10 Best Podcast Hosting Platforms Right Now
With the rise of the online show business industry in recent years, podcasting has established itself as a lucrative career option with a lot of potential.
In order to become a great podcaster, you’ll need a lot of time and effort, good cognitive skills, but more importantly – a podium through which you can present yourself to the world as a host.
A good podcast hosting platform can act as an asset to you and even though different platforms set different standards for each host, we’ve got you covered from all ends.
Here is a list of the top 10 podcast hosting platforms you can make use of and start your journey today:
Table of Contents
Spotify for Podcasters
Spotify for Podcasters, formerly known as Anchor.fm, made its way into the podcasting world, and with a bang.
Not only is it completely free, but it also has more features available than most of the paid platforms.
With Spotify for Podcasters, you are the only owner of your content and with just a single click, you can upload your episodes on all major hubs like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, and more!
Unlike the rest of the platforms, Spotify for Podcasters provides you with a detailed analysis of where your podcast stands and how it can get better. Age analysis, listening time comparison, gender analysis, topic concentration, you name it!
Spotify for Podcasters’ other features include:
- An optional button on your Spotify for Podcasters profile lets listeners donate monthly without ever needing to create an account.
- Spotify for Podcasters Sponsorships, which lets you record audio ads in your own voice, and choose where they go in your episodes.
- Spotify for Podcasters allows you to insert songs and combine music with conversation effortlessly!
Buzzsprout
Second on my list is a podcast hosting platform that has been around since the year 2008. Buzzsprout’s neat user interface and easy-to-use tools make it one of the best platforms for beginners as well as for those who want a long run in this game.
All you need to do is embed your episodes through your website, and if you don’t have one, Buzzsprout does it for you!
One of the many features of Buzzsprout includes automated listing – it uploads your podcast episodes on various listening hubs like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and more.
You can upload up to 2 hours of episode time per month that last for a total of 90 days before they are eventually deleted. To avoid this, you can subscribe to Buzzsprout’s premium plan for just $12 and upload up to 3 hours of episode time which would be available on all hubs without getting deleted after 90 days.
Some of Buzzsprout’s other features include:
- Advanced podcast statistics to see how your podcast is performing.
- Transcription services to get your episodes converted into text form.
- Chapter markers that allow busy listeners to skip to certain segments of your episodes.
- Magic mastering to enhance the audio quality of your episodes (Paid add-on)
Blubrry
Along with its podcast hosting services, Blubrry stands out in other departments as well, may it be an external integration in the form of voice/video calls or its PowerPress plugin which makes it ever so easy to embed your podcast into a WordPress-powered website.
The PowerPress plugin also allows you to conveniently manage your podcast right from your WordPress dashboard.
Some of the other features of Blubrry include:
- A migration file system to transfer all of your files if you’re moving in from another platform.
- Unlimited bandwidth (Included in all plans).
- A tracking system to track and take note of all your episodes.
With a fee of $12 per month, users can avail a total of 5 hours of episode time with an additional 100MB of storage, all said and done after Blubrry’s free first-month trial!
Fusebox
If you’re looking to start off a podcast and are as keen in promoting your own website and/or blog, Fusebox can be the perfect match for you.
It focuses on integrating its users with all the popular platforms like WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, Webflow, or any other HTML5 website.
Fusebox has a beginner plan which allows its users to upload and share their podcast episodes across all hubs, but the views are capped at 10,000 per month, which would not be the case if you purchase its pro plan starting at $16 per month.
Other features include:
- A specialized email capture option to help grow your reach faster
- Also allows you to attach a download option to all your episodes so that the listeners can download and listen in anywhere!
- Allows you to upload as many shows as you want.
Castos
Like Blubrry, Castos too has its own PowerPress system to compliment the WordPress users. It allows you to manage and keep an eye on your podcast through the WordPress dashboard itself, saving a lot of time in the process.
