Firstory vs Pinecast
Firstory
firstory.me
Pinecast
pinecast.comSide by side
| Figure | Firstory | Pinecast |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $7/mo | $10/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 4 | 7 |
| Spec score · Podcast hosting platforms | 9.2 (#3) | 8.5 (#17) |
| Spec score · Podcast Monetization Platforms | 9.1 (#3) | 8.3 (#15) |
| Analytics | Firstory combines Apple and other RSS data with official Spotify data in its listening analytics. | Its analytics provide near-realtime data, adjustable time ranges and granularity, chart explanations, and CSV downloads. |
| Directory distribution | major directories | major directories |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Integrations | The comparison page lists Apple Podcast subscriptions, Discord, Zapier auto-email, and corporate bank payout. | Pinecast notifications can be sent by email, Slack, Discord, or webhooks. |
| Monetization | The platform supports dynamic ads, one-time donations, recurring subscriptions, and cross-platform membership payments. | The Tip Jar supports recurring or one-month subscriptions, private premium episodes, subscriber messages, and payouts to a bank or debit card. |
| Monetization tools | Yes | Yes |
| Private podcasts | Yes | Yes |
| Product | Firstory is a podcast hosting platform for creators. | Pinecast describes itself as a batteries-included podcast hosting platform. |
| RSS feed | Yes | Yes |
| Paid from | 7 | 10 |
| Support | Firstory says all users receive a reply within two business days and paid users within one business day. | Pinecast directs users to email support, a message form in the signed-in dashboard, or its help center. |
Plans
Firstory
- Firstory FreeFree
- Firstory Lite$7 a month
- Firstory Pro$15 a month
- Firstory Enterprise$159 a month
Pinecast
- Free planFree
- Starter plan$10 a month
- Pro Analytics add-on$10 a month
- Crew add-on$10 a month
- Growth add-on$10 a month
- Hi-Fi add-on$15 a month
- Free planPrice not published
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%.
Pinecast
Pinecast is a web-based podcast hosting platform with RSS distribution, monetization tools and private podcasts. It supports submitting shows to apps including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Pandora and Pocket Casts. Analytics offer near-real-time data, adjustable time ranges and detail, chart explanations and CSV downloads. The Tip Jar supports recurring or one-month subscriptions, private premium episodes, subscriber messages and payouts to a bank or debit card. A customizable podcast website can be created without coding, and a WordPress Sync plugin creates posts for podcast episodes. Notifications can go by email, Slack, Discord or webhooks. The free plan is free, with no time limit, and includes 2 shows, 10 episodes and 48MB file sizes. Starter is $10 a month, billed $110 / Year, with unlimited shows, no episode limit, 80MB file sizes plus a bonus, premium analytics, free transcripts and a podcast website. Add-ons are listed separately, including Pro Analytics, Crew and Growth at $10 a month each, and Hi-Fi at $15 a month.