RunMags vs MagHub (Ad Orbit): a fair comparison for magazine publishers
MagHub is the earlier name of Ad Orbit, so “RunMags vs MagHub” and “RunMags vs Ad Orbit” are the same comparison. Both products are built to run a publisher's advertising business, and both describe CRM, orders and billing in one system. This page sets out what Ad Orbit says publicly, where it is the stronger choice today, where RunMags is different, and which team each one suits. It does not score either product.
Prefer a guide to evaluating a replacement with your own workflow? Read the Ad Orbit (MagHub) alternative guide. Also shortlisting Magazine Manager? See RunMags vs Magazine Manager and Ad Orbit (MagHub) vs Mirabel. Or explore the publishing software comparison hub.
How this comparison was made
Ad Orbit statements come from three of its own pages: its homepage, read in a browser on ; its MagHub feature spotlight post, which shows MagHub-branded material still on its site, recorded in the same review; and its pricing and packages page, retrieved . They are the vendor's own descriptions, not tested results, and we did not use an Ad Orbit account. Where a cell says “not described”, the pages we read do not mention it, which is not the same as the product lacking it. RunMags statements describe features available in RunMags today, including the gaps.
RunMags vs MagHub (Ad Orbit) at a glance
| Area | Ad Orbit, formerly MagHub (vendor-documented) | RunMags |
|---|---|---|
| Background | Ad Orbit, formerly MagHub. Its homepage title reads “Ad Ops Software for Publishers | CRM, Inventory & Billing in One Platform” and lists publishers, associations, out-of-home, expos and events, and podcasters and radio as its industries (homepage, ). | Magazine publishing software and CRM founded in 2014, with Maggie as the built-in AI assistant. |
| CRM and opportunities | A “customizable CRM built for publishers” that, it says, tracks renewals and forecasts revenue (homepage). | Advertiser organisations, contacts and activities on one record. See the RunMags CRM for magazines. No opportunity stages, win probability or weighted forecast. |
| Advertising sales | A proposal workflow with order templates, e-signature and pre-configured workflows for approvals, assignments and creative collection; rate cards and bundles; inventory for print, digital, newsletter and podcast, with real-time inventory tracking (homepage). | Contracts built from your product catalogues hold the order rows sold per issue, including package bundles, with frequency discounts and agency commission; advertisers accept them online. See advertising sales in RunMags. No inventory holds or double-booking guard yet. |
| Advertiser portal and creative | A built-in advertiser portal for creative uploads and approvals, with 24/7 access to proposals, specs, creative uploads and live performance reports (homepage). | The advertiser portal is where contracts are accepted online, and artwork reminders carry an upload link. No proof approval and no tear sheets. |
| Flatplan and production | Print flatplanning is not described on the homepage we read. Ask Ad Orbit how issue planning works. | The flatplan is built from live advertising orders: signed bookings appear as unplaced ads by size to drag onto pages. See the RunMags flatplan. |
| Billing and accounting | “Automate invoicing, sync with accounting tools”, plus GL/ERP sync and APIs (homepage). The accounting systems it connects are not named in the text we read. | Advertiser invoicing on signing, per issue or in instalments, credit notes and payment reminders; sync to Fortnox, QuickBooks Online or Xero per legal entity, with EU VAT; Stripe card payments. See billing in RunMags. |
| Subscriptions | Not described on the homepage we read, which is centred on advertising. | Issue-based and time-based print and digital subscriptions, renewals, gifts and subscriber imports on the same customer record as advertisers. Renewals run when staff run the renewal batch; no automatic retry of failed card payments yet. See subscription sales. |
| Reporting | “Unified reporting across CRM, ops, and finance” and real-time dashboards (homepage). | Dashboards and reports on revenue streams, campaigns and sales rep performance. See RunMags reporting. No weighted-pipeline or win/loss reports and no emailed scheduled reports. |
| Pricing model | Per user: “Pay per user. No platform fees.” Standard Edition from $76 per user per month with a 5-user minimum; Professional and Enterprise on quote (pricing page, , not re-confirmed since). | Monthly plans in euros sized by legal entities and brands; no published per-user price. See RunMags pricing. |
| Getting started and support | Ad Orbit University training, support for sales, ops and finance teams rather than only admins, and monthly product updates (homepage). | 14-day free trial without a credit card, or a demo. Four onboarding hours included; extra help EUR 125/hour. |
Where Ad Orbit is stronger today
Several things Ad Orbit describes are not in RunMags yet. If they matter to your team, weigh them first.
