How Circle and Ghost compare
Circle is where serious community hosts go when the community is the business. Spaces for discussion and chat, courses and events in the same place, paid memberships with branded checkout, gamification, workflows, Circle AI, and on Circle Plus your own branded iOS and Android apps. It has grown into an all-in-one for membership businesses, and the Website Builder and Email Hub mean many hosts no longer need a second tool for the front door. If your members log in every week to talk to each other, Circle is built for exactly that.
Ghost is what serious independent publishing looks like. A fast, beautifully themed site, newsletters sent from your own domain, paid memberships with zero platform fees, comments, and a clean editor, all open source and portable. Ghost(Pro) hosting removes the ops, and the whole thing respects the writer and the reader.
Where they are different
Circle
- Circle's pages are the front door to a members-only space.
- Circle's Email Hub is an add-on priced per contact on top of the plan.
- Circle's DMs live between members inside the community.
- Circle has courses, live streams, paid tiers for users, and gamification.
Ghost
- Ghost monetises by membership.
- Ghost sends email and stops.
- Ghost is publishing-first.
Choose Circle when a paid, private community with courses and events is the product, and you want members in a branded app.
Choose Ghost when writing is the business and you want paid subscriptions with no platform cut, on open-source software.
Compare features
What's on Circle and Ghost
A check means that capability is available. Circle and Ghost are marked only when the offer is comparable, not the same product.
Site and brand
- Workspace siteCircle: IncludedGhost: Included
- Custom domainCircle: IncludedGhost: Included
- Theme and fontsCircle: IncludedGhost: Included
Public content
- BlogCircle: Not includedGhost: Included
- Reader engagementCircle: IncludedGhost: Included
- Showcase pagesCircle: IncludedGhost: Included
Reach and quality
- SEOCircle: IncludedGhost: Included
Audience and email
- AudienceCircle: IncludedGhost: Included
- Email on your domainCircle: Not includedGhost: Included
- Marketing emailsCircle: IncludedGhost: Included
- Bulk email workflowsCircle: IncludedGhost: Included
- Campaign workflowsCircle: IncludedGhost: Not included
Messaging
- Built-in chatCircle: IncludedGhost: Not included
Commerce
- Shop paymentsCircle: IncludedGhost: Not included
Team
- Admin usersCircle: IncludedGhost: Included
- Per-admin permissionsCircle: IncludedGhost: Included
- AI AssistantCircle: IncludedGhost: Not included
* Note: This table does not capture every feature of Circle or Ghost, and is not intended as a comprehensive list. We keep this page current, but Circle or Ghost may add or remove features that are not shown here.
Circle vs Ghost pricing
Compare plans, prices, and what it costs to get started.
Circle
Current plans and prices
See what Circle charges on their pricing page.
Ghost
Current plans and prices
See what Ghost charges on their pricing page.
Cardel: An alternative to
Circle and Ghost
You don't pay until you publish.
Cardel provides a home for your craft. Share and sell your work, grow your audience, and bring your community together on a site of your own.
Common questions
Is Cardel an alternative to Circle or Ghost?
Cardel is a home for your craft: a site of your own with a blog, newsletter, shop, community, and one inbox. It can replace Circle or Ghost when you want your work, audience, and sales in one place. The feature list on this page shows where Circle and Ghost are marked.
Can I use Cardel with Circle or Ghost?
Yes. Cardel pages can link out to other products, so you can keep Circle or Ghost for what it does best and bring the rest of your work to Cardel.
How much does Cardel cost compared with Circle and Ghost?
You don't pay for Cardel until you publish. Choose Starter, Pro, or Studio when your site goes live. Circle and Ghost set their own prices, so check their pricing pages on this page for current plans.
How do I switch from Circle or Ghost to Cardel?
Start with Build Your Site, set up your home, and bring your work over at your own pace. You do not have to move everything on day one.