Newsletter Platform · Ireland (IE)
Ghost
Irish open-source publishing platform — own your subscribers, pay zero platform fees.
The switch
Substack→Ghost
About
Open-source publishing platform and newsletter tool from Dublin, Ireland. Self-host for complete data ownership or use Ghost(Pro) with EU hosting. Zero % cut on paid subscriptions (unlike Substack's 10%). Non-profit foundation ownership.
Why we recommend it
- 0% platform fee — Substack takes 10%
- MIT open source — self-host for full control
- Non-profit foundation — no investor pressure
- Native paid subscriptions and newsletters
- You own your subscriber data, always
EU vs USA
Ghost vs Substack
Side-by-side on jurisdiction, data residency, and the rules that decide who can actually read your data.
Criteria
🇪🇺 Ghost
🇺🇸 Substack
Headquarters
Dublin, Ireland
San Francisco, CA, USA
Jurisdiction
Ireland (GDPR)
USA (CLOUD Act, FISA 702)
Data location
EU (self-hosted or Ghost Pro EU region)
Global, US-controlled (AWS)
GDPR-native
Yes
No
CLOUD Act / FISA exposed
No
Yes
Ad tracking
No
No
End-to-end encryption
No
No
Open source
Yes
No
Ownership
Ghost Foundation (non-profit)
Substack Inc. (private, US VC-backed)
Founded
2013
2017
Compare head-to-head