News & Media · head to head
Readwise Reader vs Ghost CMS
Readwise Reader
News & Media
The read-it-later app for power readers
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Ghost CMS has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Readwise Reader there is no free tier, only a 30 day trial; Ghost CMS ghost Pro plans cap members, at 1,000 on both Starter and Publisher and 10,000 on Business
- They diverge on capability: Readwise Reader covers Read-it-later, Ghost CMS covers Publishing platform.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Readwise Reader and Ghost CMS actually diverge.
| Attribute | Readwise Reader | Ghost CMS |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | On request | Free |
| Pricing model | subscription | freemium |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Ios, Android, Web | Web, Self-hosted |
| Founded | 2017 | 2013 |
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 Readwise Reader
- Read-it-later
- RSS aggregation
- Newsletter inbox
- PDF support
- Highlighting
- Notion
- Obsidian
- Roam Research
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.
Readwise Reader
- Saving and reading articles, PDFs and newsletters in one placenot Ghost CMS
- Reviewing highlights from books and articles over timenot Ghost CMS
Ghost CMS
- Running a publication or newsletter with paid subscriptionsnot Readwise Reader
- Self hosting a headless or full stack publishing platformnot Readwise Reader
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Readwise Reader
- There is no free tier, only a 30 day trial
- Reader is bundled into the full plan rather than sold separately, so it cannot be had at the cheaper Lite price
- The Lite plan at $5.59 a month billed annually is daily email review only, without the web app or tagging
- Paying monthly rather than annually raises the full plan from $9.99 to $12.99
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
Readwise Reader
On request- Reader Lite$8.99/month
- Unlimited articles
- Highlighting
- RSS feeds
- Full$12.99/month
- Everything in Lite
- Readwise integration
- Spaced repetition
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 Readwise Reader if
- You need read-it-later.
- You work on Ios, Android, Web.
- You also want rss aggregation.
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.
Questions people ask
- Is Readwise Reader or Ghost CMS better?
- Neither clearly leads. Readwise Reader starts at On request and Ghost CMS at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Readwise Reader or Ghost CMS?
- Ghost CMS has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Readwise Reader and Free for Ghost CMS.
- Does Readwise Reader or Ghost CMS run on more platforms?
- Readwise Reader runs on Ios, Android, Web. Ghost CMS runs on Web, Self-hosted.
- Can I use Ghost CMS for free?
- Yes. Ghost CMS has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Readwise Reader starts at On request.
- What is Readwise Reader best used for?
- Readwise Reader is most often used for saving and reading articles, pdfs and newsletters in one place, reviewing highlights from books and articles over time. Of those, saving and reading articles, pdfs and newsletters in one place and reviewing highlights from books and articles over time are not what Ghost CMS is typically brought in for.
- What can Readwise Reader do that Ghost CMS cannot?
- Readwise Reader covers Read-it-later, RSS aggregation, Newsletter inbox, PDF support. Ghost CMS covers Publishing platform, Email newsletters, Membership management, Analytics. Both handle Web support.