Podcasting (and thus the need for podcast hosting) has been accelerating in popularity over the last few years. That’s why many content creators have harnessed the power of starting podcasts to grow their audiences, diversify their content distribution channels and generate more revenue.
If you’re looking for a podcast hosting platform to help get your show off the ground, then you’re in the right place. As a professional podcaster myself (where I host The Side Hustle Project), I’ll be using my own wealth of experience to show you how to choose the right podcast hosting platform that’ll best get you to your goals.
23 Best Podcast Hosting Platforms (Free and Cheap) in 2023
- Buzzsprout: Free Plan (Limited) or $12.00/mo
- Simplecast: $15.00/mo
- Podcastics: Free Plan (Limited) or $8.00/mo
- PodBean: Free Plan (Limited) or $9.00/mo
- Anchor: Free Plan
- Spreaker: $7.00/mo
- Podiant: $12.99/mo
- Podomatic: $8.32/mo
- SoundCloud: Free Plan (Limited) or $12.00/mo
- Blubrry: $12.00/mo
- Sounder: Free Plan (Limited) or $10.39/mo
- Libsyn: $5.00/mo
- Transistor: $19.00/mo
- Captivate: $17.00/mo
- RSS.com: Free Plan (Limited) or $4.99/mo
- Fusebox: Free Plan (Limited) or $8.00/mo
- Podcast Websites: $77.00/mo
- FeedPress: $9.94/mo
- Whooshkaa: $29.00/mo
- Podcast Garden: Free Plan (Limited) or $2.99/mo
- Audioboom: $9.99/mo
- Castos: $19.00/mo
- Resonate Recordings: $25.00/mo
Disclosure: Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links and at no additional cost to you, I’ll earn a commission. Know that I only recommend products and services I’ve personally used and stand behind. When you use one of my affiliate links, the company compensates me, which helps me run this blog and keep all of my in-depth content free of charge for readers (like you).
Is it worth starting a podcast in 2023?
According to Statista, there were 75 million monthly podcast listeners in the US alone during 2018. That number is projected to skyrocket up to 164+ million by 2024. These staggering figures are great news, as they validate your decision to start a podcast (especially if you’re hoping to build a business around it). These statistics show that podcasting is a great way to:
- Market yourself. Podcasting is a great way to market yourself and promote your blog content. The numbers speak for themselves. If you can tap into a small percentage of podcast listeners within your niche, you’ll have a sizable audience to market your products or services to.
- Build authority. If there’s one thing podcasting will help you with immensely, it’s building authority and credibility in your industry. As more people get to hear what you have to share, they’ll trust you and be more likely to seek your advice when they have a question that needs some direction.
- Network & increase visibility. Whether you’re a blogger or small business, your success depends on your target audience finding you—and podcasting is a great (proven) way to make yourself more visible online by interviewing and networking with the (more established) people or brands that already reach the audience you also want to get in front of.
- Monetize your audience. One of the ways I’ve made money from my blog here, is through podcast sponsorships by brands that want to reach my audience of listeners & blog readers. If you’re able to strategize on coming up with a podcast that appeals to a clear audience—and work hard to promote your show & attract listeners, then plenty of brands, products, tools and services have already established that podcast sponsorships result in a proven ROI. It’s merely a matter of showing that your podcast has an active core listenership and reaching out to the right companies who’d want to get in front of your audience.
The numbers speak for themselves. Podcasting is a great way to reach a wider audience whether you’re also blogging or not. In fact, podcasting is particularly useful for reaching those people that don’t spend as much time searching and reading the blog posts you’ve written.
With podcast consumption trending steeply in the right direction, it’s never been a better time to launch a podcast of your own. But, in order to do that… you’ll need a podcast hosting platform to host your show and distribute it online.
Why do you need podcast hosting?
Much like when you start a blog (and need a web hosting plan to get your blog fully online), you’ll also need a single place to host all of your audio files when you start a podcast.
First and foremost, podcast hosting provides a digital home base for where you’ll manage every aspect of your podcast. It’s where you’ll go to set the name for your show, upload a logo (or artwork for your show), publish new episodes and more.
Podcast hosting also generates an RSS feed that distributes your podcast episodes directly to all of the major podcast directories and apps (like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher and more), thus making your podcast available to your audience as soon as a new episode is ready to go live. Your podcast hosting platform is your dashboard for managing your show.
And just like in the world of web hosting, podcast hosting platforms also come in many different flavors & styles.
Now, let’s dive into the 23 best podcast hosting platforms you should be considering to host your podcast today. And by the end of this guide, you’ll have your podcast up and running.
1. Buzzsprout: Free Plan (Limited) or $12.00/mo
Buzzsprout leads the pack in the race of best podcast hosting platforms for a few reasons—it’s very beginner-friendly, comes with a free plan to get started and their cheap podcast hosting plans are also priced to be ultra budget-friendly. They pack a powerful combination of features into a super affordable package.
Having been around since 2009, Buzzsprout understands podcasting better than most other podcast hosting platforms out there. As a result, they’ve managed to design very affordable plans that can accommodate your needs, no matter where you are on your podcasting journey today.
Their free podcast hosting plan is great for beginners who want to test the podcasting waters without making a big commitment yet—and the cheap podcast hosting plans are both approachable & designed to grow with you as your show makes progress, too.
Features of Buzzsprout Podcast Hosting
When it comes to the best podcast hosting platforms, Buzzsprout’s feature sets are what really set them apart. Again, this is where Buzzsprout leads the race by having a very strong feature set that’ll help you start and grow your podcast easily—without spinning your wheels trying to learn all the technical bits behind the scenes. This includes features like:
- Unlimited storage
- 250GB of bandwidth/month (allows for up to 40,000 downloads)
- Advanced analytics
- Automatic episode optimization
- Magic audio quality mastering (magic mastering is available on their cheap podcast hosting plans only, not on the free plan)
Pros of Buzzsprout
- Very affordable plans
- Superb audio quality
- Easily embed the podcast player on your website
- Easy to use, even without any technical knowledge
- Lots of straightforward tutorials on the Buzzsprout blog
Cons of Buzzsprout
- The free plan is limited to 2 hours of audio content per month (and stays hosted for 90 days)
- You’ll eventually want to upgrade to one of their (affordable) cheap podcast hosting plans
Buzzsprout Podcast Hosting Verdict
Buzzsprout is without a doubt one of the best podcast hosting platforms on the market today—especially for budget-conscious podcasters (or those just getting started with podcasting). With a robust free offering and their lowest-priced plan (at just $12.00/mo), you’ll unlock access to all of the features you truly need to launch and scale a podcast.
