Choosing the right platform for your radio station is crucial for success. While Mixlr is a popular option, there are significant reasons to explore alternatives.
This article explains why Radio Cult is the best choice, offering superior features that are built for radio, cost-effectiveness, and dedicated support.
We will compare Radio Cult to Mixlr in detail, highlighting how Radio Cult's unique capabilities and benefits can elevate your station.
Why look for Mixlr alternatives?
Mixlr, despite being marketed as built for professional audio, presents several challenges for radio stations.
Mixlr is an incredible product that, as they state, is built for professional audio streaming. However, that's not the same as being built for online radio stations.
You'll quickly find that there is a whole realm of products in the audio space. Everything from Mixcloud & Soundcloud to Bandcamp and to Radio Cult. All of those products deal with streaming audio over the internet but the use cases are vastly different.
You can see the difference in features offered and pricing right away. Being able to stream 24/7 is a pretty core requirement for radio stations. However, only on Mixlr's top plan, which costs you $120 per month, do they allow you to stream 24/7 or have your own streaming URL. Compare that to Radio Cult's cheapest plan of $35 per month, which allows you to stream 24/7. That's almost 1/4 of Mixlr's price.
You can see how radio stations using Mixlr often find the cost too high and the features not geared for running and managing an online radio station.
Mixlr alternatives, like Radio Cult, offer better value, more responsive support, and innovative features tailored for contemporary music stations.
Exploring other platforms can provide cost savings, enhanced functionality, and a superior user experience, making Radio Cult a standout choice.
How Radio Cult Stands Out Among Other Mixlr Alternatives
Radio Cult excels as a Mixlr alternative by offering superior features built for radio stations, cost-effectiveness, and an enhanced user experience.
With 24/7 broadcasting on all plans, higher-quality streaming at 320kbps, and built-in integrations with both Soundcloud and Mixcloud, it provides exceptional value. The platform also offers dedicated customer support and comprehensive station management tools.
| Feature | Radio Cult | Mixlr |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Lite plan: $35 to stream 24/7 | Pro plan: $120 to stream 24/7 |
| Customer Support | Multiple support channels: email, live chat, WhatsApp. Free migration assistance. | Limited support unless on higher-tier plans, slower response times. |
| The ability to schedule media | Schedule media whenever you want. Radio Cult's powerful repeating rules make scheduling much easier. The scheduler will ensure the media is broadcast at the right time. | You can schedule an event to start but you have to be manually present to push play. No support for repeating events. |
| Auto DJ | Full support for auto DJ. Choose a playlist to fill automatically fill any gaps in your schedule. Or, schedule everything and have Radio Cult automatically play everything at the correct time. | No auto DJ feature. You have to be present to load, start and stop all audio. |
| Streaming Quality | 320kbps streaming available on lower-priced plans. Ability to make fine-grained changes to stream quality. | Max of 192 kbps. Can only change between “Low quality”, “Standard Quality” and “High Quality”. Note that their “High Quality” is much less than what Radio Cult offers. |
| Integrations | Integrates with both Soundcloud and Mixcloud for seamless archiving and sharing. | Has no integrations with Soundcloud or Mixcloud. |
| Station Management | Dedicated tools for managing artists and presenters, centralized data repository, easy updates for artist information. | No comparable station management functionality, leading to fragmented management processes. |
These advantages make Radio Cult the top choice for independent and community radio stations looking for a reliable and efficient broadcasting solution.
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Sign up now!1. Pricing
Pricing is the first obvious difference. From a first glance it seems that Mixlr is very cheap, with plans starting from as low as $17 per month. However, you can only broadcast for three hours per day. That's not very realistic for most stations.
OK, how can you stream 24/7 with Mixlr? To do that, you'll need to be on their very top plan of $120 per month. For comparison, the cheapest plan from Radio Cult that allows 24/7 broadcasting is only $35 per month.
These examples highlight Radio Cult's cost-effectiveness and greater value for money, making it a more budget-friendly option for running an online radio station.
2. Built for radio
This is the main difference between Mixlr and Radio Cult. Mixlr is an absolutely fantastic tool for broadcasting audio, but that's not the only thing that's needed in a tool built for online radio.
With Mixlr, you always have to be there to push play on all your media. That's fine if you're just doing a live DJ set once a month. It's not so great when you want a full-fledged station and want it to run by itself.
Radio Cult's scheduler means you can create events, attach media and playlists and it automatically handles playing all the audio at the right time. That means your station runs while you sleep, while you're at the shops or anything else you have going on with your busy life.
