Auphonic vs Spreaker

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.

Spreaker is a podcast hosting, distribution and monetisation platform owned by iHeartMedia, the largest US radio and podcast publisher, which bought Spreaker's parent company Voxnest in 2020. Spreaker Inc. now operates as an iHeartMedia company, and its technology also hosts iHeart's own on-demand audio. Its core job is to host episodes, push them to every major podcast app and help shows earn money from ads and listeners.

The free Free Speech plan covers one podcast with unlimited episodes, automatic distribution to Apple Podcasts, Spotify and iHeartRadio and access to ad monetisation. Paid plans add unlimited podcasts, private and subscription podcasts including Apple Podcasts Subscriptions, longer statistics retention and collaborators. The Supporters Club lets listeners pay a monthly fee, with a 20% platform cut on the free plan and 0% on paid plans. Publisher adds an Ad Campaign Manager to sell and traffic your own ads, plus IAB category blocking for revenue share.

Spreaker fits independent podcasters who want to monetise from day one and networks that need ad trafficking tools at a fixed monthly fee. Its interface feels dated, analytics on the free plan stop at six months, and ad revenue depends on audience size and US-heavy demand. Buzzsprout is simpler for beginners, Podbean offers similar monetisation with a polished app, and Acast is stronger for premium sponsorships.

Spreaker is one of the largest hosts by new episode volume: Podnews data from October 2025 put it second, with 18.5% of new episodes, behind Spotify.