In this blog post, I will share with you a few great podcast hosting services, including free ones, where you can host your podcast.
The popularity of podcasts is increasing at a faster rate. According to this survey, in 2018, 75 million users were listening to podcasts, and in 2024, it will reach 164 million at a compound growth rate of 17%.Publishing podcasts is easy if you have the right setup and the right podcasting hosting service.
On the internet, you will find many podcasts hosting providers, and you may face problems selecting the right one for you.
So to make it easy for you, I am writing this blog post. Here I will provide you with several podcast hosting providers for your review.
I handpicked all these podcast hosts. They are reliable and well known among podcasters. I recommend you select any of these podcasting services that best meet your requirements.
What is Podcast Hosting?
A podcast host stores and distributes audio files for your podcasts. They provide an RSS feed for your podcasts that you can submit to podcast directories such as Apple Podcasts. A subscriber can get your podcast on their platform after subscribing to your podcast.
Why Should You Go for Podcast Hosting Instead of Self Hosting?
You might be thinking, why don’t I upload all the files to my site and send them to my subscribers? You can do that; however, you will face many issues. Let us discuss those issues.
- The first issue is the space. You may think you have enough space, but as time passes, that space may contract, and you may need to lower the quality of your audio to save space. This is not the case with podcasting hosting providers.
- These days, some web hosts provide enough space but speed matters. They cannot be as fast as podcast host providers because they are not built for it. Web hosts are designed to host sites, not podcasts.
- Sending audio files to your users’ preferred player is not possible. If you have a big following and they download your podcast from your web host, the site may crash. With podcast hosting, many listeners can download the podcast any time. There’s no capacity issue here. Podcast hosts can handle massive data transfer with no issue.
- You won’t get usage analytics for your podcasts. If you host your podcast on your blog, you cannot get detailed data on your audience. On the other hand, podcast hosting providers have robust inbuilt analytics. Based on data obtained from these analytics, you can take action and improve your podcasts and marketing.
- The podcast listening experience with a web host is not a good experience, but with a dedicated podcast host, it is smooth, and your audience will appreciate it.
The Best Podcast Hosting Provider
The following are a few renowned podcast hosting providers. I will provide you with my brief review, and based on my review and your due diligence, you can decide which is the best for you.
Most of the above podcast hosting providers have free options with limited facilities. If you are tight on budget or just starting, you can go with a free option and later upgrade to premium plans once you get an audience for your podcast or your requirements change.
Though I mention a few free podcast hosts at the end, I would still recommend you join any on the list with their free plan.
Buzzsprout
Buzzsprout is the most popular podcast hosting service. They have been on the market since 2009 and are well-known among beginners because of their ease of use.
Once you upload three episodes and they are watched at least once, you get detailed analytics. You can see the number of plays, top directory, top countries, and popular episodes.
They have a generous free plan. This plan allows you to upload your podcast for two hours, and they will store your episodes for 90 days. If you are starting with podcasts or want to try their services, you can go with the free plan.
Buzzsprout has a well-designed dashboard which ensures that you spend your time on productive activities, not solving hosting issues. They are very active in adding additional features to their system. You will notice these features often.
They show the advanced statistics for your podcasts in this free plan. You can see total downloads over time, what apps are being used to listen to your podcast, and the geographic location of your audience, etc.
You can create a video ‘highlight’ inside the episode dashboard. You can select a part of your show, and Buzzsprout will create a video version of this part. You can share this short video on your social media. You can add chapter markers to your episode to help your listeners to come back and listen to a particular section of your podcast.
Buzzsprout will list your podcast in all the top podcast directories such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, Alexa, Overcast, PocketCasts, Castro, Castbox, and Podchaser.
If you are looking for the best free podcast hosting, I recommend you join Buzzsprout’s free hosting service. Their free plan allows you to upload two hours of podcasts, and they will keep it for 90 days. This is an excellent plan to start.
Uploading podcasts and distributing them to all major podcasting directories is very easy with them, and you won’t face any issues.
Buzzsprout allows you to add a beautiful podcast player to your website.
