15 of the Best Podcast Hosting Platforms
There are countless podcast hosting platforms out there and it can be challenging to pick the best one for your show.
Choosing a reliable podcasting hosting platform is critical for your podcast because they can help you grow your audience faster – which, as you know, we all want – while also making it easier to manage and distribute your show to the world.
We’ve compiled 15 of the most popular podcast hosting platforms to help make your life easier when choosing the best fit for your show. Many vary in pricing, services offered, and their target podcaster. So, let’s dive right in!
We won’t spend this article tooting our own horn, but we’re just too excited to share with podcasters what we’ve built for them. CoHost was created out of a need that we saw in the podcast industry - tools for growth. If you’re looking to take your podcast to the next level, our platform was made for you.
Features:
- One-click publishing to all top podcast directories
- Automatic transcriptions (at no extra cost)
- Tracking links to see what marketing channels drive downloads
- Real-time, robust analytics and listener profiles
- SEO-driven, customizable podcast websites
- Embeddable podcast players
- Unlimited storage and downloads
Pricing:
- 30 day free trial
- $59.95 but we’re offering a 67% discount on your first 6 months with us!
Buzzsprout has been around since 2009 and has built a strong community of podcasters, which includes some of the best out there. It is one of the easiest podcasting hosting providers for beginners.
Features:
- Submits episodes automatically to all the top podcast directories
- Embeddable podcast player looks great and works well on all screen sizes
- Built-in transcription integration
- Includes text editor for show notes
- Affiliate marketplace and the ability to add team members
- Builds websites which are customizable design-wise
Pricing:
- Limited free plan for 90 days
- Paid plans start at $12 / month for 3 hours upload
- Note: their paid plans have storage and bandwidth limits
Podbean has become a popular podcast hosting service within the industry. It’s a great option for podcasters that are either just starting out or indulge in podcasting as a side hobby.
Features:
- Unlimited podcast hosting plans with unlimited bandwidth
- Design tools to host website with customizable themes
- Easy-to-embed Podbean podcast player directly into your WordPress posts
- Submits episodes automatically to all the top podcast directories
- Advertising marketplace which provides opportunities for podcasters to monetize content
Pricing:
- Free Plan with limited storage
- Paid plans starting from $9 / month with unlimited storage, advances stats, a website and custom domains
Captivate is a brand-new podcast host that is focused on growing podcast audiences.
Features:
- Unlimited number of podcasts, unlimited team members, a new podcast player and advanced analytics
- Podcast marketing tools allow you to automatically generate links to places like Overcast and Pocket Casts
- Customizable, mobile-friendly website with donation support built-in
- Build email lists and generate new leads with podcast player calls to action
Pricing:
There are three pricing models, and you can get a 7-day free trial to test things out.
- Podcaster Plan ($19 / month): up to 12,000 downloads / month
- Audio Influencer Plan ($49 / month): up to 60,000 downloads / month
- Podcast Brand Plan ($99 / month): up to 150,000 downloads / month
Castos is the best podcast hosting service for WordPress. The platform places a large emphasis on automation.
Features:
- Automatic transcription (added to your dashboard within minutes after uploading audio files)
- Features to republish to YouTube
- Customizable podcast webpage
- Podcast analytics
Pricing:
There are three pricing models, and you can get a 14-day free trial and get 2-months free on annual plans.
- Starter ($19 / month): unlimited storage and perfect for the essentials
- Growth ($49 / month): Features above, plus YouTube republishing and custom audiograms
- Pro ($99 / month): Features above, plus advanced analytics and video file hosting
Transistor is a powerful yet easy-to-use podcast hosting service for professionals and beginners.
Features:
- Unlimited podcast hosting plans (don’t charge you for hours of upload as some other hosts do)
- Easy to upload your podcast media and publish it
- Podcast analytics
- Embed code allows you to easily add each episode to your WordPress posts and pages
- Easy to create a website
Pricing:
- Starting from $19 / month for up to 10,000 downloads each month
- Note: Their plans do limit the number of downloads which means you need to upgrade your plan as your podcast grows
RSS.com focuses on being an easy platform to launch and grow your podcast.
Features:
- Unlimited storage and bandwidth
- Offers wide range of tools, such as episode scheduling and social media integration
- Partnerships to help boost their audience and find the right sponsor to meet their needs
- Unlimited downloads and episodes recordings
- Podcast analytics
- Monetization options including sponsorship opportunities via Podcorn and a donate button on your free public podcast website
Pricing:
Signing up and hosting your first episode is free, allowing you to test out the service without any financial commitment or credit card required. If you’d then like to switch to their paid service, the price plans are as follows:
- Educational: $4.99 / month
- RSS Podcaster $8.25 / month
- If you have a .edu email, you’ll get automatic approval for the Educational plan. When it comes to the RSS Podcast plan, you can switch to annual billing and get a 35% discount.
- Note: if you are part of a non-profit organization, get in touch with their sales team to discuss special discounts that might apply
Simplecast is a great hosting platform for larger brands, working with companies like Facebook, Nike, HBO and Kickstarter.
Features:
- One-click publishing
- Multiple web players and podcast players
- Podcast analytics
- Collaborate with multiple team members in one account
- One standout feature is their Recast™ tool, which allows you to schedule and share clips of your podcast on social media
Pricing:
- 14-day free trial of Simplecast
- Basic Plan ($15 / month): Unlimited storage and uploads, two member accounts, customizable show website, 20k downloads per month, an embeddable web player, and email support.
