Software · head to head
Apple News vs Ghost CMS
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 CMS ghost Pro plans cap members, at 1,000 on both Starter and Publisher and 10,000 on Business
- They diverge on capability: Apple News covers Curated news feed, Ghost CMS covers Publishing platform.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Apple News and Ghost CMS actually diverge.
| Attribute | Apple News | Ghost CMS |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Ios, Macos | Web, Self-hosted |
| Founded | 1976 | 2013 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), 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 CMS
- Publishing platform
- Email newsletters
- Membership management
- Analytics
- Paywall support
- SEO optimization
- Media library
- API access
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Apple News
- Daily news readingnot Ghost CMS
- Magazine subscriptionnot Ghost CMS
- News discoverynot Ghost CMS
- Staying informednot Ghost CMS
Ghost CMS
- Running a publication or newsletter with paid subscriptionsnot Apple News
- Self hosting a headless or full stack publishing platformnot 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 CMS
- Ghost Pro plans cap members, at 1,000 on both Starter and Publisher and 10,000 on Business
- Staff users are limited to 1 on Starter and 3 on Publisher
- Custom themes and integrations require the Publisher plan at $29 a month billed yearly
- The jump to 10,000 members is the $199 a month Business plan, with nothing between
- Self hosting is free but installing under a subdirectory needs a custom reverse proxy that Ghost does not officially support
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 CMS
Free- Free Self-HostedFree
- Open source
- Self-hosted
- Basic features
- Creator$29/month
- Email newsletters
- Memberships
- Analytics
- Business$99/month
- Advanced analytics
- Priority support
- Custom integrations
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 CMS if
- You need publishing platform.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Self-hosted.
- You also want email newsletters.
Questions people ask
- Is Apple News or Ghost CMS better?
- Neither clearly leads. Apple News starts at Free and Ghost CMS at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Apple News or Ghost CMS?
- Apple News starts at Free and Ghost CMS at Free.
- Does Apple News or Ghost CMS run on more platforms?
- Apple News runs on Ios, Macos. Ghost CMS runs on Web, Self-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 CMS is typically brought in for.
- What can Apple News do that Ghost CMS cannot?
- Apple News covers Curated news feed, Premium magazines, Audio stories, Personalization. Ghost CMS covers Publishing platform, Email newsletters, Membership management, Analytics.