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News & Media · head to head

Ghost CMS vs Hootsuite

Ghost CMS logo

Ghost CMS

News & Media

Modern platform for professional publishing

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Hootsuite logo

Hootsuite

Marketing

Save time and grow on social media

From
$99/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Ghost CMS has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Ghost CMS ghost Pro plans cap members, at 1,000 on both Starter and Publisher and 10,000 on Business; Hootsuite no free tier available; minimum cost is $99/user/year annually
  • They diverge on capability: Ghost CMS covers Publishing platform, Hootsuite covers Content scheduling.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Ghost CMS and Hootsuite differ
AttributeGhost CMSHootsuite
Starting priceFree$99/year
Pricing modelfreemiumUnknown
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Self-hostedWeb
CategoryNews & MediaMarketing
Founded20132008

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

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 Ghost CMS

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

Only in Hootsuite

  • Content scheduling
  • Social inbox
  • Content calendar
  • Analytics & reporting
  • Social listening
  • Team collaboration
  • Approval workflows
  • Bulk scheduling

What people use each for

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

Ghost CMS

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

Hootsuite

  • Social media schedulingnot Ghost CMS
  • Community managementnot Ghost CMS
  • Social advertisingnot Ghost CMS
  • Analytics & reportingnot Ghost CMS
  • Team collaborationnot Ghost CMS

Where each one falls short

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

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

Hootsuite

  • No free tier available; minimum cost is $99/user/year annually
  • Monthly billing significantly more expensive than annual (20-30% premium)
  • Advanced data export via SFTP available only to Enterprise tier customers

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Hootsuite

$99/year

No published plan breakdown. See the Hootsuite review.

Which should you pick?

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.
Ghost CMS review

Choose Hootsuite if

  • You need content scheduling.
  • You also want social inbox.
Hootsuite review

Questions people ask

Is Ghost CMS or Hootsuite better?
Neither clearly leads. Ghost CMS starts at Free and Hootsuite at $99/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Ghost CMS or Hootsuite?
Ghost CMS has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Ghost CMS and $99/year for Hootsuite.
Does Ghost CMS or Hootsuite run on more platforms?
Ghost CMS runs on Web, Self-hosted. Hootsuite runs on Web.
Can I use Ghost CMS for free?
Yes. Ghost CMS has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Hootsuite starts at $99/year.
What is Ghost CMS best used for?
Ghost CMS is most often used for running a publication or newsletter with paid subscriptions, self hosting a headless or full stack publishing platform. Of those, running a publication or newsletter with paid subscriptions and self hosting a headless or full stack publishing platform are not what Hootsuite is typically brought in for.
What can Ghost CMS do that Hootsuite cannot?
Ghost CMS covers Publishing platform, Email newsletters, Membership management, Analytics. Hootsuite covers Content scheduling, Social inbox, Content calendar, Analytics & reporting.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Hootsuite: What is Hootsuite's pricing structure?

Hootsuite offers four annual plans: Standard at $99/user/year, Professional at $199/user/year, Advanced at $399/user/year, and Enterprise with custom pricing. Monthly billing is available at 20-30% higher cost.

Source
Hootsuite: Does Hootsuite offer a free tier?

No. Hootsuite does not offer a free tier or freemium plan. A 30-day trial is available, and skipping the trial provides 25% off annual plans.

Source
Hootsuite: How many integrations does Hootsuite support?

Hootsuite advertises support for over 100 integrations, claiming more than any other social media management platform.

Source
Hootsuite: Can users export their data from Hootsuite?

Yes. Hootsuite offers Advanced Analytics data export as CSV files to SFTP folders for Enterprise users, with daily exports and 90-day retention. Standard and Professional plans have more limited export capabilities.

Source
Hootsuite: Does Hootsuite offer API access?

Yes. Hootsuite provides a REST API for building custom applications and integrations, though API capabilities vary by plan level.

Source
Hootsuite: Does Hootsuite offer self-hosted or on-premise deployment?

No. Hootsuite is a cloud-based SaaS platform only. There is no self-hosted or on-premise deployment option available.

Source
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