Castopod vs Firstory
Castopod
castopod.org
Firstory
firstory.meSide by side
| Figure | Castopod | Firstory |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | €9.96/mo | $7/mo |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 6 | 4 |
| Spec score · Podcast hosting platforms | 8.6 (#12) | 9.2 (#3) |
| Analytics | Built-in analytics use IABv2 audience measurement, run on premises without a third party, and are described as GDPR, CCPA, and LGPD compliant. | Firstory combines Apple and other RSS data with official Spotify data in its listening analytics. |
| Analytics level | advanced | advanced |
| Directory distribution | major directories | major directories |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Monetization options include funding links, listen-to-click ads, value4value or WebMonetization, and premium podcasts. | The platform supports dynamic ads, one-time donations, recurring subscriptions, and cross-platform membership payments. |
| Monetization tools | Yes | Yes |
| Private podcasts | Yes | Yes |
| RSS feed | Yes | Yes |
| Support | The documentation directs users to Discord for help and the issue tracker for feature requests and bug reports. | Firstory says all users receive a reply within two business days and paid users within one business day. |
| Video podcast support | Yes | Yes |
Plans
Castopod
- Starter€9.96 a month
- Podcaster€24 a month
- Network€96 a month
- Starter€119.52 a year
- Podcaster€288 a year
- Network€1,152 a year
Firstory
- Firstory FreeFree
- Firstory Lite$7 a month
- Firstory Pro$15 a month
- Firstory Enterprise$159 a month
In their own words
Firstory
Firstory is a podcast hosting platform for creators who want to publish, distribute, promote, and monetize shows. Uploading audio and video together in one go lets creators publish both formats, then distribute to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, KKBOX, and more than 10 platforms. Distribution is one-click for Spotify, KKBOX, and Pocket Casts; several other directories require manual distribution. AI Studio can create transcripts, summaries, highlights, newsletter drafts, questions and answers, keywords, and topic tags after upload. Analytics cover plays, audience profiles, and episode performance, combining RSS data with official Spotify data. Daily Spotify charts and listener and follower metrics are limited to Pro and higher. Promotion tools include FLink, a link for listening platforms and social profiles, an automatically built show website, and an embeddable player. Monetization options include dynamic ads, donations, recurring subscriptions, and cross-platform memberships. The free plan allows one show and one AI content extraction episode per month. Paid plans start at $7/mo, with a 14-day trial; annual billing saves 22%.