Rumicat is a Ghost alternative for people who want the newsletter without running a website.
Ghost is a proper publishing platform. A site, a CMS, editable themes, membership tiers, integrations, and a newsletter that falls out of all of it. Open source, no cut of your revenue, and among the best software in this category.
It's also a website, and a website is a thing you have to maintain.
What Ghost is for
Ghost is for building a publication meant to outlive any single email. Custom design, a real content library, membership tiers, and full ownership if you'd rather host it yourself.
If you're building a brand rather than writing a letter, Ghost gives that brand somewhere to live.
What Rumicat is for
Rumicat is for people who want to write, not to run a site.
You get one page with your name on it, a subscribe box, and an archive of everything you've sent. You can't change the theme, because there isn't one, and you can't break it either.
It's a smaller promise, and an easier one to keep.
Moving from Ghost to Rumicat
Ghost exports members as a CSV and your content as JSON. The members come across cleanly. The content doesn't, because we have no place for pages, tags or tiers.
- 1Export your members from Ghost Labs
- 2Import the member CSV into Rumicat
- 3Decide what happens to the website Ghost was hosting for you
Side by side
| Comparison | Ghost | Rumicat |
|---|---|---|
| Entry paid plan | $18 per month, up to 1,000 members | $6.99 per month, up to 5,000 subscribers |
| Free tier | None, 14-day trial | 300 subscribers |
| Cut of subscription revenue | 0% | None, we don't sell subscriptions |
| Full website and CMS | Yes | No |
| Self-hosting | Yes, open source | No |
Checked on 30 August 2026. Ghost prices are Ghost(Pro), billed yearly.
Sources: ghost.org/pricing
Is Rumicat a good Ghost alternative?
If the website was the part you never wanted, yes. If the website is the whole point, then no.
Ghost gives you a publication you design and control. Rumicat gives you a page you can't design at all. Whether that's a relief or a dealbreaker is the entire decision.
Is Rumicat cheaper than Ghost?
At small sizes, yes. Ghost(Pro) starts at $18 a month for up to 1,000 members and has no free tier. We're free to 300 subscribers and $6.99 a month up to 5,000.
Ghost is also free if you self-host it, which costs you a server and your evenings instead.