- Essential Plan ($35 / month): All basic plan features, plus two extra user seats, additional web players, location (country and region) and technology (apps, browsers) analytics, 50k downloads / month, and the addition of chat support.
- Growth Plan ($85 / month): All features of previous plans, plus 5 more extra user seats (9 total), ISP analytics, detailed metro area location analytics, and 120k downloads / month.
Spreaker is a one-stop shop for podcasters. From first time podcasters to seasoned publishers, the platform has a solution for making any podcaster’s journey an easy and profitable one.
Features:
- Content management system – allows podcasters of any “level” to automatically enable the distribution of new episodes to the major listening platforms
- Manage and schedule multiple podcasts under the same account
- Strategically set your monetization (provided via dynamic ad insertion) at the episode and show level
- Team management features and can add collaborators
- Statistics certified by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB)
Pricing:
Their most popular plan is the Broadcaster Plan at $20/month. With that plan, you get 500 hours of audio storage, advanced stats, and their monetization features. But others include:
- Free Speech (Free): 5 hours of audio storage, up to 10 episodes
- On-Air Talent ($8 / month): 100 hours of storage
- Broadcaster ($20 / month): 500 hours of storage
- Anchorman ($50 / month): 1,500 hours of storage
- Anchorman ($120 / month): Unlimited storage
Whooshkaa, now owned by Spotify, is a podcast hosting platform that is in the more expensive range.
Features:
- 2-5 separate shows per package
- Unlimited episodes
- 2-20 hours of automated transcriptions
- 10K-50K dynamic ad insertion impressions
- 10-200 private podcast subscribers
- 4 – 30 minutes of video highlights
- Listener analytics
- 3 – 10 team seats
Price: $0 - $199/month
Whooshkaa offers 4 different plans for users to pick from. They split up the packages based on whether you’re an individual podcaster, part of a small team, or a business, and then assume what features you will need in each. Their packages are:
- Semi-Pro: $29 / month
- Pro: $99 / month
- Business: $199 / month
They do have a free package that isn’t advertised with the other 3 paid packages but only 1,000 downloads / month are included. We recommend looking into some of the alternative options that we’ve listed if you’re just getting into podcasting or are a hobbyist podcaster.
Note: they have the option to contact their team and customize packages to fit more of what you’re looking for, which is a great feature.
RedCircle, among some other hosting platforms, is a good option if you’re interested in monetizing your content.
Features:
- Accept one-time and recurring donations so you can keep your show going
- Build subscription revenue to ensure long-term success
- Cross-Promotion Marketplace that lets you connect with other shows to grow your audience
- No contracts or exclusivity when it comes to your content
- Switching over from another provider is an easy process
Pricing:
There is a free 7-day trial on paid plans and there is also an enterprise plan (contact them for more details). They offer a core plan that allows unlimited hosting and distributing, subscriptions donations, and more. After that, there are two paid plans as follows:
- Growth Plan: $9 / month
- Pro Plan: $30 / month
- Note: there are also monthly plans available if this is something you’d prefer.
Fusebox is seen as the best toolbox of podcasting software. It was actually invented by the famous podcaster Pat Flynn of Smart Passive Income.
Features:
- Email capture (one of the only podcast players to offer this)
- Transcript plugin with SEO-friendly live text that automatically adds podcast transcripts to your website
Pricing: Free - $19 / month
Blubrry offers flexible podcast hosting plans for new and experienced podcasters alike.
Features:
- Offer a popular WordPress podcasting plugin called PowerPress which makes it easy to manage a podcast directly from your WordPress website
- Using Blubrry with PowerPress makes it easy to upload your podcast episodes directly to your podcast hosting provider.
- It also allows you to easily submit your podcast to Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts. This makes your podcasts easily discoverable on Google Home, Assistant, and Google Podcast app on Android devices.
- Offers monetization options, podcast statistics, social sharing features, and more.
Pricing: Starting from $12 / month with 100 MB storage each month
Anchor, also owned by Spotify, has made waves in the podcasting space in the past few years. They offer tools to create as well as distribute your podcast. If you’re just wanting to test out podcasting as an individual, Anchor can be a great free resource but if you’re a brand or a more seasoned podcaster, we recommend checking out some of the other hosting platforms we’ve listed.
Features:
- Listener analytics such as episode drop-off, location, listening platform, and more
- Anchor sponsorships to monetize your podcast (only available in the US)
- Listener support (an option for listeners to donate to your series)
Pricing: Free
Anchor is completely free to use – there’s no cost to create or distribute your podcast. Their mission is to support creators free of charge, so that anyone that wants a podcast can have one.
Libsyn is one of the most popular hosts focused on helping everyone from newbies to podcasting pros looking to monetize their work. They’re definitely one of the most widely known hosting platforms.
Features:
- Podcast website
- Directory listing
- Embedded web player
- Video publishing options
- Episode scheduling
- Podcast analytics
Pricing:
- $5 - 75 / month
- Offers 6 different pricing packages that are mainly dependent on storage with some added special features as you get higher in price
- Does not offer any free trials or free plans so it’s a platform that you’d have to invest some money into to be able to try out
So, there you have it! Whether you are looking to start a podcast, save money or move to a different hosting platform – we hope this article was helpful.
And you can always contact the team at CoHost, to learn more about all things podcasting, including the best hosting platforms for you and your show specifically.
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