Compared with the stack it replaces

The jobs, and the tools

The tools compared, by job, with their kind, licence and price as read
Job	Tool	Kind	Licence	Price, as read on 4 November 2026
Playout, automation and streaming	AzuraCast	open source	AGPL-3.0	Free software; you run the server. Hosted AzuraCast from third parties exists (prices not checked).
	LibreTime	open source	AGPL-3.0 (code), GPL-2.0 (docs)	Free software; you run the server.
	Rivendell	open source	GPL-2.0 (as the site states it)	Free, no dongles or unlock codes (its site).
	SAM Broadcaster, RadioBOSS, mAirList	proprietary	Proprietary	Paid desktop playout suites (mAirList: Windows 10 or later, 30-day trial licence). Prices not recorded here.
Remote guests	Cleanfeed	hosted	Proprietary	Lite free (2 guests, no multitrack). Pro from USD 12 a month for personal use, USD 36 for business, as the page read on 2026-11-04 (the page's text was partly garbled when read). Cinema USD 2,500 a year for the first seat.
	Studio Link	open source	MIT for its app repository; the site says 'Freemium Open Source'	Free app; paid accounts about 1 EUR per registered client a month (1-10 EUR a month including VAT), as the German price page read on 2026-11-04.
	VDO.Ninja	open source	AGPL-3.0	Free hosted service (its site: 100% free, no sign-in); the interface can be deployed on your own server.
Callers and phone lines	Telos VX Enterprise (phone hybrid system)	proprietary	Proprietary	Not published on the page; ask Telos or a dealer.
	Comrex Opal (browser guest gateway)	proprietary	Proprietary hardware	Not published on the page; ask a dealer.
	Discord as a call-in room	hosted	Proprietary	Not researched for this report.
Hosted station platforms	Radio.co	hosted	Proprietary	USD 35 (Lite), 59 (Standard), 139 (Plus), 199 (Premium) a month; 14-day trial. Read 2026-11-04.
	Live365	hosted	Proprietary	USD 65 to 1,099 a month (Broadcast 1 to 5), 14-day trial; overage USD 0.07 per listened hour. Read 2026-11-04.
	Zeno.FM	hosted	Proprietary	USD 35 (Starter), 60 (Prime), 280 (Premier) a month; no free streaming for new accounts since January 2025 (its help page). Read 2026-11-04.
Do it yourself	Liquidsoap	open source	GPL-2.0	Free; you write and maintain the scripts.
Do it yourself	Icecast	open source	GPL-2.0	Free; you run and configure it.
Chat	Rocket.Chat	open source	MIT, except the ee/ directories under Rocket.Chat's own enterprise licence	Community edition free to self-host; paid plans on its pricing page (not recorded here).

WeaveSignal itself: open source, AGPL-3.0-only, free; you run the server.

Feature by feature

One table per feature: WeaveSignal first, then every tool the research read for it. The number after a note is its source, listed at the end. What each feature does for a station, and the page that explains it, is on the features page; this page says who else has it.

Live multi-person room with a separate mix-minus for each person

Live multi-person room with a separate mix-minus for each person: WeaveSignal and the other tools
Tool	Has it	As read
WeaveSignal	Yes	Presenters, guests and callers join a WebRTC room (LiveKit); the desk gives each person a mix of the show without their own voice. A two-person conversation over two real networks is not yet proved by ear (one-person run only).
AzuraCast	No	Its Web DJ lets one DJ broadcast from a browser; no multi-guest room is described. [1]
LibreTime	No	Live input is an Icecast-style source such as Mixxx; no guest room is described. [2]
Rivendell	Not verified	Its site describes playout, logs and live assist; remote guests are not mentioned. [3]
Cleanfeed	Partial	Several guests in one session who hear one another; Cleanfeed's blog says mix-minus is handled for guests. Reported, not read on a product page. Hosted, not on your server. [4]
Studio Link	Partial	Guests install an app; the DAW plug-in does automatic N-1 routing. Suits recording and a studio mixer. [5]
VDO.Ninja	Partial	Group rooms with a director; its docs describe monitor mixes and excluding the director's audio, not a per-person programme return. [6]
Telos VX	Yes	Broadcast phone hybrid system with mix-minus into the console (Livewire); callers by SIP, not a browser. [7]

Browser callers from the station's own page, with a screener

Browser callers from the station's own page, with a screener: WeaveSignal and the other tools
Tool	Has it	As read
WeaveSignal	Yes	Call-in from the player page: no phone number, consent to record, proof of work instead of a CAPTCHA, each caller in a private booth; a screener talks to callers off air and sends them to the desk.
AzuraCast	No	Listener requests exist (songs); no call-in or screener is described. [1]
Cleanfeed	Not verified	Guests join by invitation link; a public call-in page with a screener is not described on the pages read. [8]
Comrex Opal	Partial	Guests click a link and use a browser (Opus), two connections at once; a hardware gateway and no screening described. [9]
Telos VX	Yes	Screening: XScreen call-screening software from Broadcast Bionics is provided at no cost, per Telos. [7]
Discord as a call-in room	No	Inference: no consent-to-record step, no per-caller mix-minus, no screener; everyone is in one call. [10]