The paid plan starts from 12 USD per month to 24 USD per month. All paid plans have 250GB bandwidth per month, and this bandwidth is enough for 20,000 to 40,000 episodes per month.
This is the best podcast hosting for beginners.
Key Features of Buzzsprout
- Advanced podcast statistics
- Forever free plan
- 90-day trial plan
- Chapter marker
- Auto transcript
- Auto noise removal
- Video soundbites
Buzzsprout Pros
- Minimalistic interface
- Outstanding customer support
- Generous 90-day trial plan
- Socially active support staff
Buzzsprout Cons
- The free website has limited customization options
Buzzsprout Pricing Plan
Buzzsprout has a different pricing structure than its competitors. Their pricing is based on episode duration, while other podcast hosting providers charge according to storage.
Buzzsprout’s pricing structure is as follows:
- You can have two hours of free podcasts per month hosted for 90 days.
- 12 USD per month for 3 hours of audio per month; you have to pay 4 USD per hour for more uploads.
- 18 USD per month for 6 hours of audio per month; you have to pay 3 USD per hour for more uploads.
- 24 USD per month for 12 hours of audio per month; you have to pay 2 USD per hour for more uploads.
Paid plans let you upload episodes indefinitely.
The allowed bandwidth is 250 GB, and this is roughly enough for over 20,000 downloads per episode. If you cross this bandwidth, you will have to upgrade to the Pro Plan at 49 USD per month. This plan has up to 1 TB of outbound data transfer. An outbound bandwidth exceeding 1 TB is billed at 50 USD per terabyte.
Buzzsprout offers two more upgrades:
- 6 USD per month – high-quality audio (192k stereo)
- 0.25 USD per minute for transcription
Buzzsprout offers a generous trial plan for 90 days with 2 hours of content. If you are interested in this podcast hosting platform, you can use the trial plan and test their services.
Buzzsprout is the best podcast hosting platform. It is affordable, easy to use and provide you with everthing you need to launch your podcast.
Transistor
Transistor is another popular podcast hosting platform. This is a new hosting provider and they have been providing services since August 2018. In a brief span of time, their popularity has grown, and now they are now a well-established player.
Their customer base includes Basecamp, VH1, ProfitWell, Ionic, and Laravel.
They have one unique feature of making a podcast private without opting for a second account. You can create private and public podcasts under one account. It provides in-built website integration with many email providers such as ActiveCampaign and Convertkit.
They don’t offer a free plan. The paid plan starts from 19 USD per month; it allows two users with unlimited podcasts and 10,000 downloads per month. Professional and business plans start at 49 and 99 USD per month.
All plans have advanced analytics.
Key Features of Transistor
- Multiple podcasts from one account
- Can invite multiple collaborators
- In-depth analytics
- Free podcast website
- Responsive embeddable player
Transistor Pros
- Easy to use
- Helpful tutorials
- Responsive 24×7 customer support
Transistor Cons
- No free plan
- Pricing based on downloads
Transistor Pricing Plan
Transistor has three pricing plans:
- Starter: The price for this plan is 19 USD per month. In this plan, you have advanced analytics, built-in podcast websites, two additional users, and you are allowed 15,000 downloads. There is no podcast limit here.
- Professional: The price for this plan is 49 USD per month. This plan has everything from the Starter Plan, plus you can have five additional users and one private podcast with 500 subscribers per podcast. Here the download limit is 75,000 downloads per month.
- Business: The price for this plan is 99 USD per month. This plan has everything from the Professional Plan, plus you can have ten additional users, no Transistor branding, and three private podcasts with 1,000 subscribers per podcast. The download limit is 200,000 downloads per month.
The pricing is monthly, but if you pay yearly, you will get two months for free.
Captivate
Captivate is a new entrant to podcast hosting, though they have been helping podcasters with podcastwebsite.com. Both sites are managed by Rebel Base Media.
Their interface is neat and clean, and they specialize in growing podcasters’ audiences.
All plans come with unlimited podcasts, unlimited team members, analytics, and marketing tools. They submit your podcasts to all major podcasts directories.
