COMPARISON GUIDE

Shoutcast vs Icecast: Which is Best for Your Radio Station?

Choosing between Shoutcast and Icecast for your internet radio station? This comprehensive comparison covers features, compatibility, ease of use, listener statistics, and pricing to help you make the right decision.

Updated 2025 Feature Comparison Real-World Testing

Quick Comparison

Feature Shoutcast Icecast
License Proprietary (Free & Paid) Open Source (Free)
Audio Formats MP3, AAC MP3, AAC, Ogg Vorbis, Opus
Listener Statistics Excellent Basic
Directory Listing SHOUTcast.com (Official) dir.xiph.org, TuneIn
Player Compatibility 95%+ 90%+
Setup Difficulty Easy (GUI + Config) Moderate (XML Config)
Mobile App Support Excellent Good
Max Listeners (per server) Unlimited Unlimited
CPU Efficiency High High
Best For Commercial Radio, DJs Tech-savvy users, Ogg format

Audio Format Support

Shoutcast

  • MP3: Full support, most compatible
  • AAC/AAC+: Supported (better quality at lower bitrates)
  • Ogg Vorbis: Not supported
  • Opus: Not supported

Best for: Maximum compatibility. MP3 and AAC work on virtually all devices, browsers, and apps.

Icecast

  • MP3: Full support
  • AAC/AAC+: Supported
  • Ogg Vorbis: Native support (open format)
  • Opus: Supported (best for low-latency)

Best for: Open-source advocates, Ogg Vorbis users, experimental formats like Opus.

Listener Statistics & Analytics

Winner: Shoutcast

Shoutcast provides significantly more detailed listener analytics out of the box.

Shoutcast Stats Include:

  • Current listeners (real-time)
  • Peak listeners (daily/all-time)
  • Listener IP addresses and locations
  • User agents (what apps/browsers listeners use)
  • Listen duration per connection
  • Connection/disconnection timestamps
  • Unique vs repeat listeners
  • Listener timeline graphs
  • JSON API for custom analytics

Icecast Stats Include:

  • Current listeners (real-time)
  • Peak listeners
  • Basic connection info
  • Stream uptime
  • XML stats page
  • Advanced analytics require external tools
  • No built-in timeline graphs
  • Limited location data
  • No unique listener tracking by default

Ease of Setup & Configuration

Setup Complexity Comparison

Shoutcast Setup

  1. Download Shoutcast DNAS
  2. Edit sc_serv.conf (simple key-value format)
  3. Set admin password, port, max listeners
  4. Run sc_serv executable
  5. Access web admin panel at :8000

Time to setup: 10-15 minutes for beginners

Icecast Setup

  1. Download/compile Icecast
  2. Edit icecast.xml (XML format, more complex)
  3. Configure authentication, limits, mounts
  4. Set up SSL certificates (optional but recommended)
  5. Run icecast -c icecast.xml
  6. Access web admin at :8000/admin

Time to setup: 20-30 minutes (requires XML knowledge)

Player & Device Compatibility

Platform/Player Shoutcast Icecast
Winamp Native Supported
VLC Media Player Full Full
iTunes/Apple Music Yes Yes
Web Browsers (HTML5) MP3/AAC All formats
Mobile Apps (iOS/Android) Excellent Good
TuneIn Radio Native Supported
Smart Speakers (Alexa, Google) Excellent Variable
Car Stereos High Medium
Note: Shoutcast has slightly better compatibility because it's been the industry standard longer. Most internet radio apps are optimized for Shoutcast URLs first.

Pricing & Licensing

Shoutcast

Software License:

  • DNAS (Server): Free for basic use
  • Commercial use: Free (no licensing fees)
  • Source code: Proprietary (not open)

Hosted Shoutcast:

  • Shoutcast Net: $29-79/mo (unlimited listeners)
  • Includes: AutoDJ, stats, 99.9% uptime
  • Free 7-day trial available

Icecast

Software License:

  • Server: 100% Free & Open Source (GPL)
  • Commercial use: Free, no restrictions
  • Source code: Fully available on GitHub

Hosted Icecast:

  • Various providers: $5-50/mo
  • Pricing usually per listener slot
  • Shoutcast Net also offers Icecast hosting

When to Choose Each

Choose Shoutcast If:

  • You want maximum compatibility with players and apps
  • You need detailed listener statistics and analytics
  • You're broadcasting commercial radio or DJ mixes
  • You want easy setup with minimal configuration
  • You plan to list on SHOUTcast.com directory
  • You need mobile app compatibility
  • You're using MP3 or AAC formats only
  • You want better TuneIn/Alexa integration

Choose Icecast If:

  • You prefer open-source software
  • You need Ogg Vorbis or Opus format support
  • You're comfortable with XML configuration
  • You want to modify the source code
  • You're on a tight budget (self-hosted)
  • You need multiple mount points (different formats simultaneously)
  • You're broadcasting experimental/niche formats
  • You prefer community support over commercial

Our Recommendation

For 90% of internet radio stations, Shoutcast is the better choice.

Shoutcast offers superior listener statistics, easier setup, better mobile compatibility, and wider support across streaming apps. Unless you specifically need Ogg Vorbis support or prefer open-source ideology, Shoutcast will serve you better.

Pro Tip

Don't want to manage servers yourself? Shoutcast Net offers managed Shoutcast hosting with unlimited listeners, AutoDJ, and 99.9% uptime starting at just $29/month. Get a 7-day free trial to test our service.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes! You can run both servers on different ports and broadcast to both. Some stations do this to offer Ogg Vorbis via Icecast while maintaining MP3 compatibility via Shoutcast. However, this doubles your bandwidth usage and requires managing two separate servers.

Icecast software is 100% free and open-source with no licensing fees ever. However, you still need to pay for: server hosting ($5-20/mo for VPS), bandwidth costs (if self-hosting), and your own time for setup/maintenance. Managed Icecast hosting typically costs $5-50/month depending on listener limits.

Sound quality depends on your encoder settings and format, not the server software. Both Shoutcast and Icecast stream bit-for-bit identical audio when using the same format (MP3 128kbps on both = identical quality). Icecast has an advantage if you want to use Opus codec, which offers better quality at lower bitrates than MP3.

Yes, migration is straightforward. Both use standard streaming protocols (HTTP/Icecast protocol). You simply change your encoder's server address and port to point to the new server. Listeners will need to update their bookmarks/apps with the new stream URL. The actual migration takes 15-30 minutes.

No. Shoutcast DNAS server software is free for commercial use. However, you DO need music licensing (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, SoundExchange in the US) to legally broadcast copyrighted music. This applies to both Shoutcast and Icecast. Music licensing costs depend on your listener count and revenue.

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