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News & Media · head to head

Ghost CMS vs Prowly

Ghost CMS logo

Ghost CMS

News & Media

Modern platform for professional publishing

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Prowly logo

Prowly

News & Media

PR software to tell your story and track results

From
On request
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; Prowly the vendor's own pricing page as captured by the Internet Archive on 22 November 2021 named two paid tiers, Essential and Professional (referenced in a 'Buy Essential, Get Professional' promotion), plus a free 7 day trial with no credit card required; no dollar figures were present in the fetched markup, which is client-rendered
  • They diverge on capability: Ghost CMS covers Publishing platform, Prowly covers Media database.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Ghost CMS and Prowly differ
AttributeGhost CMSProwly
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Self-hostedWeb

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (News & Media), founded (2013).

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 Prowly

  • Media database
  • Press release builder
  • Online newsroom
  • Email pitching
  • Coverage tracking
  • Semrush
  • Google Analytics
  • Slack

Both cover

  • Zapier
  • Web support

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 Prowly
  • Self hosting a headless or full stack publishing platformnot Prowly

Prowly

  • Media outreachnot Ghost CMS
  • Press release creationnot Ghost CMS
  • Journalist discoverynot Ghost CMS
  • PR measurementnot 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

Prowly

  • The vendor's own pricing page as captured by the Internet Archive on 22 November 2021 named two paid tiers, Essential and Professional (referenced in a 'Buy Essential, Get Professional' promotion), plus a free 7 day trial with no credit card required; no dollar figures were present in the fetched markup, which is client-rendered

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

Prowly

On request
  • Essential$369/month
    • Media database
    • Press release creator
    • Online newsroom
  • Professional$589/month
    • All Essential features
    • Coverage tracking
    • Advanced analytics
  • EnterpriseFree
    • Unlimited features
    • API access
    • Custom integrations

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 Prowly if

  • You need media database.
  • You also want press release builder.
Prowly review

Questions people ask

Is Ghost CMS or Prowly better?
Neither clearly leads. Ghost CMS starts at Free and Prowly at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Ghost CMS or Prowly?
Ghost CMS has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Ghost CMS and On request for Prowly.
Does Ghost CMS or Prowly run on more platforms?
Ghost CMS runs on Web, Self-hosted. Prowly runs on Web.
Can I use Ghost CMS for free?
Yes. Ghost CMS has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Prowly starts at On request.
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 Prowly is typically brought in for.
What can Ghost CMS do that Prowly cannot?
Ghost CMS covers Publishing platform, Email newsletters, Membership management, Analytics. Prowly covers Media database, Press release builder, Online newsroom, Email pitching. Both handle Zapier, Web support.
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