Users have the ability to create their own public or private podcasts with equal benefits to both.
Castos also allows Integrated publishing to YouTube with the ability to turn your audio files into a video for greater reach and style points.
Castos’ other features include:
- Integrated transcription mode to convert your audio content into text for its viewers.
- Advanced analytics to help your podcast grow.
- Also allows video hosting.
All this and more is included in Castos’ membership plan which starts at $15.83 per month and includes a 14-day trial in the beginning.
Podbean
With its advanced user interface and user-friendly directories, Podbean does a great job of managing your podcast for you.
Like Buzzsprout, Podbean too has its own website for users who do not wish to embed their podcasts through WordPress. It allows you to customize the website as per your liking as well.
It allows the user to upload up to 5 hours of episode time before it asks you to purchase one of its plans, which has no limitations when it comes to bandwidth or storage space.
Other features include:
- A custom-built ad marketplace to help you monetize your podcast.
- Has its own ad broadcasting system which allows the user to put in ads for reach.
- Supports live streaming!
You can purchase one of the various plans Podbean has on offer, starting at $9 per month.
Breaker.Audio
Recently acquired by Twitter, this platform is fairly new yet possesses a lot of potential growth in the future due to its sleek and simple concept.
Breaker allows you to express your thoughts and beliefs freely across the world wide web without bringing in too many complications. All you need to do is visit the website, sign up and start uploading episodes under a channel name for free!
Breaker’s other features include:
- Breaker has its own base for uploading and listening to various podcasts.
- It supports video hosting.
- It’s absolutely free!
Transistor
Transistor is another great option for those who want an enhanced podcasting experience.
With Transistor, you get all that what you ask for and more with its versatility, allowing a single user to host public as well as private podcasts from the same account!
This opens up a lot of gateways for both the experienced and the inexperienced.
Some of Transistor’s other features include:
- Share and promote your podcast on multiple major hubs like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and more!
- Provides detailed analytics to improve the conditioning of your Podcast.
- Can help you create your own website if you don’t have one already.
Transistor does not offer any free plans, but users can engage with a starting fee of $19 per month with a 14-day trial at the beginning. One drawback is Transistor is that it caps the number of times your episodes can be downloaded by other users, so you’ll have to keep upgrading for the maximum benefits.
Captivate
Captivate emphasizes growth more than anything else, with available features that can bump up the stream count of any Podcast host!
It possesses a special set of marketing skills with advanced auto-generated links of your Podcast that get uploaded on various other platforms like Overcast, Pocket Casts, and more.
Captivate’s other features include:
- Podcast sponsorship PDFs that help you to monetize your gig.
- Helps you customize your website with its multiple design concepts.
- Built-in analytics generator which provides you with important details.
Captivate doesn’t offer a free plan, but premium plans start with $17 per month with an allowance of over 12,000 downloads and a 7-day trial.
RadioPublic
Having been founded in 2006, RadioPublic is one of the first online platforms that has altered its approach and now focuses on podcasting as well!
It has adapted to the modern ways and operates with all the podcasting tools one could dream of. Advanced Google analytics, personalized monetization tools, a secure donation tip system, but more importantly, You can become a RadioPublic user without paying any money at all!
RadioPublic has also done a great job in adding in personal features like a personalized pod-site and audiograms, which lets you add a summarized transcript of your episodes to make it flawless for the listeners.
RadioPublic’s other features include:
- Listener tips that give the hosts a chance to earn real-time money!
- Its system interface not only helps with marketing but also promotes your podcast across various major hubs.
- Allows you to bookmark a featured episode of your podcast so that you can give out a generalized idea of what your show is all about to the audience.
To conclude, every podcast host has a different story to share and not every platform is a perfect match for the very same story. Some want to be able to express their opinions and views more freely across the internet whilst others want to make a job out of it. We hope that after considering all the options we discussed above, you’ll have the necessary tools and knowledge to decide what works best for you.