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The 9 Best Podcast Hosting Sites in 2021 (With Free Options)

If you haven’t been paying attention, you may have missed the meteoric rise in podcast popularity. If you decide to incorporate a podcast into your business, you’ll need to consider podcast hosting. We’ve compiled a list of some of the best podcast hosting sites to help you out.

Many of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This may influence which products we write about and where and how they appear on a page. It does not influence our evaluations.

Top Picks for Podcast Hosting Sites

Podcasts are one of the fastest growing forms of entertainment. From formal news podcasts, to pre-scripted comedy shows, there is something for everyone in the podcast world.

An interesting consideration, when starting a podcast, is where to host it. There are many options for hosting sites, and as a result, it can be tough to determine which option is the best choice.

In this article, we will take a look at some of the best podcast hosting sites to determine how they compare in terms of the features they offer, the benefits to using each, and the cost associated with each.

Related: Best LLC Formation Services

Buzzsprout

Buzzsprout Podcast Hosting Homepage

Features

Touted as “the easiest way to start podcasting,” Buzzsprout is a user-friendly site that provides all the tools necessary to host, boost, and gain analytics on your podcast. Buzzsprout enables users to list their podcasts in all of the well-known directories such as Apple podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and many more.

Pros

  • Provides statistics and analytics about your podcast for marketing purposes
  • Easy ability to list your podcast on top podcast apps
  • Free to sign up and for the first 90 days
  • Multiple pricing options to accommodate all different types of users

Cost

There are 4 plan levels: ranging from $0.00/month to $24.00/month. The free plan enables you to upload 2 hours each month, and episodes are hosted for only 90 days. At $12.00/month, you can upload 3 hours per month. With the $18.00/month plan, you can upload 6 hours of content each month. Finally, the $24.00/month plan allows you to upload 12 hours each month.

 

All of the paid plans allow you to pay an extra fee per hour if you go over your monthly allotment of hours. Additionally, the paid plans all enable you to host your podcast forever.

Transistor

Transistor Homepage

Features

Transistor offers the option to host multiple podcasts for one flat monthly fee while also providing assistance with analytics, distribution and even the option to create private podcasts for small groups or members of your organization. While other sites offer the option for private podcasts, Transistor’s service is incredibly intuitive, which helped to land it on the list of best podcast hosting sites.

Pros

  • Easy-to-navigate software
  • Personalized help with all aspects of uploading and distributing podcasts
  • Ability to create “private podcasts” and restrict listeners on certain content, as desired
  • 2 week free trial

Cost

Pricing on Transistor ranges from $19.00/month for the starter option to $49.00/month for the professional option to $99.00/month for the business option. Each version comes with the ability to upload an unlimited number of podcasts, have access to customer support, and perform advanced analytics on your podcast. From there, the features vary significantly between plans in terms of number of logins, number of monthly downloads allowed, and private podcast options.

Spreaker

Spreaker Homepage

Features

Spreaker is a site that has been around for more than 10 years, enabling podcasters to distribute, monetize and run analytics on their shows. It’s easy to see why Spreaker is on the list of the best podcast hosting sites, as the service boasts the ability to help podcasters grow in scale and provides easy ways to customize podcasts as desired.

Pros

  • Ability to easily monetize podcasts
  • Access to a variety of analytics tools, depending on user needs
  • Dynamic advertising system allow user to advertise to listeners based on their preferences
  • “One click distribution” allows user to distribute podcast to apps in mere seconds

Cost

Spreaker offers 4 pricing plans within its “professional” level, then an option for an “enterprise” level.

 

  • “Free-speech”
    • No cost option allowing hosting of one or more podcast
  • “On-Air Talent”
    • $7.00/month allows you the features of the “free speech” plan as well as the ability to monetize your show and customize your RSS feed
  • “Broadcaster”
    • $20.00/month gives you the features of the “on-air talent” plan and access to subscriptions and more detailed analytics.
  • “Anchorman”
    • At $50.00/month, you have access to all of the features of “broadcaster” in addition to more customization options and all of the statistics available.
  • “Enterprise”
    • At the “enterprise” level, you have access to all of the features available through Spreaker as well as further advertising tools, priority customer support, and collaborative features not available on other plans.

PodBean

Podbean Homepage

Features

Podbean is another platform that promotes ease of use and intuitive features that are perfect for beginners and experienced podcasters alike. With Podbean, users can even upload podcasts from their mobile device, without need for a computer. So, for podcasters on the go, PodBean is an excellent option.

