Podcast & Audio Publishing · head to head
Podbean vs Auphonic
Podbean
Podcast & Audio Publishing
All-in-one podcast hosting with built-in monetization
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Auphonic
Podcast & Audio Publishing
Automated audio mastering and loudness processing
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: 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; Auphonic the free tier covers 2 hours of processed audio a month
- They diverge on capability: Podbean covers Unlimited hosting, Auphonic covers Automatic loudness optimization.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Podbean and Auphonic actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), 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 Podbean
- Unlimited hosting
- Built-in monetization
- Live streaming
- Video podcasting
- Podcast app
- Premium content
- Apple Podcasts
- Spotify
Only in Auphonic
- Automatic loudness optimization
- Noise reduction
- Audio restoration
- Intelligent processing
- API integration
- Auto-upload
- Podcast hosts
- Dropbox
Both cover
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Podbean
- Hosting and distributing a podcast with an RSS feed and playernot Auphonic
- Running multiple shows or a private internal podcastnot Auphonic
Auphonic
- Automatic loudness levelling and noise reduction on podcast audionot Podbean
- Batch processing an archive of recordingsnot Podbean
- Generating transcripts and chapters from an episodenot Podbean
- Producing consistent output across multiple formats from one uploadnot Podbean
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
Auphonic
- The free tier covers 2 hours of processed audio a month
- Billing is by audio duration with a 3 minute minimum per production, so many short clips cost more than the running time suggests
- Multilingual speech recognition, automatic chapters and show notes all require a paid plan
- Watch folders, batch productions and team accounts are paid features
- Free output carries an Auphonic jingle
Pricing, plan by plan
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
Auphonic
Free- FreeFree
- 2 hours/month processing
- Basic mastering
- Download files
- Personal$10/month
- 50 hours/month
- Advanced mastering
- API access
Which should you pick?
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.
Choose Auphonic if
- You need automatic loudness optimization.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want noise reduction.
Questions people ask
- Is Podbean or Auphonic better?
- Neither clearly leads. Podbean starts at Free and Auphonic at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Podbean or Auphonic?
- Podbean starts at Free and Auphonic at Free.
- Does Podbean or Auphonic run on more platforms?
- Podbean runs on Web, Ios, Android. Auphonic runs on Web.
- Can I use Podbean for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Podbean best used for?
- Podbean is most often used for hosting and distributing a podcast with an rss feed and player, running multiple shows or a private internal podcast. Of those, hosting and distributing a podcast with an rss feed and player and running multiple shows or a private internal podcast are not what Auphonic is typically brought in for.
- What can Podbean do that Auphonic cannot?
- Podbean covers Unlimited hosting, Built-in monetization, Live streaming, Video podcasting. Auphonic covers Automatic loudness optimization, Noise reduction, Audio restoration, Intelligent processing. Both handle Web support.