Software · head to head
Glow.fm vs Podbean
Podbean
Software
All-in-one podcast hosting with built-in monetization
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- 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.; 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: Glow.fm covers Private RSS feeds, Podbean covers Unlimited hosting.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Glow.fm and Podbean actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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
- Analytics
- All podcast apps
- Stripe
Only in Podbean
- Unlimited hosting
- Built-in monetization
- Live streaming
- Video podcasting
- Podcast app
- Premium content
- Apple Podcasts
- Spotify
Both cover
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Glow.fm
- Premium podcastsnot Podbean
- Subscriber contentnot Podbean
- Membership tiersnot Podbean
- Direct monetizationnot Podbean
Podbean
- Hosting and distributing a podcast with an RSS feed and playernot Glow.fm
- Running multiple shows or a private internal podcastnot 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.
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
Glow.fm
Free- StandardFree
- Private RSS feeds
- Any podcast app support
- Subscription management
Podbean
Free- BasicFree
- 5 hours total storage
- 100 GB bandwidth
- Basic analytics
- Unlimited Audio$9/month
- Unlimited storage
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Advanced analytics
- Unlimited Plus$29/month
- All audio features
- Video podcasting
- Live streaming
- Business$99/month
- All features
- Team management
- Enterprise security
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.
Choose Podbean if
- You need unlimited hosting.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want built-in monetization.
Questions people ask
- Is Glow.fm or Podbean better?
- Neither clearly leads. Glow.fm starts at Free and Podbean at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Glow.fm or Podbean?
- Glow.fm starts at Free and Podbean at Free.
- Does Glow.fm or Podbean run on more platforms?
- Glow.fm runs on Web. Podbean runs on Web, Ios, Android.
- Can I use Glow.fm for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- 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 Podbean is typically brought in for.
- What can Glow.fm do that Podbean cannot?
- Glow.fm covers Private RSS feeds, Any app support, Tiered subscriptions, Subscriber management. Podbean covers Unlimited hosting, Built-in monetization, Live streaming, Video podcasting. Both handle Web support.
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