Ghost comes in two forms. Ghost(Pro) is the official managed hosting from the Ghost Foundation: you pay monthly and they run everything. Self-hosted Ghost is the same open-source software on a server you control: cheaper in money, more expensive in time.
We run both kinds. Our own 21 Ghost theme demos run on self-hosted Ghost on our servers, and we set up client sites on Ghost(Pro) when that is the better fit. Here is how to decide.
The short answer
- Choose Ghost(Pro) if you want to write, not run servers; if newsletters and memberships are your income; or if nobody on your team is comfortable with Linux, Docker and backups.
- Choose self-hosted if you have (or pay for) technical skills, want full control and lower running costs, run several sites, or need customisation beyond what managed plans allow.
Cost: what you actually pay
Ghost(Pro)
A monthly or yearly fee by plan, based on audience size and features. Hosting, updates, backups, security, email sending and support are included. Plans differ in what they allow, such as custom themes, so check the current plan details on Ghost's pricing page before you choose a theme. Ghost takes no percentage of your membership revenue on any plan.
Self-hosted
- A server. A small virtual server is enough for most single sites.
- A domain.
- An email provider for newsletters and sign-in emails, priced by volume.
- Backups (storage, and someone to check they work).
- Your time, or a developer's, for updates and fixes.
For a small site, self-hosting is usually cheaper in cash. For a business that depends on its newsletter, the time and risk can make Ghost(Pro) the cheaper option overall.
Effort: who does the work
With Ghost(Pro), updates arrive automatically, backups happen, email deliverability is someone else's job, and support answers questions.
With self-hosting, you or your developer:
- install Ghost following the current official instructions;
- keep Ghost, the operating system and dependencies updated;
- set up and monitor backups of the database and content;
- configure email sending for newsletters and sign-in links;
- set up https and keep certificates renewing;
- watch for downtime and fix it.
None of that is hard for someone who does it regularly. All of it is a problem for someone who does it once a year.
Email: the part people forget
Ghost's newsletters are the reason many people choose it. On Ghost(Pro), email sending is built in and managed. Self-hosted, you must connect a bulk email provider that Ghost supports, set up your sending domain correctly and keep an eye on deliverability. Get this wrong and your newsletter lands in spam, which costs more than any hosting saving.
Themes and customisation
Both run the same themes. A theme that works on self-hosted Ghost works on Ghost(Pro), as long as your plan allows custom themes.
Self-hosting gives you more freedom beyond themes: custom integrations on the same server, your own caching and CDN setup, server-side changes and full access to logs and the database.
Performance and scaling
Ghost(Pro) handles traffic spikes and runs on infrastructure built for Ghost. Self-hosted Ghost performs very well on modest servers, but a viral post on an undersized server with no caching can bring it down. If you self-host a site that might spike, put a caching layer or CDN in front of it.
Security and backups
Ghost(Pro) handles security patches and backups. Self-hosted, these are your responsibility; the most common self-hosting disaster is a backup that was never tested. Test a restore at least once.
Lock-in
You are not locked in either way. Ghost exports content and members, and imports them on another Ghost install. Many publications start on Ghost(Pro) and move to self-hosting as they grow, or the reverse when the person who ran the server moves on.
A decision checklist
| Question | Points to |
|---|---|
| Is the newsletter your main income? | Ghost(Pro) |
| Is there someone technical who will maintain it? | Self-hosted |
| Do you run several Ghost sites? | Self-hosted |
| Do you need server-side customisation? | Self-hosted |
| Do you want support you can email? | Ghost(Pro) |
| Is your budget very tight and your time free? | Self-hosted |
What we do for clients
- Most solo writers and small publications: Ghost(Pro). Their time is better spent writing.
- Agencies, multi-site setups and technical teams: self-hosted with Docker, monitoring and tested backups.
- Either way, the theme setup is the same: we install the theme, configure settings, navigation, tags and memberships, and test sign-up, upgrade and paid access end to end.
What a self-hosted Ghost setup involves
If you are leaning towards self-hosting, it helps to see the actual job list before you commit. A typical production setup looks like this:
- A server. A small virtual server from a cloud provider, running a supported version of Ubuntu. Ghost's own documentation lists the supported versions and minimum memory.
- The software Ghost depends on. A supported version of Node.js, MySQL 8 for the database and NGINX in front as the web server. Ghost's command-line tool installs and configures most of this for you.
- A domain and SSL. Point your domain at the server and let the installer set up a free Let's Encrypt certificate.
- Email. Ghost needs two kinds of email: transactional email (sign-in links, password resets) through an SMTP provider, and bulk newsletter email through Mailgun. Both need DNS records so your mail is not marked as spam.
- Backups. Automatic copies of the database and the content folder (images, themes, files), stored somewhere other than the server itself.
- Monitoring. Something that tells you when the site is down, the disk is filling up or the certificate failed to renew.
- Updates. Ghost releases updates often. Each update should be tested, ideally after a fresh backup.
None of this is difficult for someone who runs servers regularly. It is a real job, though, and it does not stop after launch.
A simple way to estimate the true cost
Write down three numbers for each option:
- Monthly fees: the Ghost(Pro) plan for your audience size, or the server, email and backup costs for self-hosting.
- Hours a month: time spent on updates, backups, checks and fixes. For Ghost(Pro) this is close to zero; for self-hosting it is usually a few hours, and more in a bad month.
- The value of an hour: your own time, or what you would pay someone else.
Add the fees to the hours multiplied by their value. Many publishers find that self-hosting looks cheaper until they count the hours. Others, especially developers who already run servers, find the hours are small and the savings are real. The point is to compare like with like.
Moving between the two later
The choice is not permanent. Ghost can export your content, members and settings, and the same export imports into either kind of install. Themes work on both. The parts that need care during a move are images and files (copy the content folder), newsletter sending settings, and your domain's DNS records. If you are unsure, starting on Ghost(Pro) and moving to self-hosting later, once the site has proved itself, is a low-risk path.
Bottom line
Ghost(Pro) buys you peace of mind and managed email; self-hosting buys you control and lower running costs at the price of maintenance. Choose by who will do the work, not just by the monthly bill, and remember you can switch later.
Need a hand? Browse our Ghost themes, each $59 with a live demo, and use our Ghost theme install and setup service on either hosting option. Want us to look after a self-hosted site? See our website care plan.
Frequently asked questions
The Ghost software is free and open source. You pay for a server, a domain, an email sending service for newsletters and your own time for updates, backups and fixes.
Yes, on plans that allow custom themes. Ghost(Pro)'s entry plan has historically been limited to official themes, so check the current plan details before you buy a theme.
Yes, for sending newsletters to members you need to configure a bulk email provider that Ghost supports. Transactional emails such as sign-in links also need mail settings. Ghost(Pro) handles all of this for you.
Yes. Ghost lets you export content and members and import them on another Ghost install, so you are not locked in either way.
