Softwr

News & Media · head to head

Ghost vs Prowly

Ghost logo

Ghost

News & Media

Modern publishing platform with content API and membership support

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 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; 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 covers Content API, Prowly covers Media database.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Ghost and Prowly actually diverge.

Attributes where Ghost and Prowly differ
AttributeGhostProwly
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Self-hosted, Cloud-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

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

Only in Prowly

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

Both cover

  • Zapier

What people use each for

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

Ghost

  • API Developmentnot Prowly
  • API Gatewaynot Prowly
  • API Testingnot Prowly
  • API Documentationnot Prowly
  • Microservicesnot Prowly

Prowly

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

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

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

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 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 Prowly if

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

Questions people ask

Is Ghost or Prowly better?
Neither clearly leads. Ghost 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 or Prowly?
Ghost has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Ghost and On request for Prowly.
Does Ghost or Prowly run on more platforms?
Ghost runs on Web, Self-hosted, Cloud-hosted. Prowly runs on Web.
Can I use Ghost for free?
Yes. Ghost has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Prowly 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 Prowly is typically brought in for.
What can Ghost do that Prowly cannot?
Ghost covers Content API, Membership, Analytics, Webhooks. Prowly covers Media database, Press release builder, Online newsroom, Email pitching. 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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