Comparison

Podstatus vs Podtrac: downloads are just one number

Podtrac tells you how many people downloaded your episodes. But it does not tell you where you rank, what keywords bring listeners, how your reviews are trending, or what competitors are doing. Podstatus fills the gaps Podtrac leaves open.

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Podstatus podcast analytics dashboard

Downloads do not tell the full story

Knowing your download numbers is important. But downloads alone do not explain why your podcast is growing or stalling. Are you ranking in the right categories? Are listeners finding you through search? What are your competitors doing differently? Podtrac cannot answer these questions. Podstatus can.

Feature comparison

Feature Podtrac Podstatus
Download measurement Yes (IAB certified) Via OP3 integration
Audience sizing Yes No
Industry rankings (by downloads) Yes No
Chart / ranking tracking No 3 platforms, 175 countries, hourly
Review monitoring No 175 countries, with alerts
Keyword tracking No Yes
SEO analyzer No Yes
Competitor monitoring No Yes
Spotify tracking No Yes
iVoox tracking No Yes
YouTube podcast tracking No Yes
Email reports No Daily, weekly, monthly
PDF reports No Yes (Document Studio)
Free plan Yes (basic measurement) No (7-day free trial)

Better together — or Podstatus on its own

Podtrac and Podstatus measure different things. You can use both, or choose the one that matches what you need most.

Podtrac alone

You know how many downloads you get. You do not know where you rank, how people find you, or what competitors are doing. Good for download reporting, limited for growth.

Podstatus alone

You know your rankings, reviews, keywords, SEO health, and competitor movements. OP3 integration gives you download data. A complete growth picture in one dashboard.

Both together

IAB-certified download numbers from Podtrac plus rankings, SEO, and competitive intelligence from Podstatus. The most complete analytics setup available.

What Podtrac does well

Podtrac is the industry standard for IAB-certified podcast download measurement. If you need verified download numbers for advertisers or sponsors, Podtrac's certification carries weight. Their industry rankings by download volume are also unique.

But download measurement is one dimension of podcast analytics. Rankings, reviews, keyword discoverability, SEO health, and competitive positioning are equally important for growing your audience — and those are all areas where Podstatus delivers.

Frequently asked questions

They measure different things. Podtrac focuses on download counting and audience measurement with IAB certification. Podstatus focuses on discoverability and performance: chart rankings, reviews, keyword positions, SEO analysis, and competitor tracking across Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and iVoox.

Podtrac offers free basic download measurement. Premium features start around $20/month. Podstatus starts at $5/month and focuses on a completely different set of metrics — rankings, reviews, keywords, SEO, and competitors.

Yes. Many podcasters use Podtrac for IAB-certified download reporting and Podstatus for rankings, reviews, keywords, and competitive intelligence. The two tools complement each other because they cover different areas of podcast analytics.

Podstatus integrates with OP3, an open-source podcast analytics project, to provide download statistics. For IAB-certified download numbers, Podtrac is the standard. Podstatus is built for the metrics beyond downloads: where you rank, how you are discovered, and how you compare to competitors.

Not necessarily. If your main concern is understanding your podcast's discoverability — rankings, keywords, SEO, reviews, competitors — Podstatus alone covers that with OP3 download data included. If you specifically need IAB-certified download numbers for sponsor reporting, adding Podtrac makes sense.

Podstatus is designed for growth. It shows you where you rank, what keywords drive discovery, how your SEO can improve, and what competitors are doing. Podtrac tells you how many people already listened — valuable data, but it does not tell you how to reach more listeners.

Your podcast needs more than download numbers.

Rankings, reviews, keywords, SEO, and competitor tracking across Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and iVoox. Start understanding your growth.

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