10 Best Podcast Hosting Platforms 2024 (with Pros & Cons)

If you are interested in finding the best platforms for hosting podcasts, you’re in the right place! Podcasting has become a popular way to engage with audiences, and both podcast hosts and businesses are benefiting from this medium. If you haven’t jumped on the podcasting trend yet, you’re missing out. Podcasting can be a great way to connect with your audience and even make money if you have good speaking skills.

To get started with podcasting, you’ll need podcast hosting. Think of podcast hosting platforms as similar to web hosting platforms for blogging. Just like you need a web host for blogging, you’ll need podcast hosting for podcasting. In this article, I’ll be reviewing 10 podcast hosting platforms. Read the full reviews to understand their differences.

As someone experienced in this field, I can guide you through the process and help you choose the right podcast hosting platform for your needs.

Let’s explore the options together!

If you’re in a rush and need recommendations for the top podcast hosting platforms, I suggest checking out RSS.com, Buzzsprout, and Transistor.

These three platforms are widely used by successful podcasters worldwide, and I liked using them in the past.

TL;DR

Here are some popular podcast hosting services with their monthly prices:

  1. RSS.com: It costs $4.99 per month. Click here to claim the deal.
  2. Buzzsprout: The monthly cost is $12.00. Click here to claim the deal.
  3. Transistor: It is priced at $19.00 per month. Click here to claim the deal.
  4. PodBean: The monthly cost is $9.00. Click here to claim the deal.
  5. Castos: It is priced at $19.00 per month. Click here to claim the deal.
  6. Captivate: The monthly cost is $17.00. Click here to claim the deal.
  7. Resonate: It costs $25.00 per month. Click here to claim the deal.
  8. Fusebox: The monthly cost is $15.83. Click here to claim the deal.
  9. Blubrry Podcasting: It is priced at $12.00 per month. Click here to claim the deal.
  10. Spreaker: The monthly cost is $8.00. Click here to claim the deal.

Review of Best Podcast Hosting Platforms

As you know, Podcast hosting platforms are virtual platforms for storing and sharing podcast audio files. When choosing a host, you should expect basic features and ample storage space for your files, as well as advanced analytics to understand your listeners and their preferences.

Here are the top 10 Podcast hosting platforms.

1. RSS.com

rss - best podcast hosting
RSS Podcast Hosting

RSS.com is definitely one of the best platforms for hosting podcasts. It offers a wide range of features and benefits. With unlimited hosting for episodes of any duration, it stands out from other podcast platforms. This makes it a great choice if you plan on releasing many podcast episodes.

Even if your file sizes are smaller, RSS.com is still a fantastic podcast hosting platform for you. It also focuses on helping podcast creators monetize their content by leveraging existing partnerships to generate more income.

In addition to these benefits, RSS.com provides cross-platform access to analytics, an RSS feed, a free website for your podcasts, a customized embedded player, episode scheduling, automatic submission, social media sharing, and much more. If you have sponsors, RSS.com is an excellent platform for inserting ads into your podcast and reaching a larger audience.

Pricing of RSS

RSS.com – Plans & Pricing

RSS is very simple to use and very affordable in terms of its pricing. In order to host your podcasts with RSS.com, there are three different pricing tiers available. Students, NGOs, and other small organizations can sign up for plans starting at just $4.99/month and going up to $8.25/month with some monetization benefits.

In this article, we have compared all the plans for you, so that you can choose the plan that matches your requirements the best.

  • Students & NGO Plans: Starting at $4.99/mo, this plan offers unlimited podcast hosting of unlimited duration. A plan like this would be perfect for NGOs, students, and small organizations looking for a place to host their podcasts. In this plan, you will be able to get all the features you will ever find in a podcast hosting plan.
  • All-in-one Podcasting Plan: With this plan, you will have to pay $8.25 a month. The features of this plan are almost the same as those in the former plan; however, here, you will have the option of monetization as well as 24×7 customer support.
  • Pro and Enterprise Plan: In order to learn more about the pricing of this plan, users will need to request a quote. This plan is tailored to meet the specific requirements of podcasters.

