Nobex Radio vs Live365: which radio host fits your station (2026)
A direct comparison of Nobex Radio and Live365 as of September 2026: what Live365’s bundled licensing covers, prices at every tier, listening hours, going live, ads in the stream, and which kind of station each one suits.
Pick Live365 if you run a US station playing commercial music and want the licences handled for you: its $65-a-month entry plan bundles US, Canadian and Mexican music licensing, and for that station it is often the simpler and cheaper answer. Pick Nobex Radio if you do not need that bundle — talk, church services, your own music or DJ originals, or listeners mostly outside North America — or if you want the licence in your own name: plans start at $19 a month.
Prices checked September 2026
Live365 raised its prices by about 10% on 1 September 2026, applied at each account’s first renewal from that date. Figures here are from its public pricing and help pages as checked in September 2026; confirm on its site before you decide.
The short answer
- The two are not the same purchase. Live365 sells hosting with music licensing included; Nobex sells hosting and you hold your own licences. Comparing $65 with $19 only makes sense once you know whether you need the licences.
- US station, commercial music, listeners in the US: Live365’s bundle is usually the simpler and cheaper route once your own licence fees are counted. We would rather say that plainly than lose your trust.
- Talk, church, your own recordings, DJ originals, or an audience outside the US, Canada and Mexico: you are paying for coverage you do not use, and Nobex gives you more room for less — 20,000 listening hours for $19 against 1,500 for $65.
- Want the licence to belong to the station? A licence in your own name travels with you to any host. Bundled coverage is in the platform’s name and ends with the subscription.
Nobex Radio and Live365, side by side
| Live365 | Nobex Radio | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $65/month with Live365 network ads, or $89 ad-free (Broadcast 1) | $19/month (Starter) |
| Next tiers | $109, $219, $549, $1,099 with network ads; $149, $299, $729, $1,459 ad-free | $49 (Pro), $99 (Business), custom Enterprise |
| What the entry plan includes | 1,500 listening hours a month ($0.07 an hour above that), 50 GB storage, US, Canadian and Mexican music licensing | 20,000 listening hours a month, unlimited music library, Cloud AutoDJ, live from phone or browser, public page, embeddable player, tips, memberships and sponsor spots |
| Ads in your stream | About 4 minutes an hour of Live365 network ads on the standard plans, revenue split 50/50; ad-free plans cost more | No network ads inserted by Nobex; the only ads are sponsor spots you sell yourself |
| Going live | Live365 Broadcaster app with GoLive for live talk from a phone; encoders also work | One tap in the free Nobex Broadcaster app (iOS and Android), one click in a browser, or any Icecast encoder; AutoDJ takes over if the connection drops |
| Automation | Built-in station management and scheduling tools | Cloud AutoDJ 24/7 with crossfades, rotation rules, categories, hour clocks and dayparting |
| Delivery and distribution | Live365’s own directory and apps, smart TVs, smart speakers, Audacy, airable and Radioline; TuneIn optional | Adaptive HLS on every plan; a direct MP3 link for TuneIn and hardware radios from Pro; listed in the Nobex Radio listener app and web directory once you subscribe |
| How the plan is metered | Listening hours: 1,500 / 3,500 / 7,000 / 10,000 / 20,000 a month | Listening hours: 20,000 / 150,000 / 500,000 a month, with no cap on simultaneous listeners |
| Music licensing | Included: ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, GMR and SoundExchange in the US, plus Canada and Mexico — held under Live365’s agreements; coverage depends on accurate track metadata | Not included: you hold your own licences, in your own name; AutoDJ keeps automated playout inside the US performance complement and exports a royalty usage report |
| Branded apps and Alexa | Apps +$49/month below Broadcast 3, included from Broadcast 3; Alexa from Broadcast 2 | A branded iOS and Android app on Business; Alexa listing checks from Pro |
| Talk-only option | Non-Copyright plans from $21/month for 25,000 listening hours | The same plans for every format; speech you create needs no music licence |
| API and webhooks | Not covered by our pricing check — ask Live365 | REST API and signed webhooks from Pro ($49) |
| Trying it | 7-day free trial, no card | Free test mode with a real station on air, no card needed; billed when you subscribe, with a 7-day money-back guarantee |
Prices and limits as published in September 2026. Live365’s annual plans cost ten times the monthly price.
Where Live365 is the better choice
- A US music station that wants one bill and no licensing forms. This is what Live365 is built for, and nobody else among the mainstream hosts bundles licences. For this station, Live365 is often the cheaper answer once your own licence fees are added to any hosting-only plan — including ours.
