Software · head to head
Fireside vs Glow.fm
The short version
- Only Glow.fm has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Fireside starter plan at $9 per month allows one podcast and 5 episodes per month; Glow.fm the Internet Archive's capture of Glow's pricing page on 6 December 2021 listed Basic starting at $0/month plus $0.55 per listener per month or $2 per one-time purchase, and Professional starting at $300/month for unlimited listeners with podcast hosting capped at 150,000 downloads per month; card processing adds $0.30 plus 2.9% per transaction on both tiers.
- They diverge on capability: Fireside covers Unlimited hosting, Glow.fm covers Private RSS feeds.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Fireside and Glow.fm actually diverge.
Identical on both: 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
- Monetization
- All podcast platforms
- Email services
- Social media
Only in Glow.fm
- Private RSS feeds
- Any app support
- Tiered subscriptions
- Subscriber management
- Payment processing
- All podcast apps
- Stripe
- Email platforms
Both cover
- Analytics
- 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 Glow.fm
- Running several shows as a podcast network from one accountnot Glow.fm
- Tracking episode download metrics and link clicksnot Glow.fm
Glow.fm
- Premium podcastsnot Fireside
- Subscriber contentnot Fireside
- Membership tiersnot Fireside
- Direct monetizationnot 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
Glow.fm
- The Internet Archive's capture of Glow's pricing page on 6 December 2021 listed Basic starting at $0/month plus $0.55 per listener per month or $2 per one-time purchase, and Professional starting at $300/month for unlimited listeners with podcast hosting capped at 150,000 downloads per month; card processing adds $0.30 plus 2.9% per transaction on both tiers.
Pricing, plan by plan
Fireside
$20/month- Creator$20/month
- Unlimited hosting
- Community features
- Distribution
- Network$50/month
- Multiple shows
- Team management
- Advanced analytics
Glow.fm
Free- StandardFree
- Private RSS feeds
- Any podcast app support
- Subscription management
Which should you pick?
Choose Glow.fm if
- You need private rss feeds.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want any app support.
Questions people ask
- Is Fireside or Glow.fm better?
- Neither clearly leads. Fireside starts at $20/month and Glow.fm at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Fireside or Glow.fm?
- Glow.fm has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $20/month for Fireside and Free for Glow.fm.
- Does Fireside or Glow.fm run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Glow.fm for free?
- Yes. Glow.fm has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Fireside starts at $20/month.
- 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 Glow.fm is typically brought in for.
- What can Fireside do that Glow.fm cannot?
- Fireside covers Unlimited hosting, Community features, Distribution, Listener engagement. Glow.fm covers Private RSS feeds, Any app support, Tiered subscriptions, Subscriber management. Both handle Analytics, Web support.
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