And while they do offer a free podcast hosting plan to get started quickly, in my experience you’ll want to (soon) upgrade to one of their paid plans in order to get the most out of their features. This’ll also ensure you have access to their full suite of powerful podcast production and promotion tools.
2. Simplecast: $15.00/mo
Simplecast is a close contender for the top spot amongst the best podcast hosting platforms, so it was a tough decision to rank them second on this list—but the deciding factor was that Buzzsprout offers a free starter plan and Simplecast doesn’t (though they do offer a 14-day free trial here). However, Simplecast is used by many global brands to host their podcasts—and I even host my own show on the platform, so if you have a little budget to spend on your podcast hosting, then it’ll be very well placed with Simplecast.
While this podcast hosting platform doesn’t have a free plan option, you can still take it for a spin using their 14-day free trial. Once you’re happy with the trial, you can choose between three cheap podcast hosting plans:
While it may be priced slightly higher than a few of our other top podcast hosting platforms, Simplecast doesn’t disappoint when it comes to the very robust features and functionality they offer.
Features of Simplecast Podcast Hosting
Among the notable features you’ll enjoy with this leading podcast hosting platform include:
- Unlimited storage and bandwidth
- Distribution support for multiple platforms
- Customizable mini website for your podcast
- Powerful analytics
- Easy social media sharing with ReCast
- Embeddable podcast player (a huge win if you’ll be blogging alongside your podcast)
Pros of Simplecast
- Feature-rich podcast hosting platform
- Makes it easy for your audience to create clips of your podcast and share them
- Mini website with audio transcript helps boost SEO
- Easy to import your shows from another platform
- Add team members with different access levels
Cons of Simplecast
- No directly built-in revenue generation features (you can still sell your own podcast sponsorships)
- Additional features may require you to upgrade to higher-priced plans
Simplecast Podcast Hosting Verdict
Simplecast is one of the best podcast hosting platforms because they deliver exceptional value (at a relatively low monthly cost) by offering tons of features and excellent support for their customers. If you have a problem with your show, chatting their support team will get you quick solutions anytime.
Signing up for one of their plans right here is super easy and will definitely be a worthy investment to level up your podcasting game. Plus, if you use my special offer code ONSIMPLECAST during the checkout process, you’ll get 50% off your first 2 months.
3. Podcastics: Free Plan (Limited) or $8.00/mo
As one of the few free podcast hosting platforms, Podcastics makes this list by providing a very robust feature set and an impressive array for their free plan too (though the free plan requires you to host your episodes on your own server). They have very budget-friendly paid plans once you’re ready to upgrade and unlock their best features (including their done-for-you podcast hosting) starting at $8.00/mo.
What’s even better about Podcastics, is that they offer a no credit card down, 1 month free trial where you can take all of their features for a spin (without limitations). Once the free trial period is over, you’ll either be migrated to their forever free plan—with some feature limitations—or you can upgrade to their cheap podcast hosting plans that start at $8.00/mo.
Here’s a snapshot of Podcastics pricing and plans for you to compare (head over here to see the full descriptions and breakdowns):
Features of Podcastics Podcast Hosting
Podcastics packs a punch with their robust set of features in a hosting platform, even on their free plan. These include:
- Their Pro plan, the lowest plan that includes fully done-for-you podcast hosting starts at $8.00/mo, and includes unlimited storage, bandwidth and number of downloads
- Magic import with no episode limit (from Apple Podcasts or any other hosting platform)
- Full, detailed podcast & episode management
- Unlimited episode hosting
- Free website to host your podcast on
- An RSS feed
- Plenty of monetization options
- Managing podcast subscribers
- Excellent support
Pros of Podcastics
- For a free podcast hosting platform, the features are very impressive
- Their cheap podcast hosting plans (that include fully done-for-you hosting) are some of the best bargains in the industry
- One of the easiest platforms to learn and use for managing your show
Cons of Podcastics
- While their free plan is pretty great you’ll have to upgrade to a paid option to unlock features like true, done-for-you hosting, an embeddable podcast player, statistics, reviews & ratings
Podcastics Podcast Hosting Verdict
Podcastics is worthy of sitting high on your shortlist of the best podcast hosting platforms to compare (and try out). With an impressive free offering, very affordable (fully featured) upgrade plans starting at just $8.00/mo and excellent support, you should definitely consider Podcastics in the running for your podcast hosting provider. You can head over here to give it a free test today.
4. PodBean: Free Plan (Limited) or $9.00/mo
Another podcast hosting platform that’s become a regular fixture in the industry over the last few years is PodBean—and for good reason.
One reason PodBean is a fan favorite is that it has a plan for every podcaster, from novice to pro. Their free podcast hosting plan comes with a very generous 5 hours of content per month and 100GB of bandwidth. Basic analytics are also part of the free plan, as is a PodBean-hosted website that can be turned on (and dedicated to just your podcast).
Once you outgrow their free plan, here’s what you need to budget for when upgrading to PodBean’s cheapest podcast hosting plans:
Features of PodBean Podcast Hosting
Another reason PodBean is loved by so many is that it comes with a rich feature set that includes:
- Unlimited storage and bandwidth
- Embeddable players
- Free podcast site
- Automatic social sharing (including YouTube uploads)
- iOS and Android app
- Website builder and themes
Pros of PodBean
- Lots of monetization options
- Has one of the best free podcast hosting plans
- Makes it easy to grow as a podcaster
- Highly customizable
- Supports video podcasting on higher plans
Cons of PodBean
- Many reviews mention relatively slow customer support
PodBean Podcast Hosting Verdict
Ultimately, it’s difficult to find any faults with PodBean—especially for the low $9.00/mo price point. Whether you go for their free (slightly limited) plan or upgrade to their affordable cheap podcast hosting plans, you’ll definitely get a lot of value from this podcast hosting platform and you can learn more about their plans right here.
