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Business Wire vs Ghost

Business Wire logo

Business Wire

News

Global news distribution and regulatory disclosure

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Ghost logo

Ghost

News

Modern publishing platform with content API and membership support

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Ghost has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Business Wire no transparent pricing published for press release distribution services; Ghost backup and migration processes have significant limitations and are problematic for long-term users
  • They diverge on capability: Business Wire covers News distribution, Ghost covers Content API.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Business Wire and Ghost actually diverge.

Attributes where Business Wire and Ghost differ
AttributeBusiness WireGhost
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelusage-basedUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, Self-hosted, Cloud-hosted
Founded19612013

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (News).

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 Business Wire

  • News distribution
  • SEC/SEDAR filing
  • Multimedia support
  • Tradeshownews
  • News analytics
  • Bloomberg Terminal
  • Thomson Reuters
  • Google Finance

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.

Business Wire

  • Earnings releasesnot Ghost
  • SEC filingsnot Ghost
  • Corporate announcementsnot Ghost
  • Product launchesnot Ghost
  • M&A newsnot Ghost

Ghost

  • API Developmentnot Business Wire
  • API Gatewaynot Business Wire
  • API Testingnot Business Wire
  • API Documentationnot Business Wire
  • Microservicesnot Business Wire

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Business Wire

  • No transparent pricing published for press release distribution services

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

Business Wire

On request
  • US Local$525/one-time
    • Local distribution
    • Online posting
    • Basic analytics
  • US Regional$875/one-time
    • Regional distribution
    • Wire services
    • Enhanced analytics
  • US National$1525/one-time
    • National distribution
    • Full wire coverage
    • Premium analytics
  • GlobalFree
    • International reach
    • Translation services
    • Custom circuits

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 Business Wire if

  • You need news distribution.
  • You also want sec/sedar filing.
Business Wire review

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.
Ghost review

Questions people ask

Is Business Wire or Ghost better?
Neither clearly leads. Business Wire starts at On request and Ghost at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Business Wire or Ghost?
Ghost has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Business Wire and Free for Ghost.
Does Business Wire or Ghost run on more platforms?
Business Wire runs on Web. Ghost runs on Web, Self-hosted, Cloud-hosted.
Can I use Ghost for free?
Yes. Ghost has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Business Wire starts at On request.
What is Business Wire best used for?
Business Wire is most often used for earnings releases, sec filings, corporate announcements, product launches. Of those, earnings releases and sec filings are not what Ghost is typically brought in for.
What can Business Wire do that Ghost cannot?
Business Wire covers News distribution, SEC/SEDAR filing, Multimedia support, Tradeshownews. Ghost covers Content API, Membership, Analytics, Webhooks.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Business Wire: How much does Business Wire cost?

Business Wire does not publish standard pricing on its website. The company offers press release distribution services with pricing that varies based on your audience reach, distribution scope, and multimedia options. You must contact their sales team for a custom quote.

Source
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.

Source
Business Wire: What is the Business Wire pricing model?

Business Wire charges per press release distribution, not as a subscription. Pricing depends on factors including geographic reach, industry targeting, journalist lists, and whether you include multimedia elements like images or videos.

Source
Ghost: 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.

Source
Ghost: 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.

Source
Ghost: 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.

Source
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