Got confused with all the plans and prices?

To make everything as easy as possible, we recommend you go with their “Students & NGO” plans, which are currently available for just $4.99/month with tons of benefits and unlimited episode hosting. If you like their podcasting plan and would like to have your podcasts monetized, then you can move forward with their “All-In-One Podcasting” plan.

Pros
  • RSS.com offers cross-platform analysis, as well as episode statistics.
  • You can integrate a free website for your podcast show.
  • There is an embeddable player available for podcasts on your existing website.
  • Automatic sharing to platforms such as Apple Music and Spotify is also included.
Cons
  • There are no significant disadvantages of RSS.

2. Buzzsprout

Buzzsprout Podcast Hosting

Buzzsprout is a popular podcast hosting platform that can be helpful for beginners and organizations. It has many advantages over other platforms and even offers a free plan where you can store around two hours of your podcast each month. Many people are happy with Buzzsprout, and just last week, approximately 4118 individuals started their podcasts using this platform. This makes Buzzsprout one of the most reliable podcast hosting platforms available.

One of the reasons why Buzzsprout is popular is because of its free plan. With this plan, you can host up to two hours of podcasts each month, track your progress using advanced statistics, and have access to an editing tool that helps optimize your audio files before uploading them.

Additionally, Buzzsprout provides an auto transcription feature to make your podcast more accessible on search engine results pages.

Pricing of Buzzsprout

Buzzsprout – Plans & Pricing

Buzzsprout offers four pricing tiers for podcast hosting. The free plan includes 2 hours of episode hosting per user. However, if you plan to podcast regularly, we recommend selecting the premium plan, which allows you to upload up to 12 hours of content each month.

  • Free Plan: No charge for the first plan, allows hosting of two hours of shows per month. Includes advanced analytics, unlimited team members, ad removal upgrades, and more. Excludes magic mastery tool.
  • Second Plan: $12/month, allows uploading of 3 hours of content per month. Infinite episode hosting, unlimited storage, and free podcast importing.
  • Third Plan: $18/month, enables 6 hours of monthly podcast uploading. Same features as other plans.
  • Last Plan: $24/month, offers 12 hours of monthly uploading along with all other features.

Got confused with all the plans and prices?

The Buzzsprout podcast hosting plan is ideal for everyone and offers many advanced features. If you’re new to podcasting, you can start with their free plan and upgrade to the paid plan for additional benefits and unlimited podcast hosting.

Pros
  • Increases your audience by listing you in top directories
  • Monitors all your podcasts and episodes
  • Includes tools to optimize your audio files
  • Allows for easy browsing of podcasts with chapters
Cons
  • I have been using Buzzsprout for a while now and I am satisfied with it, as there are no major drawbacks.

3. Transistor

Transistor Podcast Hosting

Transistor is a really great platform for hosting podcasts. It’s designed for advanced podcasters like yourself. The special thing about Transistor is that it gives you detailed data for analyzing and tracking your podcast. This means you can measure how well your podcast is doing more effectively.

With Transistor, you not only get the usual metrics like downloads and subscribers, but also many other stats. It’s really useful! Another cool thing is that you can create as many podcasts as you want with Transistor. That makes it one of the best podcast platforms available.

Transistor has some other great features too. You can create private podcasts, get live customer support, have a built-in podcast website, and use advanced analytics. Plus, you can even have 2-10 team members to help you out. And all of this starts at just $19 per month.

Pricing of Transistor

Transistor – Plans & Pricing

Transistor offers three different pricing tiers for hosting your podcasts. These plans range in price from $19/month with advanced metrics, 2 additional team members, and 15,000 monthly podcast downloads to $99/month with 10 additional team members, 3000 private podcast subscribers, and 2,00,000 monthly downloads.

The following is detailed information about all these three plans, so you can easily choose the plan that best suits your requirements.

