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Substack to Ghost migration: steps, paid subscribers, the 10% fee and cost before/after
Last verified against official pricing pages · published 23 Oct 2026
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.
You can move a Substack newsletter to Ghost with Ghost's built-in Substack importer: posts, free subscribers and paid subscribers, as long as Ghost connects to the same Stripe account. The money question is simple: Substack keeps 10% of paid revenue, Ghost(Pro) Publisher is a flat $35–$169/mo from 1,000 to 25,000 members with 0% Ghost fees. Example: 5,000 subscribers, 5% paying $8 ($2,000/mo revenue) costs $347/mo on Substack vs $222/mo on Ghost, about $125/mo less, card fees included.
Prices from Substack and Ghost (checked 2026-10-20); steps from Ghost's Substack migration guide (checked 2026-10-23). Ghost has no affiliate deal with us.
Cost before and after (paid newsletter)
| Subscribers (5% pay $8) | Substack | Ghost |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $69.40 (Free + 10% of paid revenue) | $64.40 (Publisher) |
| 2,500 | $173.50 (Free + 10% of paid revenue) | $128.50 (Publisher) |
| 5,000 | $347 (Free + 10% of paid revenue) | $222 (Publisher) |
| 10,000 | $694 (Free + 10% of paid revenue) | $399 (Publisher) |
| 25,000 | $1,735 (Free + 10% of paid revenue) | $904 (Publisher) |
Per month, monthly billing. 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, AWeber and Flodesk); not added for GetResponse (not confirmed); Kit's 3.5% + $0.30 is all-in. How we model fees.
Stripe card fees and the 0.7% Stripe Billing fee are in both columns: you keep the same Stripe account, so they don't change. What changes is Substack's 10% cut versus Ghost's flat plan price.
Break-even: when Ghost becomes cheaper
| Members (free + paid) | Ghost Publisher /mo | Paid revenue where 10% = Ghost price | Paid subs at $8 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $35 ($29 yearly) | $350 | 44 |
| 2,500 | $55 ($46 yearly) | $550 | 69 |
| 5,000 | $75 ($63 yearly) | $750 | 94 |
| 10,000 | $105 ($88 yearly) | $1,050 | 132 |
| 25,000 | $169 ($141 yearly) | $1,690 | 212 |
Above the break-even revenue Ghost costs less each month; below it Substack's 10% is cheaper. Yearly Ghost billing lowers the bar further. Ghost prices by members, which counts free and paid subscribers.
Free newsletter? Substack stays cheaper
| Subscribers | Substack | Ghost(Pro), cheapest plan |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $0 | $18 (Starter) |
| 2,500 | $0 | $55 (Publisher) |
| 5,000 | $0 | $75 (Publisher) |
| 10,000 | $0 | $105 (Publisher) |
| 25,000 | $0 | $169 (Publisher) |
Ghost has no free hosted plan: Starter is $18/mo ($15/mo yearly) up to 1,000 members, then Publisher. Ghost is open source, so self-hosting is the other option (server costs not modelled here). Cheaper free-first options: Substack alternatives.
Calculate your exact Substack → Ghost switching cost →
Step by step (Ghost's official Substack migrator)
- Pick a Ghost(Pro) plan that fits. Paid newsletter: Publisher or higher (Starter has no paid subscriptions). Ghost says to start with a free trial before contacting its migrations team.
- Connect Stripe first, and use the same account. In Ghost: Settings → Payments → Connect with Stripe, and pick the Stripe account Substack already uses. Ghost: "If you're migrating from other platforms such as Substack, you'll need to use the same Stripe account."
- Open the migrator. Ghost Admin → Settings → Advanced → Import/Export → Substack migrator (log in to Substack in the same browser), and enter your Substack URL.
- Export from Substack. In Substack Settings, create a new export and download the zip; upload it to Ghost.
- Upload subscribers. Download the free subscribers CSV and upload it, then the paid subscribers CSV (only after Stripe is connected). Ghost matches paid members to their existing Stripe customers; its member import also supports a complimentary_plan field for free/comp subscriptions.
- Review and import. Check the summary, then "Import content and subscribers". Do it close to your switch date: anyone who subscribes on Substack after your export is not included, so re-export any newcomers before you stop publishing there.
Stop paying Substack's 10%, safely
- Ghost: "Ghost does not take a cut of your revenue. Substack will continue to take 10% fees on your existing paid subscriptions." It offers help removing them at [email protected] (source).
