Podcast Hosting Platforms
Podcast Host: When you click a link you’re downloading the information from another computer.
A podcast host is a company that pays to store your episodes on a computer and provides the software used to manage it.
If you’re just starting then Anchor.fm is the one you’ll often hear recommended, mainly because it’s free. If you’re just testing the waters then this is a good option.
The main downside that I see is that they use their own email address for your login to apple for your apple podcast account. No other host does this. They also don’t let you redirect your RSS feed. The problem with this is that Chartable provides far better analytics. They need an RSS redirect to do it. The reason why anchor wouldn’t allow this is questionable to me, especially when companies with 1/10 the money do.
Name | % of Market | Tier 1 | For: | Tier 2 | For: | Tier 3 | For: | Tier 4 | For: | Notes: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Anchor | 40 | Free | Unlimited | Free | Unlimited | Free | Unlimited | Free | Unlimited | |
Blubrry | .14 | $12 | 100mb storage/month | $20 | 250mb storage/month, video | $40 | 500mb storage/month | $80 | 1GB storage/month | Free WordPress site and powerpress integration |
Buzzsprout | 4 | Free | 2 hours storage/month | $12 | 3 hours storage/month | $18 | 6 hours storage/month | $24 | 12 hours storage/month | Chapters markers, Easy to use, great tutorials |
Captivate | .23 | $19 | 12k DL’s/month | $50 | 60k DL’s/month | $99 | 150k DL’s/month | X | X | Unlimited shows/storage, WordPress integration |
Libsyn | 5 | $5 | 50mb storage/month | $15 | 250mb storage/month | $20 | 400mb storage/month | $40 | 800mb storage/month | Extra $ for stats, domain and additional storage |
Pinecast | .27 | Free | 2 shows/10 episodes/48mb | $10 | Unlimited shows, website, domain | $10/Add-on | Analytics, larger episodes | X | X | Upcharge for stats, and larger files |
Podomatic | 2.8 | Free | 500mb storage, 15GB DL’s | $10 | 2GB storage, 100GB DL’s | $15 | 2.5GB storage, 200GB DL’s | $25 | 5GB storage, 500GB DL’s | Episodes never expire. Phone app recording |
Podbean | 4.4 | Free | 5 hours storage, 100Gb DL’s | $9 | Unlimited DL’s/storage, domain | $29 | Video | $99 | Multiple channels, remove branding | Ad marketplace, live streaming, video podcasts |
Simplecast | .8 | $15 | 20k DL’s/month | $35 | 50k DL’s/month | $85 | 120k DL’s/month | X | X | Website with SSL included |
Soundcloud | 7.8 | Free | 3 hours | $12 | Unlimited | X | X | X | X | Stats aren’t very good but it’s cheap |
Spreaker | 3.8 | Free | 5 hours, multiple shows | $7 | 100 hours, dynamic ads | $20 | 500 hours, advanced stats | $50 | 1500 hours, full stats | Multiple shows, Dynamic ads |
Transistor | .39 | $19 | 10k DL’s/month | $49 | 50k DL’s/month | $99 | 150k DL’s/month | X | X | Full stats, Multiple Shows, Website |
Podcast hosting platform that allows you to create multiple shows under the same account for no extra fee and includes detailed analytics
What I like the most about transistor is the ability to add multiple shows under the same account without paying extra. I like starting new shows but don't want to pay a separate monthly fee for each one.
Also their pricing structure is based on downloads per month which is much better than paying for storage space in my opinion. I only want to pay extra if my show(s) are hitting a certain number of downloads. The base plan gives you 10k downloads a month. If you start hitting that number then it's worth it to upgrade to their next tier.
Another thing I like about transistor is their analytics. While researching podcast hosting platforms I noticed that many of them only offer basic analytics in their lower priced tiers. I really dislike that pricing model. Transistor gives you full analytics at every tier.
Lastly their site is one of the most intuitive I've seen out of all the platforms I've reviewed. After researching all the podcast hosts I settled on transistor. Here's an interview I did with one of the founders.
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No expiration of episodes hosted. Comes with an app for recording and publishing. Pricing is based on download bandwidth and upload storage.
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Libsyn has been around since 2004 and has approximately 5% of the market. Their pricing structure is based on how many megabytes you can upload.
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Offers the ability to create multiple shows at the base price of $7/month. Each plan comes with dynamic ad insertion.
Spreaker also has an app and desktop software for recording, live streaming and managing your episodes
The basic version has limited stats which increase in the more expensive plans.
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A hosting platform for distributing your show to podcast players. Includes stats, website, embedded player and automatic mastering.
One thing that personally impresses me about buzzsprout is the quality and usefulness of their youtube videos. You can see their channel here.
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A hosting platform that includes publishing, distribution, analytics, social sharing and websites. No bandwidth cap on the most basic plan.
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Podbean is a podcast hosting platform with all the features you need for starting a podcast, promoting your podcast, and monetizing your podcast. Podbean podcast hosting distributes your podcast to all destinations: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, the Podbean Podcast App and more
Podbean provides podcast statistics so you can track how your podcast is doing and get insights into your audience.
You can monetize your podcast by using Podbean’s built-in dynamic advertising system, Patron Program, and/or Premium Podcast service.
Expand your podcast with live audio streaming. Take listener calls and get real-time comments. Earn virtual currency from ticket sales and gifts.
Record, edit and publish podcasts right from your phone with the free Podbean app.
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