Auphonic vs RSS.com

Auphonic is an automatic audio post-production service from Graz, Austria. You upload a recording, pick a preset, and its algorithms level loudness between speakers, normalize to broadcast and podcast targets such as -16 LUFS, remove noise and hum, filter out low rumble and balance multitrack recordings so every voice sits at the same level. It then encodes the result in the formats you need and can publish straight to podcast hosts, YouTube, Dropbox or an FTP server.

Beyond cleanup, Auphonic adds speech recognition for transcripts and subtitles, automatic chapter marks, cut detection for fillers and silences, and ID3 metadata with cover art. Pricing is based on processing hours: a free tier gives two hours a month, recurring plans add more hours each month, and one-time credits never expire, which suits shows that publish irregularly. A REST API and desktop apps let teams automate the whole pipeline.

It is ideal for podcasters, radio stations, universities and video producers who want consistent, professional sound without learning mixing. It is not an editor: you cannot cut a story or rearrange segments, so it is usually paired with Audacity, Descript or a DAW. Compared with Adobe Podcast Enhance, Auphonic gives more control over loudness targets and output formats; compared with manual processing in iZotope RX, it is faster and far cheaper but less precise on difficult recordings.

RSS.com is a podcast hosting platform launched in 2018 by co-founders Alberto Betella and Ben Richardson, operated by RSS America, LLC. Its core job: host your audio or video episodes, generate the RSS feed and push the show to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube and other directories.

Every account gets unlimited episodes and storage, a free podcast website with an embeddable player, IAB-certified cross-platform analytics, episode scheduling and Podcasting 2.0 tags for chapters, soundbites and transcripts. Monetisation runs through RSS.com's PAID programmatic ads (pre, mid and post-roll), Apple Podcasts subscriptions, a donation button and Value 4 Value. The Free plan covers one show; Plus adds AI transcripts and ads, Pro raises the limit to 10 shows with unlimited team members, and Max adds video podcasts and API access.

RSS.com suits independent creators who want a real free tier and simple pricing, and small networks that need several shows in one account. It is lighter on private podcasting and enterprise features than Transistor, Buzzsprout has more polished guides and episode-level marketing tools, and Captivate offers stronger built-in growth and CTA features. Spotify for Creators is cheaper (free) but ties you closer to one platform.

Buying tip: the Free plan really is free with no expiry, but you must add a credit card before uploading a second episode. Annual billing cuts 25% off every paid tier, paid plans carry a 30-day money-back guarantee, and podcasters moving from another host can get three free months on any paid plan.