Ghost vs Substack vs VeloCMS for Newsletters (2026)

Name: Ghost vs Substack vs VeloCMS for Newsletters (2026)
Description: Ghost, Substack, and VeloCMS all promise a paid newsletter — but the fees and the fine print are very different. I compare the pricing models honestly (no invented numbers), then build the real thing: tiers, a compose screen, and founding-member spots, on my own site.

Ghost, Substack, and VeloCMS all promise a paid newsletter — but the fees and the fine print are very different. I compare the pricing models honestly (no invented numbers), then build the real thing: tiers, a compose screen, and founding-member spots, on my own site. Start your 14-day free trial (card required) → https://velocms.org

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Three names come up for paid newsletters — Ghost, Substack, and now VeloCMS — and the choice really comes down to two things: what it costs you, and who owns the relationship. No hype, no dunking. Let's compare all three honestly and see who each is for.

Quick, fair sketch of each. Substack is the fastest way to start and get discovered. Ghost is a genuinely powerful publishing platform with memberships baked in. And VeloCMS puts the newsletter alongside a full blog and shop, all on your own Stripe. Different tools, different trade-offs.

Now the part that decides it for a lot of people — fees. Substack takes a cut of every payment. Ghost charges a monthly hosting fee that grows with your list. VeloCMS charges a flat plan and takes zero percent of your memberships — the payments run through your own Stripe.

Here's the VeloCMS side, live. Meera writes an issue like a blog post, picks who it goes to, and sends. Same editor she'd use for the blog — no separate newsletter tool, no exporting between apps. Write it, choose the audience, and it's ready to go out.

And the money side. Meera sets up paid tiers — free, paid, founding — and connects her own Stripe. When someone subscribes, that payment lands in her Stripe account, no platform cut skimmed off the top. The subscriber relationship is hers, not rented.

So, honest recommendations. Want the fastest start and built-in discovery? Substack. Want a polished, newsletter-first platform? Ghost is excellent. Want your newsletter, blog, and shop in one place on your own Stripe with no cut taken? That's the VeloCMS lane.

Fees, features, and who keeps the cut — now you can decide honestly. Try the all-in-one option free for fourteen days at velocms dot org.