Circle vs Ghost: Complete Comparison (2026)
An in-depth comparison of Circle and Ghost to help you choose the right tool for your business.
Last updated: November 2026
Circle
5.8/10
Circle is an all-in-one community platform for creators and brands that combines discussion spaces, courses, live events, payments, and paid email marketing.
Ghost
6.9/10
Open-source publishing platform that combines a website, newsletters, and paid memberships for independent publishers, creators, and media businesses.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 5.8/10 | 6.9/10 |
| Analytics | 5/10 | 6/10 |
| Cost | 4/10 | 7/10 |
| Customization | 6/10 | 8/10 |
| Ease of Use | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Integration | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Scalability | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Security | 5/10 | 7/10 |
| Support | 6/10 | 5/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | Contact for pricing | Contact for pricing |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Contact for pricing | Contact for pricing |
| Features | ||
| Email Marketing | ||
| Segmentation | ||
| A/B Testing | Not listed | |
| Landing Pages | Not listed | |
| Webinars | Not listed | |
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose Circle
- Higher Support score (6/10 vs 5/10)
Why choose Ghost
- Higher Cost score (7/10 vs 4/10)
- Higher Customization score (8/10 vs 6/10)
- Better fit for freelancers (8/10 vs 6/10)
Pros & Cons
Circle
Pros
- Unlimited members on every plan, so cost does not rise with community size
- Community, courses, live streams, chat, and payments run in one branded app across web and mobile
- Native live streams and live rooms remove the need for a separate webinar tool for small events
- Email Hub can target event attendees and space members directly from community data
- Free 14-day trial with no credit card, and migration help
Cons
- Email marketing is a separate $99/mo add-on, and reviewers rate its editor as basic
- Transaction fees of 0.5% to 2% apply on top of Stripe fees
- Workflows, white-labeling, and APIs require the $199/mo Business plan or higher
- Add-ons for admins, spaces, and live hours raise the real cost
- No native course certificates or graded assessments
Ghost
Pros
- Ghost takes no percentage of membership revenue, unlike Substack's 10% fee, so publishers pay only the plan price and Stripe fees.
- Website, newsletter, and paid memberships work together without plugins.
- The open-source core can be self-hosted for free, and APIs and webhooks support custom builds.
- More than 100 listed integrations, including Zapier, Stripe, Mailchimp, and privacy-focused analytics tools.
Cons
- Email features are basic: segmentation is limited and there is no built-in A/B testing or SMS.
- Email delivery depends on Mailgun, which users say can be costly or unreliable when self-hosting.
- Lower plans get email-only support with no weekend coverage, and Trustpilot reviews complain about billing and refunds.
- The Starter plan excludes paid subscriptions, custom themes, and integrations.
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
Ghost scores higher on our Marketing criteria: 6.9/10 against 5.8/10 for Circle. The largest gap is in Cost: 4/10 for Circle and 7/10 for Ghost.
No, neither Circle nor Ghost lists a free plan.
Ghost is the better fit for freelancers: we rate it 8/10 for them, against 6/10 for Circle.