5. Anchor: Free Plan
When it comes to the best podcast hosting platforms that are genuinely 100% free with no strings attached, nothing can compare to Anchor—though it does come with two major limitations: (1) they don’t offer an embeddable podcast player and (2) your monetization capabilities are extremely limited. For these two reasons, I only recommend Anchor as a free podcast hosting platform if you go into it with the mindset that you’ll eventually need to migrate your show to a different (cheap) podcast hosting service at some point in the future when you’re ready to make money from your podcast.
From creation to hosting to distribution, you can do it all on Anchor. Being in Spotify’s stable, you can only expect the best services from this one of a kind podcast hosting platform.
So, which features do you get with Anchor as your podcast hosting service?
Features of Anchor Podcast Hosting
Being a free podcast hosting platform doesn’t mean subpar features when it comes to Anchor. Here’s what you can expect from this podcast hosting platform:
- One-click podcast distribution
- Analytics dashboard
- Easy to use podcast creation tools
Pros of Anchor
- 100% free to use and host your podcast
- Monetization opportunities through advertisements and sponsorships
- No storage, bandwidth and channel restrictions
- Automates almost every function
- Easy to use guest calling function
Cons of Anchor
- Extremely limited options to monetize your podcast (either direct sponsorship from Anchor or listener support via their internal platform—available only to U.S. customers)
- No embeddable podcast player (a major drawback if you promote your podcast on your blog)
- Doesn’t integrate well with any other websites
Anchor Podcast Hosting Verdict
If you’re looking for a 100% free podcast hosting platform, Anchor is it. However, this is not for professionals who want to control certain aspects of the podcast creation process, as the platform is heavily automated. And without the existence of an embeddable podcast player or other integration capabilities, Anchor should be treated as a short-term solution if you need to start with free podcast hosting today.
For beginners and hobbyists though, Anchor is an excellent platform that allows you to learn the ins-and-outs of podcasting without having to open your wallet just to get started.
6. Spreaker: $7.00/mo
If you’re looking for the best podcast hosting platform, then you’ll have to consider Spreaker as another option in the running.
What makes Spreaker one of the best podcast hosting platforms is the feature-rich free plan. This comes with 5 hours of content and 15 minutes of live streaming as well as allowing you to host multiple shows. It’s also one of the few podcast hosting platforms that come with episode scheduling in its free plans and allows creators to have unlimited feeds under one account.
Makes you wonder what you get with their paid plans, doesn’t it? Well, the good news is that they’re still cheap compared to many of the most popular podcast hosting platforms out there today:
Features of Spreaker Podcast Hosting
Upgrading to Spreaker’s paid (but still cheap podcast hosting plans) will open up a whole world of podcasting possibilities, thanks to features such as:
- Advanced analytics
- Customizable RSS feeds
- Ability to limit access to podcasts
- Longer live streaming intervals
Pros of Spreaker
- Lots of monetization options
- Customizable podcast player
- Excellent distribution options
- Tons of features available on the free plan
Cons of Spreaker
- Lacks website option
- Monetization feature only available on paid plans
Spreaker Podcast Hosting Verdict
Spreaker (owned by iHeart Radio) is a great podcast hosting platform that offers a lot of storage and helps you easily distribute your podcast. It’s definitely a great choice if you’re looking to start podcasting or simply want to switch podcast hosting platforms.
7. Podiant: $12.99/mo
Podiant is one of the newer kids on the podcast hosting block, but one that’s already giving the more established players a run for their money.
Built by Mark Steadman, a veteran podcaster and web developer, it was born out of the necessity of having a no-frills podcast hosting platform that is super easy to use. While its feature set has rapidly grown in the previous years, it still remains a lightweight and fast podcast hosting platform. And it’s not just the platform that’s lightweight, their pricing plans are also light on the pocket:
So what features can you expect from this minimalistic podcast hosting platform?
Features of Podiant Podcast Hosting
Podiant is a podcast hosting platform built for those who like to keep things simple. And this shows in their feature set:
- Unlimited storage
- Customizable website
- Easy to use analytics dashboard
- Production assistant
Pros of Podiant
- User-friendly dashboard
- Automatic social sharing
- Guest scheduling function
- Customizable podcast directory
Cons of Podiant
- Feature set limited compared to other podcast hosting platforms
Podiant Podcast Hosting Verdict
Podiant is a great podcast hosting platform for those who want to upload their podcasts quickly and don’t mind missing out on the bells and whistles that other platforms have. In essence, it’s the best podcast hosting platform for those who’re looking for a minimalistic platform.
8. Podomatic: $8.32/mo
Another veteran podcast hosting platform comes in the form of Podomatic. This platform has been around since 2005 and has helped many a budding podcaster achieve their dreams.
Podomatic’s free plan offers 500MB of storage and 15GB of bandwidth per month as well as basic analytics. And that’s all you need to dip your toes into the world of podcasting. And unlike other podcast hosting platforms, Podomatic’s free plan has no expiration date.
Want to get more out of Podomatic? Then upgrade to their affordable, cheap podcast hosting plans and get more features and tools to use.
Speaking of features, let’s quickly take a look at some of the main ones you get from this veteran podcast hosting platform.
Features of Podomatic Podcast Hosting
- Podcast player can be embedded on your website
- Free podcast app for iOS and Android
- Weebly powered podcast website
Pros of Podomatic
- Podcasts can be played directly from Facebook and Twitter
- Generate revenue through Patreon and Advertisecast
Cons of Podomatic
- Storage and bandwidth limited on all plans except the Broadcaster plan
- No real distinctive features that set it apart from the rest
Podomatic Podcast Hosting Verdict
If you’re looking for a simple podcast hosting platform that has a beginner-friendly user interface, then Podomatic is a good choice to experiment with. However, if you’re a regular podcaster who produces a lot of content, you’re better off going with a slightly more full-featured solution like BuzzSprout or Simplecast.
9. SoundCloud: Free Plan (Limited) or $12.00/mo
While it’s certainly more well-known for its music streaming service, SoundCloud also doubles as a pretty impressive podcast hosting platform that you can leverage to distribute your show to your audience (and possibly gain some extra exposure to SoundCloud users).