If you are already podcasting and move to Captivate, they will import all your podcasts for free. Their beautiful, intelligent podcast player is customizable, and you can insert your call to action button anywhere.
You can add as many team members as you wish. There is no limitation to the number of team members. You can collect donations from your loyal subscribers.
Key Features of Captivate
- Free trial plan
- Free migration from another podcast hosting provider
- Private podcast on all plans
- IAB compliant analytics
- WordPress plugin
- Call to action on the podcast player
Captivate Pros
- Unlimited audio storage
- Multiple publishing workflows
- Unlimited team members
- Clean and easy interface
- Host multiple podcasts with one price
Captivate Cons
- No free plan
Captivate Pricing Plan
Captivate has three pricing plans:
- Podcaster: The price is 19 USD per month, and you can have 12,000 downloads per month.
- Audio Influencer: The price is 49 USD per month, and you can have 60,000 downloads per month.
- Podcast Brand: The price is 99 USD per month, and you can have 150,000 downloads per month.
If you pay yearly, the prices change to 17, 44, and 90 USD per month.
Captivate has the most straightforward pricing structure among all podcast hosting platforms. They provide full features on all plans. The only difference between the plans is the number of downloads allowed per month.
PodBean
PodBean has been helping podcasters publish podcasts since 2006. Over 300,000 podcasters use their services, and over 6.2 billion episodes have been downloaded from their site.
PodBean helps you get your podcast listed in many places such as Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and podcast apps. They will share your podcast on every platform once you connect social media accounts with PodBean.
Their advanced analytics provide all data regarding your podcast and audience.
PodBean allows you to monetize your podcasts using the Patreon feature. Your loyal fans can subscribe and pay you a fixed amount every month to help you produce helpful high-quality content.
They offer an advertising marketplace that provides opportunities for podcasters to monetize their content. You can also add ad campaigns to your episodes.
They have a free plan that is more generous than Buzzsprout. Here, you can upload five hours of podcasts with 100 GB bandwidth per month. With a free plan, you will get the basic stats and cannot use your own domain.
Paid plans start from 9 USD per month to 99 USD per month (if paid yearly). These plans have unlimited storage and unmetered bandwidth.
This is my second recommended podcast hosting provider.
Key Features of PodBean
- Unlimited storage on paid plans
- 100 GB bandwidth per month on the free plan
- No bandwidth limitations on paid plans
- Video podcast
PodBean Pros
- Beginner-friendly setup
- Great marketing and monetization
- Free plan
- Repurpose content to YouTube
- Automatically post content to social media
- Record live stream with five people from mobile/desktop
PodBean Cons
- No information on refund policy
- Expensive video podcast hosting
- White label with the highest-paid plan
PodBean Pricing Plan
Podbean has four pricing plans:
- Basic: The free plan supports mp3 file format, and you can have five hours of storage with 100 GB bandwidth monthly. You can publish three episodes per day with a maximum file size of 100 MB.
- Unlimited Audio: The price is 9 USD per month. You can have unlimited storage, recording, bandwidth, and two monetization’s: Ad Marketplace and premium ads. You will have access to pro themes with advanced theme modification.
- Unlimited Plus: The price is 29 USD per month. Here you get everything from the Unlimited Audio plan plus two extra monetization’s, Patron and PodAds, and full custom design. Video podcasting is included here.
- Business: The price is 99 USD per month. This plan includes everything from the Unlimited Plus plan plus many advanced features such as multiple podcast channels, multiple admins, complete white label site and podcasting, and live chat.
Spreaker
Spreaker is another popular podcasting hosting provider. They have been on the market since 2010 and have some unique features—for example, a live podcasting option. Here you can interact with your listeners through a chatbox.
Spreaker offers a lot more features than other platforms. Live broadcasting, and offline recordings are a few unique features of Spreaker.
They have a basic plan that allows you to store five hours of storage, and the session cannot be over 15 minutes.
They have three paid plans, On-Air Talent, Broadcaster, and Anchorman plans, and the pricing is 6, 18, and 45 USD per month. Paid plans provide unlimited streaming.
Key Features of Spreaker
- Free plan
- One-click distribution
- Social media sharing
- Live broadcasting
- Full integration with the Spreaker Studio
- Monetization opportunities
Spreaker Pros
- Neat and clean interface
- Easy migration
- Chat with listener
- Generous paid plans
Spreaker Cons
- Poor customer support
- Statistics depend on the plan
Spreaker Pricing Plan
Spreaker has pricing plans for two groups: Professionals and Enterprise.Spreaker Professional Pricing Details
You have four plans here:
- Free Speech: The price is free, and you can host multiple podcasts. You get 5-hour audio storage with unlimited listeners.
- On-Air Talent: The price is 7 USD per month and changes to 6 USD per month if you pay yearly. Here you get multiple podcast hosting, customizable RSS feeds, programmatic monetization, etc. You get 100-hour audio storage with unlimited listeners.
- Broadcaster: The price is 20 USD per month and changes to 18 USD per month if you pay yearly. This plan has everything from the On-Air Talent Plan plus advanced statistics, limited access podcasts, etc. You get 500-hour audio storage with unlimited listeners.
- Anchorman: The price is 50 USD per month and changes to 45 USD per month if you pay yearly. This plan has everything from the Broadcaster plan plus full statistics, customizable player colors, etc. You get 1,500-hour audio storage with unlimited listeners.
The Enterprise Plan
The enterprise plan starts from 120 USD per month. Here you get all the professional plan features plus audio ads trafficking tools, collaboration feature, and priority support. Sixty thousand downloads are included, and if you require more downloads, you pay 2 USD per 1,000 downloads.
Castos
Castos integrates very well with WordPress blogs. They have a full-featured WordPress plugin that you can install on your WordPress and upload your podcast; you don’t have to log in to your Castos account.
Their podcast player is flexible and customizable.
You can republish your podcasts on YouTube.
Castos provides automatic transcription of your podcasts. After uploading your audio, you will get transcripts in a few minutes. You can use these transcripts for SEO purposes.
Key Features of Castos
- Unlimited storage
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Unlimited podcasts & episodes
- Easy, Free Migrations
- Automated YouTube Republishing
- Automatic Transcriptions.
- Customizable Podcast Pages
Castos Pros
- Easy to use
- Customizable media player
- WordPress plugin
- In-depth analytics
Castos Cons
- Require WordPress site
- Little expensive
Castos Pricing Plan
Castos has three paid plans: Starter, Growth, and Pro. The prices for these plans are 19, 49, and 99 USD per month. All plans offer unlimited podcasts and unlimited episodes.
Blubrry
Blubrry is a popular podcast hosting service. Their WordPress plugin “PowerPress” is the most popular podcasting plugin on WordPress.org and has been installed on over 60,000 sites.
Blubrry was one of the first independent podcast hosting services to be given IAB certification. This certification ensures that they comply with official Podcast Measurement Guidelines. That helps get sponsorships.
They have five plans starting from 12 USD per month. You can upgrade to the next level as your requirements go up.
Key Features of Blubrry
- WordPress plugin
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Free PowerPress site for all plans
- Free migration
- Private podcasting
Blubrry Pros
- Generous storage
- Advanced statistics on all plans
- Replace and edit old content
- Easy for WordPress users
Blubrry Cons
- A little difficult for non-WordPress users
Blubrry Pricing Plan
Blubrry has four pricing plans:
- Small: The price is 12 USD per month. Here you get 100 MB of monthly storage, phone/email tech support, unlimited bandwidth, professional statistics, custom embedded player, free WordPress site, free file migration, etc.
- Medium: The price is 20 USD per month. Here you get everything from the Small plan, and the storage is 250 MB.
- Large: The price is 40 USD per month. Here you get everything from the Medium plan, and the storage is 500 MB.
- Extra Large: The price is 80 USD per month. Here you get everything from the Large plan, and the storage is 1,000 MB.