  • Starter: For a monthly fee of $19, this is the cheapest plan available. It offers unlimited podcast creation to each user. There are several features provided to you, such as creating private podcasts, live customer support, a built-in podcast website, advanced analytics, 2 additional team members, and many more.
  • Professional: This plan will cost you $49/month. In this plan, the features are almost the same, but you will be getting five additional team members, 500 private podcast subscribers, and a big 75,000 monthly podcast downloads.
  • Business: With the Business Plan, you will be charged $99/month, and you will also be given 10 more team members to work with. With this plan, you will be able to have up to 3000 private podcast subscribers and a huge 2,00,000 monthly downloads.
Pros
  • Users can create numerous podcasts with one account.
  • No extra charge for additional upload time.
  • Invite others to collaborate on your podcast.
  • Import podcasts to different platforms effortlessly using RSS feed.
Cons
  • Expensive for beginners.

4. PodBean

PodBean Podcast Hosting

Podbean is a fantastic podcast hosting provider that offers both free and premium options for creating podcasts. To get started, you just need to sign up for a free account and explore the features yourself.

With Podbean, you can easily upload your audio files and create podcasts with a simple click. What’s even better is that you can customize your podcasting design using their themes. The platform also provides 5 hours of free podcast hosting with 100GB bandwidth.

By hosting your podcasts on Podbean, you can enjoy various benefits, such as having your own private podcasting site, receiving live customer support, integrating a custom embedded player, creating a podcast website, analyzing advanced podcast statistics, and distributing your podcasts to all major apps.

Pricing of PodBean

PodBean – Plans & Pricing

The podcast hosting service offered by Podbean consists of four different pricing tiers. Upon learning the ropes, we recommend starting with their “Basic” plan, as it costs you nothing at all. However, if you would like to add unlimited podcasts to your subscription, the “Unlimited Audio” and “Unlimited Plus” plans are the best ones for you.

I’d like to share with you a brief overview of all the pricing tiers;

  • Basic Plan: You won’t be charged any monthly fees for the Basic Plan. The plan offers 5 hours of storage. With this plan, you will receive many features, such as creating a private podcast site, live customer support, a tailored embedded player, a built-in podcast website, advanced analytics, and distribution to all major apps. Additionally, users will receive 100 GB of bandwidth per month.
  • Unlimited Audio Plan: The Unlimited Audio Plan costs $9 per month. The features of this plan are almost the same, but you will be able to enjoy unlimited storage, bandwidth, and other features. Users can also customize the podcast themes.
  • Unlimited Plus Plan: The third plan is the Unlimited Plus Plan, which costs you $29/month and is the most popular plan so far. This plan gives you unlimited access to all features. Moreover, this plan also permits you to upload video podcasts.
  • Business Plan: This is the final Podbean plan, available for just $99/month. All business podcasting features are included in this plan, including some major features like Podbean branding removal, multiple admins, live chat support, and more.
Pros
  • Users can sign up for a free account to upload their podcasts
  • You can share your podcasts on any podcast directory
  • There is a built-in advanced ad management system for monetization
  • Easily engage an audience for live audio streaming
Cons
  • Certain users are dissatisfied with its customer service.

5. Castos

Castos is a fantastic podcast hosting platform that is highly recommended for both small and large organizations. It’s also a great option for people who want to showcase their podcasts on their WordPress websites. Unlike other hosting platforms, Castos doesn’t restrict you in terms of hosting your podcasts and accessing them.

In addition, Castos provides its own user-friendly plugin called “Seriously Simple Podcasting WordPress Plugin.” With this plugin, managing all your podcast episodes on WordPress becomes effortless. You can even publish your podcasts on your YouTube channel to reach a wider audience.

One of the best things about Castos is that it offers unlimited podcasts, episodes, and hosting duration with all their plans. Moreover, their premium plans include great features such as up to 500 private subscribers, 200,000 downloads, and advanced analytics.

Pricing of Castos

Castos – Plans & Pricing

Castos brings you three pricing tiers for hosting your podcasts. The first plan is the Starter Plan, which comes with unlimited podcast episodes and duration of hosting, and the final plan is the Pro plan, which offers you all the premium features.