- Substack: "If you're moving to a new platform and need help disconnecting Stripe, visit the support widget and ask for a human support specialist" (Substack help).
- Do not click "Disconnect Stripe" in Substack's Danger Zone as a shortcut: Substack says it refunds and notifies all paid subscribers, cancels all paid subscriptions and revokes Substack's Stripe access.
- Update your Stripe statement descriptor: Ghost notes it may still say "Substack", which confuses readers on their card statements.
Custom domain and links
If your Substack used your own domain, point it at Ghost and upload the redirect rule from Ghost's guide so old /p/ post URLs keep working (Substack uses /p/ for posts, Ghost for previews):
301:
\/p\/(?![0-9a-fA-F]{8}-[0-9a-fA-F]{4}-[0-9a-fA-F]{4}-[0-9a-fA-F]{4}-[0-9a-fA-F]{12})(.*): /$1Example: /p/awesome-post → /awesome-post. Links on a yourname.substack.com subdomain can't be redirected by you, so update links in your bio, site and pinned posts.
Need help?
For large or complex migrations, Ghost's Migrations team offers free help moving content, newsletters, members and payments; for most publishers Ghost says the self-service importer is the default path.
Related: Substack vs Ghost · Substack fees explained · Substack vs beehiiv vs Ghost cost · Substack to beehiiv instead · Ghost pricing
Sources
- Ghost docs: Migrating from Substack (checked 2026-10-23)
- Ghost: Stripe integration (checked 2026-10-23)
- Ghost help: Import members (checked 2026-10-23)
- Ghost Concierge (migrations team) (checked 2026-10-23)
- Substack help: How do I turn off paid subscriptions? (checked 2026-10-23)
- Ghost pricing and Substack: How much does Substack cost? (checked 2026-10-20)
Tip: before you import, leave out unsubscribed and bounced contacts. Most platforms bill by list size, so a cleaner list can keep you on a lower tier. How to clean your list before switching
FAQ
Can I migrate from Substack to Ghost?
Yes. Ghost Admin has a built-in Substack migrator (Settings → Advanced → Import/Export) that imports your posts from the Substack export zip plus your free and paid subscriber CSVs. Paid subscribers carry over only if you connect the same Stripe account that Substack uses.
Do paid subscribers have to re-subscribe when moving from Substack to Ghost?
No, as long as Ghost is connected to the same Stripe account as Substack before you import the paid subscribers CSV. Their existing subscriptions stay in Stripe; Ghost just takes over managing them.
Does Substack keep taking 10% after I move to Ghost?
Ghost's guide says Substack will continue to take its 10% fee on your existing paid subscriptions until that is removed. Ghost offers help via [email protected]; Substack says to ask a human support specialist in its support widget if you are moving platforms and need help with Stripe. Do not use "Disconnect Stripe" in Substack's Danger Zone: it refunds and cancels all paid subscriptions.
Which Ghost plan do I need for a paid newsletter?
Publisher or higher. Starter ($18/mo, up to 1,000 members) has no paid subscriptions. Publisher starts at $35/mo ($29/mo yearly) for 1,000 members, with 0% Ghost transaction fees.
When is Ghost cheaper than Substack?
When 10% of your monthly paid revenue is more than the Ghost Publisher price for your list size. At 5,000 members that is $750/mo of paid revenue (Publisher $75/mo); below that, Substack's percentage costs less. For a free newsletter Substack is always cheaper ($0).
Will my Substack links break?
On a custom domain, Substack posts live under /p/ while Ghost uses /p/ for previews, so Ghost's guide gives a redirects.yaml rule that sends /p/your-post to /your-post. Substack-subdomain links (yourname.substack.com) are not yours to redirect.
Related guides: Substack vs beehiiv vs Ghost · Substack fees (2026) · Substack to beehiiv migration · beehiiv price increase 2026 · Is beehiiv worth it in 2026? Break-even vs Substack, Kit and MailerLite · How newsletter platform prices changed 2023–2026 (from archived pricing pages) · beehiiv vs Kit vs Substack (2026) · Kit (ConvertKit) Free plan (2026) · all guides
Comparisons: Substack vs Ghost · Cheapest for 500, 1,000, 2,500, 5,000, 10,000, 25,000 subscribers
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