8 Best Podcast Hosting Sites & Platforms For Beginner & Expert Podcasters (2023)

TLDR: Our top pick for the best podcast hosting platform is Buzzsprout. It is the easiest podcast hosting service for hosting, tracking & promoting your podcast. Buzzsprout also offers a free plan for 90 days.

Are you planning to start your podcast, but not sure where to host it?

If yes, then we will help you select the best podcast hosting service.

There are more than 30 different podcast hosting sites available today. We have compared, ranked & reviewed all of the podcast hosting platforms. Below, you can find our top 10 podcast hosting software recommendations.

Best Podcast Hosting Platforms (Compared, Ranked & Reviewed)

RankingPodcast Hosting ServiceUse Case (Best For)
#1BuzzsproutOverall Best Podcast Hosting For Beginners
#2PodbeanBest Podcast Hosting Service For Creating Video Podcast
#3BlubrryHighly Reliable & Value For Money Podcast Hosting Website
#4CastosBest Podcast Hosting For WordPress Platform
#5TransistorBest Podcast Hosting Site For Running Multiple Shows
#6AnchorBest Free Podcast Hosting Service
#7LibsynBest Podcast Hosting Platform For Big Brands
#8SpreakerBest Podcast Hosting Site With Inbuilt CMS
#9SimplecastBest Podcast Hosting Software For Monetization
#10AudioboomBest Podcast Hosting Platform For Independent Podcasters

In Depth Review Of The Top 10 Podcast Hosting Services

#1 Buzzsprout – Overall Best Podcast Hosting For Beginners | Pricing Starts From $12/Month

Buzzsprout is the best way to publish a podcast online. It has everything from secure & reliable hosting to iTunes support and HTML5 player.

Buzzsprout Free Trial

Buzzsprout offers a 90 days free plan that allows users to upload for up to 2 hours per month. The episodes in the free plan will be removed after 90 days.

Buzzsprout Features

  • Podcast listing in all top directories
  • Advanced podcast statistics
  • Automatic episode optimization
  • Podcast transcriptions
  • Podcast player for website
  • Podcast monetization
  • Podcast chapter marker
  • Multiple podcast with unlimited team members
  • Get a website for your podcast

Buzzsprout Pricing

The paid pricing plans are,

  • $12/month for 3 hours
  • $18/month for 6 hours
  • $24/month for 12 hours

Buzzsprout Pros

  • Simple & easy to use
  • Supports website player
  • Reliable customer support
  • Generous free plan

Verdict – Who is Buzzsprout best suited for?

If you are looking for a podcast hosting service with a clean UI, advanced analytics & good value for money, then you should give Buzzsprout a try.

#2 Podbean – Best Podcast Hosting Service For Creating Video Podcast | Pricing Starts From $14/Month

Podbean is an easy and powerful way to start a podcast. Everything you need for a successful podcast.

Podbean Free Trial

Podbean offers an always-free basic plan, which supports mp3 file format & provides 5 hours total storage space (500MB) and 100GB monthly bandwidth.

Podbean Features

  • Professional & customizable podcast website
  • Widespread podcast distribution
  • Podcast downloads trend, user geographies & other podcast statistics
  • Podcast advertising marketplace to find potential advertisers
  • Live stream your podcast with the audience
  • Podcast mobile app

Podbean Pricing

Podbean offers four pricing plans,

  • Basic: $0/month
  • Unlimited audio: $14/month or $9/month (paid annually)
  • Unlimited plus: $39/month or $29/month (paid annually)
  • Business: $129/month or $99/month (paid annually)

Verdict – Who is Podbean best suited for?

With Podbean, you get a complete package – reliable podcast hosting, unlimited storage & bandwidth, promotional tools, podcast advertising, and premium content.

#3 Blubrry – Highly Reliable & Value For Money Podcast Hosting Website | Pricing Starts From $12/Month

Blubrry is an affordable podcast hosting service, helping thousands of podcasters with hosting, distribution & analytics.

Blubrry Free Trial

Blubrry offers the first month for free on every podcast hosting paid plan.

Blubrry Features

  • Publish & distribute your podcast on all major directories
  • Advanced podcast analytics to better know your audience
  • Free Podcast website with paid hosting plans
  • Reliable phone, email, video customer support
  • Podcast plugin for WordPress

Blubrry Pricing

Blubrry offers five pricing plans,

  • Small: $12/month
  • Medium: $20/month
  • Large: $40/month
  • Extra large: $80/month
  • Pro hosting: $100/month

Verdict – Who is Blubrry best suited for? 