  • Starter Plan: This plan costs you $19/month; it offers unlimited podcast episodes and hosting duration. You will get several features, including advanced access to analytics. You can have up to 100 confidential subscribers, a free website, an episode schedule, auto-submission, 20,000 downloads/month, and many more.
  • Growth Plan: The Growth Plan costs you $49/month. The features are almost the same as the former plan. However, you will get some additional features, including video republishing to YouTube, headliner audiogram addition, 250 subscribers, and 75,000 downloads.
  • Pro Plan: For this plan, users need to pay $99/month. This plan is tailored to meet all the demands of podcasters and comes with video file hosting, 500 private subscribers, and 200,000 downloads monthly.
Pros
  • Automates podcast transcription for SEO
  • Dashboard provides data analysis
  • Page for all episodes to track audience connection
  • Efficiently manage all episodes on WordPress
Cons
  • Prices are very high.

6. Captivate.fm

Captivate Podcast Hosting

Captivate is a great podcast hosting platform that helps you connect with more listeners and make a bigger impact. It has all the features you need to professionally optimize your audio files. One of the best things about Captivate is its 24/7 live customer support, so you can always get help when you need it.

The interface of Captivate is simple and easy to use, making it perfect for beginners. Another exciting feature is that you can add as many team members as you want to your plans.

Just like other podcast hosting platforms, Captivate offers unlimited podcast episodes, storage, and hosting duration. You can also expect features like up to 150,000 downloads per month, advanced analytics, wide distribution, a free website, and automatic submission.

With Captivate, you can have up to 3 private podcasts on the platform and reach around 5,000 private podcast subscribers. You can also customize your podcast player to match your style and branding.

Pricing of Captivate

Captivate – Plans & Pricing

Captivate offers three different pricing for hosting your podcasts. The base plan starts from $17/mo and goes up to $90/mo with tons of extra benefits. If you are new to podcasting, a personal plan is the best option for you. However, if you already have some listeners, you can choose the business plan.

  • Personal Plan: This is one of their base plan, which costs you $17/month. It offers unlimited podcast episodes, storage, and hosting duration. In this plan, you will get several features, including 12,000 downloads every month, advanced access to analytics, an extensive distribution list, a free website, auto-submission, and many more.
  • Professional Plan: The Professional Plan costs you $44/month. The features are almost the same as the former plan, but it offers you 60,000 downloads every month and unlimited podcast uploads. In this plan, you will also get an extensive distribution list.
  • Business Plan: For this plan, users need to pay $90/month. This plan is tailored to meet all demands of podcasters, and you will get 150,000 downloads every month.
Pros
  • Include CTAs and promote them to boost conversions
  • Discover Sync, a captivating plugin for adding podcasts to your WordPress site
  • Easily monitor analytics
  • Connect with popular podcasting directories
Cons
  • The prices are too high.

7. Resonate

Resonate Podcast Hosting

Resonate (also known as Resonate Recordings) is a very popular platform for hosting podcasts. Many users prefer not to worry about recording and uploading their podcasts. They want to make sure their podcasts are professionally optimized to attract a larger audience. Resonate can help with that.

With Resonate, you can easily upload your podcasts to various directories with just one click. You can also create a simple landing page for your podcasts to make it more accessible to your audience. Resonate offers a detailed embedded player, access to insights about your podcast’s performance, unlimited downloads, and even a free website.

One of the great things about Resonate is that it allows you to have unlimited podcast episodes on all plans. You also get storage space and advanced access to an analytics dashboard where you can track the performance of your podcast. If you ever need help, Resonate offers live chat support and a dedicated microsite for your podcast.

Pricing of Resonate

Resonate – Plans & Pricing

Resonate is another most interesting podcast hosting platform and it comes with three different pricing tiers according to your needs. The service also comes with a free 14-day trial period for those who want to give it a try before spending their money on it.