Scheduling and automation

Scheduling and automation: WeaveSignal and the other tools
Tool	Has it	As read
WeaveSignal	Yes	Schedule with clocks, rotation, separation and the US statutory rule; the week grid and editors are in the studio app.
AzuraCast	Yes	Playlists on a schedule; 0.24.0 (2026-10-25) added grouped playlists (clockwheels) and a request queue. [11]
LibreTime	Yes	Imports media and schedules shows and podcasts automatically. [12]
Rivendell	Yes	Automation, scheduling, voicetracking and customisable logs; works with third-party traffic and music schedulers. [3]
Radio.co	Yes	Calendar-style scheduler; track requests and voice tracking on Standard and above. [13]
Zeno.FM	Partial	AutoDJ on every plan; automation software on Prime and Premier. [14]

Dead-air fallback

Dead-air fallback: WeaveSignal and the other tools
Tool	Has it	As read
WeaveSignal	Yes	The listener process plays fallback files, then a shipped default loop, then silence, so listeners stay connected when the desk or playout stops.
AzuraCast	Yes	Liquidsoap runs as an 'always-playing' AutoDJ and takes over when a live DJ leaves. [1]
LibreTime	Not verified	The pages read do not describe a fallback. [12]
Rivendell	Not verified	Not described on the home page. [3]
Liquidsoap + Icecast	Partial	Possible with a few lines of Liquidsoap that you write; nothing ships ready. [15]
Zeno.FM	Partial	AutoDJ plays a playlist when you are offline. [16]

Profanity delay with a dump button

Profanity delay with a dump button: WeaveSignal and the other tools
Tool	Has it	As read
WeaveSignal	Yes	A profanity delay and Dump on the desk, with a keyboard chord.
AzuraCast	Not verified	No profanity delay found in its documentation or changelog excerpts. [1]
LibreTime	Not verified	Not found on the pages read. [12]
Rivendell	Not verified	Not found on the home page. [3]
Radio.co	Not verified	Not found on its pricing page. [13]

Icecast- or SHOUTcast-compatible output

Icecast- or SHOUTcast-compatible output: WeaveSignal and the other tools
Tool	Has it	As read
WeaveSignal	Partial	An Icecast-compatible HTTP stream: Ogg Opus, plus one optional MP3 stream. No ICY (in-stream) titles; now-playing is served by the API. Shipped Icecast 2.5.0 relay image. SHOUTcast is not mentioned in its docs.
AzuraCast	Yes	Icecast-KH built in; SHOUTcast 2 DNAS can be installed separately (non-free); remote relays to other Icecast or SHOUTcast servers. [1]
LibreTime	Yes	Compatible with Icecast and SHOUTcast, per its live-broadcast page. [2]
Rivendell	Partial	Streams through the separate GlassCoder encoder (HLS, Icecast, SHOUTcast), per its site. [3]
Radio.co	Partial	Hosted stream and players; Icecast or SHOUTcast are not named on the pricing page. [13]
Liquidsoap + Icecast	Yes	This is what AzuraCast and WeaveSignal are built from. [15]

Listing in internet-radio directories

Listing in internet-radio directories: WeaveSignal and the other tools
Tool	Has it	As read
WeaveSignal	Partial	A setting asks directories to list the stream (off by default) and sends the public flag only. No TuneIn, radio-browser or Xiph helper is documented. TuneIn needs the MP3 stream.
AzuraCast	Yes	Documents TuneIn AIR, Radio.de and GetMeRadio web hooks, Icecast YP (Xiph) and radio-browser.info headers. [17]
Radio.co	Yes	Stations can be listed; each directory has its own submission using your stream URL. [13]
Live365	Yes	Distribution on TuneIn and iHeartRadio is part of the service (iHeart subject to approval). [18]
Zeno.FM	Yes	Zeno.FM distribution is on every plan. [14]

HLS and video

HLS and video: WeaveSignal and the other tools
Tool	Has it	As read
WeaveSignal	Yes	HLS with video (AV1 in CMAF), edge images and content steering for a self-run pool.
AzuraCast	Partial	HLS audio streams since 0.17.0 (2022); no video described. [11]
Zeno.FM	Partial	HLS streaming on Prime and Premier; video not described. [14]
VDO.Ninja	Yes	Video-first: peer-to-peer video into OBS, with an optional server route. [6]
Radio.co	No	Only Mixcloud's video for live shows is mentioned on its pricing page. [13]

