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Software · head to head

NewsBlur vs Ghost CMS

NewsBlur logo

NewsBlur

Software

A personal news reader bringing people together

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Ghost CMS logo

Ghost CMS

Software

Modern platform for professional publishing

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: NewsBlur the free account is limited to 64 sites; Ghost CMS ghost Pro plans cap members, at 1,000 on both Starter and Publisher and 10,000 on Business
  • They diverge on capability: NewsBlur covers Intelligence training, Ghost CMS covers Publishing platform.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where NewsBlur and Ghost CMS differ
AttributeNewsBlurGhost CMS
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb, Self-hosted
Founded20102013

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 NewsBlur

  • Intelligence training
  • Story sharing
  • Original site view
  • Text view
  • Blurblogs
  • Pocket
  • Instapaper
  • Evernote

Only in Ghost CMS

  • Publishing platform
  • Email newsletters
  • Membership management
  • Analytics
  • Paywall support
  • SEO optimization
  • Media library
  • API access

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

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

NewsBlur

  • Reading RSS feeds with training that filters by author, tag or titlenot Ghost CMS
  • Archiving full article content from followed sitesnot Ghost CMS
  • Following a large number of feeds with fast refreshnot Ghost CMS

Ghost CMS

  • Running a publication or newsletter with paid subscriptionsnot NewsBlur
  • Self hosting a headless or full stack publishing platformnot NewsBlur

Where each one falls short

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

NewsBlur

  • The free account is limited to 64 sites
  • Search and text view extraction require Premium at $36 per year
  • Premium is capped at 1,024 sites and Premium Archive at 4,096 sites
  • Full content archiving and the Daily Briefing require Premium Archive at $99 per year
  • The fastest 5 to 15 minute feed refresh and regex training require Premium Pro at $29 per month
  • Site following is capped at 10,000 even on the top tier

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

Pricing, plan by plan

NewsBlur

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 64 sites
    • Basic training
    • Web and mobile
  • Premium$36/year
    • Unlimited sites
    • Full training
    • Priority updates

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

Which should you pick?

Choose NewsBlur if

  • You need intelligence training.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want story sharing.
NewsBlur review

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

Questions people ask

Is NewsBlur or Ghost CMS better?
Neither clearly leads. NewsBlur starts at Free and Ghost CMS at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, NewsBlur or Ghost CMS?
NewsBlur starts at Free and Ghost CMS at Free.
Does NewsBlur or Ghost CMS run on more platforms?
NewsBlur runs on Web, Ios, Android. Ghost CMS runs on Web, Self-hosted.
Can I use NewsBlur for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is NewsBlur best used for?
NewsBlur is most often used for reading rss feeds with training that filters by author, tag or title, archiving full article content from followed sites, following a large number of feeds with fast refresh. Of those, reading rss feeds with training that filters by author, tag or title and archiving full article content from followed sites are not what Ghost CMS is typically brought in for.
What can NewsBlur do that Ghost CMS cannot?
NewsBlur covers Intelligence training, Story sharing, Original site view, Text view. Ghost CMS covers Publishing platform, Email newsletters, Membership management, Analytics. Both handle Web support.
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