SoundCloudvs
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Pocketcasts: The powerful podcast player for serious listeners
SoundCloud
Discover, stream, and share music
As of 30 August 2026, SoundCloud has a free plan and paid plans start at $5.99/month. SoundCloud is an audio distribution platform that enables users to upload, promote, and share audio, as well as discover new artists and music. Softwr lists it under Podcasting. SoundCloud is made by SoundCloud Ltd, launched in 2007, available on Web, iOS, Android, Windows.
Overview
What SoundCloud does
SoundCloud is an audio distribution platform that enables users to upload, promote, and share audio, as well as discover new artists and music.
What people use it 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
The honest half
Where it falls short
Concrete and checkable, so you can decide whether any of them matter to you. This is the half of a review a vendor will not write about 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
Cross-shopped
What people choose instead of SoundCloud
Each pairing was judged by two reviewers asking whether a buyer would genuinely weigh the two against each other. The ones that failed were deleted rather than published.
- SoundCloudvsBuzzsprout
Buzzsprout: Simple and powerful podcast hosting made easy
- SoundCloudvsTransistor.fm
Transistor.fm: The podcast host built for professional broadcasters
- SoundCloudvsAdobe Podcast
Adobe Podcast: AI-powered podcast editing and recording
Pricing
What SoundCloud costs
Taken from the vendor's own pricing page. Prices move, so check before you buy.
Free
Free
- Limited uploads
- Ads
Go
$5.99 /mo
- Ad-free
- Offline
Go+
$12.99 /mo
- Full catalog
- HQ audio
Capabilities
Features
Audio streaming
Uploads
Discovery
Sharing
Social media
Integration with Social media
DJ software
Integration with DJ software
Privacy settings
Privacy settings security feature
Content protection
Content protection security feature
Web support
Available on web
Ios support
Available on ios
Android support
Available on android
Desktop support
Available on desktop
Answered, with sources
Questions people ask
Each answer names the page it came from, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.
What are the differences between SoundCloud's Artist and Artist Pro plans for creators?
Artist is $3.25/month with 3-hour uploads and 2x boosts per month. Artist Pro is $8.25/month with unlimited uploads and unlimited boosts, plus more frequent AI mastering.
SourceDo SoundCloud's Go and Go+ listener plans include trials?
Yes. SoundCloud Go includes a free 7-day trial. SoundCloud Go+ and the student version both include free 30-day trials.
SourceWhat is the difference between SoundCloud Go and Go+?
Both are ad-free with unlimited offline saves. Go+ costs $10.99/month and adds DJ app mixing capability plus artist support, compared to Go at $4.99/month.
SourceIs there a discounted SoundCloud plan for students?
Yes. Student Go+ is $5.49/month (50% discount on the regular $10.99/month Go+ plan) and requires university verification.
SourceBehind it
Who makes SoundCloud
- Company
- SoundCloud Ltd
- Based in
- Berlin, Germany
Keep looking
Where to go from SoundCloud
- SoundCloud alternativesEvery product people weigh against it
- SoundCloud pricingPlans, floors and what the tiers exclude
- SoundCloud badgesWhich rules it meets, and the figure behind each
- All Podcasting softwareThe full category
- Best Podcasting softwareThe shortlist, and how it was cut
Best Podcasting software for
Compare SoundCloud with
- Pocketcasts
- Buzzsprout
- Transistor.fm
- Adobe Podcast
- Patreon
- Alitu
- Podcorn
- Apple Podcasts Connect
- Libsyn
- Podbean
- Acast
- Repurpose.io
- Simplecast
- Spotify for Podcasters
- Spreaker
- Wavve
- Zencastr
- Transistor
Other Podcasting software
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Free, then $19/mo10 researched notesManage and distribute your podcast on Apple Podcasts
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Free, then $35/mo7 researched notesProfessional podcast hosting for businesses and creators
Free, then $19/mo11 researched notes
Softwr does not host reviews and shows no star rating for SoundCloud, because a rating we did not collect is not ours to publish. What is here is the pricing and platform detail from the vendor’s own pages, limitations we could state concretely, and alternatives a reviewer confirmed people weigh against it. Tell us if any of it is wrong.
More on SoundCloud
SoundCloud alternatives
What people switch to, and what they give up
SoundCloud pricing
Every tier, and where the cost actually lands
Compare SoundCloud
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