Pros

  • Easy distribution to many different platforms
  • Options for live streaming
  • One flat rate for unlimited downloads and recording time
  • Account comes with a free podcast website

Cost

Podbean has 4 pricing options, from the free version to the business version:

  • “Basic”
    • Free option
    • 5 hours of total storage space.
    • Numerous benefits including free podcast website and smartphone app capability.
  • “Unlimited Audio”
    • $9.00/month when billed yearly.
    • All features of free option plus unlimited storage space and bandwidth capability
    • This option is appealing for non-video podcasts.
  • “Unlimited Plus”
    • $29.00/month when billed yearly.
    • Preferred option for video podcasts and those who wish to monetize their podcasts.
  • “Business”
    • $99.00/month when billed yearly.

The business plan offers all of the features of the “unlimited plus” plan with the addition of numerous business options such as live chat support and the ability to utilize multiple admins.

Simplecast

Simplecast Homepage

Features

Simplecast heavily promotes its ability to provide analytics and podcast management to users. The company provides astoundingly in-depth analytic capabilities, which allow you to gain insight into which specific parts of your show are appealing to listeners based on geographic location and many other categories. Additionally, the platform is used by various well-known brands such as Facebook and Nike, among many others, demonstrating that it is a trusted brand by the big players in the field and one of the best podcast hosting sites.

Pros

  • “One-click publishing”
  • The company has been a leading name in the podcast space for over 7 years
  • Analytics at “enterprise-scale”
  • 24/7 support is available, should issues arise

Cost

The pricing options for simple cast are broken down into two main categories, with subcategories from there. All plans offer a 14 day free trial.

  • “Independent Podcaster”
    • “Basic” plan is 15$/month
      • All of the tools needed for a beginner podcaster are included.
    • “Essential” plan is $35.00/month
      • This plan includes all of the features of the basic plan, with tools to help podcasters who plan to scale up in the future.
    • “Growth” plan is $85.00/month
      • As the name implies, this plan appeals to podcasts who are expecting significant growth and provides many tools that allow deep insight into podcast analytics.
    • “Networks and Businesses”
      • For these options, the prices are not listed, but the sales team can be contacted anytime to set up a consultation.
        • “Professional” plan
          • Allows for a large team of up to 15 members
          • Live analytics across multiple podcasts
          • Many other options
        • “Enterprise” plan
          • Everything available in the “Professional” plan with even more features such as SSO and customized insight reports.

Captivate

Captivate Podcast Hosting Homepage

Features

Captivate is a great option for first-time podcasters. The platform offers a 5 step breakdown of the process to start a podcast, while also offering support, analytics, and the ability to monetize your podcast. The five-step podcast breakdown provides a plain-english description of a good way to get started on the road to success, for novice and intermediate level podcasters alike to improve on their abilities and reach a wider audience with a better product.

Pros

  • Easy-to-follow 5 phase system for starting a podcast makes the platform great for beginners
  • 7 day free trial period
  • Audio and reading guides for the most important steps to take when starting a podcast
  • Extra tips such as equipment recommendations on microphones and other equipment

Cost

All three pricing options offered by Captivate include a 7 day free trial. Starting with the “Personal” plan, you can expect to pay $17.00 per month. The next step up is the “Professional” plan, which costs $44.00/month. The highest cost plan is the “Business” plan, which costs $90.00/month.

 

Each option contains tons of enticing features, with each successive plan offering more than the lower tier option, as to be expected.

Castos

Castos Homepage

Features

Castos offers podcasters the option to create both public and private podcasts, all while allowing unlimited bandwidth and storage, regardless of which plan the user selects. The platform appeals to businesses and independent podcasters alike with features such as “internal company podcast” and “member-only” content options. For companies looking to utilize podcasts to boost productivity and employee satisfaction, Castos is one of the best podcast hosting sites available.

Pros

  • Options for both businesses and independent podcasters
  • 2 week free trial period
  • Fully customizable podcast website options, with step-by-step guide on website best practices
  • “Automatic Podcast Transcriptions” create easy, readable versions of your shows for listeners who would need to, or would prefer to access your content through reading rather than through listening

Cost

All plans start with a 14 day free trial. After that, there are 3 levels of subscription:

 

  • “Starter”
    • For $190.00/year, users get all of the essential features for starting a podcast.
    • Limited to 100 private subscribers.
  • “Growth”
    • At $490.00/year allows users access to all of the features of the “starter” plan as well as allowing up to 250 private subscribers, YouTube republishing capabilities, and more.
  • “Pro”
    • The pro plan is geared toward podcasters who wish to integrate video content and want to have extremely in-depth analytic capabilities. The plan costs $990.00/year and contains all of the features of the “growth” plan in addition to advanced analytics and more.

