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Podcasting · head to head

Transistor.fm vs Umami

Transistor.fm logo

Transistor.fm

Podcasting

The podcast host built for professional broadcasters

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Umami logo

Umami

Marketing

Open source, cookie-free web analytics you can self-host for the cost of a database

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Transistor.fm add-on pricing for transcription services is listed but actual prices omitted from display; Umami there is no cohort analysis, retention curve, session replay or multi-touch attribution, so a marketing team that needs to justify channel spend will still buy a second tool and Umami becomes a supplementary dashboard.
  • They diverge on capability: Transistor.fm covers Unlimited episodes, Umami covers Cookie-free tracking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Transistor.fm and Umami actually diverge.

Attributes where Transistor.fm and Umami differ
AttributeTransistor.fmUmami
Pricing modelsubscriptionPer month by event count
PlatformsWeb, MobileWeb, Linux
CategoryPodcastingMarketing
Founded2016Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), 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 Transistor.fm

  • Unlimited episodes
  • Automatic transcription
  • Advanced analytics
  • Custom player
  • Email newsletters
  • White-label options
  • Apple Podcasts
  • Spotify

Only in Umami

  • Cookie-free tracking
  • Self-hosting
  • Small tracking script
  • Custom events
  • Funnels and goals
  • Multi-site and teams
  • Public dashboards
  • API access

What people use each for

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

Transistor.fm

  • Podcast hosting and distributionnot Umami
  • Video podcast publishingnot Umami
  • AI transcriptionnot Umami
  • Dynamic ad insertionnot Umami
  • Private podcast networksnot Umami

Umami

  • A developer who wants traffic numbers on a personal or client site without adding a consent bannernot Transistor.fm
  • An organisation whose legal or procurement team has ruled out sending visitor data to a US advertising companynot Transistor.fm
  • A high-traffic site where hosted analytics priced by pageview band has become expensive and self-hosting removes the ceiling entirelynot Transistor.fm
  • A team that wants analytics data in a database they already control so they can query and join it themselvesnot Transistor.fm

Where each one falls short

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

Transistor.fm

  • Add-on pricing for transcription services is listed but actual prices omitted from display
  • Enterprise pricing lacks specificity and requires direct contact
  • Private subscriber limits appear restrictive for scaling large networks
  • No transparent usage overage costs shown

Umami

  • There is no cohort analysis, retention curve, session replay or multi-touch attribution, so a marketing team that needs to justify channel spend will still buy a second tool and Umami becomes a supplementary dashboard.
  • Self-hosting is only free in licence terms; you own the database, the upgrades, the backups and the query performance at scale, and a busy site's events table grows quickly enough to need real attention.
  • Because it stores no persistent identifier, it cannot follow a user across devices or sessions in any meaningful way, which makes returning-visitor and lifetime-value questions unanswerable by design rather than by omission.
  • Cloud overage is billed per event beyond the plan allowance, so a traffic spike or a badly instrumented custom event can produce a bill materially above the $20 or $200 headline before anyone notices.
  • It is maintained by a small team, so the pace of new capability is modest and enterprise expectations such as SSO, granular role permissions and formal support agreements are limited compared with commercial analytics vendors.

Pricing, plan by plan

Transistor.fm

Free
  • Starter$19/month
    • 20K monthly downloads
    • 50 private subscribers
    • Unlimited podcasts
  • Professional$49/month
    • 100K monthly downloads
    • 500 private subscribers
    • Dynamic ads
  • Business$99/month
    • 250K monthly downloads
    • 3K private subscribers
    • Branded removal
  • Enterprise$199/month
    • Custom limits exceeding 250K downloads or 3K private subscribers

Umami

Free
  • Self-hostedFree
    • MIT licensed, no licence fee
    • No event limit imposed by the software
    • Unlimited websites and users
  • Cloud HobbyFree
    • Up to 100,000 events per month
    • 3 websites
    • 6 months data retention
  • Cloud Pro$20/month
    • Up to 1,000,000 events per month
    • Unlimited websites
    • Unlimited team members
  • Cloud Business$200/month
    • Up to 10,000,000 events per month
    • All Pro features
    • Higher volume overage rate

Which should you pick?

Choose Transistor.fm if

  • You need unlimited episodes.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile.
  • You also want automatic transcription.
Transistor.fm review

Choose Umami if

  • You need cookie-free tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Linux.
  • You also want self-hosting.
Umami review

Questions people ask

Is Transistor.fm or Umami better?
Neither clearly leads. Transistor.fm starts at Free and Umami at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Transistor.fm or Umami?
Transistor.fm starts at Free and Umami at Free.
Does Transistor.fm or Umami run on more platforms?
Transistor.fm runs on Web, Mobile. Umami runs on Web, Linux.
Can I use Transistor.fm for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Transistor.fm best used for?
Transistor.fm is most often used for podcast hosting and distribution, video podcast publishing, ai transcription, dynamic ad insertion. Of those, podcast hosting and distribution and video podcast publishing are not what Umami is typically brought in for.
What can Transistor.fm do that Umami cannot?
Transistor.fm covers Unlimited episodes, Automatic transcription, Advanced analytics, Custom player. Umami covers Cookie-free tracking, Self-hosting, Small tracking script, Custom events.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Transistor.fm: Does Transistor.fm offer a free trial?

Yes, Transistor offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required.

Source
Umami: Is Umami really free?

Self-hosted, yes; it is MIT licensed with no event cap. You pay for the server and database. Umami Cloud has a free tier at 100,000 events a month and paid tiers from $20.

Transistor.fm: What's the least expensive plan?

The Starter plan costs $19 per month USD and includes 20K monthly downloads, 50 private subscribers, unlimited podcasts, and unlimited collaborators.

Source
Umami: Do I need a cookie consent banner?

For Umami analytics specifically, generally no, because it sets no cookies and stores no personal data. Other tags on your site may still require one.

Umami: Can it replace Google Analytics?

For traffic, referrers and event counts, yes. For attribution modelling, audiences and advertising integration, no.

Umami: What does it need to run?

A container and a PostgreSQL or MySQL database. Most people deploy it on infrastructure they already pay for.

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