SoundCloud’s free plan affords you 3 hours of content per month and basic reporting. Upgrading to their SoundCloud Pro ($6/month) and Unlimited Pro ($12/month) plans gives you access to a more robust feature set that gives you the freedom to produce more content as well as promote it effectively. Let’s take a look at the features you’ll get with the Unlimited Pro plan.
Features of SoundCloud Podcast Hosting (Unlimited Pro)
- Unlimited upload time
- Scheduled releases,
- Advanced analytics
- Customizable embed controls
Pros of SoundCloud
- You can pin five podcasts to your profile
- SoundCloud’s social reach can give budding podcasters a boost
Cons of SoundCloud
- Poor interface for podcasters
- Free plan very limited
SoundCloud Podcast Hosting Verdict
While SoundCloud is a giant in the music industry, it still has a long way to go to become one of the true best podcast hosting platforms—but that shouldn’t hold you back from giving it a test run if you’re interested.
10. Blubrry: $12.00/mo
Blubrry has been in the podcast hosting business since 2005. The experience the brand has gained over the years has unquestionably made them one of the best podcast hosting platforms around, so let’s explore their offerings.
One thing that makes Blubrry so popular, is that it leverages WordPress and their proprietary PowerPress podcasting plugin to offer an optimized podcast website, though you can also choose to use a podcast website builder like Podcastpage to easily create a site for your podcast. The only real drawback to Blubrry, is that they don’t offer a free podcast hosting plan option for customers to try things out—you’ll have to go straight to a paid, yet still comparably cheap podcast hosting plan.
Features of Blubrry Podcast Hosting
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Limited storage space (except on the Professional plan) but with 25% overage allowance at no cost
- Video podcast option for all plans above the Small plan
- Easy to use and customizable podcast player
Pros of Blubrry
- Easy to migrate from another podcast hosting platform
- Excellent support via email, phone, and video call
- Has IAB certification (meaning they meet official podcast measurement guidelines)
- Lots of marketing tools
Cons of Blubrry
- No free plan
- Only the professional plan can be monetized
Blubrry Podcast Hosting Verdict
Blubrry is definitely one of the best podcast hosting platforms for those who want to podcast professionally. Feature-rich and with plenty of tools to help you promote your podcast, Blubrry gives you a great chance to get your voice heard.
11. Sounder: Free Plan (Limited) or $10.39/mo
Sounder is the podcast hosting platform that emphasizes creator growth as a core part of their mission. They have a powerful suite of tools powered by AI and machine learning that allows creators to not only host their podcasts, but also promote, monetize, and track their progress.
Sounder’s platform is also free to use and has the option to upgrade to their Plus plan which offers additional tools that podcasters can leverage to grow their audience. Here’s a snapshot of their pricing plans and features:
Features
- Monetization options
- SEO optimized pages for creators
- Audio SEO features such as automatic transcription
- Promotional tools
- Powerful analytics
Pros of Sounder
- Heavy focus on user’s growth through discovery and monetization options
- In-stream audio searching to help find specific moments easily
- Soundbite and videobite sharing options
- Growth tracking tools
Cons of Sounder
- Free plan only allows for one podcast and only 5k streams/mo
- More customizable options come with payment plan
Sounder Podcast Hosting Verdict
Sounder is a great option for user looking to track growth and discoverability of their podcast. This platform puts great emphasis on building communities around audio and connecting hosts to listeners.
Because Sounder’s platform is free to use (as a feature limited plan) and has the option to upgrade to their Plus plan on a very reasonable budget to unlock a ton of useful additional tools that podcasters can leverage, they’re a solid option to not only host your podcast, but grow their audience too.
12. Libsyn: 5.00/mo
Libsyn is one of the longest running podcast hosting platforms around—going all the way back to 2004. They also offer one of the cheapest podcast hosting plans starting at just $5.00/month. This price point alone makes it a contender for the top podcast hosting platforms you’ll come across.
Like Blubrry, Libsyn doesn’t offer a free podcast hosting plan to try before you buy. But their paid (still very cheap podcast hosting plans) cater to a pretty wide range of podcasters—including some of my own favorites like Dan Carlin of Hardcore History.
Features of Libsyn Podcast Hosting
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Video and audio podcasting
- Episode scheduling
- HTML5 media player
- Customizable mobile app ($10/month extra)
Pros of Libsyn
- Easy WordPress integration
- Wide distribution network
- Monetization opportunities
Cons of Libsyn
- Limited storage
- Add ons come at a cost and can quickly inflate the cost
Libsyn Podcast Hosting Verdict
Libsyn is a great podcast hosting platform for those who don’t upload a lot of content, as their storage is limited (on their lowest price plan). And for podcasters who understand podcast hosting and want to pay for only those features they need, it could be the best podcast hosting platform for you.
13. Transistor: 19.00/mo
For those looking to podcast professionally as opposed to podcasting as a hobby, one of the best podcasting platforms you can use is Transistor.
Trusted by big brands like Drift, Ionic, Laravel and more, Transistor doesn’t disappoint when it comes to professional-grade podcasting. As you can expect, quality comes at a price, and Transistor’s base price tag comes in at $19/month.
You can try out the platform for free for 14-days if you want to check out it’s capabilities.
Features of Transistor Podcast Hosting
So what features are driving brands like Basecamp to switch podcast hosting platforms to Transistor? Especially since Transistor is basically in its diapers, having been launched in 2017.
- Unlimited storage
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Global content delivery network (CDN)
- Customizable podcast website
- Detailed analytics
- Embeddable audio player
- Supports multiple users
Pros of Transistor
- Integrates with MailChimp, ConvertKit, and Drip
- No restrictions on the number of episodes you can upload
- Built-in RSS feed generator
- Powerful marketing tools
Cons of Transistor
- No free plan currently offered
Transistor Podcast Hosting Verdict
Transistor is definitely one of the best podcast hosting platforms out there. It provides podcasters with everything they need to produce, publish, and promote their podcasts. Get past their slightly hefty price tag as a starting point and you have yourself a winner. You can check them out and see all of their features right here.
14. Captivate: $17.00/mo
Captivate is another relatively new player in podcast hosting circles. Yet despite that, it’s getting a lot of attention already, as they’ve helped lots of podcasters to grow their audiences and revenue figures.
