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Flipboard vs Ghost CMS

Flipboard logo

Flipboard

News

Your personal magazine for news and stories

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Ghost CMS logo

Ghost CMS

News

Modern platform for professional publishing

From
$18/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Flipboard has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Flipboard no pricing information is published on the website; Ghost CMS ghost Pro plans cap members, at 1,000 on both Starter and Publisher and 10,000 on Business
  • They diverge on capability: Flipboard covers Magazine-style layout, Ghost CMS covers Publishing platform.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Flipboard and Ghost CMS actually diverge.

Attributes where Flipboard and Ghost CMS differ
AttributeFlipboardGhost CMS
Starting priceFree$18/month
Pricing modelfreesubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb, Self-hosted
Founded20102013

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 Flipboard

  • Magazine-style layout
  • Content curation
  • Topic discovery
  • Smart magazines
  • Social sharing
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Only in Ghost CMS

  • Publishing platform
  • Email newsletters
  • Membership management
  • Analytics
  • Paywall support
  • SEO optimization
  • Media library
  • API access

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Flipboard

  • News consumptionnot Ghost CMS
  • Content discoverynot Ghost CMS
  • Magazine creationnot Ghost CMS
  • Social readingnot Ghost CMS

Ghost CMS

  • Running a publication or newsletter with paid subscriptionsnot Flipboard
  • Self hosting a headless or full stack publishing platformnot Flipboard

Where each one falls short

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

Flipboard

  • No pricing information is published on the website

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

Flipboard

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited reading
    • Personalized feeds
    • Magazine creation

Ghost CMS

$18/month
  • Starter$18/month
    • For solo blogs and newsletters
    • Your own website
    • Email newsletter
  • Publisher$29/month
    • For custom publications
    • 3 staff users
    • Custom themes
  • Business$199/month
    • For teams scaling up
    • 15 staff users
    • Priority support
  • Custom$null/contact
    • For organizations with complex needs
    • Unlimited staff users
    • Dedicated IP addresses

Which should you pick?

Choose Flipboard if

  • You need magazine-style layout.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want content curation.
Flipboard review

Choose Ghost CMS if

  • You need publishing platform.
  • You work on Web, Self-hosted.
  • You also want email newsletters.
Ghost CMS review

Questions people ask

Is Flipboard or Ghost CMS better?
Neither clearly leads. Flipboard starts at Free and Ghost CMS at $18/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Flipboard or Ghost CMS?
Flipboard has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Flipboard and $18/month for Ghost CMS.
Does Flipboard or Ghost CMS run on more platforms?
Flipboard runs on Web, Ios, Android. Ghost CMS runs on Web, Self-hosted.
Can I use Flipboard for free?
Yes. Flipboard has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Ghost CMS starts at $18/month.
What is Flipboard best used for?
Flipboard is most often used for news consumption, content discovery, magazine creation, social reading. Of those, news consumption and content discovery are not what Ghost CMS is typically brought in for.
What can Flipboard do that Ghost CMS cannot?
Flipboard covers Magazine-style layout, Content curation, Topic discovery, Smart magazines. Ghost CMS covers Publishing platform, Email newsletters, Membership management, Analytics. Both handle Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Flipboard: How much does Flipboard cost?

No pricing information is disclosed on Flipboard's website. The service provides options to sign up and log in, but the specific pricing model or whether the service is free or paid is not stated.

Source
Ghost CMS: How much does Ghost CMS cost?

Ghost(Pro) pricing starts at $18 per month when billed yearly for the Starter plan, with Publisher at $29 per month and Business at $199 per month. All plans include unlimited email sends and enterprise-grade security.

Source
Flipboard: Is Flipboard free or paid?

Flipboard's pricing model is not disclosed on their public website. Users can access the platform by signing up or logging in, but costs and features associated with different tiers are not published.

Source
Ghost CMS: Can I cancel my Ghost subscription anytime?

Yes, users can upgrade, downgrade, or cancel their Ghost subscription anytime without penalties.

Source
Ghost CMS: Are there any additional fees with Ghost?

Ghost waives transaction fees on all plans, though payment processor fees still apply. There are no setup fees or hidden charges.

Source
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