Blubrry is the most effective podcast service in the industry. They provide a complete, full-control solution for your company’s podcast, network, or individual needs.

#4 Castos – Best Podcast Hosting For WordPress Platform | Pricing Starts From $19/Month

Castos is a podcast hosting platform that helps you grow your audience through public podcasts and offer exclusive content through private podcasts.

Castos Free Trial

Castos offers a 14-day free to test-drive its core features.

Castos Features

  • Podcast hosting with unlimited storage, bandwidth & podcast episodes
  • Manage your podcast from WordPress
  • Generate automated transcripts to boost SEO & improve accessibility
  • Repurpose your audio podcast on YouTube
  • Personalized podcast website
  • Customizable embedded media player

Castos Pricing

Castos offers three pricing plans,

  • Starter: $19/month or $190/year (paid annually)
  • Growth: $49/month or $490/year (paid annually)
  • Pro: $99/month or $990/year (paid annually)

Verdict – Who is Castos best suited for?

Castos is an ideal podcast hosting service for podcasters who are just getting started & want to produce video content as well.

#5 Transistor – Best Podcast Hosting Site For Running Multiple Shows | Pricing Starts From $19/Month

A transistor is a podcast hosting site that allows you to invite team members, see your podcast’s stats, and distribute to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts. Transistor also offers private podcasting for your company or membership site.

Transistor Free Trial

Transistor offers a 14-day free trial to test all its core features.

Transistor Features

  • View detailed podcast analytics
  • Embed the podcast player on your website
  • Distribute your podcast everywhere
  • Create unlimited podcasts
  • Setup you team’s private podcast

Transistor Pricing

Transistor offers three pricing plans,

  • Starter: $19/month or $190/year (paid annually)
  • Professional: $49/month or $490/year (paid annually)
  • Business: $99/month or $990/year (paid annually)

Verdict – Who is Transistor best suited for?

A transistor is the perfect podcast hosting platform for creatives, brands & professionals.

#6 Anchor – Best Free Podcast Hosting Service | 100% Free Podcast Hosting

Anchor is an all-in-one platform where you can create, distribute, and monetize your podcast from any device, for free.

Anchor Free Trial

Anchor doesn’t offer any free trials, as it is a completely free podcast hosting service.

Anchor Features

  • Easy-to-use podcast creation tools
  • 100% free podcast hosting & 1-click distribution
  • Track your podcast’s performance with straightforward analytics
  • In-built podcast monetization features

Anchor Pricing

Anchor podcast hosting platform is completely free to use for everyone.

Verdict – Who is Anchor best suited for?

Go with Anchor, if you want to create, distribute, host, and monetize your podcast for free.

#7 Libsyn – Best Podcast Hosting Platform For Big Brands | Pricing Starts From $5/Month

Libsyn has been a popular podcast hosting, distribution, and monetization platform since 2004. Enjoy wide distribution, detailed statistics, and expert service you can count on.

Libsyn Free Trial

Currently, Libsyn doesn’t offer a free trial.

Libsyn Features

  • Podcast monetization options
  • Mobile responsive podcast website
  • Detailed audience analytics
  • Publish your podcast everywhere

Libsyn Pricing

Libsyn offers fours pricing plans,

  • Classic 50: $5/month
  • Classic 250: $15/month
  • Advanced 400: $20/month
  • Advanced 800:  $40/month

Verdict – Who is Libsyn best suited for?

Libsyn is a reliable podcast hosting service mainly used by big brands around the world.

#8 Spreaker – Best Podcast Hosting Site With Inbuilt CMS | Pricing Starts From $7/Month

Spreaker is the one-stop shop for podcast hosting, creation, distribution, and monetization.

Spreaker Free Trial

Spreaker offers a forever free basic plan for podcast hosting with up to 5 hours of audio storage

Spreaker Features

  • Simplified podcast publishing with desktop CMS
  • Streamlined podcast distribution
  • Programmatic advertising system for podcast monetization
  • Podcast creation software

Spreaker Pricing

Spreaker offers four pricing plans,

  • Free speech: $0/month
  • On-air talent: $7/month or $6/month (paid annually)
  • Broadcaster: $20/month or $18/month (paid annually)
  • Anchorman: $50/month or $45/month (paid annually)

Verdict – Who is Spreaker best suited for?

Whether you’re starting a podcast or are already an established podcaster, Spreaker can help you to grow your podcast.

