Zetta is genuinely enterprise-grade: RCS automation proven at major groups worldwide, with Zetta2GO browser remote and ZettaCloud replication. It is also one piece of a suite — music scheduling is GSelector, sold separately, and traffic is a separate product again, each with its own licensing. AirWaves makes the opposite bet: the entire operation — playout, scheduling, traffic and billing, AI tools, production, streaming — as one platform on one database, priced for stations that do not have a group engineering department. Here is an honest side-by-side.
Comparison based on features publicly advertised at rcsworks.com as of August 2026. Zetta is a trademark of its owner; AirWaves is not affiliated with Zetta. If anything here is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.
| Capability | AirWaves | Zetta |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | Browser-based; control from any screen (Windows playout engine) | Windows-based enterprise suite; Zetta2GO browser remote |
| Radio automation & playout | Yes — own engine, separate Air and Stream schedules simultaneously | Yes — modular, scalable, proven at major groups |
| Music scheduling | Yes — format clocks, rule tree, energy-flow sequencing, built in | GSelector — a separate RCS product |
| Traffic & billing | Full traffic, invoicing, AR & general ledger, network clearance & barter | Separate product / third-party integration |
| AI tools | AI imaging, AI DJ personas, AI newscasts, AI weathercast, AI show prep, AI program director | Not advertised as part of Zetta |
| Voice tracking | Yes — markers, dayparts, remote via browser | Yes — including remote via Zetta2GO |
| Streaming | Yes — with VAST ad insertion and stream ad replacement | Yes |
| Cloud / resilience | Distributed platform; local engine per site; AirVault backup and transmitter-side failover | ZettaCloud sync, backup and site replication |
| Audio processing | Full broadcast chain — AGC, multiband, FM clipper, split Air/Stream finals | Pairs with external processing |
| Pricing | One platform, one vendor | Quote-based, per-product enterprise licensing |
| Use modules with other automation | Every module runs standalone and feeds any automation — including Zetta | RCS suite integrates within its own products |
For small and mid-size operators, and for anyone who wants the whole operation in one product — yes. Zetta is excellent enterprise automation, but a complete RCS operation typically means Zetta plus GSelector for scheduling plus a separate traffic system, each licensed separately. AirWaves ships playout, scheduling, traffic, billing, AI tools, production and streaming as one platform.
Suite versus platform. RCS builds excellent separate products that integrate with each other — Zetta for playout, GSelector for music scheduling, separate traffic. AirWaves builds one platform on one database, so the scheduler, the log, traffic, billing and the AI tools all see the same data natively, and there is one vendor, one contract and one support line.
As of August 2026, music scheduling for Zetta is GSelector, an RCS product sold separately, and traffic is handled by separate or third-party systems. AirWaves includes format-clock scheduling with a full rule tree, and complete traffic and billing with network clearance and barter, in the same platform as playout.
Yes. Every AirWaves module runs standalone and feeds any automation, including Zetta — AI imaging, weathercasts, newscasts and show prep arrive as finished, tagged audio files in watched folders, and the AirWaves traffic and scheduling systems can generate logs for third-party playout.
Not ready to switch anything? Every AirWaves module — music scheduling, traffic & billing, show prep, AI imaging, the AI DJ and more — also runs alongside the automation you already own.
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