Compact WP Audio Player vs Podlove Podcast Publisher
Compare WordPress plugins and tools side by side. Pick products with “Compare” in the software directory.
| Feature | Compact WP Audio Player v1.9.15 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free · ★ 4.1/5 Visit Details | Podlove Podcast Publisher v4.5.8 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.4/5 Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Active installs | 20,000+ | 3,000+ |
| Last updated | August 17, 2026 | October 14, 2026 |
| Editions | Compact Audio Player | Podlove Podcast Publisher · Podlove Plus ($) |
| Pros | Compact player for MP3 and OGG files; Shortcodes for inline players in posts; Works on desktop and mobile browsers | Podcast shows, episodes and feeds in WordPress; Chapters, transcripts and an embedded web player; Modular design, so unused features stay off |
| Cons | No built-in podcast feed or playlist management; Plays only the audio files you link to; Shows a banner promoting a separate checkout plugin | Paid Plus service is promoted in the admin; Several modules call outside services; Large plugin with many modules to configure |
| Mentioned in our posts | 1 | 1 |
| More features | ||
| Other features | Inline audio player shortcode, Second player template shortcode, Settings page under the Settings menu, Footer player script output | Podcast admin menu and episodes, Podcast feeds, Chapter marks, Transcripts module, Shownotes module, Embedded web player, Episode download tracking, Podlove Plus service and pricing banner ($) |
| Integrations | ||
| Analytics | — | Matomo, OP3 |
| Social | — | Slack |
| Other | — | Auphonic, Podlove Plus ($) |
| Requires WordPress | 5.0 | 5.7.0 |
| Requires PHP | — | 8.0 |
| Tested up to | 7.1 | 7.1 |
| Phones home | No | No |
| External services | — | cdn.podlove.org, services.podlove.org, slack.com, auth.podlove.org, mandrillapp.com, api.telegram.org, maker.ifttt.com, api.sendgrid.com |
| Shortcodes | 2 | — |