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Software · head to head

Glow.fm vs Castos

Glow.fm logo

Glow.fm

Software

Premium podcast subscriptions made simple

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Castos logo

Castos

Software

Simple podcast hosting for WordPress sites

From
$13/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Glow.fm has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: 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.; Castos transcripts are metered by tier, at 10 a month on Essentials and 100 on Pro
  • They diverge on capability: Glow.fm covers Private RSS feeds, Castos covers Unlimited hosting.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Glow.fm and Castos actually diverge.

Attributes where Glow.fm and Castos differ
AttributeGlow.fmCastos
Starting priceFree$13/month
Pricing modeltransactionsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebWeb, Wordpress
Founded20192016

Identical on both: 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 Glow.fm

  • Private RSS feeds
  • Any app support
  • Tiered subscriptions
  • Subscriber management
  • Payment processing
  • All podcast apps
  • Stripe
  • Email platforms

Only in Castos

  • Unlimited hosting
  • WordPress integration
  • Distribution
  • Monetization
  • Email marketing
  • WordPress
  • All podcast platforms
  • Email services

Both cover

  • Analytics
  • Web support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Glow.fm

  • Premium podcastsnot Castos
  • Subscriber contentnot Castos
  • Membership tiersnot Castos
  • Direct monetizationnot Castos

Castos

  • Podcast hosting with unlimited episodes and downloadsnot Glow.fm
  • Private and subscriber-only podcastsnot Glow.fm
  • Automatic transcription of episodesnot Glow.fm
  • Republishing episodes to YouTubenot Glow.fm
  • WordPress-integrated podcast publishingnot Glow.fm

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

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.

Castos

  • Transcripts are metered by tier, at 10 a month on Essentials and 100 on Pro
  • Private podcast subscribers are capped, at 100 on Essentials and 500 on Pro
  • Video hosting and the uptime SLA require the Pro tier at $99 a month
  • SSO and a dedicated account manager are Premium only, from $499 a month
  • Team seats are limited by tier, at 5 on Growth and 10 on Pro

Pricing, plan by plan

Glow.fm

Free
  • StandardFree
    • Private RSS feeds
    • Any podcast app support
    • Subscription management

Castos

$13/month
  • Podcaster$13/month
    • Unlimited hosting
    • Automatic distribution
    • Basic analytics
  • Professional$29/month
    • All Podcaster features
    • Advanced analytics
    • Email marketing

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.
Glow.fm review

Choose Castos if

  • You need unlimited hosting.
  • You work on Web, Wordpress.
  • You also want wordpress integration.
Castos review

Questions people ask

Is Glow.fm or Castos better?
Neither clearly leads. Glow.fm starts at Free and Castos at $13/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Glow.fm or Castos?
Glow.fm has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Glow.fm and $13/month for Castos.
Does Glow.fm or Castos run on more platforms?
Glow.fm runs on Web. Castos runs on Web, Wordpress.
Can I use Glow.fm for free?
Yes. Glow.fm has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Castos starts at $13/month.
What is Glow.fm best used for?
Glow.fm is most often used for premium podcasts, subscriber content, membership tiers, direct monetization. Of those, premium podcasts and subscriber content are not what Castos is typically brought in for.
What can Glow.fm do that Castos cannot?
Glow.fm covers Private RSS feeds, Any app support, Tiered subscriptions, Subscriber management. Castos covers Unlimited hosting, WordPress integration, Distribution, Monetization. Both handle Analytics, Web support.
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