Firstory vs JustCast

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%.

JustCast hosts podcasts and helps users turn content into episodes for distribution to listeners. The web service can import audio from a connected Dropbox show folder or schedule episodes to publish automatically later. JustCast AI can produce episode transcripts, title ideas, introductions, chapter markers, and social media posts. Private podcasts use unique RSS feeds and remain unlisted on public platforms such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Listeners can be added manually or by CSV upload; Kit and Flodesk can add subscribers and provide their feed links. A Shopify integration links products to private podcasts and lets users sell access through Shopify. The customizable, mobile-friendly player can be embedded on websites and social media. Plans start at $9/mo and include a 14-day trial; there is no free plan. Starter costs $9 a month and includes two podcasts and 200 minutes of transcript, while Professional costs $19 a month with six podcasts and 600 minutes. Business costs $70 a month with unlimited podcasts and 2,000 transcript minutes. Each plan includes unlimited episodes and listeners.