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News & Media · head to head

Ghost CMS vs SmartNews

Ghost CMS logo

Ghost CMS

News & Media

Modern platform for professional publishing

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
SmartNews logo

SmartNews

News & Media

Local news and breaking news from top sources

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • 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; SmartNews the core app is free, but a premium tier called SmartNews+ exists for business news and coupon aggregation, with no price published on the homepage
  • They diverge on capability: Ghost CMS covers Publishing platform, SmartNews covers Machine learning curation.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Ghost CMS and SmartNews differ
AttributeGhost CMSSmartNews
Pricing modelfreemiumfree
PlatformsWeb, Self-hostedIos, Android
Founded20132012

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (News & Media).

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 SmartNews

  • Machine learning curation
  • Smart Mode
  • Local news
  • Breaking alerts
  • Offline reading
  • Social sharing
  • News publishers
  • Ios 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 SmartNews
  • Self hosting a headless or full stack publishing platformnot SmartNews

SmartNews

  • Daily newsnot Ghost CMS
  • Local newsnot Ghost CMS
  • Breaking newsnot Ghost CMS
  • Quick readingnot 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

SmartNews

  • The core app is free, but a premium tier called SmartNews+ exists for business news and coupon aggregation, with no price published on the homepage

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

SmartNews

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Trending news
    • Local news
    • Smart Mode reading

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 SmartNews if

  • You need machine learning curation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Ios, Android.
  • You also want smart mode.
SmartNews review

Questions people ask

Is Ghost CMS or SmartNews better?
Neither clearly leads. Ghost CMS starts at Free and SmartNews at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Ghost CMS or SmartNews?
Ghost CMS starts at Free and SmartNews at Free.
Does Ghost CMS or SmartNews run on more platforms?
Ghost CMS runs on Web, Self-hosted. SmartNews runs on Ios, Android.
Can I use Ghost CMS for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 SmartNews is typically brought in for.
What can Ghost CMS do that SmartNews cannot?
Ghost CMS covers Publishing platform, Email newsletters, Membership management, Analytics. SmartNews covers Machine learning curation, Smart Mode, Local news, Breaking alerts.
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