Software · head to head
Apple News vs Ghost
Ghost
Software
Modern publishing platform with content API and membership support
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Apple News apple News+ costs $12.99 per month in USD after the first month, or is included only via the $39.95 per month USD Apple One Premier bundle; Ghost backup and migration processes have significant limitations and are problematic for long-term users
- They diverge on capability: Apple News covers Curated news feed, Ghost covers Content API.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Apple News and Ghost actually diverge.
| Attribute | Apple News | Ghost |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | freemium | Unknown |
| Platforms | Ios, Macos | Web, Self-hosted, Cloud-hosted |
| Founded | 1976 | 2013 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Apple News
- Curated news feed
- Premium magazines
- Audio stories
- Personalization
- Offline reading
- iCloud
- Apple One bundle
- Siri
Only in Ghost
- Content API
- Membership
- Analytics
- Webhooks
- Zapier
- Custom integrations
- Node.js support
- Cloud support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Apple News
- Daily news readingnot Ghost
- Magazine subscriptionnot Ghost
- News discoverynot Ghost
- Staying informednot Ghost
Ghost
- API Developmentnot Apple News
- API Gatewaynot Apple News
- API Testingnot Apple News
- API Documentationnot Apple News
- Microservicesnot Apple News
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Apple News
- Apple News+ costs $12.99 per month in USD after the first month, or is included only via the $39.95 per month USD Apple One Premier bundle
Ghost
- Backup and migration processes have significant limitations and are problematic for long-term users
- Open-source version lacks automatic backups, email subscriptions, and ad placement features
- No built-in e-commerce functionality; separate platform required for product sales
- Smaller community compared to WordPress, making support and resources harder to find
- Narrow focus on publishing limits use cases outside content-only websites
Pricing, plan by plan
Apple News
Free- Apple NewsFree
- Free news articles
- Personalized feed
- Topic following
- Apple News+$12.99/month
- Premium magazines
- Major newspapers
- Audio stories
Ghost
Free- Self-HostedFree
- Open-source Ghost CMS
- Full control over data
- No payment fees
- Starter$15/month
- Up to 1,000 members
- Newsletter functionality
- Membership management
- Publisher$29/month
- Unlimited members
- Continuous member scaling
- Advanced analytics
- Business$199/month
- All Publisher features
- Custom domain
- Priority support
Which should you pick?
Choose Apple News if
- You need curated news feed.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Ios, Macos.
- You also want premium magazines.
Choose Ghost if
- You need content api.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Self-hosted, Cloud-hosted.
- You also want membership.
Questions people ask
- Is Apple News or Ghost better?
- Neither clearly leads. Apple News starts at Free and Ghost at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Apple News or Ghost?
- Apple News starts at Free and Ghost at Free.
- Does Apple News or Ghost run on more platforms?
- Apple News runs on Ios, Macos. Ghost runs on Web, Self-hosted, Cloud-hosted.
- Can I use Apple News for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Apple News best used for?
- Apple News is most often used for daily news reading, magazine subscription, news discovery, staying informed. Of those, daily news reading and magazine subscription are not what Ghost is typically brought in for.
- What can Apple News do that Ghost cannot?
- Apple News covers Curated news feed, Premium magazines, Audio stories, Personalization. Ghost covers Content API, Membership, Analytics, Webhooks.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Ghost: What is the free option for Ghost?
Ghost is open-source software that can be self-hosted for free. Self-hosting costs depend on your own server, domain, SSL, email delivery infrastructure, and DevOps expertise.
SourceGhost: What is the starting price for Ghost(Pro) managed hosting?
Ghost(Pro) Starter plan is USD 15/month when billed yearly or USD 18/month when billed monthly. This plan includes up to 1,000 members with membership features enabled.
SourceGhost: Can I collect payments and manage subscriptions with Ghost?
Yes. Ghost includes native membership and subscription management with support for free signups and paid tiers (monthly/yearly options). All revenue goes directly to publishers with zero payment fees.
SourceGhost: Does Ghost integrate with Stripe?
Yes. Ghost integrates with Stripe for payment processing and subscription management, plus Zapier, Slack, Google Analytics, and thousands of other third-party apps.
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