Compare PaywallProject vs Newspack, Indiegraf, Ghost, and Leaky Paywall
How we stack up for local news.
All five are good platforms. Here’s how they differ on price, who runs the site, and what’s built in for local news.
Built for bigger budgets. We’re built for local news.
Newspack, from the team behind WordPress.com, is a strong fit for established digital newsrooms with the budget for plans from $750 to $2,500/mo and staff who work in WordPress daily. If you’re a local publication, print or digital, PaywallProject gives you the same WordPress foundation from $299/mo, and we run the site for you.
PaywallProject vs Newspack →
The paywall is included, not an add‑on.
Indiegraf offers a full newsroom platform with hands-on onboarding. Its OS Lite plan is $400/mo, the paywall is another $357/mo and up, and migration costs $132 to $2,381 upfront. With PaywallProject, the paywall is part of every plan.
PaywallProject vs Indiegraf →
Ghost gives you the software. We give you a team.
Ghost is a great low-cost option for solo writers and newsletters. But it isn’t WordPress, its price rises with your member count, and you set up and run the site yourself. Built-in tools for local news, like public notices and obituaries, aren’t part of it.
PaywallProject vs Ghost →
Same starting price. No cut of your subscribers.
Leaky Paywall is a long-running WordPress paywall plugin with a deep set of extensions. Its Pro plan is $299/mo, plus a $750 setup fee and 5% of new subscriber revenue. At the same $299/mo, PaywallProject takes no revenue share, and we run the whole site for you.
PaywallProject vs Leaky Paywall →Prices are taken from each company’s public pricing page as of October 2026 and may change. Payment processing fees (such as Stripe’s) apply on every platform. “Not listed” means the feature isn’t shown on that company’s pricing page.