Ghost vs Keyhole: Complete Comparison (2026)
An in-depth comparison of Ghost and Keyhole to help you choose the right tool for your business.
Last updated: November 2026
Ghost
6.9/10
Open-source publishing platform that combines a website, newsletters, and paid memberships for independent publishers, creators, and media businesses.
Keyhole
5.4/10
Keyhole is a social listening and social media analytics platform, now owned by Muck Rack, for brands, PR teams and agencies tracking hashtags, mentions and competitors.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 6.9/10 | 5.4/10 |
| Scalability | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Ease of Use | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Customization | 8/10 | 5/10 |
| Security | 7/10 | 5/10 |
| Support | 5/10 | 5/10 |
| Cost | 7/10 | 4/10 |
| Integration | 7/10 | 5/10 |
| Analytics | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | Contact for pricing | Contact for pricing |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Contact for pricing | Contact for pricing |
| Features | ||
| A/B Testing | Not listed | |
| Competitor Analysis | Not listed | |
| Email Marketing | Not listed | |
| Landing Pages | Not listed | |
| Segmentation | Not listed | |
| Social Media Analytics | Not listed | |
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose Ghost
- Higher Customization score (8/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Cost score (7/10 vs 4/10)
- Better fit for small business (7/10 vs 3/10)
Why choose Keyhole
- Higher Analytics score (7/10 vs 6/10)
- Better fit for agencies (7/10 vs 4/10)
- Better fit for marketing teams (7/10 vs 5/10)
Pros & Cons
Ghost
Pros
- Ghost takes no percentage of membership revenue, unlike Substack's 10% fee, so publishers pay only the plan price and Stripe fees.
- Website, newsletter, and paid memberships work together without plugins.
- The open-source core can be self-hosted for free, and APIs and webhooks support custom builds.
- More than 100 listed integrations, including Zapier, Stripe, Mailchimp, and privacy-focused analytics tools.
Cons
- Email features are basic: segmentation is limited and there is no built-in A/B testing or SMS.
- Email delivery depends on Mailgun, which users say can be costly or unreliable when self-hosting.
- Lower plans get email-only support with no weekend coverage, and Trustpilot reviews complain about billing and refunds.
- The Starter plan excludes paid subscriptions, custom themes, and integrations.
Keyhole
Pros
- Hashtag and campaign tracking is consistently praised by G2 reviewers.
- Reviewers say staff can be trained on it quickly.
- It combines real-time listening with historical trend data and automated reports.
- It is available inside Muck Rack, so PR teams can pair it with media monitoring.
Cons
- No public pricing: the pricing page redirects to a Muck Rack demo request.
- There is no free tier, and reviewers describe it as costly for small teams.
- Some G2 reviewers report technical issues and poor support.
- Its roadmap is uncertain now that the product is being folded into Muck Rack.
Not sold on either?
Why We ViralOur product
Free TikTok analytics for social media teams: see which formats, hooks, and topics get views for any creator or competitor, and turn them into content ideas.
Made by the team behind b stack radar. Shown here because it fits this topic. It is not part of our rankings. How we rank tools
Frequently Asked Questions
Ghost scores higher on our Marketing criteria: 6.9/10 against 5.4/10 for Keyhole. The largest gap is in Cost: 7/10 for Ghost and 4/10 for Keyhole.
No, neither Ghost nor Keyhole lists a free plan.
Ghost is the better fit for small business: we rate it 7/10 for them, against 3/10 for Keyhole.
