Hilite vs OpenStudio
Hilite
hellohilite.comOpenStudio
github.comSide by side
| Figure | Hilite | OpenStudio |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $19/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 3 | 1 |
| Spec score · Podcast Recording Software | 8.1 (#10) | 7.7 (#13) |
| Security | Hilite says it uses administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards designed to protect personal information. | The project describes 24-hour JWT room tokens, scoped invite tokens, role-based access, WebSocket message caps, per-IP connection limits, rate limits, CORS controls, and hardened security headers. |
Plans
In their own words
Hilite
Hilite is a browser-based podcast platform for recording, editing, enhancing, publishing, and sharing episodes. It runs in any modern browser and supports local recording, video recording, separate participant tracks, and WAV and MP3 audio export. Transcription turns recordings into text that creators can edit to change an episode. AI audio enhancement cleans background noise and balances levels, and AI-generated transcripts are included in every plan. Pro and Business add AI-generated titles, descriptions, and show notes, plus one-click distribution to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other directories. Pro includes analytics and listener insights; Business includes advanced analytics. The Free plan costs nothing and includes one episode per month, up to 30 minutes of recording and enhancement, one collaborator, and one file. Pro costs $19 a month, billed monthly, for 10 episodes monthly, up to four hours of recording and enhancement, five collaborators, and unlimited files. Business costs $49 a month, billed monthly, with unlimited episodes, up to 20 hours of recording and enhancement, unlimited collaborators, and unlimited version history. Each plan starts with a seven-day trial; no card is required and the trial does not trigger an automatic charge.
OpenStudio
OpenStudio is a free, self-hosted virtual broadcast studio for live call-in shows, multi-host podcasts, and community radio. It runs through web, API, and self-hosted deployments. Browser sessions use peer-to-peer WebRTC mesh audio with mix-minus monitoring for around 15 participants. Operators can send programs through Icecast to unlimited listeners on their own domain. The browser records separate voice tracks and a program mix, exporting WAV or WebM; MP3 export requires ffmpeg. Optional on-device tools add whisper.cpp transcription, audio cleaning, and LLM-generated show notes. Show notes can connect to OpenAI-compatible endpoints, including LM Studio, Ollama, OpenAI, Together AI, and Groq; Anthropic needs a compatibility shim. Self-hosted broadcasts have unlimited airtime, while the live demo expires after 15 minutes. Setup uses git clone, npm install, and npm start, opening localhost:6736. Hosts currently share room URLs manually because invite-link creation is not exposed.