Radio Cult also has a range of other features that are specifically designed for the modern online radio station. From their Soundcloud & Mixcloud integrations, artist & station management features, detailed analytics, up to 320kbps audio streaming and everything else.
3. Customer support
Customer support is a critical factor when choosing an online radio platform. Mixlr, as a large company, often falls short in this area. They do not offer dedicated customer support unless users are on higher-tier plans, leading to slower response times and less personalized assistance.
In contrast, Radio Cult excels in customer support, particularly for independent and community radio stations. They provide multiple support channels, including email, live chat, and even WhatsApp, ensuring users can get help quickly and conveniently.
Moreover, Radio Cult assists with migrating from old streaming providers, often for free, removing a significant technical burden from users. Their commitment to helping stations thrive is evident in their hands-on approach and willingness to resolve issues promptly.
4. Streaming quality
Regarding streaming quality, Radio Cult stands out by offering high-quality 320kbps streaming even on its lower-priced plans. This ensures that your broadcasts maintain the highest audio fidelity, which is crucial for music stations aiming to deliver a superior listening experience.
In contrast, Mixlr restricts its highest streaming quality to only 192kbps. This limitation means that stations can't get the higher audio fidelity that they deserve and their listeners expect in the modern world of online entertainment.
Radio Cult's commitment to providing top-tier streaming quality across all plans ensures that even stations with smaller budgets can deliver professional-grade broadcasts, making it a more inclusive and advantageous option for broadcasters
5. Integrations
Running a radio station effectively involves integrating various content management and distribution tools.
Radio Cult excels in this area by offering seamless integrations with Soundcloud and Mixcloud. These integrations allow users to easily archive and share their broadcasts, saving valuable time and effort.
Stations can focus on creating content without the hassle of manually uploading media to different platforms.
In comparison, Mixlr doesn't integrate with either Mixcloud nor Soundcloud.
By supporting both Soundcloud and Mixcloud, Radio Cult provides a more comprehensive and efficient solution for managing and distributing radio content, streamlining operations, and enhancing the broadcasting experience.
6. Station management
Efficient station management is essential for running a successful online radio station. Radio Cult excels in this area with its dedicated tools designed to seamlessly manage artists and presenters.
These tools allow you to store all your artists' and presenters' data in one central repository, making it easy to track and manage everything needed to ensure smooth operations.
Radio Cult's station management features also enable you to power your site with updated information about your artists. This ensures that your listeners always have access to the latest details. Updating an artist's information is streamlined, as changes must only be made in one location.
In contrast, Mixlr does not offer comparable station management functionality. This can lead to a more fragmented and less efficient management process.
Radio Cult's robust station management tools simplify administrative tasks, freeing up more time for creative endeavors and enhancing your station's overall efficiency.
Ready to save and elevate your station with Radio Cult?
Experience the difference with Radio Cult's top-tier features, affordable pricing, and exceptional support.
Sign up now and enjoy a 10-day free trial to see how easy it is to transform your broadcasting experience.
Sign up now!FAQs
Can you use Mixlr for online radio?
You can but you're likely to run into some issues. Mixlr is predominantly designed for live streaming audio, without any of the scheduling or station management features you would expect from a radio platform.
What other Mixlr alternatives are there?
Aside from Radio Cult, if you're a radio station currently using Mixlr then other alternatives include Radio.co, Live365, Airtime Pro, Radiojar, RadioKing and Azuracast. These platforms offer a variety of features for internet radio broadcasting, catering to different needs and budgets.
Is Mixlr any good?
We wholeheartedly believe that Mixlr is a good platform. It's very popular for live streaming and shines in use cases like live streaming sports games and commentary. We just don't think it's designed for radio stations and that's fine. A motorbike isn't going to fit as many people as a van and it's not designed to.
Mixlr might be a great fit for you. But it's expensive compared to other radio-focussed alternatives and isn't designed for stations.
Can you upload audio on Mixlr?
You can't upload audio to a scheduled event on Mixlr. You can upload to your public recordings, but you can't upload audio to broadcast at a specific time.
Who owns Mixlr?
Mixlr is owned by Mixlr Ltd., founded by Gregory Lloyd and Robin Watson. The platform has grown significantly since its inception, providing services to numerous business that require live audio streaming - such as Indycar.
Please note: If Mixlr gets an update and this article becomes outdated, please email us and we'll update it accordingly.