Ghost vs Maven
Side-by-side comparison on fees, payouts, monetization, and audience ownership.
Platform fee
from $9/mo · monthly subscription
10% · of course revenue
Payout speed
instant
weekly
Minimum payout
$0
$0 (Stripe payout schedule)
Countries
Stripe-supported
Global where Stripe is supported
Email list export
Full access
Limited (course and cohort comms)
Custom domain
Yes
No (hosted on maven.com)
Community features
Comments, paid tiers, member signups
Built-in cohort discussion and Slack integrations
Best for
Independent publishers and creators who want ownership and zero revenue share
Experts running premium live cohort courses rather than self-paced content
Ghost vs Maven: which one wins?
Ghost charges from $9/mo (monthly subscription) versus Maven at 10% (of course revenue).
On payout speed, Ghost pays instant while Maven pays weekly. For creators where cashflow matters, the faster cadence usually wins.
For audience ownership, Ghost offers full access email export and Maven offers limited (course and cohort comms). Email portability matters most for creators planning to migrate later or build a list independent of any single platform.
Best for: Ghost suits independent publishers and creators who want ownership and zero revenue share. Maven fits experts running premium live cohort courses rather than self-paced content.