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Podcasting · head to head

Glow.fm vs Transistor

Glow.fm logo

Glow.fm

Podcasting

Premium podcast subscriptions made simple

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Transistor logo

Transistor

Podcasting

Professional podcast hosting for businesses and creators

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 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.; Transistor starter plan at $19 per month caps monthly downloads at 20,000
  • They diverge on capability: Glow.fm covers Private RSS feeds, Transistor covers Unlimited podcasts.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Glow.fm and Transistor differ
AttributeGlow.fmTransistor
Pricing modeltransactionsubscription
Founded20192018

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Podcasting).

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 Glow.fm

  • Private RSS feeds
  • Any app support
  • Tiered subscriptions
  • Subscriber management
  • Payment processing
  • Analytics
  • All podcast apps
  • Stripe

Only in Transistor

  • Unlimited podcasts
  • Private podcasting
  • Advanced analytics
  • Team collaboration
  • Custom branding
  • API access
  • Apple Podcasts
  • Spotify

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Glow.fm

  • Premium podcastsnot Transistor
  • Subscriber contentnot Transistor
  • Membership tiersnot Transistor
  • Direct monetizationnot Transistor

Transistor

  • Podcast hosting and distributionnot Glow.fm
  • Audio content publishingnot Glow.fm
  • Private subscriber managementnot Glow.fm

Where each one falls short

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

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.

Transistor

  • Starter plan at $19 per month caps monthly downloads at 20,000
  • Private podcast subscribers are capped at 50 on Starter and 500 on Professional
  • Dynamic ad insertion and auto-posting to YouTube require the $49 per month Professional plan or higher
  • Removing Transistor branding requires the $99 per month Business plan
  • Enterprise plans above 250,000 monthly downloads start at $199 per month and require contacting the vendor

Pricing, plan by plan

Glow.fm

Free
  • StandardFree
    • Private RSS feeds
    • Any podcast app support
    • Subscription management

Transistor

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

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.
Glow.fm review

Choose Transistor if

  • You need unlimited podcasts.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want private podcasting.
Transistor review

Questions people ask

Is Glow.fm or Transistor better?
Neither clearly leads. Glow.fm starts at Free and Transistor at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Glow.fm or Transistor?
Glow.fm starts at Free and Transistor at Free.
Does Glow.fm or Transistor 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?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Glow.fm best used for?
Glow.fm is most often used for premium podcasts, subscriber content, membership tiers, direct monetization. Of those, premium podcasts and subscriber content are not what Transistor is typically brought in for.
What can Glow.fm do that Transistor cannot?
Glow.fm covers Private RSS feeds, Any app support, Tiered subscriptions, Subscriber management. Transistor covers Unlimited podcasts, Private podcasting, Advanced analytics, Team collaboration. Both handle Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Transistor: Does Transistor offer a free trial?

Yes, Transistor offers a 14-day free trial.

Source
Transistor: Can I save money by paying annually?

Yes, Transistor offers 12 months for the price of 10 when you pay yearly, representing a 17% discount.

Source
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