Running a Newsletter or Blog Without Handing It to a Platform
Most publishing platforms eventually ask you for something. Substack takes 10% of every paid subscription. Medium decides how your posts get distributed and monetized. WordPress.com locks themes and plugins behind pricing tiers. None of that is a dealbreaker by itself - until you realize the thing you built isn't really yours.
The Ghost AMI on AWS Marketplace by Meetrix skips that trade. Ghost is an open-source publishing platform built for writers who want a real editor, real newsletters, and real membership tools - and we packaged it so it launches ready to use on your own AWS account. Ready to get started? Launch the Meetrix Ghost AMI on AWS Marketplace.
What is Ghost?
Ghost is an open-source publishing platform built specifically for blogs, newsletters, and membership sites. It ships with a clean writing editor, built-in SEO, native email newsletters, and paid membership tools - the same features you'd otherwise pay Substack or Memberful for, except you're the one running it.
It's not trying to be a general-purpose CMS. Ghost has one job: help writers and publishers write, send, and get paid for content, without bolting on a dozen plugins to get there.
What Does Going Platform-Free Actually Save You?
How Deployment Works
Doing this by hand means provisioning an EC2 instance, installing Node and a database, then figuring out SSL on your own. Through the Marketplace, it's four steps - or follow our Developer Guide for the full walkthrough with screenshots:
- Launch from AWS Marketplace Open the Meetrix Ghost listing, subscribe, and pick the CloudFormation deployment path. Ghost, its database, and every dependency come pre-installed - no Node version conflicts to untangle.
- Configure the CloudFormation Stack Set a stack name, your admin email, and your domain. Pick an instance type - t3.small handles most blogs and newsletters fine. SSL sets itself up automatically once your domain is attached.
- Point Your Domain Copy the public IP from the stack's Outputs tab and add it as a record in Route 53, or whatever DNS provider you use. Give it a few minutes to propagate.
- Create Your Admin Account and Start Writing Visit yourdomain.com/ghost, set up your administrator account, and you're in the dashboard. Write your first post, pick a theme, or set up a newsletter - it's all right there.
What Meetrix Brings to This Deployment
- We Already Wired the Database to the App - The AMI ships with Ghost, its database, and the right Docker setup already connected. You skip the evening you'd otherwise spend debugging a connection string.
- SSL That Works on the First Try - Point a Route 53 domain at the instance and SSL sets itself up. Using a different DNS provider? We give you a one-command script to generate it manually instead.
- People Who Have Actually Run a Ghost Site - If something isn't loading right after launch, you're talking to someone who has debugged a Ghost container before, not someone reading from a script.
- It's Your AWS Account, Not a Shared Platform - Your posts, your subscriber list, your membership data - all of it sits on infrastructure you control, not a vendor's shared servers.
- No Revenue Cut, No Subscriber Cap - Ghost doesn't take a percentage of your paid memberships, and there's no subscriber limit pushing you onto a pricier tier.
Who Is Ghost on AWS Right For?
If you just want to type up a personal blog and never think about it again, a free Substack is honestly fine for that. This is a stronger fit if you're:
- A writer or publisher who wants to drop Substack's cut on paid subscriptions
- A newsletter operator tired of hitting a subscriber cap on a free or cheap plan
- A small media team that wants its own AWS account behind the publication
- A business running a content-driven blog that needs to look custom, not templated
- A membership site operator who doesn't want a third party touching billing data
- Someone migrating off WordPress who wants a faster editor without losing SEO control (our self-hosted Ghost vs WordPress comparison covers what you gain and lose)
Ghost on AWS by Meetrix vs Alternatives
| Feature | Ghost on AWS by Meetrix | WordPress (Self-Hosted) | Substack | Self-Hosted Ghost (Manual) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Your AWS account, fully self-hosted | Your own server or host, set up by you | Substack's cloud | Your EC2 instance, set up by you |
| Content & Subscriber Data | Total - posts and subscribers stay in your account | Total, if self-hosted correctly | Substack holds your subscriber list | Total, if you got the config right |
| Deployment Time | Minutes via AWS Marketplace | Hours, plus plugin setup | Instant signup | Hours, more if Node trips you up |
| SSL & Auth | Automated via Route 53, or one script otherwise | Manual, or a hosting plan that includes it | Handled by Substack | Manual - easy to get wrong |
| Pricing Model | Just AWS compute costs - no revenue cut | Hosting cost plus paid plugins and themes | 10% of paid subscriptions, plus fees | Just AWS compute costs |
| GDPR / Data Residency | Pick your AWS region, data stays put | Depends on your host | Substack's data processing terms apply | On you to configure correctly |
| Support | Meetrix engineers, by email | Hosting provider or plugin vendors | Substack support tiers | Community forums, or you fix it yourself |
Resources
Video Guide
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Ghost and how is it different from WordPress or Substack?
Ghost is an open source platform built for blogs, newsletters and paid memberships. WordPress is a general CMS that does those jobs once you add plugins. Substack does newsletters and memberships too, but it's hosted and takes a cut of subscription revenue. Ghost avoids both.
Do I need to know Node.js or Docker to run this?
No. The AMI handles the Node, database, and Docker setup for you. You might use SSH once in a while to check logs or generate SSL manually, but day-to-day publishing happens entirely through the Ghost admin panel in your browser.
Can I migrate my existing WordPress or Substack content into Ghost?
Yes. Ghost has built-in importers for WordPress and Substack exports, plus a general import format that most platforms can produce. Posts, tags, and authors usually come across cleanly. Images and custom formatting are worth a manual check afterward.
Will Ghost handle a growing subscriber list and traffic spikes?
Yes, within reason. A t3.small instance comfortably handles most blogs and newsletters. If you get a traffic spike or your list grows a lot, you resize the instance to a bigger type. There's no hard subscriber cap built into Ghost itself.
Do I need Mailgun to send Ghost newsletters?
Yes, for bulk newsletters on a self-hosted Ghost. Ghost sends newsletters through Mailgun, so you add a Mailgun API key in the admin settings. Transactional mail such as sign-in links goes out over the SMTP settings you configure on the server.
Ghost vs Memberful: which should I use for paid memberships?
Memberful is a hosted membership service you bolt onto an existing site, and it charges its own fees. Ghost has memberships, paywalls and newsletters built in, with Stripe paying you directly. If you're starting fresh, Ghost does the whole job in one place.
Get Your Ghost Site Running on AWS
Stop giving up a cut of your subscriptions just to run a newsletter. Deploy Ghost on AWS in minutes, set up by people who actually run publishing platforms for a living.
Deploy on AWS Marketplace