Head-to-head · July 2026 snapshot

Ghost vs Substack

Ghost leads overall; Substack owns the first-pick and startup questions. Ghost holds a higher Visibility Score and gets named in 76% of answers versus Substack's 68%, driven almost entirely by Gemini, where Ghost scores 74 against Substack's 54.6. Substack punches back on the metrics that matter to buyers making a final call: it is chosen first 44% of the time compared to Ghost's 26%, and it wins both the startup-and-small-team and the 'if you could pick one' question themes. ChatGPT and Claude both prefer Substack, which means Ghost's overall lead rests heavily on Gemini's strong preference rather than a consensus across models.

	Ghost	Substack
Visibility Score	63	61
Rank in category	#1	#2
Mention rate	76%	68%
#1 pick rate	26%	44%
Avg. position when named	3	2

Who each model prefers

ChatGPT

Ghost 55

Substack 62

Claude

Ghost 60

Substack 66

Gemini

Ghost 74

Substack 55

The models split: ChatGPT prefers Substack, Claude prefers Substack, Gemini prefers Ghost.

The shape of the fight

Each axis is one of the 8 measured buyer questions; the further out, the more of that question's answers name the brand. Hover an axis for the raw counts. Single-axis gaps ride on 9 answers each, so read the overall shape, not one spike.

GhostSubstack

The fight, question by question

Mentions out of 9 answers per question. Click any question for the full transcripts.

Question	Ghost	Substack	Edge
Best overallWhat's the best platform for a company blog and newsletter?	9	9	even
Use-case fitWe want to launch a paid newsletter with a clean reading experience. What should we use?	9	9	even
Top tools in 2026What are the top newsletter and publishing platforms in 2026?	9	9	even
Startup & small teamWhich newsletter platform is best for a creator just starting out?	4	9	Substack
Enterprise pickWhich publishing platform should a large enterprise standardize on, considering security, compliance, and scale?	0	0	even
Feature-led askI want my own domain, SEO control, and subscriber management. What do you recommend?	9	3	Ghost
If you could pick oneIf you could only pick one publishing platform, which one and why?	6	9	Substack
Budget & alternativesWhat's the best alternative to the big newsletter platforms?	9	1	Ghost

Open this matchup in the compare tool → · Ghost brand report · Substack brand report

Measured from 72 fresh answers collected from the models' production APIs in July 2026; rankings change monthly. Neither brand can pay to appear here or to move the numbers. Full recipe on the methodology page.