Software · head to head
Fireside vs Acast
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Fireside starter plan at $9 per month allows one podcast and 5 episodes per month; Acast the free Starter tier is limited to 1 show and 5 episodes; unlimited episodes require making the show available in Acast's advertising marketplace
- They diverge on capability: Fireside covers Unlimited hosting, Acast covers Enterprise hosting.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Fireside and Acast actually diverge.
Identical on both: free tier (No), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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 Fireside
- Unlimited hosting
- Community features
- Distribution
- Listener engagement
- Email services
- Social media
- Content protection
- Privacy controls
Only in Acast
- Enterprise hosting
- Dynamic ad insertion
- Sponsorship platform
- API access
- Advertising networks
- CMS systems
- Enterprise security
- SOC 2 compliant
Both cover
- Analytics
- Monetization
- All podcast platforms
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Fireside
- Hosting a podcast together with a customisable podcast websitenot Acast
- Running several shows as a podcast network from one accountnot Acast
- Tracking episode download metrics and link clicksnot Acast
Acast
- Hosting and distributing a podcast to all major listening appsnot Fireside
- Monetising episodes through the Acast advertising marketplace and sponsorshipsnot Fireside
- Publishing video podcast episodes alongside audionot Fireside
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Fireside
- Starter plan at $9 per month allows one podcast and 5 episodes per month
- Custom domain with SSL requires the $19 per month Standard plan; Starter sites sit on a Fireside subdomain
- Additional podcasts beyond the one included on Standard cost $8 per month each
- Bandwidth is capped at 1TB per month on Standard and 5TB per month on Professional
- Advanced download metrics and click tracking require the $49 per month Professional plan
Acast
- The free Starter tier is limited to 1 show and 5 episodes; unlimited episodes require making the show available in Acast's advertising marketplace
- Multiple shows require the paid Influencer plan at $14.99 per month billed annually or $25 per month billed monthly
- Team management, prioritised support and the Publishing API require the Pro plan at $29.99 per month billed annually or $40 per month monthly
- Publishing video episodes to Apple Podcasts requires the Video plan at $39.99 per month billed annually or $50 per month monthly
- The Video plan includes only 10,000 monthly video views
- A payment card is required to sign up even for the free tier
- The Creator Network tier is quote only with no published price
Pricing, plan by plan
Fireside
$20/month- Creator$20/month
- Unlimited hosting
- Community features
- Distribution
- Network$50/month
- Multiple shows
- Team management
- Advanced analytics
Acast
On request- Enterprise$undefined/month
- Unlimited hosting
- Dynamic ad insertion
- Sponsorship marketplace
Which should you pick?
Questions people ask
- Is Fireside or Acast better?
- Neither clearly leads. Fireside starts at $20/month and Acast at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Fireside or Acast?
- Fireside starts at $20/month and Acast at On request.
- Does Fireside or Acast run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- What is Fireside best used for?
- Fireside is most often used for hosting a podcast together with a customisable podcast website, running several shows as a podcast network from one account, tracking episode download metrics and link clicks. Of those, hosting a podcast together with a customisable podcast website and running several shows as a podcast network from one account are not what Acast is typically brought in for.
- What can Fireside do that Acast cannot?
- Fireside covers Unlimited hosting, Community features, Distribution, Listener engagement. Acast covers Enterprise hosting, Dynamic ad insertion, Sponsorship platform, API access. Both handle Analytics, Monetization, All podcast platforms, Web support.