EmailOctopus vs Ghost: Complete Comparison (2026)
An in-depth comparison of EmailOctopus and Ghost to help you choose the right tool for your business.
Last updated: November 2026
EmailOctopus
5.9/10
EmailOctopus is a low-cost email newsletter and campaign tool for small businesses, creators and nonprofits, with forms, landing pages and basic automations.
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 | 5.9/10 | 6.9/10 |
| Analytics | 3/10 | 6/10 |
| Cost | 9/10 | 7/10 |
| Customization | 4/10 | 8/10 |
| Ease of Use | 8/10 | 7/10 |
| Integration | 4/10 | 7/10 |
| Scalability | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Security | 5/10 | 7/10 |
| Support | 7/10 | 5/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | $10/mo Pro (500 subscribers) | Contact for pricing |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | $10/mo Pro (500 subscribers) | Contact for pricing |
| Features | ||
| Email Marketing | ||
| Landing Pages | ||
| Segmentation | ||
| A/B Testing | ||
| E-commerce Features | Not listed | |
| SMS Marketing | Not listed | |
| Webinars | Not listed | |
EmailOctopus vs Ghost cost by team size
| Team size | EmailOctopus | Ghost |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | FreeStarter | Contact for pricing |
| 5 users | $10/moPro (500 subscribers) | Contact for pricing |
| 10 users | $10/moPro (500 subscribers) | Contact for pricing |
| 25 users | $10/moPro (500 subscribers) | Contact for pricing |
| 50 users | $10/moPro (500 subscribers) | Contact for pricing |
The plan that fits each team size, billed monthly, before add-ons and usage charges. Each cost opens that tool's pricing calculator for the team size.
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose EmailOctopus
- Has a free plan (Ghost does not)
- Higher Cost score (9/10 vs 7/10)
- Higher Support score (7/10 vs 5/10)
Why choose Ghost
- Higher Customization score (8/10 vs 4/10)
- Higher Analytics score (6/10 vs 3/10)
- Better fit for enterprise (5/10 vs 2/10)
- Better fit for content creators (9/10 vs 7/10)
Pros & Cons
EmailOctopus
Pros
- The free plan covers up to 2,500 subscribers and 10,000 emails a month, more than many rivals offer for free.
- Pro pricing is low, starting around $10 a month for 500 subscribers, with a 20 percent lifetime discount for nonprofits.
- Reviewers on Capterra and GetApp say beginners can set it up quickly and the interface is easy to learn.
- Live chat support was fast in testing, connecting in about 40 seconds.
- Pro includes unlimited users, landing pages and forms.
Cons
- There is no built-in A/B testing, and automation triggers are basic, with no abandoned-cart flows.
- Shopify, WooCommerce and most other apps connect only through Zapier or Make, with limited functionality.
- Reporting is basic, with no heatmaps, custom reports or revenue tracking.
- The editor and landing page design controls are limited, with only five landing page templates.
- Contacts that appear in more than one list are counted, and billed, more than once.
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 5.9/10 for EmailOctopus. The largest gap is in Customization: 4/10 for EmailOctopus and 8/10 for Ghost.
EmailOctopus has a free plan; Ghost does not list one.
Ghost is the better fit for enterprise: we rate it 5/10 for them, against 2/10 for EmailOctopus.
