Look, I know hearing your own voice in a recording is super weird and sounds wrong and you just want to run away and hide forever…oh well, maybe it’s just me.
But I promise you after a while you get used to and the thing is you need to get used to it. Podcasts are a great tool for your sales funnel.
Before you get all worried about where to begin, here are two main hosting platforms that would make it all easier: Fusebox and Buzzsprout. In this post, we’ll compare all their main features so you can know which one is the best for you.
Fusebox vs Buzzsprout
Fusebox
Fusebox, previously known as Smart Podcast Player, is an easy-to-use podcast-hosting platform equipped with other cool podcast features. It was developed by Pat Flynn and relaunched in 2021 to offer more features.
Buzzsprout
Buzzsprout helps you host, promote and track your podcast. It was co-founded by Kevin Finn and Tom Rossi in 2008 and since then has helped over 120,000 people start their own podcasts.
Their headquarters are in Jacksonville, Florida.
Key features
Ease of use
Both Fusebox and Buzzsprout have a clean and minimal design that makes navigation super easy. You don’t need to know how to code to use any of them.
File support
First off, it’s important to note that both Fusebox and Buzzsprout only support audio. If you already have your podcast episode in a video format, you can still upload the file to Buzzsprout and they will automatically pull the audio.
If you want to incorporate videos into your podcast process, check out other podcast-hosting platforms like Blubrry.
Dashboard
On Buzzsprout’s dashboard, you’ll find the Magic Mastering feature. This tool optimizes audio files to make them sound really nice.
Both Fusebox and Buzzsprout have pain-free migration, so you can automate a lot of the podcast migration process from another host to them.
Podcast player
Buzzsprout’s player includes all the basic controls such as sharing, skipping forward and backward and changing the playback speed. Plus, the waveform that is front and center on each embedded player adds a cool visual component.
You can customize the information that’s shown, the colors and the details to match your branding.
Plus, thanks to the Dynamic Content tool, you can add and remove pre-roll and post-roll segments to and from your podcast episodes. That way, you can send a message to all of your listeners, regardless of the episode they are enjoying.
Fusebox has three players infused in one with its pro feature. Users get access to a single track player, full player and the site-wide sticky player. You can customize the colors to your likings and also switch from light to dark, depending on the best color scheme for readability.
Fusebox has a live demo player you can try out from their website. At first, I tried to use it but it kept saying “Loading”. Eventually, it loaded and I could play with the options.
With its “Featured Episodes” feature, you can showcase your “Must-Listen” episodes.
Artificial Intelligence
Last year, Buzzsprout launched Cohost AI, a tool that automatically generates episode titles, descriptions, chapter markers and transcripts. And not just a basic transcript: Cohost will include the speaker names, roles and timestamps.
Fusebox doesn’t have a similar tool for now. They do have integrated transcription options such as Rev and Temi to get text versions of your episodes.
Monetization
Buzzsprout offers you multiple ways to monetize your podcast. We can divide them in two: receiving money from your audience and receiving money from ads and sponsorships.
The first one is simple. You can offer exclusive content to paid subscribers with Buzzsprout Subscriptions or receive donations and boosts with V4V.
Buzzsprout supports card payments, Google Pay and Apple Pay.
Fusebox doesn’t provide you with monetization features.
Analytics
Fusebox shows you which app your audience uses to listen to your episodes, the type of device and the trendiest episodes.
Buzzsprout has an IAB Certified Compliant Statistics. Like Fusebox, they offer comprehensive, at-a-glance data that displays performance over time, episode downloads, listener location and technology used by listeners.
WordPress plugin
Fusebox has a WordPress plugin called Fusebox Classic (formerly Smart Podcast Player). It is still available for use by existing subscribers of that platform, and Fusebox will continue to support it as long as WordPress supports it.
Buzzsprout also has a plugin, Buzzsprout plugin, which is available to anyone using the podcast hosting platform.
Integrations
The Fusebox player integrates seamlessly with all the most popular podcasting platforms: Libsyn, PodBean, even Buzzsprout!
They also integrate with other tools that will help you promote your podcast, such as Mailchimp and Squarespace.
Buzzsprout also integrates with other podcast platforms like Podtrac and Chartable. It goes the extra mile and provides an API for its tech-savvy customers.
Apps
Buzzsprout offers an app for iOS so you can publish an episode or fix a typo on the go. They are currently working on an app for Android too.
Fusebox, sadly, doesn’t have a dedicated mobile app.
Team collaboration
Buzzsprout allows you to manage multiple podcasts with unlimited team members. Fusebox doesn’t offer collaboration features.
Other features
Buzzsprout will help you create a beautiful website that matches your style for your podcast. And you can put the website on your own domain.
Fusebox, on the other hand, offers a series of power-ups for your podcast.
They offer email capture to help you grow your email list.
Support and resources
You can email Buzzsprout’s support team if you have in-depth questions, and they usually respond within 25 minutes. I emailed them, and they answered in less than 3 minutes!
Wonderful.
They have an entire blog full of information, a Help section with how-tos and articles and a private Facebook community.
Their YouTube channel has a lot of videos. It used to be updated weekly, however they haven’t been very active lately.
Fusebox, on the contrary, doesn’t have that many resources. They have a blog and a very limited knowledge base. But the support team replied quite quickly: they answered me in less than 3 hours.
Pricing
Fusebox has two plans and a 14-day free trial for both:
- Starter: $9 per month. It includes unlimited episode uploads and a single-track player.
- Pro: $19 per month. Access the archive player, the sticky player and others. Plus, get API access.
You can pay monthly or annually.
Buzzprout offers a free plan where you can upload 2 hours of new content each cycle, and each episode has 90 days before it is deleted from your Buzzsprout account. Then, there are three paid plans:
- Upload 3 hours each month: $12 per month. You also get to host episodes indefinitely and import podcasts for free.
- Upload 6 hours each month: $18 per month.
- Upload 12 hours each month: $24 per month.
Except for the free plan, the rest offer the option to add Magic Mastering and Cohost AI for an extra fee.
Overage hours are priced individually and range from $2/per hour to $4/hour, depending on your monthly plan. And no, you can’t pay annually, only monthly.
Fusebox Pros and Cons
Pros
Thanks to its integrations and its multiple podcast players, Fusebox gives you a really cool delivery experience. Moreover, with its email capture feature, you can entice listeners to sign up for your newsletter and build a solid sales funnel.
Cons
There’s not a free plan. Since it’s intended for podcasters who have their own website or blog, it lacks a lot of useful features available on Buzzsprout.
Buzzsprout Pros and Cons
Pros
Buzzsprout has a ton of learning resources, plus the power of artificial intelligence, making the whole process of using their software as smooth as it can be.
It helps you build a website, allows you to invite unlimited team members and much more.
Cons
It’s more expensive than Fusebox.
Verdict
Fusebox and Buzzsprout are two great awesome tools to create and manage your podcast. However, as we’ve seen above, they are quite different and Buzzsprout is much more powerful. Besides, it has a free plan, so users can rest assured there’s no big commitment from the start.
So, yes, Buzzsprout is our winner today.
What do you think?
Have you used Fusebox or Buzzsprout?
If so, tell us what you think about them in the comments!
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