Podcast & Audio Publishing · head to head
Simplecast vs Glow.fm
Simplecast
Podcast & Audio Publishing
Hosting for professional podcast networks
- From
- $15/month
- Rated
- -
Glow.fm
Podcast & Audio Publishing
Premium podcast subscriptions made simple
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Glow.fm has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Simplecast basic plan at $15 per month includes only 20,000 monthly downloads and 2 team seats; 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.
- They diverge on capability: Simplecast covers Unlimited hosting, Glow.fm covers Private RSS feeds.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Simplecast and Glow.fm actually diverge.
| Attribute | Simplecast | Glow.fm |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $15/month | Free |
| Pricing model | subscription | transaction |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Founded | 2014 | 2019 |
Identical on both: platforms (Web), 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 Simplecast
- Unlimited hosting
- Dynamic ad insertion
- Distribution
- Team collaboration
- API access
- All podcast platforms
- Advertising networks
- CMS systems
Only in Glow.fm
- Private RSS feeds
- Any app support
- Tiered subscriptions
- Subscriber management
- Payment processing
- All podcast apps
- Stripe
- Email platforms
Both cover
- Analytics
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Simplecast
- Hosting podcasts with per-episode analytics and audience metricsnot Glow.fm
- Distributing shows to Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other directoriesnot Glow.fm
- Monetising podcasts through dynamic ad insertion at the Professional tiernot Glow.fm
Glow.fm
- Premium podcastsnot Simplecast
- Subscriber contentnot Simplecast
- Membership tiersnot Simplecast
- Direct monetizationnot Simplecast
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Simplecast
- Basic plan at $15 per month includes only 20,000 monthly downloads and 2 team seats
- Essential plan at $35 per month includes 50,000 monthly downloads and 4 team seats
- Dynamic ad insertion and campaign management are only on the Professional plan, which is quoted by sales with no published rate
- API access for publishing and campaign management is Enterprise only
- Annual prepayment is required to get the 10 percent discount
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.
Pricing, plan by plan
Simplecast
$15/month- Creator$15/month
- Unlimited hosting
- Analytics
- Distribution
- Studio$49/month
- All Creator features
- Dynamic ad insertion
- Team access
- Enterprise$undefined/month
- Custom features
- API access
- Dedicated manager
Glow.fm
Free- StandardFree
- Private RSS feeds
- Any podcast app support
- Subscription management
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.
Questions people ask
- Is Simplecast or Glow.fm better?
- Neither clearly leads. Simplecast starts at $15/month and Glow.fm at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Simplecast or Glow.fm?
- Glow.fm has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $15/month for Simplecast and Free for Glow.fm.
- Does Simplecast or Glow.fm run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Glow.fm for free?
- Yes. Glow.fm has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Simplecast starts at $15/month.
- What is Simplecast best used for?
- Simplecast is most often used for hosting podcasts with per-episode analytics and audience metrics, distributing shows to apple podcasts, spotify and other directories, monetising podcasts through dynamic ad insertion at the professional tier. Of those, hosting podcasts with per-episode analytics and audience metrics and distributing shows to apple podcasts, spotify and other directories are not what Glow.fm is typically brought in for.
- What can Simplecast do that Glow.fm cannot?
- Simplecast covers Unlimited hosting, Dynamic ad insertion, Distribution, Team collaboration. Glow.fm covers Private RSS feeds, Any app support, Tiered subscriptions, Subscriber management. Both handle Analytics, Web support.