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Podcasting · head to head

Fireside vs News Break

Fireside logo

Fireside

Podcasting

Podcast hosting with community features

From
$20/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
News Break logo

News Break

News

Local news and breaking stories for your community

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only News Break 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; News Break no pricing model disclosed, appears to be free news platform
  • They diverge on capability: Fireside covers Unlimited hosting, News Break covers Local news aggregation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Fireside and News Break actually diverge.

Attributes where Fireside and News Break differ
AttributeFiresideNews Break
Starting price$20/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebIos, Android, Web
CategoryPodcastingNews
Founded20182016

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 Fireside

  • Unlimited hosting
  • Community features
  • Distribution
  • Analytics
  • Listener engagement
  • Monetization
  • All podcast platforms
  • Email services

Only in News Break

  • Local news aggregation
  • AI personalization
  • Breaking news alerts
  • Community posts
  • Local events
  • Local publishers
  • Weather services
  • Ios support

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 News Break
  • Running several shows as a podcast network from one accountnot News Break
  • Tracking episode download metrics and link clicksnot News Break

News Break

  • Local newsnot Fireside
  • Community updatesnot Fireside
  • Breaking newsnot Fireside
  • Local eventsnot 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

News Break

  • No pricing model disclosed, appears to be free news platform

Pricing, plan by plan

Fireside

$20/month
  • Creator$20/month
    • Unlimited hosting
    • Community features
    • Distribution
  • Network$50/month
    • Multiple shows
    • Team management
    • Advanced analytics

News Break

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Local news
    • Breaking alerts
    • Personalized feed

Which should you pick?

Choose Fireside if

  • You need unlimited hosting.
  • You also want community features.
Fireside review

Choose News Break if

  • You need local news aggregation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Ios, Android, Web.
  • You also want ai personalization.
News Break review

Questions people ask

Is Fireside or News Break better?
Neither clearly leads. Fireside starts at $20/month and News Break at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fireside or News Break?
News Break has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $20/month for Fireside and Free for News Break.
Does Fireside or News Break run on more platforms?
Fireside runs on Web. News Break runs on Ios, Android, Web.
Can I use News Break for free?
Yes. News Break 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 News Break is typically brought in for.
What can Fireside do that News Break cannot?
Fireside covers Unlimited hosting, Community features, Distribution, Analytics. News Break covers Local news aggregation, AI personalization, Breaking news alerts, Community posts. Both handle Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

News Break: Does News Break charge a subscription fee?

News Break does not disclose pricing on its website. The platform offers free access to local news, headlines, and other news content through sections covering sports, finance, and other categories.

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