Caster.fm bundles a free tier with an ad-supported radio website, a website CMS, and branded mobile apps on its Pro plan. CloudRadio is a single $39/mo plan with unlimited listeners, 750 GB of storage, and HLS streaming. Here is an honest, current comparison.
The closest apples-to-apples comparison is CloudRadio One ($39/mo) vs Caster.fm Cloud Plus ($34/mo). $5 of price, very different feature shapes.
| CloudRadio One · $39/mo | Caster.fm Cloud Plus · $34/mo | |
|---|---|---|
| Concurrent listeners | Unlimited | 1,000 slots |
| Data transfer | Unlimited | Moderated |
| Stream quality | 256 kbps AAC (HLS) + Icecast MP3 | 128 kbps |
| HLS adaptive streaming | 64 / 128 / 256 kbps AAC ladder | ✗ (Pro Large+ only) |
| AutoDJ (unattended playout) | Layered priority stack: live, schedule, rotation, fallback | ✗ (Pro plan only) |
| Media storage | 750 GB (~150,000 tracks) | ✗ |
| Show schedule / recordings | Schedule integrated with AutoDJ; no recording | Live recordings (1 hour max, 30 kept) |
| Radio website / mobile app / Alexa skill | Station page with QR code, 16 embeddable player designs | Radio website CMS; free mobile apps and Alexa skill on Pro only |
| Stream monitoring | Free checks every minute from four regions, with alerts (any stream) | Not listed |
Bottom line: CloudRadio is stronger on stream quality, HLS, storage, and listener scaling. Caster.fm is stronger if you want a bundled radio website CMS with live chat and song requests at a similar price, and its Pro plan (from $80/mo) adds free mobile apps and an Alexa skill.
Caster.fm splits into a free tier, a paid Cloud Plus tier, and three Pro tiers that scale storage, mount points, and HLS variants. AutoDJ starts on Pro.
| Plan | Price | Listeners | Bitrate | Storage | HLS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Cloud | Free | 400 slots | 96 kbps | ✗ | ✗ |
| Cloud Plus | $34/mo | 1,000 slots | 128 kbps | Recordings only (no AutoDJ) | ✗ |
| Pro Medium | $80/mo | Unlimited | 320 kbps | 2 GB AutoDJ | ✗ |
| Pro Large | $120/mo | Unlimited | 320 kbps | 5 GB AutoDJ | 2 variants |
| Pro Extra | $280/mo | Unlimited | 320 kbps | 10 GB AutoDJ | 4 variants |
Prices checked October 2026. On the Free Cloud tier, listeners tune in only through Caster.fm's ad-supported radio website and widgets (no direct stream link), and the server shuts down after 15 minutes with no source. Check caster.fm/compare for the latest.
HLS matters because it lets each listener get the best quality their connection can handle, with automatic switching when the connection wobbles. It is the format that powers Apple Music, YouTube, and modern in-car streaming.
Caster.fm gates HLS behind the Pro Large tier ($120/mo), which ships two HLS variants. Pro Extra at $280/mo ships four. CloudRadio includes a 64/128/256 kbps AAC HLS ladder on the $39/mo plan, plus a legacy Icecast MP3 endpoint for older players and directories.
Caster.fm Cloud Plus caps you at 1,000 simultaneous slots and describes the data transfer as "moderated", meaning bandwidth is not unlimited at this tier. To break past 1,000 listeners you need to jump to the Pro tier starting at $80/mo.
CloudRadio does not cap concurrent listeners or meter bandwidth at $39/mo. A station that breaks out from 100 to 5,000 listeners overnight does not need to upgrade or worry about throttling.
Caster.fm's strongest argument is the bundle. Every plan includes a radio website CMS, and Cloud Plus adds live chat and song requests to it. The Pro plan adds a free mobile app, a free Alexa skill, and integrations with Discord, Telegram, and webhooks. For community broadcasters who want everything under one roof, that bundle saves hours of integration work.
CloudRadio focuses on the broadcast core: stream delivery, automation, and reliability. We provide a free embeddable HTML5 player you can drop on any website, and every CloudRadio One station gets a station page: a full-screen player at its own link, with recently played songs, your social links and a printable QR code. We do not generate full radio websites or Alexa skills. If you already have a website, social channels, and a community, that focus keeps the platform simple and the price flat.
AutoDJ, the ability to upload tracks and have the server stream them automatically 24/7, is listed on Caster.fm's compare page as a Pro feature. Cloud Plus at $34/mo does not include it. You would need to run your own broadcast software (BUTT, SAM, mAirList) connected to the Icecast server to keep the station live.
CloudRadio bundles AutoDJ with 750 GB of storage on the $39/mo plan. You can upload tracks, build rotations, schedule shows, and set a fallback layer, all from the browser with no separate software.
No. CloudRadio does not run an ad-supported free tier. The lowest paid plan is $39/mo for the full One product, or $5/mo for classic Shoutcast or Icecast hosting if you already run your own AutoDJ software (RadioDJ, SAM, mAirList). We deliberately keep CloudRadio free of platform ads, in your stream and on your station page.
Yes. Download your audio library and re-upload it to CloudRadio. The trickier part is the stream URL: any link to your Caster.fm stream needs to be updated in players, embeds, mobile apps, and directory entries (TuneIn, Radio.net, MyTuner). Run both in parallel for a transition window so listeners do not lose service.
Yes, those are bundled with Caster.fm Pro and do not transfer. CloudRadio gives you a free embeddable HTML5 player and a stream URL that any third-party app builder, smart-speaker skill, or directory can ingest. If a branded mobile app is non-negotiable, stay on Caster.fm or use a third-party app builder on top of your CloudRadio stream URL.
Yes. The 64/128/256 kbps AAC HLS ladder is included on the $39/mo plan, alongside a legacy Icecast MP3 endpoint. There is no Pro tier upgrade required to get HLS.
$39/month, flat. Unlimited listeners, 750 GB storage, HLS streaming, and free stream monitoring for any Icecast, Shoutcast v2 or HLS stream.