Softwr

News · head to head

Meltwater vs Podcast.co

Meltwater logo

Meltwater

News

Media intelligence and social listening platform

From
$15000/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Podcast.co logo

Podcast.co

Podcasting

Professional podcast hosting and distribution

From
$19/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Meltwater real-time accuracy issues reported, particularly for niche industries or non-English content; Podcast.co limited advanced podcast customization compared to enterprise solutions
  • They diverge on capability: Meltwater covers Media monitoring, Podcast.co covers Unlimited hosting.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Meltwater and Podcast.co actually diverge.

Attributes where Meltwater and Podcast.co differ
AttributeMeltwaterPodcast.co
Starting price$15000/year$19/month
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb
CategoryNewsPodcasting
Founded20012017

Identical on both: pricing model (Unknown), free tier (No), 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 Meltwater

  • Media monitoring
  • Social listening
  • Influencer discovery
  • Sentiment analysis
  • Competitive intelligence
  • PR analytics
  • Report automation
  • Crisis monitoring

Only in Podcast.co

  • Unlimited hosting
  • Podcast websites
  • Distribution
  • Advanced analytics
  • Team collaboration
  • Spotify
  • Apple Podcasts
  • Google Podcasts

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Meltwater

  • Media monitoringnot Podcast.co
  • Influencer researchnot Podcast.co
  • Brand trackingnot Podcast.co
  • Crisis managementnot Podcast.co

Podcast.co

  • Podcast hostingnot Meltwater
  • Corporate podcastingnot Meltwater
  • Network hostingnot Meltwater

Where each one falls short

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

Meltwater

  • Real-time accuracy issues reported, particularly for niche industries or non-English content
  • Limited media contact database at 380,000-400,000 contacts compared to competitors like Cision
  • Cumbersome dashboard navigation and reporting interface requiring multi-step menu access for data exports
  • Annual contracts with limited ability to scale down; risky for businesses with fluctuating needs

Podcast.co

  • Limited advanced podcast customization compared to enterprise solutions
  • Transcription service costs extra at $20/month for only 10 hours
  • Download limits vary by plan; Lite tier caps at 15,000 monthly downloads

Pricing, plan by plan

Meltwater

$15000/year
  • Essentials$15000/year
    • Core media monitoring
    • Brand mention tracking
    • Industry trend monitoring
  • Suite$25000/year
    • Media monitoring
    • Social listening
    • Cross-department analytics

Podcast.co

$19/month
  • Lite$19/month
    • 1 user
    • 15,000 monthly downloads
    • Basic podcast pages
  • Growth$49/month
    • 5 users
    • 75,000 monthly downloads
    • Advanced podcast pages
  • Premium$99/month
    • Unlimited users
    • 200,000 monthly downloads
    • Advanced podcast pages

Which should you pick?

Choose Meltwater if

  • You need media monitoring.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want social listening.
Meltwater review

Choose Podcast.co if

  • You need unlimited hosting.
  • You also want podcast websites.
Podcast.co review

Questions people ask

Is Meltwater or Podcast.co better?
Neither clearly leads. Meltwater starts at $15000/year and Podcast.co at $19/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Meltwater or Podcast.co?
Meltwater starts at $15000/year and Podcast.co at $19/month.
Does Meltwater or Podcast.co run on more platforms?
Meltwater runs on Web, iOS, Android. Podcast.co runs on Web.
What is Meltwater best used for?
Meltwater is most often used for media monitoring, influencer research, brand tracking, crisis management. Of those, media monitoring and influencer research are not what Podcast.co is typically brought in for.
What can Meltwater do that Podcast.co cannot?
Meltwater covers Media monitoring, Social listening, Influencer discovery, Sentiment analysis. Podcast.co covers Unlimited hosting, Podcast websites, Distribution, Advanced analytics. Both handle Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Meltwater: How much does Meltwater cost?

Meltwater does not publish pricing; all quotes require a sales call and annual contract. Median annual cost is approximately $25,000, with mid-market PR teams typically paying $15,000-$40,000 depending on users, coverage volume, and features.

Source
Podcast.co: How many podcasts can I host?

All Podcast.co plans allow unlimited podcasts and unlimited episodes. You can create and manage multiple shows under one account, with the Growth and Premium plans offering team collaboration for managing different podcasts.

Source
Meltwater: What sources does Meltwater monitor?

Meltwater monitors 200M+ online publications, 400,000+ traditional media sources, 20,000+ podcasts, TV/radio across all 210 US DMAs, and social platforms including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, YouTube, WeChat, and Weibo.

Source
Podcast.co: Which platforms does Podcast.co distribute to?

Podcast.co provides one-click distribution to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, and other major podcast directories. The platform also offers scheduled publishing and custom episode artwork.

Source
Meltwater: What languages does Meltwater support?

Meltwater provides global multilingual support with consistent accuracy across 100+ languages for sentiment analysis and content classification.

Source
Podcast.co: What analytics are included?

All plans include audience data showing most popular episodes, listener locations, and top-performing platforms. Growth and Premium plans include more advanced analytics with team insights and subscriber tracking for private podcasts.

Source
Meltwater: Does Meltwater include journalist/media contact information?

Meltwater's media database includes approximately 380,000-400,000 contacts, smaller than competitors like Cision (1.1M). Media database and GenAI Lens are separate paid add-ons.

Source
Podcast.co: Is transcription included?

Audio transcription is available as an add-on service at $20 per month for 10 hours of audio transcription. This helps repurpose podcast content into blog posts and social media snippets.

Source
Meltwater: Can I export Meltwater reports?

Yes, Meltwater generates custom dashboards and reports tailored to stakeholders. Mira AI assistant can generate summaries and insights from monitoring data.

Source
Podcast.co: Can I monetize my podcast?

Growth and Premium plans support private podcasting with invite-only episodes for paying subscribers. Podcast.co integrates with billing systems to deliver exclusive content to the right subscribers.

Source
Podcast.co: Is there a free trial?

Podcast.co offers a 14-day free trial with no hidden fees, allowing you to test the platform before committing to a paid plan.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on Meltwater

More on Podcast.co

Keep looking

Other head to heads