Podcast & Audio Publishing · head to head
Fireside vs Spreaker
Fireside
Podcast & Audio Publishing
Podcast hosting with community features
- From
- $20/month
- Rated
- -
Spreaker
Podcast & Audio Publishing
Podcast hosting with social network features
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Spreaker 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; Spreaker free plan allows only one podcast and retains statistics for 6 months
- They diverge on capability: Fireside covers Unlimited hosting, Spreaker covers Podcast hosting.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Fireside and Spreaker actually diverge.
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Podcast & Audio Publishing).
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
- Listener engagement
- Monetization
- Email services
Only in Spreaker
- Podcast hosting
- Live streaming
- Social network
- Audio editing
- Payment processors
- Ios support
- Android support
Both cover
- Distribution
- Analytics
- All podcast platforms
- 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 Spreaker
- Running several shows as a podcast network from one accountnot Spreaker
- Tracking episode download metrics and link clicksnot Spreaker
Spreaker
- Hosting and distributing podcasts to Spotify, Apple Podcasts and iHeartRadionot Fireside
- Monetising a show through programmatic ads, listener subscriptions or a supporters clubnot Fireside
- Running a multi-show podcast network with collaboratorsnot 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
Spreaker
- Free plan allows only one podcast and retains statistics for 6 months
- Spreaker takes a 20 percent fee on Supporters Club listener payments on the free plan, dropping to 0 percent only on the $20 per month Broadcaster plan
- Subscription monetisation and Apple Podcasts subscriptions require the $20 per month Broadcaster plan
- Player colour customisation and collaborators require the $50 per month Anchorman plan
- Selling and managing your own ad campaigns requires the $250 per month Publisher plan
- Statistics retention is capped at 12 months below the Publisher plan, which extends it to 24 months
Pricing, plan by plan
Fireside
$20/month- Creator$20/month
- Unlimited hosting
- Community features
- Distribution
- Network$50/month
- Multiple shows
- Team management
- Advanced analytics
Spreaker
Free- FreeFree
- 2 hours storage
- Basic hosting
- Social network access
- Plus$5/month
- 50 hours storage
- Full distribution
- Live streaming
Which should you pick?
Choose Spreaker if
- You need podcast hosting.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want live streaming.
Questions people ask
- Is Fireside or Spreaker better?
- Neither clearly leads. Fireside starts at $20/month and Spreaker at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Fireside or Spreaker?
- Spreaker has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $20/month for Fireside and Free for Spreaker.
- Does Fireside or Spreaker run on more platforms?
- Fireside runs on Web. Spreaker runs on Web, Ios, Android.
- Can I use Spreaker for free?
- Yes. Spreaker 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 Spreaker is typically brought in for.
- What can Fireside do that Spreaker cannot?
- Fireside covers Unlimited hosting, Community features, Listener engagement, Monetization. Spreaker covers Podcast hosting, Live streaming, Social network, Audio editing. Both handle Distribution, Analytics, All podcast platforms, Social media.
Related pages
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
- Spreaker vs Pocketcasts
- Spreaker vs Buzzsprout
- Spreaker vs Transistor.fm
- Spreaker vs Adobe Podcast
- Spreaker vs Apple Podcasts Connect
- Spreaker vs Libsyn
- Spreaker vs Patreon
- Spreaker vs Podbean
- Spreaker vs Transistor
- Spreaker vs Acast
- Spreaker vs Alitu
- Spreaker vs Audioboom
- Spreaker vs Auphonic
- Spreaker vs Blubrry
- Spreaker vs Captivate
- Spreaker vs Castmagic
- Spreaker vs Castos
- Spreaker vs Chartable