Ghost vs HubSpot: Complete Comparison (2026)
An in-depth comparison of Ghost and HubSpot to help you choose the right tool for your business.
Last updated: November 2026
Ghost
6.9/10
Open-source publishing platform that combines a website, newsletters, and paid memberships for independent publishers, creators, and media businesses.
HubSpot
6.9/10
HubSpot is a CRM platform with a free tier and paid per-seat Sales Hub plans, plus companion marketing and service hubs, aimed at small and mid-sized businesses.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 6.9/10 | 6.9/10 |
| Scalability | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Ease of Use | 7/10 | 8/10 |
| Customization | 8/10 | 6/10 |
| Security | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Support | 5/10 | 6/10 |
| Cost | 7/10 | 5/10 |
| Integration | 7/10 | 9/10 |
| Analytics | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Cheapest paid plan | Contact for pricing | $20/user/mo Sales Hub Starter |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Contact for pricing | $200/mo Sales Hub Starter |
| Features | ||
| A/B Testing | Not listed | |
| Email Marketing | Not listed | |
| Landing Pages | Not listed | |
| Segmentation | Not listed | |
| More features | ||
| Marketing Automation | Not listed | |
| Built-in Calling | Not listed | |
| Customer Support Management | Not listed | |
| Integrations | Not listed | |
| Sales Automation | Not listed | |
| Opportunity Management | Not listed | |
| Contact Management | Not listed | |
| Reporting & Analytics | Not listed | |
| Mobile Access | Not listed | |
Ghost vs HubSpot cost by team size
| Team size | Ghost | HubSpot |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | Contact for pricing | FreeFree |
| 5 users | Contact for pricing | $100/moSales Hub Starter |
| 10 users | Contact for pricing | $200/moSales Hub Starter |
| 25 users | Contact for pricing | $500/moSales Hub Starter |
| 50 users | Contact for pricing | $1,000/moSales Hub Starter |
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 Ghost
- Higher Customization score (8/10 vs 6/10)
- Higher Cost score (7/10 vs 5/10)
- Better fit for freelancers (8/10 vs 5/10)
Why choose HubSpot
- Has a free plan (Ghost does not)
- Higher Integration score (9/10 vs 7/10)
- Higher Ease of Use score (8/10 vs 7/10)
- Better fit for sales teams (8/10 vs 1/10)
- Better fit for agencies (7/10 vs 4/10)
Pros & Cons
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.
HubSpot
Pros
- The free CRM has no time limit and covers contacts, deals, tickets, a shared inbox, a reporting dashboard and mobile apps.
- The HubSpot Marketplace lists over 2,000 integrations.
- Sales, marketing and service hubs share one customer database, so teams avoid syncing separate tools.
- G2 reviewers often praise the sales automation and how easy everyday use is.
Cons
- The free tier is now limited to two users and 1,000 contacts.
- Professional and Enterprise tiers require one-time onboarding fees of $1,500 to $7,000, depending on the hub.
- Reviewers report a steep price jump from Starter to Professional, and extra costs from marketing-contact tiers and credits.
- Reviewers cite annual contract lock-in and setup and administration complexity as recurring complaints.
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
Ghost and HubSpot both score 6.9/10 on our Marketing criteria. The largest gap is in Cost: 7/10 for Ghost and 5/10 for HubSpot.
HubSpot has a free plan; Ghost does not list one.
HubSpot is the better fit for sales teams: we rate it 8/10 for them, against 1/10 for Ghost.
