show.fm vs MP3 Audio Player by Sonaar
Updated 13 Oct 2026. 21 features compared side by side.
Podcast hosting and production platform with a free WordPress plugin for players, episode lists, transcripts and auto-posting episodes as posts.
Audio and podcast player with RSS import, playlists, Elementor and block support; Pro adds a sticky player, chapters, auto-sync and stats.
Choose show.fm if…
- You need podcast media hosting and guest booking & applications
- You also want guest & host profiles
- You want the more complete feature set (89/100 vs 55/100)
Choose MP3 Audio Player by Sonaar if…
- You want the lower entry price ($49/yr vs $230/yr)
- You prefer the more widely used option
show.fm includes 3 features that MP3 Audio Player by Sonaar lacks, including Podcast media hosting, Guest booking & applications and Guest & host profiles. Both include 13 of the 21 features we track. 4 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.
show.fm MP3 Audio Player by SonaarPublishing6/73/7
show.fm builds and edge-hosts the RSS feed; the WordPress plugin itself does not create a feed.
Podcast page mentions generating your own RSS feed, but no plan or settings are documented.
Guided or one-click directory submissions with readiness checks for Apple, Spotify and others.
Free and Creator cover one show; Studio covers a few shows, Production House a whole network.
Supports multiple podcast feeds and shows in the free version.
Episodes can be scheduled in show.fm; synced WordPress posts are scheduled for the same time.
AI transcripts need AI credits (none on Free); Transcript block and podcast:transcript in the feed.
Episode notes and transcripts shown on the page or in a lightbox; not added to a feed.
Per-episode chapters output as podcast:chapters in the feed; WP player chapter display not documented.
Chapters and timestamp links that jump playback to a point.
Episode uploads accept MP3, M4A or WAV audio only.
Audio player; Pro lightbox popups can only embed videos.
Player4/44/4
Free Player block, shortcode and oEmbed for any public show.fm show, no account needed.
Block, Elementor widget or shortcode player for episodes and playlists.
Optional mini-player bar keeps audio playing with seek, speed and time left as visitors scroll.
Sticky footer player with continuous playback between pages.
Standard or compact size, light/dark/auto theme, accent colour, waveform toggle and theme fonts.
Layouts, colours, waveform and download buttons free; 70+ style options in Pro.
Episode list block with card or minimal style, list or grid, season filter and load more.
Unlimited playlists and tracklists from imported episodes or an RSS feed.
Hosting & importing3/32/3
Audio served from show.fm's media CDN; storage from 1 GB (Free) to 500 GB (Production House).
Audio is uploaded to your site or streamed from your host; no vendor hosting.
Migration wizard imports episodes, audio, transcripts and tags from an existing RSS feed; plan limits apply.
Built-in importer turns RSS episodes into posts with their own URLs.
Publish to WordPress turns new show.fm episodes into posts; needs a connected site on Creator or above.
Fetches new episodes from your host at an interval you set.
Growth & analytics4/54/5
IAB v2.2-aligned downloads and per-episode trends in the show.fm dashboard, not in WP admin.
Listen counts, downloads and top-played charts in admin; GA events.
show.fm listen pages show 'Listen on' app badges; the plugin has no subscribe-button block.
Free call-to-action buttons per album; dedicated podcast subscribe buttons listed as Pro.
Plugin adds episode structured data (on by default) and can place transcripts in posts.
Imported episodes get their own URL for SEO; no episode schema documented.
Business plan only hides download buttons by role; no private feeds.
Podcasting 2.0 funding and value-for-value Lightning splits; no ad insertion documented.
Audio previews with pre/post-roll ads and WooCommerce selling.
Guests & booking2/20/2
Booking links with calendar checks and custom questions; 1 link on Free, 5 on Creator.
No guest booking features.
Guest records, Guest Network and podcast:person credits; no guest profile pages in WordPress.
No guest or host profiles.
Statuses: Yes Pro Add-on Partial 3rd-party No ?
Pricing compared
show.fm Freemium
| Free | $0 |
|---|---|
| Free | Free per year, 1 site |
| Creator | $230 per year, 1 site |
| Studio | $566 per year, 3 sites |
| Production House | $1,430 per year, Unlimited |
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
show.fm
No WordPress.org download data (premium-only plugin).
MP3 Audio Player by Sonaar
5,196 downloads last week
Verdict
show.fm scores higher on our feature checklist (89/100 against 55/100) and includes podcast media hosting, guest booking & applications and guest & host profiles that MP3 Audio Player by Sonaar does not. Paid plans start at $230/yr for show.fm and $49/yr for MP3 Audio Player by Sonaar. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.
Biggest differences
show.fm: included. MP3 Audio Player by Sonaar: not included. Audio served from show.fm's media CDN; storage from 1 GB (Free) to 500 GB (Production House).
show.fm: included. MP3 Audio Player by Sonaar: not included. Booking links with calendar checks and custom questions; 1 link on Free, 5 on Creator.
show.fm: partial. MP3 Audio Player by Sonaar: not included. Guest records, Guest Network and podcast:person credits; no guest profile pages in WordPress.
Written from the feature, pricing and install data on this page, not from hands-on testing. How we compare.
Which would you choose?
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show.fm vs others
FAQ
Which is better, show.fm or MP3 Audio Player by Sonaar?
show.fm scores higher on our feature checklist (89/100 against 55/100) and includes podcast media hosting, guest booking & applications and guest & host profiles that MP3 Audio Player by Sonaar does not. Paid plans start at $230/yr for show.fm and $49/yr for MP3 Audio Player by Sonaar. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.
Which has more features?
show.fm includes 19 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 show.fm free?
show.fm has a free version. Paid plans start at $230/yr.
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 show.fm 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.