If your requirements are high, Blubrry has a pro plan for you. In this plan, you get
- Unlimited monthly storage
- Free tech support
- 1TB monthly bandwidth (1 cent/GB exceeding)
- Dynamic ad insertion
- Add-On: Advanced statistics
- Network plugin
- $10 per additional show added to the account
PodServe
This platform was launched by the people who launched PodParadise.com. They promote your podcasts to their audience. This is a significant advantage of using this hosting platform.
PodServe has a single payment plan for 19 USD per month, and it offers you everything possible. The bandwidth is 2,000 GB per month, and you can host unlimited podcasts with unlimited storage.
If you ever cross your bandwidth, you can pay 20 USD per 3,000GB.
Key Features of PodServe
- Unlimited storage
- Unlimited podcasts
- Free podcast promotion
- Detailed analytics
- One on one customer support
- Free trial
PodServe Pros
- The simplest pricing plan
- User friendly
- Great customer support
PodServe Cons
- Limited features
PodServe Pricing Plan
Podserve has a single pricing plan, which is 19 USD per month. In this plan, you get:
- Unlimited storage
- Unlimited podcasts
- Free podcast promotion
- Your podcast on all platforms
- Detailed download analytics
- One on one customer support
- Month to month – Cancel anytime
- 14 days free – No credit card required
How to Select the Right Podcast Host
While selecting a podcast hosting service, look for the following:
- How much storage is provided?
- How much content can you upload each month?
- Do they provide an option for a video podcast?
- How easy is it to insert an ad in a podcast?
- What is the price?
- Do they have a WordPress plugin?
- Is the hosting provider well known?
You can make a list of your specific requirements and see if the hosting provider meets your requirements. In case you need any clarification, you can speak with support.
What Are the Popular Podcast Directories?
The following are a few popular podcasting directories. Ensure your podcast hosting service sends your podcasts to these directories.
- Apple Podcast: This is one of the most popular podcast directories. They are streaming over 750,000 shows with over 20 million episodes. They have crossed 50 billion all-time podcast downloads.
- Google Play: This is another popular podcasting directory. To get listed on Google Directory, you only have to submit the RSS feed of your podcast to Google Play.
- TuneIn: TuneIn is another popular podcast app and directory. They have over 75 million listeners and over 120,000 live radio streams. Almost all podcast hosts include it.
- Stitcher: Stitcher has over 8 million users and over 65,000 podcasts. Make sure your host has access to the directory.
- Spotify: Spotify is one of the largest podcast sites. As of now, they have over 190 million, and around 90 million paid subscribers. At one time it was a closed platform, but recently, they have opened up. Check with your host if they can send your podcast to Spotify.
Free Podcast Hosting Platforms
Here are a few free podcast hosting platforms. Review them, and if they meet your needs, you can use their services.
Anchor
Anchor is the most popular free platform to host podcasting. They don’t have a paid plan and give you unlimited free hosting.
You can distribute your podcast to directories with one click, monetize your podcast, and use their straightforward analytics to get insights into your audience.
Keep in mind that Anchor submits your show to Apple Podcasts with their account, so they own your content on Apple. You might face issues with feeds if you want to change hosts.
Podcasts.com
Podcasts.com is another free podcast host that provides you with unlimited podcasts, storage, and bandwidth.
Should I Use A Free Podcast Host?
If you are serious about podcasts, I do not recommend you go for free podcast hosting. There’s no such thing as a free lunch; you might think you are using their services, but in fact, they will use you as their product.
Free services do not offer support and the quality of their services is no match for the premium podcast providers.
Verdict
- If you are a beginner and looking for low cost and simple podcast hosting, I would recommend you go for Buzzsprout. They have a free plan that can help you start your podcast. Buzzsprout is known for being a beginner-friendly platform.
- If you want to publish private content for your specific audience along with public podcasting, you should go with Transistor. It is very useful when you want to publish more than one podcast and have multiple team members.
- If you want to grow your audience, you should go with Captivate.
Conclusion
You can reach a fresh audience with podcasting and strengthen your authority. These days, launching podcasts is easy if you have the right setup and suitable podcast hosting provider. In this blog post, I have given you a few best podcast hosting service providers. You can review their offers and select the one that best fits your requirements.
What podcast host service have you selected? Please share your thoughts in the comments section.