- Inventory and availability. Ad Orbit describes real-time inventory tracking across print, digital, newsletter and podcast. RunMags does not hold inventory or block double bookings.
- Creative and approvals. Ad Orbit describes an advertiser portal for creative uploads and approvals, and workflows for approvals, assignments and creative collection. RunMags collects artwork with reminders but does not route proofs for approval or produce tear sheets.
- Pipeline and forecasting. Ad Orbit describes opportunity management with renewals tracking and revenue forecasting. RunMags keeps advertiser activities on one record but has no opportunity stages, probabilities or weighted forecast.
- Advertising beyond the magazine. Ad Orbit lists out-of-home, expos and events, and podcasters and radio among its industries. RunMags is built around magazine issues, with subscriptions on the same customer record.
- Training programme. Ad Orbit describes Ad Orbit University and monthly product updates. RunMags includes four onboarding hours and Maggie, its built-in assistant.
Where RunMags is different
- Advertisers and subscribers on one record. Advertising contracts, the flatplan, subscriptions and invoices sit on the same customer record, so a company that both advertises and subscribes is one customer. See how the RunMags CRM for magazines keeps them on one record.
- The flatplan comes from the bookings. Signed print bookings appear on the flatplan for their issue, and billing invoices the booked issues, so the sale, the issue and the invoice stay connected.
- Plans sized by brands and companies. Plans are sized by legal entities and brands, with monthly prices shown on the pricing page and no published per-user rate.
- European accounting. Fortnox, QuickBooks Online or Xero per legal entity, with EU VAT handled on invoices. Ask Ad Orbit which accounting systems it connects and how it treats EU VAT.
- Try it first. A 14-day free trial without a credit card, so your team can enter a real issue before talking to sales.
- Maggie built in. Maggie, the built-in publishing assistant, checks what needs attention, such as renewals due, unpaid invoices or missing ad material, and suggests the next step.
Pricing compared (Ad Orbit checkpoint )
This is a dated checkpoint, not a current price. On 2026-10-04 Ad Orbit's pricing page described a per-user model (“Pay per user. No platform fees.”) and published three editions, each with a 5-user minimum. Source: Ad Orbit pricing and packages page, retrieved .
| Edition | Published price |
|---|---|
| Standard Edition | Starting at $76 per user, per month |
| Professional Edition | No public price; quote on request |
| Enterprise Edition | No public price; quote on request |
Since then Ad Orbit's website has refused our automated checks (HTTP 403, most recently on 2026-10-15), and we do not work around that. The figure has therefore been neither re-confirmed nor shown to be out of date. Ask Ad Orbit for a current written quotation for your users and edition.
RunMags plans, per month excluding VAT: Pro €399 (1 legal entity, 1 brand), Team €699 (1 legal entity, 5 brands), Publisher €1,299 (2 legal entities, 10 brands), Enterprise on quote. Source: RunMags pricing.
The models differ, so compare totals rather than headline rates. At the dated starting price, the 5-user minimum is 5 × $76 × 12 = $4,560 a year before edition, add-ons and services. RunMags Pro is €399 × 12 = €4,788 a year excluding VAT for one legal entity and one brand. Currencies, scope and services differ and the Ad Orbit figure is dated, so neither number is a saving claim; ask both vendors for a written first-year total for the same team. Our guide to magazine software pricing shows how.
