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Podcasting · head to head

Buzzsprout vs Umami

Buzzsprout logo

Buzzsprout

Podcasting

Simple and powerful podcast hosting made easy

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Umami logo

Umami

Marketing

Open source, cookie-free web analytics you can self-host for the cost of a database

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Buzzsprout upload hours do not roll over monthly; overage fees apply at hourly rates; Umami there is no cohort analysis, retention curve, session replay or multi-touch attribution, so a marketing team that needs to justify channel spend will still buy a second tool and Umami becomes a supplementary dashboard.
  • They diverge on capability: Buzzsprout covers Audio optimization, Umami covers Cookie-free tracking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Buzzsprout and Umami actually diverge.

Attributes where Buzzsprout and Umami differ
AttributeBuzzsproutUmami
Pricing modelsubscriptionPer month by event count
PlatformsWeb, MobileWeb, Linux
CategoryPodcastingMarketing
Founded2009Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Buzzsprout

  • Audio optimization
  • Automatic distribution
  • Episode transcription
  • Custom podcast website
  • Analytics dashboard
  • Magic Mastering
  • Apple Podcasts
  • Spotify

Only in Umami

  • Cookie-free tracking
  • Self-hosting
  • Small tracking script
  • Custom events
  • Funnels and goals
  • Multi-site and teams
  • Public dashboards
  • API access

What people use each for

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

Buzzsprout

  • Podcast hostingnot Umami
  • Audio and video podcast distributionnot Umami
  • Transcription and show notes generationnot Umami
  • Podcast analytics and monetisationnot Umami

Umami

  • A developer who wants traffic numbers on a personal or client site without adding a consent bannernot Buzzsprout
  • An organisation whose legal or procurement team has ruled out sending visitor data to a US advertising companynot Buzzsprout
  • A high-traffic site where hosted analytics priced by pageview band has become expensive and self-hosting removes the ceiling entirelynot Buzzsprout
  • A team that wants analytics data in a database they already control so they can query and join it themselvesnot Buzzsprout

Where each one falls short

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

Buzzsprout

  • Upload hours do not roll over monthly; overage fees apply at hourly rates
  • Free tier limited to 2 hours monthly uploads
  • Video features only on paid tiers, minimum $25/month

Umami

  • There is no cohort analysis, retention curve, session replay or multi-touch attribution, so a marketing team that needs to justify channel spend will still buy a second tool and Umami becomes a supplementary dashboard.
  • Self-hosting is only free in licence terms; you own the database, the upgrades, the backups and the query performance at scale, and a busy site's events table grows quickly enough to need real attention.
  • Because it stores no persistent identifier, it cannot follow a user across devices or sessions in any meaningful way, which makes returning-visitor and lifetime-value questions unanswerable by design rather than by omission.
  • Cloud overage is billed per event beyond the plan allowance, so a traffic spike or a badly instrumented custom event can produce a bill materially above the $20 or $200 headline before anyone notices.
  • It is maintained by a small team, so the pace of new capability is modest and enterprise expectations such as SSO, granular role permissions and formal support agreements are limited compared with commercial analytics vendors.

Pricing, plan by plan

Buzzsprout

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 2 hours monthly uploads
    • 90-day episode hosting
    • No video distribution
  • Audio Podcast$15/month
    • 72 hours annual uploads
    • Unlimited episodes
    • Single podcast
  • Audio + Video$25/month
    • 72 hours annual uploads
    • Video publishing to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube
    • 1080p video quality
  • Multi-Podcast$30/month
    • 180 hours annual uploads
    • 5-10 podcasts
    • Audio, video, or mixed media

Umami

Free
  • Self-hostedFree
    • MIT licensed, no licence fee
    • No event limit imposed by the software
    • Unlimited websites and users
  • Cloud HobbyFree
    • Up to 100,000 events per month
    • 3 websites
    • 6 months data retention
  • Cloud Pro$20/month
    • Up to 1,000,000 events per month
    • Unlimited websites
    • Unlimited team members
  • Cloud Business$200/month
    • Up to 10,000,000 events per month
    • All Pro features
    • Higher volume overage rate

Which should you pick?

Choose Buzzsprout if

  • You need audio optimization.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile.
  • You also want automatic distribution.
Buzzsprout review

Choose Umami if

  • You need cookie-free tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Linux.
  • You also want self-hosting.
Umami review

Questions people ask

Is Buzzsprout or Umami better?
Neither clearly leads. Buzzsprout starts at Free and Umami at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Buzzsprout or Umami?
Buzzsprout starts at Free and Umami at Free.
Does Buzzsprout or Umami run on more platforms?
Buzzsprout runs on Web, Mobile. Umami runs on Web, Linux.
Can I use Buzzsprout for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Buzzsprout best used for?
Buzzsprout is most often used for podcast hosting, audio and video podcast distribution, transcription and show notes generation, podcast analytics and monetisation. Of those, podcast hosting and audio and video podcast distribution are not what Umami is typically brought in for.
What can Buzzsprout do that Umami cannot?
Buzzsprout covers Audio optimization, Automatic distribution, Episode transcription, Custom podcast website. Umami covers Cookie-free tracking, Self-hosting, Small tracking script, Custom events.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Buzzsprout: Does Buzzsprout offer a free tier?

Yes, Buzzsprout's free plan includes 2 hours of monthly uploads with 90-day episode hosting. Video distribution and advanced features require a paid subscription starting at $15/month.

Source
Umami: Is Umami really free?

Self-hosted, yes; it is MIT licensed with no event cap. You pay for the server and database. Umami Cloud has a free tier at 100,000 events a month and paid tiers from $20.

Buzzsprout: What happens if I exceed my monthly upload limit?

Upload hours do not roll over each month. If you exceed your plan's upload allocation, overage fees apply at hourly rates.

Source
Umami: Do I need a cookie consent banner?

For Umami analytics specifically, generally no, because it sets no cookies and stores no personal data. Other tags on your site may still require one.

Buzzsprout: How many podcasts can I host on different plans?

The Free and Audio Podcast plans support a single podcast. The Multi-Podcast plan at $30/month supports 5-10 podcasts depending on configuration.

Source
Umami: Can it replace Google Analytics?

For traffic, referrers and event counts, yes. For attribution modelling, audiences and advertising integration, no.

Buzzsprout: Is video publishing included on all paid plans?

No. Video publishing to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube (1080p) requires the Audio + Video plan at $25/month or higher.

Source
Umami: What does it need to run?

A container and a PostgreSQL or MySQL database. Most people deploy it on infrastructure they already pay for.

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