Is Castos or Newswire better?

Neither clearly leads. Castos starts at Free and Newswire at $399/per release, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Castos or Newswire?

Castos has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Castos and $399/per release for Newswire.

Does Castos or Newswire run on more platforms?

Castos runs on Web, Wordpress. Newswire runs on Web.

Can I use Castos for free?

Yes. Castos has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Newswire starts at $399/per release.

What is Castos best used for?

Castos is most often used for podcast hosting with unlimited episodes and downloads, private and subscriber-only podcasts, automatic transcription of episodes, republishing episodes to youtube. Of those, podcast hosting with unlimited episodes and downloads and private and subscriber-only podcasts are not what Newswire is typically brought in for.

What can Castos do that Newswire cannot?

Castos covers Unlimited hosting, WordPress integration, Distribution, Monetization. Newswire covers Press release distribution, Media targeting, Social amplification, SEO optimization. Both handle Analytics, Web support.

Podcasting · head to head

Castos vs Newswire

Castos

Podcasting

Simple podcast hosting for WordPress sites

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Newswire

News

Affordable press release distribution for everyone

From: $399/per release
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only Castos has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: Castos transcripts are metered by tier, at 10 a month on Essentials and 100 on Pro; Newswire no free tier or trial available
They diverge on capability: Castos covers Unlimited hosting, Newswire covers Press release distribution.
Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Castos and Newswire actually diverge.

Attributes where Castos and Newswire differ
Attribute	Castos	Newswire
Starting price	Free	$399/per release
Pricing model	subscription	one-time
Free tier	Yes	No
Platforms	Web, Wordpress	Web
Category	Podcasting	News
Founded	2016	2004

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 Castos

Unlimited hosting
WordPress integration
Distribution
Monetization
Email marketing
WordPress
All podcast platforms
Email services

Only in Newswire

Press release distribution
Media targeting
Social amplification
SEO optimization
Google News
Yahoo News
Bing News
Social media

Both cover

Analytics
Web support

What people use each for

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

Castos

Podcast hosting with unlimited episodes and downloadsnot Newswire
Private and subscriber-only podcastsnot Newswire
Automatic transcription of episodesnot Newswire
Republishing episodes to YouTubenot Newswire
WordPress-integrated podcast publishingnot Newswire

Newswire

Product launchesnot Castos
Company newsnot Castos
Event announcementsnot Castos
SEO boostnot Castos
Brand awarenessnot Castos

Where each one falls short

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

Castos

Transcripts are metered by tier, at 10 a month on Essentials and 100 on Pro
Private podcast subscribers are capped, at 100 on Essentials and 500 on Pro
Video hosting and the uptime SLA require the Pro tier at $99 a month
SSO and a dedicated account manager are Premium only, from $499 a month
Team seats are limited by tier, at 5 on Growth and 10 on Pro

Newswire

No free tier or trial available

Pricing, plan by plan

Castos

Free

Essentials$19/month
- unlimited podcasts/episodes
- 10 transcripts/month
Growth$49/month
- advanced analytics
- 25 transcripts/month
Pro$99/month
- video hosting
- 100 transcripts/month
Premium$499/month
- unlimited transcripts
- dedicated account management

Newswire

$399/per release

Starter$399/per release
- Distribution to Digital Journal and Online News & Media
- Estimated reach 6 to 10 million monthly readers
- Unlimited word count and images
Basic$659/per release
- AP News and Digital Journal distribution
- Estimated reach 75 to 100 million monthly readers
- Unlimited word count and images
Feature$965/per release
- AP News, Yahoo, Nexstar network inclusion
- Estimated reach 150 to 200 million monthly readers
- Unlimited word count and images
State Distribution$599/per release
- Regional news outlets and local TV stations
- Unlimited word count and images
- Includes analytics reporting

Which should you pick?

Choose Castos if

You need unlimited hosting.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Web, Wordpress.
You also want wordpress integration.

Castos review

Choose Newswire if

You need press release distribution.
You also want media targeting.

Newswire review

Questions people ask

Is Castos or Newswire better?: Neither clearly leads. Castos starts at Free and Newswire at $399/per release, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Castos or Newswire?: Castos has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Castos and $399/per release for Newswire.
Does Castos or Newswire run on more platforms?: Castos runs on Web, Wordpress. Newswire runs on Web.
Can I use Castos for free?: Yes. Castos has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Newswire starts at $399/per release.
What is Castos best used for?: Castos is most often used for podcast hosting with unlimited episodes and downloads, private and subscriber-only podcasts, automatic transcription of episodes, republishing episodes to youtube. Of those, podcast hosting with unlimited episodes and downloads and private and subscriber-only podcasts are not what Newswire is typically brought in for.
What can Castos do that Newswire cannot?: Castos covers Unlimited hosting, WordPress integration, Distribution, Monetization. Newswire covers Press release distribution, Media targeting, Social amplification, SEO optimization. Both handle Analytics, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Castos: How much does Castos cost?

Castos plans range from USD 19/month for Essentials to USD 499+/month for Premium, with annual billing offering 2 months free discount.

Source

Newswire: How much does Newswire cost?

Newswire charges per press release. Starter plan costs 399 dollars per release. Basic plan costs 659 dollars per release. Feature plan costs 965 dollars per release. State Distribution costs 599 dollars per release.

Source

Castos: Is there a free trial for Castos?

Yes, Castos offers a 14-day free trial on the Essentials plan with no credit card required to get started.

Source

Newswire: What is included with Newswire pricing?

All Newswire plans include unlimited word count and images in your press release. Different tiers offer varying distribution networks and estimated reader reach.

Source

Castos: How many transcripts are included per plan?

Essentials includes 10 transcripts/month, Growth includes 25, Pro includes 100, and Premium includes unlimited transcripts.

Source

Castos: What are Castos add-ons and how much do they cost?

Add-ons include AI Assistant at USD 10/month and extra private subscribers at USD 50/month per 500 additional subscribers.

Source

Castos vs Newswire

Castos

Newswire

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Castos

Only in Newswire

Both cover

What people use each for

Castos

Newswire

Where each one falls short

Castos

Newswire

Pricing, plan by plan

Castos

Newswire

Which should you pick?

Choose Castos if

Choose Newswire if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Castos

More on Newswire

Keep looking

Other head to heads