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Skool vs Ghost fees
How Skool and Ghost fees compare, using each vendor's public pricing. Best plan = highest net at that size.
50 members at $19.00/month
| Platform (best plan) | Gross | Platform plan + fees | Processing | Net / month | Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skool (Hobby) | $950.00 | $119.00 | $0.00 | $831.00 | ✓ verified |
| Ghost (Publisher (Ghost Pro)) | $950.00 | $29.00 | $42.55 | $878.45 | ✓ verified |
200 members at $29.00/month
| Platform (best plan) | Gross | Platform plan + fees | Processing | Net / month | Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skool (Pro) | $5,800.00 | $327.20 | $0.00 | $5,472.80 | ✓ verified |
| Ghost (Publisher (Ghost Pro)) | $5,800.00 | $29.00 | $228.20 | $5,542.80 | ✓ verified |
1,000 members at $29.00/month
| Platform (best plan) | Gross | Platform plan + fees | Processing | Net / month | Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skool (Pro) | $29,000.00 | $1,240.00 | $0.00 | $27,760.00 | ✓ verified |
| Ghost (Publisher (Ghost Pro)) | $29,000.00 | $29.00 | $1,141.00 | $27,830.00 | ✓ verified |
Try your own numbers in the calculator → · Full details: Skool pricing, Ghost pricing.
Skool plans
| Plan | Billed annually | Billed monthly | Platform fee | Payment processing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobby | not listed | $9.00/mo ✓ verified | 10% ✓ verified + $0.30 | included in platform fee |
| Pro | not listed | $99.00/mo ✓ verified | 2.9% ✓ verified + $0.30 3.9% above $900.00 | included in platform fee |
Sources and notes
Notes
- Skool's pricing page advertises '2 months free' on yearly billing but does not state the annual price, so no annual price is shown here and the calculator uses the verified monthly price.
- Skool's fee covers card processing, so no separate Stripe fee is added.
- Skool's Help Center lists 3.9% + $0.30 for Pro payments above $900.00, while the pricing page shows only 2.9%. It is unclear which rate applies to payments between $899.00 and $900.00, so the calculator flags that case.
- Skool's Growth Boost and Discovery referrals carry a separate 30% commission, reported by a third-party review. This is not included in the calculator.
- Hobby: Listed on Skool's pricing page ('Hobby $9.00/month'); re-checked 2026-10-18.
- Payment processing: Card processing is included in Skool's fee (per Skool's Payments FAQ).
- Pro: Listed on Skool's pricing page ('Pro $99.00/month'); re-checked 2026-10-18.
Sources
- https://help.skool.com/article/86-subscriptions-faq · verified 2026-10-18 · ✓ verified
- https://www.skool.com/pricing · verified 2026-10-18 · ✓ verified
Ghost plans
| Plan | Billed annually | Billed monthly | Platform fee | Payment processing | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publisher (Ghost Pro) | $29.00/mo ✓ verified | not listed | 0% ✓ verified | 2.9% + $0.30 ✓ verified | 1,000 members |
| Business (Ghost Pro) | $199.00/mo ✓ verified | not listed | 0% ✓ verified | 2.9% + $0.30 ✓ verified | 10,000 members |
Sources and notes
Notes
- Ghost(Pro) pricing depends on member count. Only entry prices for up to 1,000 members are shown, and paid subscriptions require Publisher or higher.
- Ghost's page is inconsistent about the Business member limit (1,000 in the feature list, 10,000 in the comparison table).
- Self-hosting Ghost is free software, but you pay for your own server. This is not included.
- Platform fee: Ghost charges no transaction fees.
- Payment processing: Stripe's payment processing fees still apply.
- Business (Ghost Pro): The member limit is unclear: Ghost's page lists both 1,000 and 10,000.
Sources
- https://ghost.org/pricing/ · verified 2026-10-18 · ✓ verified
- https://stripe.com/pricing · verified 2026-10-18 · ✓ verified
Frequently asked questions
Which keeps more at 50 members paying $19.00/month, Skool or Ghost?
Ghost (Publisher (Ghost Pro)) keeps about $878.45 per month, versus about $831.00 for Skool (Hobby), using the best plan of each. This follows the assumptions on the method page.
Which keeps more at 200 members paying $29.00/month, Skool or Ghost?
Ghost (Publisher (Ghost Pro)) keeps about $5,542.80 per month, versus about $5,472.80 for Skool (Pro), using the best plan of each. This follows the assumptions on the method page.
Which keeps more at 1,000 members paying $29.00/month, Skool or Ghost?
Ghost (Publisher (Ghost Pro)) keeps about $27,830.00 per month, versus about $27,760.00 for Skool (Pro), using the best plan of each. This follows the assumptions on the method page.