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DisciplevsGhost

Disciple gives community owners branded iOS and Android apps with subscriptions. Ghost is open-source publishing with a fast site, newsletters, and fee-free paid subscriptions.

How Disciple and Ghost compare

Disciple does the thing most community platforms charge a premium for: every plan includes your own iOS and Android app listed under your name, a synced web version, and no Disciple branding anywhere your members look. Groups, feeds, DMs, events, native video, livestreaming, courses, push notifications to segments, and a customer success manager who helps you through the app store submission. Associations, training providers, nonprofits, and membership brands that want an icon on the member's phone are who it is built for.

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

Disciple

  • Disciple lives behind a login and a home screen icon.
  • Disciple reaches members with push notifications and hands email to Mailchimp or ConvertKit.
  • Disciple starts at $599 a month for a branded app with unlimited members.
  • Disciple has courses, livestreams, tiers, and in-app purchases.

Ghost

  • Ghost monetises by membership.
  • Ghost sends email and stops.
  • Ghost is publishing-first.

Choose Disciple when your members should open an app with your name on it, and a private community with groups, events, and paid tiers is the whole point.

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 Disciple and Ghost

A check means that capability is available. Disciple and Ghost are marked only when the offer is comparable, not the same product.

Site and brand

  • Workspace site
    Disciple: Not included
    Ghost: Included
  • Custom domain
    Disciple: Included
    Ghost: Included
  • Theme and fonts
    Disciple: Included
    Ghost: Included

Public content

  • Blog
    Disciple: Not included
    Ghost: Included
  • Reader engagement
    Disciple: Not included
    Ghost: Included
  • Showcase pages
    Disciple: Not included
    Ghost: Included

Reach and quality

  • SEO
    Disciple: Not included
    Ghost: Included

Audience and email

  • Audience
    Disciple: Included
    Ghost: Included
  • Email on your domain
    Disciple: Not included
    Ghost: Included
  • Marketing emails
    Disciple: Not included
    Ghost: Included
  • Bulk email workflows
    Disciple: Not included
    Ghost: Included

Messaging

  • Built-in chat
    Disciple: Included
    Ghost: Not included

Commerce

  • Shop payments
    Disciple: Included
    Ghost: Not included

Team

  • Admin users
    Disciple: Included
    Ghost: Included

* Note: This table does not capture every feature of Disciple or Ghost, and is not intended as a comprehensive list. We keep this page current, but Disciple or Ghost may add or remove features that are not shown here.

Disciple vs Ghost pricing

Compare plans, prices, and what it costs to get started.

  • Disciple

    Current plans and prices

    See what Disciple charges on their pricing page.

  • Ghost

    Current plans and prices

    See what Ghost charges on their pricing page.

Cardel: An alternative to
Disciple 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 Disciple 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 Disciple or Ghost when you want your work, audience, and sales in one place. The feature list on this page shows where Disciple and Ghost are marked.

  • Can I use Cardel with Disciple or Ghost?

    Yes. Cardel pages can link out to other products, so you can keep Disciple or Ghost for what it does best and bring the rest of your work to Cardel.

  • How much does Cardel cost compared with Disciple and Ghost?

    You don't pay for Cardel until you publish. Choose Starter, Pro, or Studio when your site goes live. Disciple and Ghost set their own prices, so check their pricing pages on this page for current plans.

  • How do I switch from Disciple 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.