AX3Sonic vs Hiro.fm
AX3Sonic
ax3sonic.com
Hiro.fm
hiro.fmSide by side
| Figure | AX3Sonic | Hiro.fm |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $2.50/mo | $47.50/mo |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 19 | 8 |
| Spec score · Private Podcast Platforms | 8.9 (#2) | 8.2 (#8) |
| Privacy | AX3Sonic says it does not sell personal information and uses technical and organizational measures to protect it. | Hiro's privacy policy says it does not sell personal information and describes data sharing with service providers for specified purposes. |
| Product | AX3Sonic describes itself as an audio-first publishing platform for podcasts, narrations, events, and shorts. | Hiro provides tools to create and sell private podcasts, audio courses and audiobooks. |
| Security | The homepage claims bank-level encryption, SSO integration, and SOC 2, GDPR, and HIPAA compliance. | Hiro says it follows industry standards to protect personal information, does not access full card numbers, and encrypts its most sensitive stored data. |
| Support | The maker lists [email protected] for press inquiries, partnerships, and media requests. | Hiro's help center offers knowledge base articles for setup, shows, integrations, mobile apps, automations and contacting support. |
| Trial | The pricing page advertises a 7-day free trial, while the SonicVoice product page says its free trial requires no credit card. | Hiro's features page invites visitors to start a free trial but does not state its duration there. |
Plans
AX3Sonic
- Extra Bandwidth$2.50 a month
- Extra Internal Seats$2.50 a month
- Extra Storage$2.50 a month
- +5 Narrations$4.99, paid once
- AI Credit Pack — 10 credits$5, paid once
- AI Credit Pack — 10 credits$5, paid once
- Studio Voice$9.99 a month
- Studio Voice$9.99 a month
- +15 Narrations$12.99, paid once
- AI Credit Pack — 50 credits$20, paid once
Hiro.fm
- Solo$57 a month
- Solo Lifetime$67, paid once
- Business$97 a month
- Producer$97, paid once
- Agency$125 a month
- Solo$570 a year
- Business$970 a year
- Agency$1,197 a year
In their own words
AX3Sonic
AX3Sonic is a web-based audio publishing platform for podcasts, narrations, events, and short-form content. SonicVoice converts URLs, articles, and emails into AI narration, with an embeddable player, lead capture, and analytics. The first 5,000 characters per narration are included in the plan; longer content is billed in 1,000-character increments. SonicComposer supports AI-assisted podcast creation, collaboration, and publishing to public or private branded portals. SonicFinisher creates audiograms and captioned shorts, masters audio, and exports MP3, MP4, or WAV. AX3SONIC Studio provides browser-based audio and video recording with multi-participant sessions, guests, and screen sharing. The SonicVoice player can be embedded in WordPress, Webflow, Ghost, or Drupal, and a WordPress plugin is included. AX3Sonic advertises a seven-day free trial; the SonicVoice page says no credit card is required. The service is invite-only. Paid options include one-time narration and AI-credit packs, monthly voice plans, and an Enterprise option with custom pricing.
Hiro.fm
Hiro.fm gives creators and businesses tools to make and sell private podcasts, audio courses, and audiobooks. A show can be built from uploaded audio or video, material imported from YouTube or an existing podcast, or video converted to MP3. Each show has a no-code sales page where listeners can play audio in a browser without downloading an app. Creators can limit access by person and duration; Business plans also allow episodes to be dripped or scheduled. Listener insights show who listened and when and for how long. Integrations include Zapier, with connections described for Stripe, Telnyx or Twilio, and Go High Level. SMS and WhatsApp messaging are available, subject to usage limits or third-party charges. Solo costs $57 a month and includes one creator account, three podcasts, 5,000 downloads per month, three keyword opt-ins, and ten automations; it excludes drip and scheduled releases. A free trial is offered, with no duration stated. Hiro lists Android, iOS, web, and API access.