← Publishing & Newsletters ranking
Head-to-head · September 2026 snapshot 
Substack vs 
Ghost
Substack leads on intent; Ghost owns the feature-conscious buyer. Substack edges Ghost overall despite nearly identical mention rates, because it sweeps the high-intent recommendation questions: best overall, startup fit, and the single-pick frame where buyers want a confident answer rather than a comparison. Claude and ChatGPT both score Substack higher, which matters since those two models drive the decisive first-pick signal. Ghost flips the result on Gemini, scoring 65 against Substack's 55, and it wins cleanly on feature-led and budget questions, suggesting buyers who arrive knowing what they want are more likely to land on Ghost.