Audio tools / Compare
Castos vs Fireside
Both do 1 of the same audio tools task. Below is what each says about its own limits and pricing, and how each ranks on signals we can measure or quote.
Disclosure: agathox makes some of the tools listed here. They are labelled and scored by the same method as every other tool.
A
Castos
Castos is the podcast hosting platform with private podcasting, monetization, and analytics built in. Start a 14-day free trial with free migration.
Signals score: 4.0 / 5 · not a hands-on test
Visit castos.comB
Fireside
Publish, distribute, and grow your podcast with reliable hosting, clear analytics, and personal support. Start with your Fireside account.
Signals score: 4.2 / 5 · not a hands-on test
Visit fireside.fmPricing, limits and privacy
- Free tier
- A: No free plan. Every plan has a 14-day free trial; a card is added at the start and not charged until the 14 days end.
- B: No free plan. 14-day trial on every plan; it starts after email confirmation, plan choice and adding payment information, and is not charged until it ends.
- Paid plan
- A: Monthly/annual in USD: Essentials $19/$190, Growth $49/$490, Pro $99/$990, Premium from $499/$4,990. Includes unlimited podcasts, episodes and downloads. Add-ons: extra private subscribers $50/month per 500, AI Assistant $10/month. No country-based pricing mentioned.
- B: Monthly/yearly in USD: Starter $9/$99, Standard $19/$209, Professional $49/$539. Extra podcasts $8/month each on Standard and Professional. Hiatus $5/month per podcast. Country-based pricing not mentioned.
- Signup
- A: Account needed: the trial requires registering and adding a card.
- B: Account needed for the trial and plans.
- Watermark
- A: Not stated.
- B: Fireside branding on the podcast site can be removed only on the Professional plan.
- Where files go
- A: Privacy page says Cloudflare stores podcast media, AssemblyAI generates transcripts and Anthropic generates AI show notes. Data may be processed in the U.S. and other countries. Cancelled accounts are kept for a limited, unstated period, then deleted.
- B: Storage location not stated. Uploaded MP3 files and images are kept until you delete them or cancel your account. Data may be processed outside your country.
From each tool's own pages, checked 2026-11-01. Prices and limits change; check the tool before you rely on them. Sources are listed on each tool's page.
Compare on a task
Neither tool has been hands-on tested on these tasks yet, and we do not guess. Open a task to see both ranked with every other tool.
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