Here’s a breakdown of all their plans;

  • Basic Plan: The Basic plan costs you $25/month. In this plan, you will get unlimited episodes, unlimited downloads, unlimited show users, an analytics dashboard, detailed embed player analytics, embed player, and live chat support.
  • Premium Plan: The Premium plan costs you $49/month. The only difference between the Basic and Premium plans is that the Premium plan gives you access to its microsite creator and dynamic ad insertion.
  • Professional Plan: For this Professional Plan, users need to contact the platform for pricing. This plan is tailored to meet all demands of podcasters.
Pros
  • Users can directly upload edited audio files
  • Effortlessly distribute to various podcasting platforms
  • Simplify performance tracking and growth with analytics
  • Embed players to showcase the latest episode on your site.
Cons
  • Expensive for beginners.

8. Fusebox

FuseBox Podcast Hosting

Fusebox is one of the best podcast hosting platforms available. It has a unique podcast player that allows you to easily browse episodes and listen to podcasts on websites.

Over time, Fusebox has undergone several upgrades and now offers innovative ways to create podcasts. It boasts impressive features like a single-track player, customizable brand colors, various color schemes, call-to-action buttons, subscribe links, and more.

Additionally, Fusebox includes essential features such as a download button. The platform is dedicated to assisting people with hearing disabilities by providing downloadable PDF transcripts. As an expert in this field, I can assure you that all transcripts are automatically generated by the platform.

Pricing of Fusebox

Fusebox – Plans & Pricing

Fusebox comes with affordable as well as competitive plans. It brings you three pricing tiers for hosting your podcasts. If you want to try this tool, it offers you a free trial that will help you make your decision.

  • Free Plan: The Free plan will cost you $0/month. In this plan, you will get Single Track Player, Player brand color select, Call to action, Subscribe links, and Transcript WP plugin with the manual upload.
  • Pro Plan: This Pro plan costs you $15.83/month and offers you lots of features like Single Track Player, Archive Player with Playlist, Full-page Archive Player, and Sticky Player.
  • Go Pro Plan: You have to contact the platform to know the pricing of this plan.
Pros
  • Podcasters can use a single-track or full player to showcase podcasts
  • It encourages users to sign up to collect email addresses
  • Automatically generate transcripts to boost your SEO
  • Individuals with hearing disabilities can download PDFs to access podcast content
Cons
  • UI is not beginner-friendly.

9. Blubrry Podcasting

Blubrry Podcast Hosting

It is a podcast-hosting platform for all busy businessmen. It has the progressive tools to optimize and target your listeners; a turnkey pre-production service makes this podcasting platform more prevalent.

All the services in the features are offered to you by the in-house team. Distinctive MB monthly storage, standard statistics, phone, email, and tech support, along with the customizable embeddable player and free WordPress Website, are some of its most enticing features.

Users can access appealing features like domain mapping, unlimited download, DNS management, etc. All these features make podcast management seamless for you.

Pricing of Blubrry

Blubrry – Plans & Pricing

Blubrry Podcasting provides you with three pricing tiers for hosting your podcasts. If you are not a professional podcaster, you can choose the standard plan, but if you have to upload too many podcasts, then the Pro hosting plan is the best option.

  • Standard Plan: This plan costs you $12/month. In features, you will get 100MB of monthly storage, Standard Statistics Included, Phone/Email Tech Support, Unlimited Downloads, Custom embedded player, a Free WordPress Site, Blubrry Subdomain, Essential Themes and Plugins, and Free file migration.
  • Advanced Plan: This Advanced plan costs you $20/month. All the features are the same as the former one. The only difference is the monthly storage. In this plan, you will get 250 MB of storage.
  • Pro Hosting Plan: You have to pay $100/ month for this plan. This plan offers you unlimited storage.
Pros
  • Publish and share your podcasts directly from your WordPress site
  • Customize the podcast player for embedding
  • Gain access to in-depth analytics through the advanced analytics dashboard
  • Get support via email and phone for any queries
Cons
  • Storage Cap

10. Spreaker

Spreaker Podcast Hosting

Spreaker brings the most seamless way of creating and uploading podcasts. It is for all those beginners who want things simple. Users can easily schedule podcasts and upload episodes at the desired time. There is a live stream facility to enhance interaction with the audience.

In these live streams, users would get more engagement and clear the audience’s queries. A monetizing podcast is also easy to attain on this platform. At Spreaker, you can monetize podcasts by allowing ads and managing them manually to insert in your podcast.

