Podcast & Audio Publishing · alternatives
Alternatives to SoundCloud
20 podcast & audio publishing tools sit alongside SoundCloud in this directory. Below is what separates each from SoundCloud on the figures we hold, price, model, tier count and rating, and a direct comparison for every one.
- Alternatives listed
- 20
- With a free tier
- 10
- Cheaper to start
- 4
- SoundCloud starts at
- Free, then $5.99/month
Why people look past SoundCloud
Nothing on the record flags a reason to move. SoundCloud has a free tier, and starts at $5.99/month against a category median of $15/month. People still switch over fit and workflow, and those are not things a catalogue entry can measure, which is what the comparisons below are for.
What each alternative does differently
Ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry. Differences are drawn from price, pricing model, tier count and rating, the fields the category listing carries. For a feature-level difference, follow the head-to-head link on each card: those pages read both full records.
Audio hosting and distribution platform
- Starts $5.99 a month cheaper, at Free.
- 2 tiers to SoundCloud's 3.
Cloud-based audio recording and calling
- Starts $9.01 a month dearer, at $15/month.
- 2 tiers to SoundCloud's 3.
Smart podcast hosting with AI insights
- Starts $13.01 a month dearer, at $19/month.
- 2 tiers to SoundCloud's 3.
Podcast analytics and attribution platform
- Starts $14.01 a month dearer, at $20/month.
- 4 tiers to SoundCloud's 3.
Automated audio mastering and loudness processing
- Starts $4.01 a month dearer, at $10/month.
- 2 tiers to SoundCloud's 3.
Create social media content from audio
- Starts $9.01 a month dearer, at $15/month.
- 2 tiers to SoundCloud's 3.
Every SoundCloud alternative at a glance
A dash means the catalogue entry carries no figure, not that the answer is nothing.
| Tool | Entry price | Model | Tiers | Head to head |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SoundCloud (this page) | Free, then $5.99/month | Freemium | 3 | |
| Audioboom | Free | Freemium | 2 | vs SoundCloud |
| Cleanfeed | Free, then $15/month | Freemium | 2 | vs SoundCloud |
| Captivate | Free, then $19/month | Freemium | 2 | vs SoundCloud |
| Chartable | Free, then $20/month | Freemium | 4 | vs SoundCloud |
| Auphonic | Free, then $10/month | Freemium | 2 | vs SoundCloud |
| Headliner | Free, then $15/month | Freemium | 2 | vs SoundCloud |
| Buzzsprout | Free | Freemium | - | vs SoundCloud |
| Apple Podcasts Connect | Free | Free | 2 | vs SoundCloud |
| Castmagic | Free, then $39/month | - | 4 | vs SoundCloud |
| Glow.fm | Free | Transaction | 1 | vs SoundCloud |
| Megaphone | On request | Quote | 1 | vs SoundCloud |
| Castos | $13/month | Subscription | 2 | vs SoundCloud |
| Hindenburg Journalist | $12/month | Subscription | 2 | vs SoundCloud |
| Omny Studio | On request | Quote | 1 | vs SoundCloud |
| Adobe Podcast | $22.99/month | Subscription | 2 | vs SoundCloud |
| Fireside | $20/month | Subscription | 2 | vs SoundCloud |
| Libsyn | $5/month | Subscription | 4 | vs SoundCloud |
| Acast | On request | Quote | 1 | vs SoundCloud |
| Alitu | $38/month | Subscription | 2 | vs SoundCloud |
| Blubrry | $12/month | Subscription | 2 | vs SoundCloud |
Ratings are aggregated from third-party sources and imported with each catalogue entry; Softwr hosts no reviews of these products. How each figure is used is set out on the SoundCloud badges page.
Cheaper ways to solve the same problem
Free to start (10)
These publish a tier that costs nothing, so they can be evaluated before any money changes hands.
- Audioboom , Free
- Cleanfeed , Free, then $15/month
- Captivate , Free, then $19/month
- Chartable , Free, then $20/month
- Auphonic , Free, then $10/month
- Headliner , Free, then $15/month
- Buzzsprout , Free
- Apple Podcasts Connect , Free
Cheaper than SoundCloud (4)
Entry price under SoundCloud's $5.99/month. The record does not say what unit that price is charged in, so confirm per-seat versus flat rate before comparing budgets.
- Audioboom , Free
- Apple Podcasts Connect , Free
- Glow.fm , Free
- Libsyn , $5/month
What you would be giving up
SoundCloud is most often brought in for discovering tracks from emerging and independent artists, uploading your own music to reach listeners directly, offline listening and ad-free playback on a paid tier. Anything replacing it has to cover the ones you actually depend on, and a cheaper tool that misses one of them is not cheaper.
Two things this page cannot settle. It compares on price, model, tier count and rating, because those are the fields the category listing carries, feature-level differences need both full records, which is what the head-to-head pages load. And the ratings are third-party aggregates imported with each entry rather than reviews written here, so a 0.2 difference between two tools is noise rather than a finding.
If SoundCloud is broadly right and the question is cost, the SoundCloud pricing breakdown covers every tier and what each one adds. If you want the whole field rather than a shortlist, the Podcast & Audio Publishing category lists everything the directory holds, and best podcast & audio publishing tools ranks them.
SoundCloud runs on web, ios, android, desktop. Platform coverage is not carried on the category listing for the alternatives, so it is one more thing to check on each head-to-head page rather than here.
Questions about SoundCloud alternatives
- What are the main alternatives to SoundCloud?
- 20 other podcast & audio publishing tools are listed in this directory, led by Audioboom, Cleanfeed, Captivate, Chartable. They are ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry, not by any Softwr ranking.
- What is the best free alternative to SoundCloud?
- 10 of the alternatives listed here can be used without paying: Audioboom, Cleanfeed, Captivate, Chartable, Auphonic.
- Is there a cheaper alternative to SoundCloud?
- Yes. 4 of the alternatives below start under SoundCloud's $5.99/month: Audioboom at Free, Apple Podcasts Connect at Free, Glow.fm at Free, Libsyn at $5/month.
- Is there a reason to switch away from SoundCloud?
- Nothing in the data flags one. SoundCloud has a free tier, and starts at $5.99/month against a category median of $15/month. Fit and workflow are the usual reasons to move, and those are not things this record can measure.
- What would I give up by switching from SoundCloud?
- SoundCloud is most often brought in for discovering tracks from emerging and independent artists, uploading your own music to reach listeners directly, offline listening and ad-free playback on a paid tier. Anything you replace it with has to cover the ones you actually rely on, the side-by-side comparisons linked from each alternative below put the two feature records against each other.
- Is there an open-source alternative to SoundCloud?
- None of the podcast & audio publishing tools listed here are recorded as open source. That is what the licence field on each entry says, and the field is not always filled in, so it is worth checking directly for any tool you are serious about.
- How were these SoundCloud alternatives chosen?
- They are the tools filed in the same category, Podcast & Audio Publishing, ordered by the aggregated rating on each entry. There is no editorial shortlist, and nothing on this page is paid: no sponsored slot runs on alternatives pages and the order cannot be bought. Softwr has not used these products.
- Where can I compare SoundCloud against one of these directly?
- Every alternative below has a side-by-side page against SoundCloud covering price, platforms, features and what each one is used for. Those pages read the full record for both products rather than the summary shown here.
- Does this list cover every podcast & audio publishing tool?
- No. It covers what this directory holds in the Podcast & Audio Publishing category, 20 tools beside SoundCloud. The category page lists the rest of the catalogue as it grows.