Head-to-head comparison

EarBuds Podcast Collective vs Podnews

Two of the resources tools podcasters reach for. Here's how they differ on pricing, features, audience, and the trade-offs that actually matter day-to-day.

Weekly curated podcast recommendations newsletter, each themed by a different guest curator.

Best for: Podcast discovery newsletter

Daily podcast industry news read every weekday morning by working podcasters.

Best for: Industry news

At a glance

Field
EarBuds Podcast Collective
Podnews
Best for
Podcast discovery newsletter
Industry news
Price tier
Freeverify
Freeverify
Platforms
Web
Web
Audience
Solo creatorsSmall teams
Solo creatorsSmall teamsAgenciesEnterprise

The honest trade-offs

EarBuds Podcast Collective

Pros

  • Different curator each week
  • Themed lists are focused
  • Human-curated, not algorithmic

Watch-outs

  • Curator quality varies
  • Five episodes per week is light
  • Listener-focused not creator-focused

Podnews

Pros

  • Updated every weekday since 2017
  • Genuinely global coverage
  • Free with no paywall

Watch-outs

  • Inside-baseball tone
  • Not for casual listeners
  • Light on creative craft topics

Which one should you pick?

Pick EarBuds Podcast Collective if

You’re building around podcast discovery newsletter. Arielle Nissenblatt's EarBuds has been running since 2017 and just celebrated eight years. Each weekly email is themed and curated by a different volunteer — five episode recommendations on one topic, made by humans not algorithms.

Pick Podnews if

You’re building around industry news. If you only read one podcast newsletter, this is it. James Cridland's daily dispatch is short, dense, and global — heavy on platform moves, hires, and tech changes.

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Frequently asked

What does EarBuds Podcast Collective do better than Podnews?

EarBuds Podcast Collective's standout is "Different curator each week". Podnews doesn't make that promise — it leans into "Updated every weekday since 2017" instead. If the first sentence describes your workflow, pick EarBuds Podcast Collective; if the second does, pick Podnews.

What are the trade-offs?

EarBuds Podcast Collective: curator quality varies. Podnews: inside-baseball tone. Whether either matters depends entirely on what you actually need — neither is a deal-breaker by itself.

Can I use EarBuds Podcast Collective and Podnews together?

Both are resources tools so most teams pick one. Some workflows do combine them — for example, using EarBuds Podcast Collective for one show or episode type and Podnews for another. Worth trying both free tiers before committing.