Live chat for listeners

Live chat for listeners: WeaveSignal and the other tools
Tool	Has it	As read
WeaveSignal	Yes	Built-in chat with moderation lanes for the screener and retention set by jurisdiction. Replaces a separate chat widget; an existing Rocket.Chat is not bridged.
AzuraCast	Not verified	A listener chat is not in its documented feature list; not searched further. [1]
Rocket.Chat	Yes	A general chat platform you could embed or link beside any station; separate login and moderation from the station's. [19]
Radio.co	Not verified	Not described on its pricing page. [13]

Podcast feeds from the station's shows

Podcast feeds from the station's shows: WeaveSignal and the other tools
Tool	Has it	As read
WeaveSignal	Partial	Show cards and podcast feeds with seasons that fill in their own episodes; files are attached through the API, and publishing a recording from the studio app is not in release one.
AzuraCast	Yes	Podcast hosting with RSS feeds, public pages and optional OP3 analytics, per its changelog. [11]
LibreTime	Partial	Subscribes to and imports other people's podcasts; publishing your own feed is not described. [20]
Radio.co	Yes	Podcasts through the Podcast.co integration. [13]
Zeno.FM	Yes	Podcast hosting; up to 3 on Starter, 50 on Prime, 250 on Premier. [14]

Several stations on one install, and a mature web admin

Several stations on one install, and a mature web admin: WeaveSignal and the other tools
Tool	Has it	As read
WeaveSignal	No	One station per installation; no multi-station admin.
AzuraCast	Yes	One installation can host multiple stations, with users, roles, per-station permissions and backups. [21]
Zeno.FM	Yes	Plans cover 1, 3 or 5 stations. [14]
Radio.co	Not verified	Plans list user seats (2 to unlimited), not stations; multi-station is not described on the page. [13]

Self-hosted

Self-hosted: WeaveSignal and the other tools
Tool	Has it	As read
WeaveSignal	Yes	Self-hosted only (Compose, Quadlets, a Cloudron package); no hosted service.
AzuraCast	Yes	Docker on your own server. [22]
LibreTime	Yes	Installed on your own server. [12]
Rivendell	Yes	Linux software you install. [3]
Cleanfeed	No	Hosted service only, as far as the pages read show. [23]
Radio.co	No	Hosted. [13]
Live365	No	Hosted. [24]

Maturity and user base

Maturity and user base: WeaveSignal and the other tools
Tool	Has it	As read
WeaveSignal	No	1.0.0 released 2026-11-04. No user base yet; 24 hours of playout on a server of its own measured, with no restart.
AzuraCast	Yes	Many stations run it (its docs); about 4,100 GitHub stars; 0.24.0 on 2026-10-25. Its docs still say it is in beta. [1]
LibreTime	Partial	A community fork of Airtime; 4.5.0 (2025-07-16); about 940 GitHub stars. [25]
Rivendell	Yes	Designed by broadcasters; v4.5.0 (2026-08-26). [3]
Cleanfeed	Yes	Used by broadcasters and podcasters; reviews on its home page are the company's own selection. [23]
Live365	Yes	Runs its own network and hosting. [24]

When to choose something else

If you only need automation and a stream, you may not need this. More precisely:

AzuraCast: You mainly play music or pre-recorded shows, want one web admin for several stations, or want years of community knowledge. Add Cleanfeed or a similar tool for guests.
LibreTime: You are moving from Airtime or want an AM/FM-style scheduling and library tool with AGPL licensing.
Rivendell: You run a broadcast studio on Linux with touchscreen live assist, voicetracking and traffic-system integration, and feed an encoder separately.
Radio.co, Live365 or Zeno.FM: You do not want to run a server. Live365 also sells music licensing cover for the USA, Canada and Mexico; check what your plan includes.
Cleanfeed: You only need a guest link with very good audio and a simple interface, and you already have a way to stream.
Studio Link or VDO.Ninja: You want remote guests into a DAW or OBS and a studio mixer, and you do not need a call-in page or a screener.
Telos VX or another phone hybrid: Callers must ring a real telephone number, or your studio already runs a broadcast console and a PBX.
Liquidsoap + Icecast by hand: You want total control, have an engineer, and will write and maintain the scripts yourself.
Your existing chat (for example Rocket.Chat): Your community already lives there; WeaveSignal's chat is separate, with its own login and moderation.

Choose WeaveSignal when the live part is the point: a presenter with remote guests and callers who must hear each other, a screener between the callers and the desk, and one installation that also fills the air between shows.

Sources

Every page was read on 4 November 2026. Prices and features change; a tool's own page is the current word.