Unfortunately, Captivate doesn’t offer a free plan. However, you can sign up for a 7-day trial to take it for a spin, if you want to try out their impressive features. Paid, yet still relatively cheap podcast hosting plans with Captivate start at $19.00/month, so it’s not the cheapest option on the market today.
Features of Captivate Podcast Hosting
Dubbed as a growth-oriented podcast hosting platform, Captivate was designed to help independent podcasters single-handedly take their podcasts from zero to zenith. Here are some of the features that will help you do just that:
- Unlimited podcasts
- Unlimited team members
- Powerful analytics
- Batch uploading
- Customizable website with built-in donation support
- Built-in opt-in forms and calls-to-action to help you grow your email list
Pros of Captivate
- Intuitive user interface
- Guides you along every step of the publishing process
- Lots of monetization options
- New features constantly being rolled out
Cons of Captivate
- Priced a little bit higher than other podcast hosting platforms
Captivate Podcast Hosting Verdict
For a new kid on the block, Captivate is doing a lot of things well. They definitely to be on your shopping list if you’re a solo content producer who needs a podcast hosting platform that’s both easy to use and focused on helping to grow your podcast.
15. RSS.com: Free Plan (Limited) or $4.99/mo
Weighing in with one of the most impressive domain names (and quite a storied history), RSS.com’s podcast hosting options offer some of the most features and best customer support—especially for a product with a limited free plan and affordable prices on their cheap podcast hosting plans.
With unlimited audio storage, real-time analytics, a free podcasting website, episode scheduling, social media integration and more, RSS.com has a wide range of podcast hosting features that impress.
Features of RSS.com Podcast Hosting
- Easy to use interface
- You can set up a new show in a matter of minutes
- Unlimited episodes (and unlimited listener downloads)
- World-class, cross-platform podcast analytics to gain actionable insights into your audience
- Sponsorship opportunities through their partner Podcorn
- Sleek, free public podcast website for your show and episodes that gets updated automatically
- Episode scheduling (to publish podcast episodes in advance)
- Episode player embed feature to share your episodes on your own self-hosted website
- Easy 1-click social media sharing of your show and episodes on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Pinterest
- Lock tags to minimize the possibility of unauthorized copies of your RSS feed
- Excellent customer service and support
Pros of RSS.com
- One of the most affordable podcast hosting plans on the market with access to this many features
- Your show gets added to a community podcast directory on their site (for discovery and SEO benefits)
- Once you publish an episode, you get automatic distribution to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music and every other major podcast directory
- Fully compliant podcast RSS feed
Cons of RSS.com
- The free podcast hosting plan only allows uploading of 1 episode (then you’ll have to upgrade to a paid plan)
- Monetization (via their sponsorship platform partnership) is only available on their $12.99/mo plan
RSS.com Podcast Hosting Verdict
As veterans in the podcast hosting (and RSS feed) space, it’s no surprise that RSS.com has such a powerful offering at a bargain of a price point. With the ability to give their platform a full test run on their free plan, it’s a no-brainer to try out for your own hosting needs.
16. Fusebox: Free Plan (Limited) or $8.00/mo
The brainchild of the prolific content creator, Pat Flynn, Fusebox was created to fill the gaps overlooked by platform developers.
Unlike most of the podcast hosting platforms on this list, Fusebox functions as a WordPress plugin that allows you to publish as well as display your podcast on your website. It comes with a limited free version and an $8/month subscription. (Side note: check out my full list of the best WordPress plugins to use on your blog today).
Features of Fusebox Podcast Hosting
One of the main aims of Fusebox is to be a podcast player that not only plays natively on your website but one that will hook your website visitors. Here are some of the features that were built to do just that:
- Email capture
- Social sharing buttons
- Speed control
- Timestamps
- Fully customizable
Pros of Fusebox
- Beautiful podcast player
- Host migration
- Lots of marketing tools
Cons of Fusebox
- Only works well with WordPress websites
Fusebox Podcast Hosting Verdict
Fusebox is a great solution for bloggers that want podcast hosting that’s designed to work seamlessly with their WordPress websites—and have some existing traffic to grow their podcast audience fast.
17. Podcast Websites: $77.00/mo
Podcast websites is an all-in-one solution designed to help you succeed at podcasting.
Podcast Websites is one of the best podcast hosting platforms for those who want a turnkey solution to get their podcast up and running fast. However, this done for you solution comes at a price – and a hefty one at that.
Features of Podcast Websites Podcast Hosting
Podcast Websites was designed for those who want to dive head in into podcasting as is seen by the robust feature set:
- WordPress website with unlimited pages
- Unlimited landing pages
- Unlimited podcast episodes
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Daily backups
- SEO tools
Pros of Podcast Websites
- Launch and promotion tools
- Top-notch security
- All-in-one platform that gives you everything you need to create, publish, and distribute your podcasts
Cons of Podcast Websites
- Pricey
- You can only host one show. Additional shows incur extra charges
Podcast Websites Verdict
Podcasting Websites is definitely not priced for hobbyists or those podcasting just for fun. The platform was created for professional podcasters who want to squeeze everything out of podcasting efforts—and grow their podcasting business to new heights.
18. FeedPress: $9.94/mo
An RSS feed is the core feature of every podcast hosting platform. And that’s what makes FeedPress rank among the best podcast hosting platforms.
Being a leader in RSS feeds, one of FeedPress’s strengths is detailed feed analytics. Pricing is a bit complicated as you pay for feed analytics and podcast hosting separately. Podcast hosting is calculated using a sliding scale.
FeedPress comes with 400MB audio storage to start with the option to purchase additional storage as per requirement.
Features of FeedPress Podcast Hosting
- Unlimited podcast feeds
- Advanced tracking and analytics
- Embedded player
- RSS to email
Pros of FeedPress
- Flexible file storage
- Superb feed management and analytics
Cons of FeedPress
- No real outstanding features
- Complicated pricing structure
FeedPress Podcast Hosting Verdict
Despite offering excellent feed management and analytics, FeedPress still lacks a few other features that other platforms have. It’s a great platform for those just starting out and those who want to keep tabs on audience insights.
19. Whooshkaa: $29.00/mo
Don’t let the strange name fool you, Whooshkaa is no stranger to podcast hosting.
Hailing from Down Under (Australia) Whooshkaa makes it on this list of the best podcast hosting platforms mainly because of the way the platform is dynamic. It easily adapts to your podcasting needs.
While the paid plans may be pricier than most competitors, Whoshka also has a free plan that offers a lot of flexibility. This is also where Whooshkaa shines as one of the best podcast hosting platforms as the free plan comes with a generous 5GB of storage and 1000 ad impressions.
Features of Whooshkaa Podcast Hosting
Features-wise, Whooshka delivers a lot of value, making it well worth the investment. Here are some of the features you’ll get:
- Unlimited episodes
- Automated transcription
- Video highlights
- Supports multiple users
- Private subscriber function
Pros of Whooshkaa
- Monetization opportunities (even on the free plan)
- Cons of Whooshkaa Podcast Hosting
- Lots of integrations available
- Generous storage
Cons of Whooshkaa
- Paid plans are pretty expensive compared to alternative podcast hosting platforms
Whooshkaa Podcast Hosting Verdict
Whooshkaa can easily be the best podcast hosting platform for professional podcasters. The only caveat to it is the hefty price tag.
20. Podcast Garden: Free Plan (Limited) or $2.99/mo
One of the best podcast hosting platforms as far as pricing goes, is Podcast Garden—though they’re a bit rough around the edges from a design and user experience standpoint.
One of the things users love about this platform is its simple interface and ease of use. Even without any technical knowledge, you can quickly get up to speed on how podcasting works and produce award-winning podcasts.
Features of Podcast Garden Podcast Hosting
Free as long as you publish one episode a month, it’s a great option for those still testing the podcasting waters. Upgrading to the $2.99/month plan (which is the only plan available) gives you access to more features such as:
- Secure back ups of your podcast
- Audio and video podcasts
- Unlimited number of episodes
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Unlimited file storage
Pros of Podcast Garden
- Beginner-friendly
- Lots of features for the price
Cons of Podcast Garden
- Basic analytics
- The interface is a bit dated
Podcast Garden Podcast Hosting Verdict
Podcast Garden is definitely one of the best podcast hosting platforms for beginners. It’s affordable, super-easy to use, and a great platform to learn the ins and outs of podcasting.
21. Audioboom: $9.99/mo
Audioboom makes my list of the best podcast hosting platforms for two main reasons—they do much more than just podcast hosting, they actually help podcasters work to grow their audiences and monetize their podcasts.
With an easy to use, very straightforward platform, Audiobloom also makes it easy on your budget with their simple and affordable podcast hosting plans.
With only 2 plans, Audioboom’s pricing structure is easy to understand. The Podcasters Plan (their cheapest podcast hosting plan) starts at a very affordable $9.99/month and affords you up to 10,000 plays. Once you cross that threshold, you’ll have to get in touch with Audioboom’s sales team to create a more custom tailored plan (Podcast Pro).
But the good news with reaching that number of monthly listeners, is that you’ll be more than capable of soliciting sponsors who will pay to reach your audience—and help offset the costs of keeping your podcast running (like getting the best podcast hosting).
Features of Audioboom Podcast Hosting
Because Audioboom is dedicated to growth and monetization, their plans are packed with features to back that up:
- Unlimited episode uploads per month
- Advanced analytics
- Sponsorship opportunities
- Access to Audioboom’s targeted ad-network
- Embeddable players for websites and social media
Pros of Audioboom
- Allows for contributor accounts
- Simple and easy to use
- Great distribution network
- Dynamic ad insertion
- Amazing value for money
Cons of Audioboom
- Limitations on the number of episodes you can publish (up to 5)
- High threshold of plays needed to hit Podcast Pros plan
- No app
Audioboom Podcast Hosting Verdict
Audioboom is a great option for podcasters looking for a no-frills podcast hosting platform that offers great revenue generation options.
22. Castos: $19.00/mo
If you’re looking for one of the best podcast hosting solutions as far as premium hosting plans are concerned, then look no further than Castos.
With flexible and easy to understand pricing, Castos makes choosing the best podcasting plan for you easy.
Features of Castos Podcast Hosting
No matter where you are on your podcasting journey, Castos has everything you need to grow and reach your goals—and is particularly well-suited for those that ready to take their podcasts seriously. This includes features like:
- Unlimited number of podcasts
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Customizable podcast website
- Episode transcriptions
- Supports video for Growth and Pro plans
Pros of Castos
- Simple and easy to use
- Comes with a WordPress plugin (for embedding episode players)
- Private podcasting option
Cons of Castos
- No direct revenue generation options
Castos Podcast Hosting Verdict
With a minimalistic interface yet powerful features, Castos is an excellent choice amongst podcast hosting platforms, especially if you’re ready to take your podcasting seriously—or as a platform to upgrade to once you have a little more budget to invest in their Growth or Pro plans (where you’ll really unlock their most impactful features).
23. Resonate Recordings: 25.00/mo
Resonate Recordings offers one of the best Podcast hosting platforms that offers a turnkey solution to your foray into podcasting.
While the platform doesn’t have a free plan, they do offer a 14-day trial if you’re interested in trying out its capabilities. Once the trial period is over, you can upgrade to their paid plans that start at $25/month.
Features of Resonate Recordings Podcast Hosting
Resonate offers a solid set of features to help you launch and grow your podcast. These include:
- One-click publishing
- Podcast microsite
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Analytics dashboard with detailed insights
- Embeddable podcast player
Pros of Resonate Recordings
- A solid and reliable podcast hosting platform
- Live chat support (phone and Slack channel support available on Professional plan)
Cons of Resonate Recordings
- Pricing is somewhat restrictive compared to competitors
Resonate Recordings Podcast Hosting Verdict
Resonate Recordings should definitely make it on your shortlist of the best podcast hosting platforms. Offering reliability and excellent service, you can never go wrong by partnering with the platform.
How to Choose the Best Podcast Hosting Platform for You: 6 Factors to Consider
With so many platforms jostling to be the best podcast hosting company, settling on one that’s perfect for you can be quite a daunting task. Here are a few pointers to help you sift out those that aren’t suitable for your needs:
- Storage capacity: How much storage do you need? If you don’t produce many episodes, look for options with less storage.
