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News & Media · head to head

Ghost vs Muck Rack

Ghost logo

Ghost

News & Media

Modern publishing platform with content API and membership support

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Muck Rack logo

Muck Rack

News & Media

The new standard in PR software

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Ghost has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Ghost backup and migration processes have significant limitations and are problematic for long-term users; Muck Rack no pricing is published, and every quote is prepared individually
  • They diverge on capability: Ghost covers Content API, Muck Rack covers Media database.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Ghost and Muck Rack actually diverge.

Attributes where Ghost and Muck Rack differ
AttributeGhostMuck Rack
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Self-hosted, Cloud-hostedWeb, Browser-extension
Founded20132009

Identical on both: 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

  • Content API
  • Membership
  • Analytics
  • Webhooks
  • Zapier
  • Custom integrations
  • Node.js support
  • Cloud support

Only in Muck Rack

  • Media database
  • Journalist profiles
  • Media monitoring
  • Pitching platform
  • Coverage reporting
  • Slack
  • Salesforce
  • Google Analytics

What people use each for

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

Ghost

  • API Developmentnot Muck Rack
  • API Gatewaynot Muck Rack
  • API Testingnot Muck Rack
  • API Documentationnot Muck Rack
  • Microservicesnot Muck Rack

Muck Rack

  • Finding and pitching journalists from a media databasenot Ghost
  • Monitoring coverage and measuring PR resultsnot Ghost

Where each one falls short

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

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

Muck Rack

  • No pricing is published, and every quote is prepared individually
  • Cost depends on user count, so a growing PR team pays more for the same database
  • Broadcast monitoring, social listening and press release distribution are separately priced modules rather than included

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Muck Rack

On request
  • ProFree
    • Media database
    • Media monitoring
    • Pitching tools
  • EnterpriseFree
    • All Pro features
    • Team management
    • SSO integration

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Muck Rack if

  • You need media database.
  • You work on Web, Browser-extension.
  • You also want journalist profiles.
Muck Rack review

Questions people ask

Is Ghost or Muck Rack better?
Neither clearly leads. Ghost starts at Free and Muck Rack at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Ghost or Muck Rack?
Ghost has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Ghost and On request for Muck Rack.
Does Ghost or Muck Rack run on more platforms?
Ghost runs on Web, Self-hosted, Cloud-hosted. Muck Rack runs on Web, Browser-extension.
Can I use Ghost for free?
Yes. Ghost has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Muck Rack starts at On request.
What is Ghost best used for?
Ghost is most often used for api development, api gateway, api testing, api documentation. Of those, api development and api gateway are not what Muck Rack is typically brought in for.
What can Ghost do that Muck Rack cannot?
Ghost covers Content API, Membership, Analytics, Webhooks. Muck Rack covers Media database, Journalist profiles, Media monitoring, Pitching platform.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
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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Related pages

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