9 Best Podcast Platforms (2023)
For your convenience in researching We've prepared a concise introduction, highlighted the most important features, and covered the pricing options for nine of the best podcast platforms. We've evaluated the platforms based on cost, upload and bandwidth limits, monetization tools, and much more. Let's get started!
Our top list of 9 best podcast hosting platforms:
PodBean
With over ten years of experience, PodBean boasts an impressive 650,000 users on their platform. PodBean gives users access to easy-to-read analytics like downloads by date and time, trends, top 10 episodes, listener demographics, and retention of users. The platform lets you live stream to your audience and allow listeners as well as guests to connect to your stream to take part or listen to your broadcast.
Important features
- Free plan available
- Podcast website that can be customized for every plan
- Podcast embeddable and customisable player to your website
- Native tools that make it simple to Podcast revenue
- Auto-sharing on connected social media accounts
- Live streaming, with the capability for users to make calls and listen
Price price range:
PodBean is one of the very few platforms offering a free plan. The free plan is compatible with the mp3 format and offers 5 hours of storage (500MB) as well as 100GB of monthly bandwidth.
In addition to the basic plan, PodBean provides three paid plans including Unlimited Audio ($9) Unlimited Plus ($29) as well as Network ($79). Unlimited Audio and Unlimited Plus plans include unlimited storage space as well as bandwidth, while the Network plan restricts bandwidth to 3TB with the option to pay for additional bandwidth.
Buzzsprout
Buzzsprout is the hosting platform that is used by more than 100,000 podcasters. The platform provides advanced analytics which allow you to track how many people download your shows, the countries they're from, and how users access your podcast. They also give you access to a range of tools , including an embeddable player on websites, an the option of a transcript for your episode, as well as "Dynamic Content," which lets you change posts and pre-roll segments after you've published.
When you upload your podcast to Buzzsprout it will allow you to showcase your podcast on all of the top directories, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Alexa, Castro, Podchaser, and many more. It will also improve uploaded files to make your audio the best it can be.
Important attributes
- Plan available for free
- A podcast site that you can customize on all plans
- Podcast player that can be embedded on your site
- Ability to create chapter markers for episodes
- Advanced statistics for tracking your progression
- Dynamic content allows you to alter the pre- and post-roll segment immediately after you have published
Price band:
Buzzsprout is one of the few podcast platforms that offer a free plan. In terms of their paid subscriptions there are three options available: $12, $18, and $24 monthly. They don't offer an annual pricing at this time which means you'll have keep to the monthly pricing. The only difference between their paid plans is the available upload hours each plan includes.
RSS.com
RSS.com features a user interface that's popular for its ease to usage. This platform gives users access to features including comprehensive analytics, episode scheduling, an embeddable episode player, social media sharing, and a podcasting website that's included.
Different in comparison to other platforms hosting podcasts, RSS.com offers a donation button you can enable/disable. The donation button lets you get funding in addition to the traditional advertising and sponsorship methods. However, if ads and sponsorships are your thing you can also get them. Podcasters can find sponsors with RSS.com's Podcorn marketplace.
The key attributes
- Unlimited audio and episodes on every plan
- Podcast website that can be customized for all plans
- Embeddable podcast player for your website
- Native episode scheduler
- Optional donation button
- Ability to create chapter chapters, soundbites and transcripts within the platform
Price range:
It appears RSS.com officially offers 3 plans however, the majority of users will be able to avail the All in One Podcasting plan at $12.99 monthly. Students and Non-government Organizations can avail a special plan for them for $4.99 per month. The Student plan includes the same features as the All in One plan, however, you'll need to be certified. Anyone with over 10,000 downloads per day will be admissible to The Podcast Networks plan, but it is also necessary to get in touch with the platform first.
Captivate
Captivate is an excellent alternative for those who are just starting out as podcasters. The hosting dashboard of Captivate is well-known within the field for its straightforward interface. It will allow you distribute your episodes on all major podcasting directories, promote your show using integrated marketing tools and even monetize your podcast with private broadcasting.
Key Features
- A podcast site that you can customize on all plans
- Unlimited uploads and podcasts and storage on all plans
- Podcast embeddable, customizable player for your website
- Additional Captivate Sync(tm) WordPress Plugin for flexible hosting control
- Premium or private podcasting available on all plans
- Unlimited team members with customizable roles
Price range:
Captivate has three plans available: Personal ($19), Professional ($49), and business ($99). There isn't a free plan available, you can enjoy a free 7-day trial on every plan. The major difference between paid plans lies related to the quantity of networks-connected podcasts as well as private as well as subscribers to private podcasts they allow. Outside of these variable attributes, both plans are the same.
Transistor
Transistor is a top-quality podcast hosting platform that includes big-name podcasts like Cards Against Humanity. Transistor provides extensive analytics, private shows as well as 1-click distribution for every one of the top directories. They also provide 1-click distribution via Listen Notes and The Podcast Index, 2 famous search engines that are dedicated for podcasts.
Transistor is a great option for podcasts with multiple episodes. The platform offers unlimited shows on every plan. The platform doesn't limit podcasters by storage or bandwidth or downloads per month, but rather by monthly downloads, which allows you to comprehend limits in a much simpler way.