- Bandwidth: If your podcasts get downloaded a lot, which is what will happen if you create a successful podcast, you’ll have to consider a platform that offers generous bandwidth.
- Analytics: Analytics play an important role in helping you understand your audience and market to them better, helping you rise up the listings in top podcast directories. If possible, never compromise on this feature.
- Integrations: The best podcast hosting platforms are those that easily integrate with other tools, websites, and platforms. This will help you easily promote, manage, and grow your podcast.
- Monetization support: If revenue generation is part of your podcasting goals (like it should be with your blogging goals), it goes without saying that you must invest in a podcast platform that gives you flexibility in this area. You might also consider monetization options like joining a podcast network.
- Budget: How much can you spare on a podcasting platform? What other costs do you need to consider, like creating your own website? Take that into consideration as you shop around. There are lots of budget-friendly options that afford you all the features you need to get started.
So, what’s it going to be? Depending upon which of these factors are most important to your podcasting goals, here are the podcast hosting platforms I’d recommend:
- Overall Best Podcast Hosting: Simplecast. If you’re serious about podcasting and you’re willing to invest a little bit for the absolute best podcast hosting platform on the market, then Simplecast is hands down your best move. Signing up for one of their plans right here is super easy. Plus, if you use my special offer code ONSIMPLECAST during the checkout process, you’ll get 50% off your first 2 months.
- Best Budget-Friendly (Fully Featured) Podcast Hosting: Buzzsprout. If you’re on a tighter budget, but want your podcast hosting to come with more features than you’ll get out of Anchor’s free plan, then it doesn’t get any better than Buzzsprout as a budget-friendly podcast hosting platform. On their lowest priced plan (at just $12.00/mo), you’ll get access to your episodes being stored indefinitely, advanced audience statistics, the ability to collaborate with other team members and more. At this price point, Buzzsprout is a bargain in the budget-friendly podcast hosting category.
- Best Free Podcast Hosting: Anchor. Despite the fact that many cheap podcast hosting platforms offer their own versions of limited free plans to get you started, Anchor’s is by far the most robust if you need a free service today. Since the tool is owned by Spotify, they’re able to be genuinely 100% free with no strings or upsells attached—however, it’s important to know that they do have limitations that don’t make them the best choice if you want your podcast to eventually be a profitable show. Keep these two factors in mind: (1) they don’t offer an embeddable podcast player and (2) your monetization capabilities will be somewhat restricted—and for that reason I recommend going with either Buzzsprout or Simplecast as affordable podcast hosting options.
- Best Podcast Website Builder: Podcastpage. If your podcast hosting is locked in and you’re looking for an easy solution to simply build a website for promoting your podcast, then I highly recommend using an affordable podcast website builder like Podcastpage. They have an incredibly easy-to-use suite of visual website building tools that are designed specifically around podcasting, and their pricing starts at just $8.00/mo (and begins with a free 14 day trial).
Now, let’s quickly cover a few of the most frequently asked questions I get about podcast hosting from my own readers & listeners:
Podcast Hosting FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions About Podcast Hosting)
Because these some of these questions & answers may not be as relevant to everyone here, I made it so you can quickly click to expand each of the questions below—and get my advice.
What is the best podcast hosting site?
Through my experience testing out all of the podcast hosting platforms here on this list over the past couple of years, the absolute best podcast hosting site is Simplecast, hands down. The reason I recommend them as the #1 podcast hosting platform, is because it’s incredibly easy to learn, use and their technical support team is very adept at helping you troubleshoot any challenges you’re having with your new podcast.
While Simplecast doesn’t offer the cheapest podcast hosting plans on the market today, if you do choose them to host your show, you’ll get the highest level of service, support and quality hosting out there. On top of that, they provide some of the best podcast analytics—diving into who’s listening to your podcast, where in the world your audience is tuning in from and they frequently publish actionable educational content for their customers to keep growing their shows.
I seriously couldn’t recommend them more highly (which is why I host my own podcast on Simplecast). Signing up for one of their plans right here is fast and easy. Plus, if you use my special offer code ONSIMPLECAST during the checkout process, you’ll get 50% off your first 2 months of trying things out.
Where can I host my podcast for free?
The best platform to host your podcast for free today is Anchor, where you’ll be able to get 100% no strings attached, free podcast hosting.
Although virtually every one of the cheap podcast hosting platforms I’ve broken down in this guide still offer their own versions of limited free plans to get you started, Anchor has the most full-featured free product if you’re on a tight budget and can’t pay for podcast hosting today. Since Anchor is owned by parent company Spotify, they have the financial backing to be free without any strings attached.
However, there are a couple of big limitations that come into the picture when you choose Anchor to host your podcast… making them far from the best choice if you want your podcast to eventually make money one day. For one, Anchor doesn’t offer an embeddable podcast player that you can use to embed episodes directly into posts on your blog. Second, your monetization capabilities are extremely limited—right now, only podcasters in the U.S. can monetize their shows on Anchor, and that’s done solely through either a direct Anchor sponsorship or listener support. Not the best options for most podcasters, until you have a very large audience listening.
For these two major reasons, I recommend going with either Buzzsprout for your podcast hosting if you’re on a tight budget, or Simplecast if you have a little bit more to spend for a higher level of podcast hosting service.
Which is better for podcast hosting, PodBean or Buzzsprout?
Between PodBean and Buzzsprout, I personally believe Buzzsprout is a better podcast hosting provider.
While Buzzsprout’s paid plans start at $12.00/mo for their podcast hosting and PodBean begins at $9.00/mo, the feature set and support you’ll get from Buzzsprout is a level above what I’ve experienced on PodBean. Buzzsprout is also built more with features that are designed to grow & scale with your show over time—like quickly listing your podcast on every popular listening platform, advanced analytics, audio enhancement & editing tools, automatic transcription tools, beautiful embeddable podcast players and more. While PodBean does offer some of these similar features, their quality, usability and flexibility just don’t quite stack up the same, in my opinion.
Regardless, both companies do offer a limited free podcast hosting plan that you can try things out on—so if you’re still on the fence, it doesn’t hurt to give them a side-by-side test run to see which you prefer. You can sign up for Buzzsprout’s free plan right here and give PodBean’s free plan a test right here.
Do I need a podcast host?
