How Cardel and Ghost compare
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.
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. Cardel is not a paid-subscription publishing system; there is no paywall or recurring billing, and you cannot self-host it.
Where they are different
Ghost monetises by membership. Cardel monetises by Shop items and bookings through Stripe.
Ghost sends email and stops. Cardel sends and receives on your domain, runs campaign workflows, and gathers replies, reader chat, and forms in one Messaging Center.
Ghost is publishing-first. Cardel adds Showcase pages, a video catalog, scheduling, and a brand kit alongside the blog.
Choose Ghost when writing is the business and you want paid subscriptions with no platform cut, on open-source software.
Choose Cardel when you want your site, audience, shop or bookings, and inbox on your domain and you are not selling a subscription.
You are the Forgemaster. Cardel is your forge. What you build is yours.
Common questions
Is Cardel a Ghost alternative?
Cardel is a home for your craft: a site of your own with a blog, newsletter, shop, community, and one inbox. It can replace Ghost when you want your work, audience, and sales in one place. The feature list below shows where the two overlap and where they part.
Can I use Cardel and Ghost together?
Yes. Cardel pages can link out to other products, so you can keep Ghost for what it does best and bring the rest of your work to Cardel.
How much does Cardel cost compared to Ghost?
You don't pay for Cardel until you publish. Choose Starter, Pro, or Studio when your site goes live. Ghost sets its own prices, so check their pricing page below for current plans.
How do I switch from Ghost to Cardel?
Choose Start for Free, set up your home, and bring your work over at your own pace. You do not have to move everything on day one.
Compare features
What's on Cardel and Ghost
A check means that capability is available. Ghost is marked only when the offer is comparable, not the same product.
Site and brand
- Workspace siteCardel: IncludedGhost: Included
- Custom domainUse your own domain with HTTPS. Cardel includes the DNS records for the site and for sending and receiving email.Use your own domain with HTTPS. Cardel includes the DNS records for the site and for sending and receiving email.Cardel: IncludedGhost: Included
- Theme and fontsCardel: IncludedGhost: Included
- Brand kitCardel: IncludedGhost: Not included
Public content
- BlogCardel: IncludedGhost: Included
- Reader engagementCardel: IncludedGhost: Included
- Showcase pagesCardel: IncludedGhost: Included
- Shop pagesCardel: IncludedGhost: Not included
Reach and quality
- SEOCardel: IncludedGhost: Included
Audience and email
- AudienceGroups, tags, and import so you can organize contacts and bring in an existing list.Groups, tags, and import so you can organize contacts and bring in an existing list.Cardel: IncludedGhost: Included
- Email on your domainSend and receive from your custom domain, not a shared Cardel address.Send and receive from your custom domain, not a shared Cardel address.Cardel: IncludedGhost: Included
- Marketing emailsCardel: IncludedGhost: Included
- Bulk email workflowsCardel: IncludedGhost: Included
- Campaign workflowsCardel: IncludedGhost: Not included
Messaging
- Built-in chatCardel: IncludedGhost: Not included
- Messaging CenterCardel: IncludedGhost: Not included
Commerce
- Shop paymentsSell on your Shop pages with Stripe. Cardel takes a 0.5% application fee on those card sales. Stripe's own processing fees still apply, and you keep the rest.Sell on your Shop pages with Stripe. Cardel takes a 0.5% application fee on those card sales. Stripe's own processing fees still apply, and you keep the rest.Cardel: IncludedGhost: Not included
- Orders and fulfillmentCardel: IncludedGhost: Not included
- Scheduling and bookingsLink to external scheduling available on Starter.Cardel: IncludedGhost: Not included
Team
- Admin usersCardel: IncludedGhost: Included
- Per-admin permissionsCardel: IncludedGhost: Included
- AI AssistantCardel: IncludedGhost: Not included
Other
- Paid user membershipsCardel: Not includedGhost: Included
- Member analyticsCardel: Not includedGhost: Included
- Open sourceCardel: Not includedGhost: Included
- Self-hostCardel: Not includedGhost: Included
- Recommendation networkCardel: Not includedGhost: Included
* Note: This table does not capture every feature of Cardel or Ghost, and is not intended as a comprehensive list. We keep this page current, but Cardel or Ghost may add or remove features that are not shown here.
Cardel vs Ghost pricing
Compare plans, prices, and what it costs to get started.
Cardel
You don't pay until you publish
Build at no cost, then choose Starter, Pro, or Studio when your site goes live.
Ghost
Current plans and prices
See what Ghost charges on their pricing page.
Forge your community
Choose Cardel
Looking for a Ghost alternative? Bring your work to a site of your own.
Compare Cardel
See how Cardel stacks up, or explore Ghost comparisons.