Firstory vs iono.fm

Firstory9.0Visit iono.fm8.0Visit

Higher score Firstory #5 in Podcast Hosting Platforms 9.0/10 Free plan · 14-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Firstory

vs

iono.fm #15 in Podcast Hosting Platforms 8.0/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 4 features Visit iono.fm

• Firstory fits best

  Budget-conscious creators wanting premium features

• iono.fm fits best

  Budget publishers needing advertising controls

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature	Firstory 9.0/10 Visit ↗	iono.fm 8.0/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.0	8.0
Ranking	#5 in Podcast Hosting Platforms	#15 in Podcast Hosting Platforms
Best for	Budget-conscious creators wanting premium features	Budget publishers needing advertising controls
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free plan + paid
Starting price	$7/mo	—
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	14 days	—
Deployment	Cloud	Cloud, Mobile
Platforms	Web	Web, iOS, Android
Support	Email, Live chat, Docs	Email, Phone, Docs
Integrations	11 integrations	8 integrations
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Enterprise
Features Firstory 4/4 · iono.fm 3/4
RSS feed	✓	✓
Monetization tools	✓	✓
Private podcasts	✓	✓
Video podcast support	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Specs
Directory distribution	Major directories	Major directories
Monthly upload hours	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Analytics level	Advanced	Advanced
Our review
Pros	Advanced analytics include audience demographics, geography, and listening times. AI creates transcripts, summaries, highlights, and newsletter drafts. Supports video, private RSS feeds, subscriptions, donations, and advertising.	Free plan and monthly pricing from $6 Dynamic pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll ad insertion Analytics include filters, realtime views, and CSV export
Cons	Video support is in early access and centers on Apple Podcasts synchronization. Built-in monetization is available only in selected regions. Spotify video requires a separate Spotify for Creators workflow.	The Free plan is limited to 1 show and 50 episodes AI speech transcription is an add-on The platform is web-based
Our verdict	Firstory is a podcast hosting platform for creators and media businesses that need episode publishing, RSS distribution, analytics, and audience-facing tools. It generates an RSS feed for each podcast, supports automatic or manual… Read the review →	iono.fm is a web-based podcast publishing and management platform for radio stations, media organizations, independent podcasters, and publishers. It combines RSS syndication, embeddable playback, listener analytics, audio-quality… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Firstory — where it wins

  • Advanced analytics include audience demographics, geography, and listening times.
  • AI creates transcripts, summaries, highlights, and newsletter drafts.
  • Supports video, private RSS feeds, subscriptions, donations, and advertising.

  Where it doesn't

  • Video support is in early access and centers on Apple Podcasts synchronization.
  • Built-in monetization is available only in selected regions.
  • Spotify video requires a separate Spotify for Creators workflow.

• iono.fm — where it wins

  • Free plan and monthly pricing from $6
  • Dynamic pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll ad insertion
  • Analytics include filters, realtime views, and CSV export

  Where it doesn't

  • The Free plan is limited to 1 show and 50 episodes
  • AI speech transcription is an add-on
  • The platform is web-based

• Firstory9.0/10 · Free plan · 14-day trial

  A low-cost podcast host combining advanced analytics, AI tools, video, and monetization.

  Visit FirstoryFull verdict →
• iono.fm8.0/10 · Free plan

  A low-cost podcast host for publishers that need syndication and dynamic ad insertion.

  Visit iono.fmFull verdict →