Is Apple Podcasts Connect or Memberful better?

Neither clearly leads. Apple Podcasts Connect starts at Free and Memberful at $49/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Apple Podcasts Connect or Memberful?

Apple Podcasts Connect has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Apple Podcasts Connect and $49/month for Memberful.

Does Apple Podcasts Connect or Memberful run on more platforms?

Apple Podcasts Connect runs on Web, Ios, Macos. Memberful runs on web, api.

Can I use Apple Podcasts Connect for free?

Yes. Apple Podcasts Connect has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Memberful starts at $49/month.

What is Apple Podcasts Connect best used for?

Apple Podcasts Connect is most often used for submitting a new podcast to apple podcasts, claiming an existing show so it is registered to your account, reviewing apple podcasts listener trends and analytics, managing show artwork and metadata. Of those, submitting a new podcast to apple podcasts and claiming an existing show so it is registered to your account are not what Memberful is typically brought in for.

What can Apple Podcasts Connect do that Memberful cannot?

Apple Podcasts Connect covers Podcast submission, Episode management, Analytics, Subscription monetization. Memberful covers Membership checkout, Flexible subscriptions, Member management, Landing page builder.

Podcast & Audio Publishing · head to head

Apple Podcasts Connect vs Memberful

Apple Podcasts Connect

Podcast & Audio Publishing

Manage and distribute your podcast on Apple Podcasts

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Memberful

E-commerce

Membership platform for creators to sell subscriptions, courses and gated content

From: $49/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only Apple Podcasts Connect has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: Apple Podcasts Connect requires an Apple account, and a show has to be claimed before it can be managed; Memberful charges a 4.9% transaction fee on top of the flat monthly fee on the Standard plan.
They diverge on capability: Apple Podcasts Connect covers Podcast submission, Memberful covers Membership checkout.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Apple Podcasts Connect and Memberful actually diverge.

Attributes where Apple Podcasts Connect and Memberful differ
Attribute	Apple Podcasts Connect	Memberful
Starting price	Free	$49/month
Pricing model	free	subscription
Free tier	Yes	No
Platforms	Web, Ios, Macos	web, api
Category	Podcast & Audio Publishing	E-commerce
Founded	1976	2013

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Apple Podcasts Connect

Podcast submission
Episode management
Analytics
Subscription monetization
Show optimization
Multi-show management
RSS feeds
Hosting platforms

Only in Memberful

Membership checkout
Flexible subscriptions
Member management
Landing page builder
Dynamic paywalls
Third-party integrations

What people use each for

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

Apple Podcasts Connect

Submitting a new podcast to Apple Podcastsnot Memberful
Claiming an existing show so it is registered to your accountnot Memberful
Reviewing Apple Podcasts listener trends and analyticsnot Memberful
Managing show artwork and metadatanot Memberful

Memberful

Selling paid membership subscriptions from an existing websitenot Apple Podcasts Connect
Gating podcast, newsletter or course content behind a paywallnot Apple Podcasts Connect
Running a WordPress site with paid member-only contentnot Apple Podcasts Connect
Offering one-time purchases alongside recurring membershipsnot Apple Podcasts Connect

Where each one falls short

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

Apple Podcasts Connect

Requires an Apple account, and a show has to be claimed before it can be managed
Only reports listening that happens inside Apple Podcasts, so it is not a whole-audience view
Does not host audio; the show still needs a hosting provider elsewhere

Memberful

Charges a 4.9% transaction fee on top of the flat monthly fee on the Standard plan.
Requires a separate Stripe account, adding setup complexity compared to all-in-one checkout platforms.
Lacks built-in course-hosting depth found in dedicated learning management platforms.
No free plan beyond the pre-launch trial period; charges begin once payments go live.

Pricing, plan by plan

Apple Podcasts Connect

Free

FreeFree
- Podcast submission
- Analytics dashboard
- Episode management
Subscriptions Program$19.99/year
- Premium subscriptions
- Paid content
- Subscriber management

Memberful

$49/month

Standard$49/month
- 4.9% transaction fee
- Full platform access
- Free until you go live
Enterprise$undefined/mo
- Custom volume-based rates
- Premium services and success management
- Dedicated migration support

Which should you pick?

Choose Apple Podcasts Connect if

You need podcast submission.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Web, Ios, Macos.
You also want episode management.

Apple Podcasts Connect review

Choose Memberful if

You need membership checkout.
You work on web, api.
You also want flexible subscriptions.

Memberful review

Questions people ask

Is Apple Podcasts Connect or Memberful better?: Neither clearly leads. Apple Podcasts Connect starts at Free and Memberful at $49/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Apple Podcasts Connect or Memberful?: Apple Podcasts Connect has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Apple Podcasts Connect and $49/month for Memberful.
Does Apple Podcasts Connect or Memberful run on more platforms?: Apple Podcasts Connect runs on Web, Ios, Macos. Memberful runs on web, api.
Can I use Apple Podcasts Connect for free?: Yes. Apple Podcasts Connect has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Memberful starts at $49/month.
What is Apple Podcasts Connect best used for?: Apple Podcasts Connect is most often used for submitting a new podcast to apple podcasts, claiming an existing show so it is registered to your account, reviewing apple podcasts listener trends and analytics, managing show artwork and metadata. Of those, submitting a new podcast to apple podcasts and claiming an existing show so it is registered to your account are not what Memberful is typically brought in for.
What can Apple Podcasts Connect do that Memberful cannot?: Apple Podcasts Connect covers Podcast submission, Episode management, Analytics, Subscription monetization. Memberful covers Membership checkout, Flexible subscriptions, Member management, Landing page builder.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Memberful: What does Memberful cost?

Memberful's Standard plan costs $49/month plus a 4.9% transaction fee, while larger organizations can get custom volume-based rates on the Enterprise plan.

Source

Memberful: Is there a free plan, and what are its limits?

Memberful can be used for free while setting up a membership site, with no charges incurred until the creator goes live and starts accepting payments.

Source

Memberful: What does Memberful integrate with?

Memberful integrates with WordPress, Mailchimp, Discord and Kit, among other tools, to connect membership data with existing sites and marketing systems.

Source

Apple Podcasts Connect vs Memberful

Apple Podcasts Connect

Memberful

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Apple Podcasts Connect

Only in Memberful

What people use each for

Apple Podcasts Connect

Memberful

Where each one falls short

Apple Podcasts Connect

Memberful

Pricing, plan by plan

Apple Podcasts Connect

Memberful

Which should you pick?

Choose Apple Podcasts Connect if

Choose Memberful if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Apple Podcasts Connect

More on Memberful

Keep looking

Other head to heads