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News & Media · head to head

Ghost vs Prezly

Ghost logo

Ghost

News & Media

Modern publishing platform with content API and membership support

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Prezly logo

Prezly

News & Media

All-in-one PR software for modern newsrooms

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; Prezly the Essential plan at 100 euros a month covers one site, one user and 5,000 contacts, and carries Prezly branding
  • They diverge on capability: Ghost covers Content API, Prezly covers Online newsrooms.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Ghost and Prezly actually diverge.

Attributes where Ghost and Prezly differ
AttributeGhostPrezly
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Self-hosted, Cloud-hostedWeb
CategoryNews & MediaUnknown
Founded20132010

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

  • Content API
  • Membership
  • Analytics
  • Webhooks
  • Custom integrations
  • Node.js support
  • Cloud support
  • Self-hosted support

Only in Prezly

  • Online newsrooms
  • Contact management
  • Email campaigns
  • Coverage tracking
  • Multimedia stories
  • Slack
  • Google Analytics
  • Custom embed

Both cover

  • Zapier

What people use each for

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

Ghost

  • API Developmentnot Prezly
  • API Gatewaynot Prezly
  • API Testingnot Prezly
  • API Documentationnot Prezly
  • Microservicesnot Prezly

Prezly

  • Hosting an online newsroom or press pagenot Ghost
  • Sending press releases to a media contact listnot Ghost
  • Managing journalist contacts and coveragenot Ghost
  • Multilingual newsrooms through the localisation featuresnot 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

Prezly

  • The Essential plan at 100 euros a month covers one site, one user and 5,000 contacts, and carries Prezly branding
  • Removing the branding and getting white-label sites requires Standard at 250 euros a month
  • Standard still allows only two users
  • The uptime SLA is Enterprise only
  • Advertised prices are the annual rates, with a 20 percent premium for paying monthly

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

Prezly

On request
  • Starter$75/month
    • 1 newsroom
    • 3 users
    • 5,000 contacts
  • Growth$180/month
    • 3 newsrooms
    • 10 users
    • 25,000 contacts
  • Pro$450/month
    • Unlimited newsrooms
    • Unlimited users
    • Unlimited contacts

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 Prezly if

  • You need online newsrooms.
  • You also want contact management.
Prezly review

Questions people ask

Is Ghost or Prezly better?
Neither clearly leads. Ghost starts at Free and Prezly at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Ghost or Prezly?
Ghost has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Ghost and On request for Prezly.
Does Ghost or Prezly run on more platforms?
Ghost runs on Web, Self-hosted, Cloud-hosted. Prezly runs on Web.
Can I use Ghost for free?
Yes. Ghost has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Prezly 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 Prezly is typically brought in for.
What can Ghost do that Prezly cannot?
Ghost covers Content API, Membership, Analytics, Webhooks. Prezly covers Online newsrooms, Contact management, Email campaigns, Coverage tracking. Both handle Zapier.

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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