- Listeners across the US, Canada and Mexico. The bundle covers all three, which you would otherwise arrange country by country.
- Distribution partners. Live365 places stations in its own apps and directory and with partners such as Audacy, airable and Radioline, with TuneIn as an option.
- Ad revenue without selling ads. Its standard plans split network-ad revenue 50/50 with the station.
- All-talk on a tight budget. Its Non-Copyright plans start at $21 a month for 25,000 listening hours — worth pricing alongside Nobex Starter if your station is speech only.
Where Nobex Radio is the better choice
- You own your music or your content is talk. Churches streaming services, talk stations, artists and labels playing their own catalogue, and DJs playing their own originals are often paying for a licence bundle that covers little of what they broadcast. Nobex starts at $19.
- Your listeners are outside North America. Live365’s bundle covers the US, Canada and Mexico; listeners elsewhere are not covered by it. A licence in your own name can match the countries your audience is actually in.
- You want the licence to be an asset of your station. Bundled coverage belongs to the platform and ends with the subscription. Licences in your name stay with the station, whichever host you use — the full argument is here.
- More listening hours per dollar. 20,000 hours for $19 on Starter, 150,000 for $49 on Pro, against 1,500 for $65 on Live365 Broadcast 1. (Live365’s price includes licensing, so this is a like-for-like comparison only for stations that do not need it.)
- Mobile-first live shows. One tap in the free Nobex Broadcaster app, with AutoDJ keeping your music low under your voice while you are live — see broadcasting from your phone.
- A clean stream. Nobex inserts no network ads; the only ads are the sponsor spots you sell, on every plan.
Check your format before you decide
Write down what your station actually plays — commercial recordings, your own music, speech — and where your listeners are. If the answer is “commercial music, US listeners”, Live365’s bundle deserves serious weight. If it is anything else, the bundle is mostly coverage you are not using.
Switching from Live365 to Nobex
- 1Sort your licensing first, if you play commercial music. Your Live365 coverage ends when your subscription does. In the US that means SoundExchange (through a Notice of Use filed with the Copyright Office) and the performing-rights organisations — ASCAP, BMI, SESAC and GMR. Our licensing guide walks through the applications.
- 2Build the Nobex station in parallel. Free test mode needs no card, so you can build, program and rehearse while Live365 stays on air.
- 3Upload your library and set rotation rules instead of importing old habits — see rule-based rotation.
- 4List every place your old stream link appears — website player, directory listings, smart-speaker entries, social bios — and update them.
- 5Overlap for a week or two, then cancel. Time it against your Live365 renewal date.
Nobex Radio vs Live365, asked and answered
Is Live365 or Nobex Radio better for my station?
It depends on your music and your audience. As of September 2026, Live365 is the better fit for a US station playing commercial music that wants licensing bundled into one bill, starting at $65 a month. Nobex Radio, from $19 a month, is the better fit for talk, church, own-music and DJ-original stations, stations with listeners outside the US, Canada and Mexico, and broadcasters who want their licences in their own name.
Is Nobex Radio cheaper than Live365?
On the price of hosting, yes: $19 a month against $65 as of September 2026. But Live365 includes music licensing and Nobex Radio does not, so for a US station playing commercial music, Live365 is often cheaper overall once licence fees are counted. For stations that do not need a music licence bundle, Nobex Radio costs less.
Does Nobex Radio include music licensing like Live365?
No. Nobex Radio provides hosting, and broadcasters hold their own licences in their own name — in the US, SoundExchange plus the performing-rights organisations. Nobex keeps automated playout inside the US performance complement and exports a royalty usage report for your filings.
If I leave Live365, do I keep its music licensing?
No. Live365’s licensing is held under its own agreements and ends when your subscription does, so a station playing commercial music needs its own licences in place before moving. A licence in your own name, by contrast, stays with your station whichever host you use.
Does Live365 put ads in my stream?
On its standard plans, yes: as of September 2026 they carry about four minutes an hour of Live365 network ads, with the revenue split 50/50, and ad-free plans cost more ($89 a month at entry instead of $65). Nobex Radio inserts no network ads; the only ads in a Nobex stream are sponsor spots the station sells itself.
Can I broadcast live from my phone on Live365 or Nobex Radio?
Both have a phone app. Live365’s Broadcaster app includes GoLive for live talk from a phone. The free Nobex Broadcaster app for iOS and Android goes live in one tap on every plan, keeps your music low under your voice while you talk, and hands back to AutoDJ if the connection drops.
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