#9 Simplecast – Best Podcast Hosting Software For Monetization | Pricing Starts From $15/Month

Simplecast provides an easy way for podcasters to publish audio to the world with one-click publishing to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever your audience listens.

Simplecast Free Trial

Simplecast provides a 14day free podcast hosting trial.

Simplecast Features

  • Distribute everywhere to your audience
  • Customizable podcast website on your own domain
  • Manage multiple podcasts with a single account
  • Embeddable episode web player

Simplecast Pricing

Simplecast offers three pricing plans,

  • Basic: $15/month or $13.50/month (paid annually)
  • Essential: $35/month or $31.50/month (paid annually)
  • Growth: $85/month or $76.50/month (paid annually)

Verdict – Who is Simplecast best suited for?

Simplecast provides powerful tools to manage, distribute, share, and grow your podcast.

#10 Audioboom – Best Podcast Hosting Platform For Independent Podcasters | Pricing Starts From $10/Month

Audioboom provides a simple platform to host, distribute and monetize your podcast.

Audioboom Free Trial

Currently, Audioboom doesn’t offer a free trial.

Audioboom Features

  • Get detailed audience insights
  • Work seamlessly with your team
  • Simple landing page for your podcast
  • Monetize your podcast with dynamic ads & sponsorships

Audioboom Pricing

Audioboom offers a single pricing plan for podcasters which costs $9.99/month or $99/year (paid annually).

Verdict – Who is Audioboom best suited for?

Audioboom is highly recommended for individual podcasters looking for ad-free podcast hosting options.

Best Free Podcast Hosting Platforms & Services

Few of the podcast hosting services also offer a free plan along with paid plans. These free podcast hosting plans should be sufficient for beginners.

Below, we have listed the top free podcast hosting services available today.

Free Podcast Hosting ServicesFree Plan Monthly Upload LimitWhat’s included in the Free Plan?
AnchorUnlimitedAnchor provides completely free podcast hosting without any limitation on the size of audio files.
Podbean5 hoursPodbean podcast hosting platform offers a free plan with up to 5 hours per month & a max of 3 episodes per day.
Spreaker5 hoursSpreaker podcast hosting site has a free plan which allows you to store up to 5 hours of audio.
Buzzsprout2 hoursBuzzsprout podcast hosting service offers a generous free plan that allows you to upload up to 2 hours per month. But the downside is that the shows will be stored only for 90 days.

Podcast Hosting Software Buyers Guide & FAQ

What Is Podcast Hosting?

A podcast host is a platform that provides a place to store the podcast audio files. It also takes care of submitting the podcast episodes to the Apple Podcasts and other podcast directories.

Why Do You Need A Podcast Hosting Service?

  • Ability to store larger audio files
  • Faster speed due to storing files on third party platform
  • Better user experience

Why Can’t You Host Your Podcast On Your Own Website?

Web hosting is not the best place to host a podcast. It can lead to various issues like slow page loading, website going down, etc. A podcast host is a platform that is completely optimized for storing podcast episodes.

How To Choose The Best Podcast Hosting Platform For You? (Top Factors To Consider)

  • Pricing plans
  • Storage capacity
  • Integration with website
  • Audience analytics
  • Transcription services
  • Podcast monetization
  • Fast & reliable support

How Much Does Podcast Hosting Cost?

On average, the pricing for a good podcast ranges from $5/month to $50/month. The cost varies based on factors like the number of downloads and length of podcast episodes.

Should You Use A Free Podcast Hosting Service?

Yes, you can if you want to. But, It is always safe to use a paid platform that offers a more reliable service.

Conclusion: Ready To Launch Your Podcast Using The Best Podcast Hosting Website?

In review, here are our top picks for the best podcast hosting services,

#1 Buzzsprout – Overall Best Podcast Hosting For Beginners

#2 Podbean – Best Podcast Hosting Service For Creating Video Podcast

#3 Blubrry – Highly Reliable & Value For Money Podcast Hosting Website

#4 Castos – Best Podcast Hosting For WordPress Platform

#5 Transistor – Best Podcast Hosting Site For Running Multiple Shows

#6 Anchor – Best Free Podcast Hosting Service

#7 Libsyn – Best Podcast Hosting Platform For Big Brands

#8 Spreaker – Best Podcast Hosting Site With Inbuilt CMS

#9 Simplecast – Best Podcast Hosting Software For Monetization

#10 Audioboom – Best Podcast Hosting Platform For Independent Podcasters

Starting a new podcast can be tough for those who are not used to podcasting. We hope that with this guide, we have helped you out in choosing the right podcast hosting platform.

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