Access to analytics is more detailed in this podcast hosting platform, and it explains to you the gaps and how you can improve the insights. Spreaker also empowers users to promote their podcasts by automatically sharing them to top directories and social media stages.

Pricing of Spreaker

Spreaker – Plans & Pricing

Spreaker is the most premium podcast hosting platform on the list that comes with 5 different hosting plans, including Free Speech, On-Air Talent, Broadcaster, Anchorman, and Publisher. Let’s discuss the plans in detail.

  • Free Speech: This is the free plan that costs you $0. In features, you will get Multiple podcast hosting.
  • On-Air Talent: This is the second plan that costs you $6/Month. The additional features that you will get in this plan are a Customizable RSS feed and auto uploads to multiple channels, such as Spotify.
  • Broadcaster: This plan is specially designed for professional podcasters and costs you $20/ Month. The features are almost the same as the former plan. However, you will get some additional features, such as In-app support, Enhanced private podcasts, and Standard statistics.

Anchorman and Publisher plans will cost you around $20/ Month and $50/ Month, respectively. These plans come with more premium features.

Pros
  • Users can monetize their podcast by enabling and manually inserting ads
  • Gain access to crucial insights for performance analysis
  • Easily monetize podcasts and manually insert ads
  • Listed in prominent podcast directories
Cons
  • Expensive

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Still, have doubts? As a human being, it’s natural to have questions and wonder about things. That’s why I’m here to answer any questions you might have!

Q. What is a Podcast?

A podcast is a way of sharing experiences or stories with a wide audience. It’s an online broadcasting platform that allows people to create audio or video content that can be listened to or watched on devices. It’s like having your own radio or TV show that people can subscribe to and listen to at their convenience.

Q. Who should use Podcast hosting Platforms?

Podcast hosting platforms are suitable for businesses, schools, and organizations that want to reach out to their audience. If you have a story to tell, whether it’s about your company, education-related, or purely for entertainment, podcasting is a great way to connect with listeners and grow your audience.

Q. What is the biggest advantage of Podcasts?

The biggest advantage of podcasts is the ability to share your message with listeners. Whether it’s sharing your experiences, providing tutorials, or any other valuable content, podcasts allow you to connect directly with your audience. Additionally, there are ways to monetize your podcast through advertisements or selling products/services if it aligns with your goals.

Q. Is it expensive to launch a podcast?

Launching an audio podcast doesn’t have to be expensive. If you have a simple idea, you can easily include the audio feed on your website. However, if you have a unique concept or specific requirements, you may need to explore other hosting options. With the right platform and strategy, your podcast can become successful without breaking the bank.

Q. How do I create a Podcast?

To create a podcast, start by choosing a topic that interests you and will engage your listeners. Then, come up with a catchy and interesting name for your podcast that will attract more followers and downloads.

Next, create a profile for your podcast on various hosting platforms. Finally, start creating episodes for your podcast, ensuring that you provide valuable content to your listeners. Remember, the key is to consistently deliver something useful and increase your listenership over time!

I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any more questions.

Final Words

Overall, these are the top 10 podcast hosting platforms that offer a wide range of features. These platforms cater to different types of podcasts, making them suitable for both beginners and professionals.

All of these podcast hosting platforms are user-friendly. However, it is important to choose one that provides ample storage and reasonable pricing. In my opinion, I recommend considering RSS.com, Buzzsprout, and Transistor as they are widely used and preferred by many podcasters.

I hope this article about the best podcast hosting platforms has been helpful to you. If you have any other suggestions, feel free to share them in the comment section.

Sunny Kumar

Number of posts: 145

Hi, I'm Sunny Kumar, a passionate tech enthusiast and a blogger from New Delhi, India. With a degree in IT from IIT-D and expertise in SEO, Cloud Computing, Telecom & Networking, and CEH, I specialize in various technical fields, including SEO, WordPress Development, and PC Building. And being a proficient WordPress user, I’m dedicated to delivering quality content and a remarkable user experience.

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