When Ad Orbit is the better fit
- Live inventory availability is central to how you sell, across print, digital, newsletter or podcast placements.
- Advertisers should upload creative and approve proofs themselves, inside the same system.
- You sell advertising beyond a magazine, such as out-of-home, events or podcasts.
- Your sales leaders manage by opportunity pipeline and revenue forecast.
- Your team already uses Ad Orbit or MagHub well. Configured workflows, reports and staff experience have value, and a move costs time.
When RunMags is the better fit
- You sell both advertising and subscriptions and want them on one customer record, with the flatplan built from bookings.
- You invoice in Europe and need EU VAT and Fortnox, QuickBooks Online or Xero per legal entity.
- You run several brands with a small team and prefer plans sized by brands and legal entities to a per-user rate.
- You want to try the system with your own issue before a sales conversation.
How to decide
Give both vendors the same brief: one multi-issue advertising contract, one issue close with a late artwork and a changed booking, and one invoice followed through to your accounting system. Add a subscriber renewal if subscriptions are in scope. Have your own sales, production and finance people do the work rather than watch a demo. If you book digital campaigns through an ad server, ask both vendors for that connection; RunMags has no Google Ad Manager integration. For Ad Orbit compared with other systems, see Ad Orbit (MagHub) vs Mirabel and Ad Orbit (MagHub) vs Lineup Adpoint. Moving data? Read about data migration to RunMags.
Frequently asked questions
What is the main difference between RunMags and MagHub (Ad Orbit)?
Both run a publisher's advertising sales, CRM and billing in one system. Ad Orbit describes more advertising-side depth: real-time inventory tracking, an advertiser portal for creative uploads and approvals, and opportunity management with revenue forecasting. RunMags keeps advertisers and subscribers on one customer record, builds the flatplan from bookings, prices plans by legal entities and brands rather than users, syncs invoices to Fortnox, QuickBooks Online or Xero with EU VAT, and offers a 14-day free trial without a credit card.
Are MagHub and Ad Orbit the same product?
MagHub is the earlier name of Ad Orbit, and Ad Orbit kept MagHub-branded material on its website at the RunMags source review dated 2026-09-12. Confirm the product edition, modules and contract with the vendor when you compare an existing installation.
How much does Ad Orbit cost compared with RunMags?
Ad Orbit prices per user. On 2026-10-04 its pricing page listed the Standard Edition from $76 per user per month with a 5-user minimum, and Professional and Enterprise on quote. That is a dated figure, not a current price: Ad Orbit's website has refused automated checks since then (HTTP 403), so it has been neither re-confirmed nor disproven. RunMags plans are €399, €699 or €1,299 per month excluding VAT, sized by legal entities and brands, with Enterprise on quote. Compare written first-year totals for the same team.
Does RunMags prevent double bookings, approve proofs or produce tear sheets?
Not yet. RunMags does not hold advertising inventory or block double bookings, does not route artwork proofs for approval, and does not produce tear sheets. Ad Orbit's homepage, read on 2026-09-12, describes real-time inventory tracking and an advertiser portal for creative uploads and approvals.
Is there a free trial of RunMags or Ad Orbit?
RunMags has a 14-day free trial without a credit card. Ask Ad Orbit directly about its current trial or demo options.
Can I move from MagHub or Ad Orbit to RunMags?
Start with a small validation sample of advertiser organisations and contacts, with field mapping and duplicate rules agreed first, and include subscribers and subscription records if subscriptions are in scope. Subscriber and subscription imports are part of RunMags onboarding. Historical ad orders, contract files, artwork and payment records need a separate scope decision, and not every item of history is promised to move unchanged. Onboarding includes four hours of help.
Try RunMags with your own titles
Enter your next issue, a real advertiser and a subscriber, and see how far your team gets in 14 days.