Yes, if you want your podcast to appear on listening platforms like Apple Podcasts, Spotify and elsewhere, then you’ll need a podcast host in order to get your show online & available through listening devices.
In this guide, we’ve broken down a ton of different podcast hosting options for both free and cheap hosting plans to compare and contrast from, which should make your decision that much easier.
Have another question about podcast hosting that I haven’t addressed yet? Check out my guides to starting a podcast & my picks for the best high quality cheap podcast microphones on the market today.
And as always, please ask any questions in the comments below and I’ll reply with my best advice 🙂
Now finally, a few words of parting advice for choosing your best podcast hosting platform from all the options on the market today.
The Best Podcast Hosting Platforms in 2023: It’s Time Your Voice is Heard
As a content creator first, podcasting should no longer be an afterthought of an option for delivering solutions to your audience. It’s a very powerful channel that can help you both reach new audiences and build stronger relationships with your existing community. Not only that, but podcasting can also help you add a substantial extra source of income to your business.
Use this list of the best podcast hosting platforms to help settle on the one that’s best for you. If you’re also looking for website hosting, particularly for a WordPress site, check out my list of the best web hosting plans for bloggers.
If you have questions about choosing the right platform, ask away in the comments below! I’ll reply quickly. And for those of you interested in blogging too, be sure to check out my free keyword tool & blog title generator tool.
Very informative and helpful explanation of each podcast hosting service I’m considering. Please write more about podcasting soon
Glad to hear that, Celia! I definitely will—working on a guide here soon that breaks down the process for launching your own podcast, which is going to be epic 🙂
Always good to hear from you. You are one of the people who inspired me to start my blog through your ultimate step by step guide and i also took your email course. Now i am thinking of starting a podcast on Anchor and you just strengthened my conviction that i should do it.
Thanks Ryan. All the love from South Africa.
Great timing then! 🙂
Thanks for the kind words, Prince. Wishing you lots of luck with your podcast once it gets off the ground! 🙏
So many good options here! And as someone that has two podcasts, I can heartily recommend they’re still super helpful tools for building your brand (and meeting a ton of cool people in the process).
Thanks, Joey! Yeah, I couldn’t agree more with you on that point—podcasts are such powerful tools for meeting & building meaningful relationships with people in your space 🙏
I found lots of helpful info in this article. I took notes on the podcast hosts I’m considering the most. Thanks for sharing.
Of course! You’re welcome, Pathan. Good luck with getting your podcast off the ground 🙂
Just wanted to let you know, my WordPress website just advertised that I can link an Anchor account with my website. I don’t know if this means they have added an embeddable player now. Just thought I’d pass that along. Lots of helpful information about the different podcast platforms out there. Something I hadn’t considered until WordPress mentioned it. So, I wanted to get informed. This article was extremely helpful. Thanks
Thanks for the heads up, Robert! Definitely something I’ll be looking into more closely during my next update here (soon). Glad to hear you found this list so helpful 🙏
You have a very formidable site
Thanks, Mhammed! Many years in the making 🙂
A very informative article, thanks
🙏
Hey, I read your content and this was amazing. Especially this “As a content creator first, podcasting should no longer be an afterthought of an option for delivering solutions to your audience.”
Glad to hear that, Tooper!
I found this post very helpful. Thanks for sharing such an informative post about the most popular podcast platforms.
Really glad to hear that! 🙂
Hi Ryan! I thought this article was so well done and so thorough. As a writer myself, I appreciate the extensive amount of research that you put in on all of these platforms. You clearly spent many, many hours writing and editing to make this piece so comprehensive. I am just starting my podcast and was just about to sign up with Anchor but after reading your information, I think I’m going to go with a paid plan via Simplecast. The embedded player and auto transcription is very important to me for SEO purposes and because you can easily break down your transcribed episode into quotes, tweets and short form content for different social media options. So, am I to understand that if you do a paid plan with Simplecast, that your episodes are automatically transcribed? Thanks so much for all the great advice! I’m going to check out the rest of your site now! Julia
Thanks so much for the kind words, Julia 🙏 and I’m really glad you’re going to go the route of Simplecast—I still host my podcast with them and the platform is awesome. Such a great set of tools/value for the affordable price point and it all feels very modern, well taken care of & frequently updated… especially with the things like embedded players & other tools they’re working on. They *don’t* have a built-in transcription tool any longer (for right now) as it was something they were testing a while back and have since put that back on the shelf for right now as I understand it—though there are plenty of solid free/affordable tools (like Rev.com done by a real person and others with AI assistance that are free) that do audio transcription and can fill in that gap for you.
What about Lunch Pad One and Red Circle???
Thanks for the suggestions, I’ll be sure to check them out in my next update! 🙂
Hi Ryan,
Kudos for such a comprehensive list. You must type ~200 wpm, like my daughter. 😉 Have a Q for you, though. Am looking for a video-podcast host, not just audio. Have my music on CD Baby, DistroKid & YT. Are there any video-podcast hosts – like the music aggregators – that upload/publish/post the video-podcasts to many/all platforms, i.e, Spotify, Apple?
Would you have a list of video-podcast publishers?
Thanks.
Robert of Prague
Great question, Robert! I haven’t personally gone through the process of filming/uploading video podcasts, so I can’t go out and vouch for any platforms in particular. That said, it looks like Spotify has a great connection in place with Anchor that allows you to upload your video podcast content from Anchor to distribute on Spotify… if it were me, I’d start there!
Hey Ryan, nice article! I wanted to let you know that I currently host my podcast on Sounder. Sadly, they are deleting the podcasting platform service and have notified all users to migrate away before the deadline. I don’t remember exactly but I think it’s January 31, 2023.
Thought you would want to know so you can update your list.
Thanks!
Oh wow, thanks for the heads up about Sounder! What a bummer, sorry you have to go through that migration.
With podcasting becoming such a popular type of content, it’s good to have the right platform to make this as easy as possible. Thanks for sharing these options!
You’re welcome!
Nice blog, keep it up.
Thank you!
Thanks for sharing this amazing piece of content. This one is really helpful.You really spent many hours to write and made this piece so comprehensive. I am going to check out the rest of your site and blogs. The details were well explained with relevant information.
You’re welcome, Amartam!