Ghost vs emit
Ghost is an open-source CMS + membership + newsletter you self-host or run on Ghost(Pro). It's a publishing platform; emit is just the sending pipe — point it at any site's RSS feed and pay per email.
| emit | Ghost | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Pay per email ($0.80/1k) | Tiered by members (Pro) |
| Pay for inactive subscribers | No | Yes (Pro tiers) |
| RSS feed → newsletter (native) | Yes | For Ghost content only |
| API-first / OpenAPI | Yes | Yes (content/admin API) |
| Send from your own domain | Yes (SES, DKIM) | Yes |
| Paid subscriptions / paywall | No | Yes |
| Best for | Devs & their agents | Owned publication + memberships |
As of 2026, Ghost is free to self-host, or Ghost(Pro) starts around $9/mo and scales by member count. Verify current plans on their site. Last reviewed May 2026.
Why developers pick emit over Ghost
- Works with any RSS feed (Hugo, WordPress, docs) — not just Ghost-hosted content.
- No CMS to migrate to; keep your existing site and just send.
- Pay per email instead of by member tier.
When Ghost is the better choice
Ghost is the better choice if you want to own your whole publishing stack — site, memberships, and paid subscriptions — in one open-source platform.
emit pricing
$0.80 per 1,000 emails, prepaid — no subscriber tiers, no monthly minimum, no revenue cut. See pricing, the full comparison, or add a subscribe form.