: 250 contacts and 500 emails/month (250/day), no automation flows, Mailchimp branding stays. source
- Annual billing is only available through sales (Standard and Premium, 10,000+ contacts). On 2026-10-20 the page offered 15% off the first 12 months at 10,000+ contacts. source
FAQ
Is Ghost cheaper than Mailchimp?
It depends on your list and needs. In our data (monthly billing, 1,000 / 5,000 / 10,000 / 25,000 subscribers): basic newsletter — Ghost is cheaper at 1,000, 10,000 and 25,000 subscribers; they cost the same at 5,000 subscribers. With automations — only Mailchimp has a verified option at every size we checked. Paid newsletter — only Ghost has a verified option at every size we checked. Prices verified 2026-10-20.
Which has the bigger free plan, Ghost or Mailchimp?
Ghost: no free plan. Mailchimp: free up to 250 subscribers. Free plans have feature limits — see the comparison table.
Do Ghost and Mailchimp take a cut of paid subscriptions?
Ghost: 0% platform cut + Stripe fees. Mailchimp: not verified (not listed on the official pricing pages).
What do Ghost and Mailchimp cost at 10,000 subscribers?
On monthly billing, a basic newsletter costs $105/mo on Ghost Publisher and $110/mo on Mailchimp Essentials. With automations: n/a on Ghost vs $110/mo (Mailchimp Essentials).
Sources
- Ghost pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
- Ghost: ghost.org/
- Mailchimp pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
- Mailchimp: mailchimp.com/pricing/marketing/compare-plans/
- Mailchimp: mailchimp.com/help/about-additional-charges/
- Stripe pricing (card-fee estimate)
- Stripe Billing pricing (0.7% on recurring payments)
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