Nobex Radio vs Radio.co: which radio host fits your station (2026)

Pick Radio.co if you want the longest-established brand in hosted radio, a higher bitrate on the entry plan (192 kbps on its $35 Lite plan) and its AI voice and audio-processing tools higher up the ladder. Pick Nobex Radio if you want a complete station for less — $19 a month with Cloud AutoDJ, an unlimited music library and one-tap live broadcasting from your phone, and a next tier at $49 rather than $59. Neither includes music licences; on both, that part is yours.

The short answer

• On price, Nobex is lower at every published tier: $19 vs $35 at entry, $49 vs $59 in the middle, $99 vs $139 for the tier after that (Radio.co Plus). Radio.co adds Premium at $199.
• On the entry plan, Radio.co gives you more bitrate (192 vs 128 kbps); Nobex gives you more room: no cap on simultaneous listeners against Radio.co Lite’s 500, and an unlimited music library against 2 GB of storage.
• On going live, Nobex is built around the phone: one tap in the free Nobex Broadcaster app on every plan. Radio.co is built around encoders and, from its $59 Standard plan, a browser studio.
• On licensing, they are the same: neither bundles music licences. You arrange your own, in your own name, whichever you choose.

Nobex Radio and Radio.co, side by side

Where Radio.co is the better choice

• You want higher audio quality at the entry price. Lite streams at 192 kbps for $35. On Nobex, 128 kbps is the Starter ceiling and 256 kbps needs Pro at $49.
• You expect a large audience on the middle tier. Radio.co Standard includes 360,000 listening hours for $59; Nobex Pro includes 150,000 for $49, and 500,000 needs Business at $99. If your hours are going to be high, price that tier carefully.
• You want a branded app without moving up to a top tier. Radio.co sells apps as a $35/month add-on from its entry plan. On Nobex, the branded app comes with Business.
• You want its production tools. Voice tracking, AI Voice Studio credits and its EDGE audio processor (on Premium or as an add-on) are real features Nobex does not match one for one.
• Track record matters to you. Radio.co has been at this a long time and has a large public review footprint, which is a fair thing to weigh.

Where Nobex Radio is the better choice

• Budget. A working station for $19 a month, and the tier most stations grow into for $49 rather than $59.
• Going live from a phone. One tap in the free Nobex Broadcaster app, on every plan. AutoDJ keeps the music low under your voice while you are live and takes back over if your connection drops — see broadcasting from your phone.
• Room to grow on the entry plan. No limit on how many people listen at the same time, and no storage cap on your music library, where Radio.co Lite has 500 concurrent listeners and 2 GB.
• Programming depth from day one. Rotation rules, categories, shows and dayparting are on the $19 plan — see rule-based rotation for what that means in practice.
• Money-making tools on every plan. Listener tips, paid memberships with a members-only stream, and sponsor spots with proof-of-play reports.
• Built-in discovery. Every subscribed station is listed in the Nobex Radio listener app and web directory, with nothing to submit.

Switching from Radio.co to Nobex

1. 1Build the Nobex station alongside the old one. Free test mode needs no card, so nothing has to be cancelled to try it.
2. 2Upload your library and rebuild the rotation. Use the move to set rotation rules and clean up track metadata rather than copying old habits.
3. 3Repoint your encoder, or skip it. Any Icecast encoder connects; the phone app and browser mean you may not need one.
4. 4List every place your old stream link appears — website player, directory listings, smart-speaker entries, social bios — and swap them over.
5. 5Run both for a week or two, then cancel Radio.co. The overlap lets listeners follow without a gap.

Nobex Radio vs Radio.co, asked and answered