Resonate Recordings

Castos Homepage

Features

Since 2014 Resonate has worked with over 2,500 podcasts including 13 shows that have reached #1 in Apple Podcasts.

They are a successful podcast production company and just recently became a podcast hosting plaform.

This obviously gives the added bonus of getting production services and hosting through the same provider.

Their suite of products includes a Remote Recorder, Podcast Hosting, Private Podcast Hosting, and a Mobile App.

Pros

  • Get hosting and production in one place
  • 2 week free trial period
  • Easily distribute your podcast to every podcast directory
  • Get a podcast microsite that is automatically created

Cost

You can start with a 14-day free trial and then have three options from there on out:

  • “Basic”
    • For $25/month, users get all of the essential features for starting a podcast.
      • Unlimited episodes
      • Unlimited downloads
      • Unlimited show users
      • Anlystics dashboard
      • Detailed Embed Player Analytics
      • Embed Player
      • Live Chat Support
  • “Premium”
    • For $49/month you will get everything in “Basic” along with a podcast microsite and dynamic ad insertion.
  • “Professional”
    • The professional plan requires a custom quote and isn’t something you would need until a more advanced stage. You’ll get everything in Premium the following additional features:
      • Embed player branding removed
      • Live chat, slack, and phone support
      • Premium podcast microsite themes
      • Private Hosting
      • Private Slack channel with Resonate team

Podcastics

Podcastics Hompage

Features

Podcasttics is another platform on this list that strives to make the process easy for users. There is no limit on the number of episodes users can upload and management, analytics, and support features are intuitive for users of any level of technological competence.

Pros

  • 1 month free trial period
  • Built-in support system to limit reliance on emails and missed messages
  • Automated management of all aspects of podcasting
  • Unlimited episode uploads

Cost

There are 5 different pricing options available through Podcastics, with the first month free:

  • “Free”
    • A bare bones option which allows podcasters who want just the bare essentials in their hosting site.
  • “Premium”
    • For $4.00/month, users have access to many of the options available, apart from unlimited hosting and fast delivery options
  • “Pro”
    • This plan costs $8.00/month and provides the user with unlimited hosting and access to 8 data centers in North America and Europe for faster delivery.
  • “Max”
    • For $39.00/month, users have access to all of the features of “pro” in addition to faster delivery through 53 data centers across the globe.
  • “Archive”
    • This option, at $5.00/month is for users who want their podcast to remain online, but don’t want to publish any more episodes. Users have access to all of the features of the “pro” plan and the podcaster can upgrade to the regular “pro” or “max” plan anytime if he or she wishes to resume publishing episodes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Podcast Hosting?

Like a website host is a place to store all the files developers use to create the site, a podcast needs to store all of the audio files you will publish.

They also provide different levels of analytics and other tools depending on the host.

You will want to analyze each podcast hosting site to understand which offers the suite of services you will need to grow your podcast.

Can I Host My Own Podcast?

The answer is you can host your own podcast. Here are some detailed directions with different options, including one that’s free.

But realize, as the above article will attest to, it’s not a simple process. Just like hosting your own website is not simple to most people, even many web developers.

Unless you have experience, it may not be worth your time compared to a podcast hosting site.

How Much Does Podcast Hosting Cost?

Podcast hosting has some free options. But that’s only going to last you for a period of time, or until you get a decent number of podcast downloads.

Pricing can range anywhere from $5 to $50, and will likely increase as you gain more listeners.

Podcast hosting costs that scale as you increase users ensure you only pay more when you become more successful.

How Do You Publish a Podcast?

The good news is the podcast hosing sites listed in the article will help you to publish your podcast.

But it doesn’t hurt to know yourself the option for publishing a podcast. That said, the most popular podcast services are Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify.

You can find a detailed list of other publishing options here.

The Bottom Line

The above list of the best podcast hosting sites will hopefully give you a starting point when deciding on which platform to choose for your podcast.

There are so many options out there, it’s hard not to get bogged down in all of the details. However, if you make a list of features that you must have for your podcast hosting site, compare them to the article above, and then conduct further research based on your needs; you’ll find the right fit for your podcast in no time.

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