Podcast & Audio Publishing · head to head
SoundCloud vs Headliner
SoundCloud
Podcast & Audio Publishing
Discover, stream, and share music
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Headliner
Podcast & Audio Publishing
Create social media content from audio
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: SoundCloud the free tier plays tracks with ads; Headliner free plan allows only one unwatermarked audiogram per month; everything else carries a Headliner watermark
- They diverge on capability: SoundCloud covers Audio streaming, Headliner covers Audio to video conversion.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which SoundCloud and Headliner actually diverge.
| Attribute | SoundCloud | Headliner |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Web, Ios, Android, Desktop | Web |
| Founded | 2007 | 2017 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), 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 SoundCloud
- Audio streaming
- Uploads
- Discovery
- Sharing
- DJ software
- Privacy settings
- Ios support
- Android support
Only in Headliner
- Audio to video conversion
- Animated waveforms
- Automatic captions
- Brand customization
- Social media optimization
- Batch processing
- Podcast platforms
- Email services
Both cover
- Social media
- Content protection
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
SoundCloud
- Discovering tracks from emerging and independent artistsnot Headliner
- Uploading your own music to reach listeners directlynot Headliner
- Offline listening and ad-free playback on a paid tiernot Headliner
Headliner
- Turning podcast audio into captioned audiogram videos for social medianot SoundCloud
- Auto transcribing episodes and burning captions into video clipsnot SoundCloud
- Producing branded promotional clips from full length episodesnot SoundCloud
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
SoundCloud
- The free tier plays tracks with ads
- Offline saving of tracks requires a SoundCloud Go or Go+ subscription
- Premium Go+ tracks are locked behind the higher Go+ tier, so SoundCloud Go alone does not unlock the full catalogue
- Exclusive DJ app integrations require Go+
- The app is available in only eight languages: English, Brazilian Portuguese, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Arabic
- The iOS app requires iOS 16.4 or later
Headliner
- Free plan allows only one unwatermarked audiogram per month; everything else carries a Headliner watermark
- Basic plan at $9.99 per month caps unwatermarked audiograms at 10 per month
- Free and Basic plans cap video length at 10 minutes at 1080p; 2 hour videos require the Pro plan
- Custom watermarks and unlimited unwatermarked exports require the $25.99 per month Pro plan
- Video upload storage is capped at 10GB on every plan including Pro
Pricing, plan by plan
SoundCloud
Free- FreeFree
- Limited uploads
- Ads
- Go$5.99/month
- Ad-free
- Offline
- Go+$12.99/month
- Full catalog
- HQ audio
Headliner
Free- FreeFree
- Create clips
- Watermarked videos
- Limited exports
- Creator$15/month
- Unlimited exports
- No watermarks
- Captions
Which should you pick?
Choose SoundCloud if
- You need audio streaming.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android, Desktop.
- You also want uploads.
Choose Headliner if
- You need audio to video conversion.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want animated waveforms.
Questions people ask
- Is SoundCloud or Headliner better?
- Neither clearly leads. SoundCloud starts at Free and Headliner at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, SoundCloud or Headliner?
- SoundCloud starts at Free and Headliner at Free.
- Does SoundCloud or Headliner run on more platforms?
- SoundCloud runs on Web, Ios, Android, Desktop. Headliner runs on Web.
- Can I use SoundCloud for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is SoundCloud best used for?
- SoundCloud is most often used for discovering tracks from emerging and independent artists, uploading your own music to reach listeners directly, offline listening and ad-free playback on a paid tier. Of those, discovering tracks from emerging and independent artists and uploading your own music to reach listeners directly are not what Headliner is typically brought in for.
- What can SoundCloud do that Headliner cannot?
- SoundCloud covers Audio streaming, Uploads, Discovery, Sharing. Headliner covers Audio to video conversion, Animated waveforms, Automatic captions, Brand customization. Both handle Social media, Content protection, Web support.