The key attributes
- A podcast site that you can customize on all plans
- Unlimited podcasts on every hosting plan
- Dynamic Ad tool to allow intuitive and automatic ad insertion
- Automatically upload every episode to YouTube
- Exclusive RSS feeds for each show you own
- Embeddable podcast player for your website
Price band:
Transistor offers 3 pricing plans: Starter ($19) and Professional ($49)) as well as Business ($99). There are only three features that vary from plan to plan. The three are: the number of people you can join your team as well as the number of private podcast listeners you are able to have, as well as the monthly limit for downloads. The good news is that the Starter plan allows up to 10,000 monthly downloads, which is more than enough for the majority of podcasters who are just starting out.
Audioboom
Audioboom is a fairly standard platform for most users, with distribution through popular directories as well as unlimited episodes. the capacity to download 15,000 files monthly on their entry-level plan. The platform's approach to revenue generation is what makes it apart from other platforms. Podcasters can access the monetization marketplace once they've reached the 10000 monthly downloaded. For those with a substantial fan base, this shouldn't effect the quality of your show. But if you're a smaller show, it could mean not having the chance to monetize until you reach the crucial milestone.
The key Features
- Unlimited episodes per month
- 15,000 downloads per month on entry-level plan
- Distribution to the most popular directories
- IAB compliant analytics dashboard
- The ability to access the global marketplace for advertising when you have reached 10,000 monthly downloads
Price price range:
Audioboom's pricing plans are simple! The company offers two plans per month which include the Standard Plan ($9.99) and the Plus Plan ($19.99). The Standard plan permits the possibility of up to 15,000 downloads per month. If you need more than that, you can upgrade to the Plus Plan allows up to 10,000. In case that's still not enough, then you'll need to contact them for a custom Podcast Pros Account.
Resonate
Resonate is a great podcast hosting platform for those looking for a complete solution. Although their plans for hosting offer certain standard options, they're missing an adjustable website, premium or private podcasting, as well as customer service on their lower-priced plans. However, where Resonate is lacking in standard hosting features, it may be able to make up the difference with extra features.
Resonate has a broad range of podcast services, including launch, producer and video production, as well as podcast marketing, and enterprise services. The additional features allow podcasters to make a premium highly produced and well-produced show on the same platform.
Important Features
- Automatically produced podcast microsite
- Embeddable podcast player for your website
- Comprehensive analytics and statistics taken from an embedded player
- Built-in Dynamic Ad insertion with specific time-sensitive announcements, timed campaigns and even timed announcements.
Price price range:
Resonate has two ready-to-go monthly plans The Basic ($25) as well as Premium ($49). Both of these include unlimited episodes, downloads, and show users. The microsite, however, is available only on the Premium plan which separates Resonate from other platforms that offer websites as part of their lowest plans. If you find that neither the basic or the Premium plan meets your requirements, you should consider the Professional plan, which gives you more microsites and assistance features.
Castos
Unlike other podcast hosting platforms, Castos is a WordPress plugin. It's built to integrate with Seriously Simple Podcasting and allows podcasters to manage their podcast hosting directly from their WordPress site. Castos can also allow users to create customized podcast websites as well as detailed statistics.
In comparison with Buzzsprout and Buzzsprout, their transcription services are significantly less costly than Buzzsprout, costing only $0.10 every minute. If you're looking to start an audio podcast with YouTube, Castos will also instantly upload your podcast episodes to YouTube when you subscribe to some plans. The platform is focused on improving and creating new features to provide analytics reports that are tailored for potential advertisers and metrics on playback duration that will let you know how long listeners are listening to your podcast.
Key features
- Customizable podcast website on all plans
- Unlimited podcasts episode uploads
- Private podcasting feature for premium content
- Web page templates that have been pre-built
- Automatic podcast transcriptions (optional)
- YouTube republishing
Price band:
Castos provides four price plans including Starter ($19), Growth ($49) Pro ($99) as well as Premium ($499) each month. Paying annually will save you around 17% over the course of your contract. Although the basic plan offers the basic features, only the Growth plan and above include YouTube publishing.
Libsyn
Going all the way back to 2004, Libsyn is a long-time player in the world of podcasts. It's a fantastic platform for new creators and hosts who have short episodes with a small number of episodes, or monetized podcasts. It's important to note that this platform limits uploads and bandwidth. This can cause problems with podcasts that have a massive collection of content or a lot of listeners. If you want to expand storage or bandwidth, you'll need to select larger plans, which is why this is the best platform to small audiences or for shows generating profit.
Important attributes
- Customizable podcast website on all plans
- Built-in monetization with ads as well as podcasting in private
- Visual-builder integrated with Canva
- Custom iOS as well as Android application for your show
- Distribution to all popular podcast directories
Price price range:
Libsyn offers a grand total of six plans. 3 are for audio podcasts and three to support video-based podcasts.
Audio Podcasts
Audio pricing starts at $5 and go up to $15 or $20 per month. However, Libsyn limits the number of audio hours that you can upload each month as well as the total storage space, which is different from other platforms on this list. If you choose to go with a higher-priced package will give the most of both.
Video podcasts
The video podcast plan starts at $45 and increase to $75 and $150 per month. When you pay this amount, the statistics remain the same and only the upload and bandwidth limitations change and increase as the cost increases.
Final Thoughts
Here you are! Nine of the best podcasting platforms. The choice of a platform is only the initial decision you'll have to make when you're a professional podcaster. While you're researching for the right platform, be sure to consider your own specific needs for podcasting. Consider your primary needs such as uploading, bandwidth downloading, as well as your budget. Consider things such as the strategy to monetize your website and social media connectivity when you've narrowed your list down to your top three choices.
Want more resources on starting a podcast? Take a look at our previous podcasting posts: