PowerPress Podcasting by Blubrry vs MP3 Audio Player by Sonaar
Updated 13 Oct 2026. 21 features compared side by side.
Free Blubrry plugin that builds Apple/Spotify-ready podcast feeds from WordPress posts, with players, Podcasting 2.0 tags and optional hosting.
Audio and podcast player with RSS import, playlists, Elementor and block support; Pro adds a sticky player, chapters, auto-sync and stats.
Choose PowerPress Podcasting by Blubrry if…
- You need podcast media hosting and video podcasts
- You also want private & premium feeds and guest & host profiles
- You want the more complete feature set (84/100 vs 55/100)
Choose MP3 Audio Player by Sonaar if…
- You need sticky player and auto-sync new episodes
- You weigh user ratings (4.8 vs 4.6 on WordPress.org)
PowerPress Podcasting by Blubrry includes 4 features that MP3 Audio Player by Sonaar lacks, including Video podcasts, Podcast media hosting and Private & premium feeds; MP3 Audio Player by Sonaar has 2 that PowerPress Podcasting by Blubrry lacks, including Sticky player and Auto-sync new episodes. Both include 11 of the 21 features we track. 3 features are not yet verified for one or both plugins.
At a glance
Feature comparison
Click a screenshot to see both plugins side by side.
PowerPress Podcasting by Blubrry MP3 Audio Player by SonaarPublishing7/73/7
Adds podcast enclosures and tags to WordPress feeds or dedicated podcast feeds.
Podcast page mentions generating your own RSS feed, but no plan or settings are documented.
Apple Podcasts fields, artwork checks and a Destinations tab for submitting to directories.
Podcast Channels plus category, taxonomy and post-type podcasting for several shows.
Supports multiple podcast feeds and shows in the free version.
Episodes are WordPress posts, so they can be scheduled to publish at a future date.
Upload or link SRT/VTT transcripts in the feed; automatic transcripts with Blubrry hosting.
Episode notes and transcripts shown on the page or in a lightbox; not added to a feed.
JSON chapter files or placeholders added via the Podcasting 2.0 chapters tag.
Chapters and timestamp links that jump playback to a point.
Video players (MediaElement.js, VideoJS, HTML5) and YouTube embeds for video episodes.
Audio player; Pro lightbox popups can only embed videos.
Player3/44/4
Automatic or shortcode player above or below episode content.
Block, Elementor widget or shortcode player for episodes and playlists.
No persistent player across page loads is offered.
Sticky footer player with continuous playback between pages.
Choice of players with download/new-window links; brand colours need the hosted Blubrry player.
Layouts, colours, waveform and download buttons free; 70+ style options in Pro.
Playlist player shortcode lists episodes, filterable by channel, category or IDs.
Unlimited playlists and tracklists from imported episodes or an RSS feed.
Hosting & importing2/32/3
Blubrry hosting stores media with unlimited downloads; plans start at $7/month.
Audio is uploaded to your site or streamed from your host; no vendor hosting.
Import Podcast tool brings in episodes from Libsyn, Podbean, SoundCloud and others.
Built-in importer turns RSS episodes into posts with their own URLs.
Episodes are published from WordPress; imports are one-off rather than ongoing sync.
Fetches new episodes from your host at an interval you set.
Growth & analytics5/54/5
Free basic Blubrry stats in the dashboard; IAB-certified advanced stats on paid plans.
Listen counts, downloads and top-played charts in admin; GA events.
Subscribe button, generated subscribe page and mobile-friendly sidebar widget.
Free call-to-action buttons per album; dedicated podcast subscribe buttons listed as Pro.
Podcasting SEO settings: feed episode titles plus AudioObject/VideoObject schema.
Imported episodes get their own URL for SEO; no episode schema documented.
Password-protect custom channels for users with the Premium Subscriber role.
Business plan only hides download buttons by role; no private feeds.
Funding and Value4Value tags free; programmatic ads via Blubrry Advanced/Pro hosting.
Audio previews with pre/post-roll ads and WooCommerce selling.
Guests & booking1/20/2
No guest application or scheduling tool integration.
No guest booking features.
Person/credits tags for hosts and guests in the feed only, not on-site profile pages.
No guest or host profiles.
Statuses: Yes Pro Add-on Partial 3rd-party No ?
Pricing compared
PowerPress Podcasting by Blubrry Freemium
| Free | $0 |
|---|---|
| Free plugin | Free per year, Unlimited |
| Standard 1.5 hosting | $7 per month, 1 site |
| Standard 3 hosting | $15 per month, 1 site |
| Advanced 6 hosting | $25 per month, 1 site |
| Advanced 12 hosting | $50 per month, 1 site |
| Pro Unlimited hosting | $100 per month, Multiple shows |
MP3 Audio Player by Sonaar Freemium
| Free | $0 |
|---|---|
| Free | Free per year, Unlimited |
| Starter | $49 per year, 1 site |
| Business | $99 per year, 1 site |
| Unlimited | $149 per year, Unlimited |
| Lifetime | $399 lifetime, Unlimited |
Downloads trend
PowerPress Podcasting by Blubrry
16,265 downloads last week
MP3 Audio Player by Sonaar
5,028 downloads last week
Verdict
PowerPress Podcasting by Blubrry scores higher on our feature checklist (84/100 against 55/100) and includes podcast media hosting, video podcasts and private & premium feeds that MP3 Audio Player by Sonaar does not. MP3 Audio Player by Sonaar still has the edge on sticky player and auto-sync new episodes. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.
Biggest differences
PowerPress Podcasting by Blubrry: paid version (Standard 1.5 hosting). MP3 Audio Player by Sonaar: not included. Blubrry hosting stores media with unlimited downloads; plans start at $7/month.
PowerPress Podcasting by Blubrry: included. MP3 Audio Player by Sonaar: not included. Video players (MediaElement.js, VideoJS, HTML5) and YouTube embeds for video episodes.
PowerPress Podcasting by Blubrry: not included. MP3 Audio Player by Sonaar: paid version (Starter). Sticky footer player with continuous playback between pages.
PowerPress Podcasting by Blubrry: not included. MP3 Audio Player by Sonaar: paid version (Starter). Fetches new episodes from your host at an interval you set.
PowerPress Podcasting by Blubrry: included. MP3 Audio Player by Sonaar: not included. Password-protect custom channels for users with the Premium Subscriber role.
PowerPress Podcasting by Blubrry: partial. MP3 Audio Player by Sonaar: not included. Person/credits tags for hosts and guests in the feed only, not on-site profile pages.
Written from the feature, pricing and install data on this page, not from hands-on testing. How we compare.
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PowerPress Podcasting by Blubrry vs others
FAQ
Which is better, PowerPress Podcasting by Blubrry or MP3 Audio Player by Sonaar?
PowerPress Podcasting by Blubrry scores higher on our feature checklist (84/100 against 55/100) and includes podcast media hosting, video podcasts and private & premium feeds that MP3 Audio Player by Sonaar does not. MP3 Audio Player by Sonaar still has the edge on sticky player and auto-sync new episodes. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.
Which has more features?
PowerPress Podcasting by Blubrry includes 18 of the 21 features we track, against 13 for MP3 Audio Player by Sonaar. Feature count is only part of the picture; check which of the differences matter to you.
Is PowerPress Podcasting by Blubrry free?
PowerPress Podcasting by Blubrry has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at $7/mo.
Is MP3 Audio Player by Sonaar free?
MP3 Audio Player by Sonaar has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at $49/yr.
Feature data last changed 13 Oct 2026. Spotted something wrong? Suggest an edit to PowerPress Podcasting by Blubrry or MP3 Audio Player by Sonaar. Some links are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no cost to you; it never affects our data or rankings.