Spreaker vs Zencastr Comparison 2026
Both cover audio & podcasting. Here is what separates them on price, billing, what you can take with you, and coverage.
Hosting with programmatic ads on the free plan
Remote recording with a local track each side
At a glance
- Spreaker starts cheaper, at $20.
- Both have a genuinely free tier.
Side by side
Spreaker | Zencastr | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $20 | From $24 |
| Pricing model | Free plan, paid tiers | Free plan, paid tiers |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | Not stated | Not stated |
| Free trial | Not stated | 14 days |
| API | Not stated | Not stated |
| Data export | Not stated | Not stated |
| Their cut | None | None |
| Runs on (they differ) | Web, iOS, Android |
Shaded rows are where the two answers disagree and both listings have answered. A row where one side has not stated a fact is left plain, because silence is not a difference.
Spreaker
Hosting with programmatic ads on the free plan
Spreaker hosts a show and sells advertising against it, which is the reason to pick it over a host that only stores files. Dynamic ad insertion means a slot can be filled and refilled after an episode is published, so a back catalogue keeps earning. The free plan carries a storage cap and takes a fifth of anything a supporters club brings in. Paid plans drop that fee to nothing and raise the limits.
Only on this side
- Covers ad networks
Zencastr
Remote recording with a local track each side
Zencastr records each guest on their own machine and uploads the file afterwards, so a bad connection ruins the live monitor rather than the recording. That is the whole reason to use a tool like this instead of a call recorder. Video is recorded the same way. Editing, transcription and distribution sit on top, which means a short interview show can start and finish in one place rather than moving files between four tools.
Our note
Compare the hours each tier includes against how often you actually record before choosing, because that is what moves you up a band rather than audience size. Riverside is the closer comparison if video quality is the deciding factor.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.