Is Fireside or Podbean better?

Neither clearly leads. Fireside starts at $20/month and Podbean at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Fireside or Podbean?

Podbean has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $20/month for Fireside and Free for Podbean.

Does Fireside or Podbean run on more platforms?

Fireside runs on Web. Podbean runs on Web, Ios, Android.

Can I use Podbean for free?

Yes. Podbean 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 Podbean is typically brought in for.

What can Fireside do that Podbean cannot?

Fireside covers Community features, Distribution, Analytics, Listener engagement. Podbean covers Built-in monetization, Live streaming, Video podcasting, Podcast app. Both handle Unlimited hosting, Social media, Content protection, Privacy controls.

Podcasting · head to head

Fireside vs Podbean

Fireside

Podcasting

Podcast hosting with community features

From: $20/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

Podbean

Podcasting

All-in-one podcast hosting with built-in monetization

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only Podbean 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; Podbean upload allowance is monthly rather than cumulative, at 1 GB on the entry plan, so a heavy recording month is capped even with unlimited total storage
They diverge on capability: Fireside covers Community features, Podbean covers Built-in monetization.
Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Fireside and Podbean actually diverge.

Attributes where Fireside and Podbean differ
Attribute	Fireside	Podbean
Starting price	$20/month	Free
Free tier	No	Yes
Platforms	Web	Web, Ios, Android
Founded	2018	2006

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Podcasting).

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

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

Only in Podbean

Built-in monetization
Live streaming
Video podcasting
Podcast app
Premium content
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
Amazon Music

Both cover

Unlimited hosting
Social media
Content protection
Privacy controls
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 Podbean
Running several shows as a podcast network from one accountnot Podbean
Tracking episode download metrics and link clicksnot Podbean

Podbean

Hosting and distributing a podcast with an RSS feed and playernot Fireside
Running multiple shows or a private internal podcastnot 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

Podbean

Upload allowance is monthly rather than cumulative, at 1 GB on the entry plan, so a heavy recording month is capped even with unlimited total storage
The Network plan at $99 a month meters bandwidth at 3 TB while cheaper plans are unmetered, so the middle tier is the only one with a bandwidth ceiling
Advanced analytics are excluded from every plan below Business
Private podcasting and live chat support are Business only
Team members are capped at 50 on Network despite being described as unlimited

Pricing, plan by plan

Fireside

$20/month

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

Podbean

Free

Unlimited Audio$17/month
- 1 podcast
- 1GB uploads/month
- Unlimited storage
Unlimited Plus$39/month
- 2 podcasts
- 10GB uploads/month
- 3TB monthly bandwidth
Network$99/month
- Unlimited podcasts
- 40GB uploads/month
- Up to 50 team members
Business$129/month
- Unlimited private podcasts
- 2 public podcasts
- 40GB uploads/month

Which should you pick?

Choose Fireside if

You need community features.
You also want distribution.

Fireside review

Choose Podbean if

You need built-in monetization.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Web, Ios, Android.
You also want live streaming.

Podbean review

Questions people ask

Is Fireside or Podbean better?: Neither clearly leads. Fireside starts at $20/month and Podbean at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fireside or Podbean?: Podbean has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $20/month for Fireside and Free for Podbean.
Does Fireside or Podbean run on more platforms?: Fireside runs on Web. Podbean runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use Podbean for free?: Yes. Podbean 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 Podbean is typically brought in for.
What can Fireside do that Podbean cannot?: Fireside covers Community features, Distribution, Analytics, Listener engagement. Podbean covers Built-in monetization, Live streaming, Video podcasting, Podcast app. Both handle Unlimited hosting, Social media, Content protection, Privacy controls.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Podbean: How much does Podbean cost?

Podbean offers plans starting at $17/month for Unlimited Audio, $39/month for Unlimited Plus, $99/month for Network, and $129/month for Business. Annual billing is available at approximately 20-29% discounts.

Source

Podbean: Does Podbean have a free version?

Yes, Podbean offers a free account. However, the website notes that paid plans cannot be downgraded back to the free plan once you upgrade.

Source

Podbean: What are the monthly upload limits on Podbean plans?

Unlimited Audio allows 1GB uploads/month, Unlimited Plus allows 10GB uploads/month, and both Network and Business plans allow 40GB uploads/month.

Source

Fireside vs Podbean

Fireside

Podbean

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Fireside

Only in Podbean

Both cover

What people use each for

Fireside

Podbean

Where each one falls short

Fireside

Podbean

Pricing, plan by plan

Fireside

Podbean

Which should you pick?

Choose Fireside if

Choose Podbean if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Fireside

More on Podbean

Keep looking

Other head to heads