Software · head to head
Fireside vs Megaphone
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Fireside starter plan at $9 per month allows one podcast and 5 episodes per month; Megaphone there is no free tier; the entry Professional plan starts at $99 per month
- They diverge on capability: Fireside covers Unlimited hosting, Megaphone covers Enterprise hosting.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Fireside and Megaphone 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
- Analytics
- Listener engagement
- Monetization
- All podcast platforms
- Email services
Only in Megaphone
- Enterprise hosting
- Dynamic ad insertion
- Targeted advertising
- Advanced analytics
- Network management
- API access
- Spotify
- Advertising networks
Both cover
- 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 Megaphone
- Running several shows as a podcast network from one accountnot Megaphone
- Tracking episode download metrics and link clicksnot Megaphone
Megaphone
- Enterprise podcast hosting and distribution for publishers and networksnot Fireside
- Dynamic ad insertion and campaign management across a back cataloguenot Fireside
- Podcast measurement and reporting for large teamsnot 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
Megaphone
- There is no free tier; the entry Professional plan starts at $99 per month
- The Enterprise plan is custom priced and requires requesting a quote
- Access to the Megaphone API and the Metrics Export Service is Enterprise only
- Live chat support on the Professional plan is limited to 4am to 9pm Monday to Friday Eastern Time
- Monetisation runs through the Spotify Audience Network rather than an open marketplace
Pricing, plan by plan
Fireside
$20/month- Creator$20/month
- Unlimited hosting
- Community features
- Distribution
- Network$50/month
- Multiple shows
- Team management
- Advanced analytics
Megaphone
On request- Enterprise$undefined/month
- Unlimited hosting
- Dynamic ad insertion
- Advanced analytics
Which should you pick?
Questions people ask
- Is Fireside or Megaphone better?
- Neither clearly leads. Fireside starts at $20/month and Megaphone at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Fireside or Megaphone?
- Fireside starts at $20/month and Megaphone at On request.
- Does Fireside or Megaphone 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 Megaphone is typically brought in for.
- What can Fireside do that Megaphone cannot?
- Fireside covers Unlimited hosting, Community features, Distribution, Analytics. Megaphone covers Enterprise hosting, Dynamic ad insertion, Targeted advertising, Advanced analytics. Both handle Web support.
Related pages
Keep looking
Other head to heads
- Fireside vs Pocketcasts
- Fireside vs Buzzsprout
- Fireside vs Transistor.fm
- Fireside vs Adobe Podcast
- Fireside vs Apple Podcasts Connect
- Fireside vs Libsyn
- Fireside vs Patreon
- Fireside vs Podbean
- Fireside vs Transistor
- Fireside vs Acast
- Fireside vs Alitu
- Fireside vs Audioboom
- Fireside vs Auphonic
- Fireside vs Blubrry
- Fireside vs Captivate
- Fireside vs Castmagic
- Fireside vs Castos
- Fireside vs Chartable
- Megaphone vs Pocketcasts
- Megaphone vs Buzzsprout
- Megaphone vs Transistor.fm
- Megaphone vs Adobe Podcast
- Megaphone vs Apple Podcasts Connect
- Megaphone vs Libsyn
- Megaphone vs Patreon
- Megaphone vs Podbean
- Megaphone vs Transistor
- Megaphone vs Acast
- Megaphone vs Alitu
- Megaphone vs Audioboom
- Megaphone vs Auphonic
- Megaphone vs Blubrry
- Megaphone vs Captivate
- Megaphone vs Castmagic
- Megaphone vs Castos
- Megaphone vs Chartable