This isn’t new news as such, but people keep being surprised by it, so it’s worth repeating.
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It's free open source software (i.e. anyone can install, edit and release their own version) and the software itself is free of charge.
But you still have to pay the costs of hosting, either on Ghost.org or on your own server if you're self-hosting.
@FediThing ah, ok. That isn’t clear on the website. Makes sense. @ben
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@FediThing ah, ok. That isn’t clear on the website. Makes sense. @ben
Ah sorry, I should have phrased it a bit better in my post too. I've edited it to make it clearer.
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@dnkboston @notyourfanboy @ben
If they can get away with feigning ignorance to save face, they will.
@Jorsh Ding ding ding ding ding @notyourfanboy @ben
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Ah sorry, I should have phrased it a bit better in my post too. I've edited it to make it clearer.
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@FediThing @ben I think I tried it on unohost. setting it up is a bit of a strugle, it seems worth it however.
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@notyourfanboy That's incredible to me. It's pretty well-publicized, and isn't a journalist supposed to be up on the latest news? @ben
@ben @dnkboston
Let me rephrase that.A journalist, who I'm sure doesn't make a living at it, who covers injustice in prisons in their State, who posts once or twice a month to their substack account hadn't heard about the platform hosting Nazis.
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This isn’t new news as such, but people keep being surprised by it, so it’s worth repeating. Substack hosts, profits from, and promotes explicitly Nazi content, and if you are adding value to that network, you are helping them to do so. https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/feb/07/revealed-how-substack-makes-money-from-hosting-nazi-newsletters
@ben I wonder what @MikeElgan thinks. He's still so bullish on Substack.
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This isn’t new news as such, but people keep being surprised by it, so it’s worth repeating. Substack hosts, profits from, and promotes explicitly Nazi content, and if you are adding value to that network, you are helping them to do so. https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/feb/07/revealed-how-substack-makes-money-from-hosting-nazi-newsletters
@ben This is the main reason why I don't pay for more subscriptions to Journalists that I want to support! They're on Substack. @MikeElgan is one of them. If he moved from Substack to Ghost, Beehiiv, I'd sub right away.
Hear that Mike!
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It's free open source software (i.e. anyone can install, edit and release their own version) and the software itself is free of charge.
But you still have to pay the costs of hosting, either on Ghost.org or on your own server if you're self-hosting.
@FediThing @miekeroth @ben
As I always note when this comes up, @JuliusGoat made the switch to ghost from substack and wrote about it here -
@ben @dnkboston
Let me rephrase that.A journalist, who I'm sure doesn't make a living at it, who covers injustice in prisons in their State, who posts once or twice a month to their substack account hadn't heard about the platform hosting Nazis.
@notyourfanboy But still.
I always assume people should know what I do because I'm really not *that* well-informed. Nothing I know is a secret, I have no access to insider information on anything. So if I know about it, a journalist should, too. I feel comfortable saying that.
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This isn’t new news as such, but people keep being surprised by it, so it’s worth repeating. Substack hosts, profits from, and promotes explicitly Nazi content, and if you are adding value to that network, you are helping them to do so. https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/feb/07/revealed-how-substack-makes-money-from-hosting-nazi-newsletters
@ben Substack also, when Musk had just bought Twitter, posted that "anyone who has a problem with Musk's fight for free speech" need not apply for a job with them. They've made it quite clear where they stand.
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This isn’t new news as such, but people keep being surprised by it, so it’s worth repeating. Substack hosts, profits from, and promotes explicitly Nazi content, and if you are adding value to that network, you are helping them to do so. https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/feb/07/revealed-how-substack-makes-money-from-hosting-nazi-newsletters
@ben Oh it’s very well documented. I’ve catalog most of them here, but I’ve got many more to add https://sightlessscribbles.com/posts/20250425/
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For people who want alternatives, Ghost is a Substack-style platform that doesn't host Nazis. Its software is free open source so you can self-host if you prefer, or use Ghost's own paid hosting service.
Ghost also has Fediverse compatibility so people can follow your Ghost blog or newsletter directly from Mastodon etc. More info at https://fedi.tips/ghost-blogs-and-newsletters-on-the-fediverse/
@FediThing @ben WordPress is much easier, and there are thousands of people who can help you with it, plus thousands of themes.
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