Best Podcast Hosting Sites of April 2022 (My Top Free Picks) – Web Design & Digital Marketing Agency

When it comes to creating a podcast, picking the correct podcast hosting software is critical. The finest podcast hosting can help you build your audience by pushing your podcast to iTunes and Spotify, storing your files, and marketing your program. I rated and reviewed the 15 best podcast hosting services, as well as our top 5 picks, so you can choose the best one for you.

what is a podcast hosting platform

If you want to start a podcast, you’ll need to register with a podcast hosting service to store your.mp3 files and setup your feed. Just like you’d need a web host to create a website or blog, you’ll need a media host to start a podcast.

The best podcast hosting companies as of April 2022 are:

1. Buzzsprout

Buzzsprout was created with the intention of making podcasting simple, but not constrained. They offer one of the most well-designed dashboards I’ve encountered, allowing you to spend more time developing content rather than fiddling with uploads.

What I enjoy best is that they release updates and new features on a regular basis.

Recently they have added or updated:

has a built-in transcription integration.
Magic Mastering to make your episodes sound perfect
an affiliate marketing integration for your Buzzsprout site
A brand new embed player
The publishing workflow
the text editor for show notes

Additionally, Buzzsprout has incorporated an affiliate marketplace (to assist you in making money with your show) and the opportunity to recruit team members (admin or editor access levels). buzzprout is among the best podcast hosting providers

There is a free plan for life (no credit card required to join up), however after 90 days, your episodes will be gone, and their plans will start at $12/month. Excellent value for money!

For a behind-the-scenes look at Buzzsprout, see our evaluation and walkthrough.

Use this link to get started: If you continue with one of Buzzsprout’s paid plans for two months, you’ll get a $20 Amazon gift card!

Start A Podcast With Buzzsprout

2. Captivate

Captivate is a fantastic audio hosting platform, Podcast Hosting, and it’s created by the same company that’s been operating Podcast Websites for years (as indicated lower down the page), so their knowledge of the podcast market is evident as a podcast hosting company.

You can see they put a lot of thought into the dashboard:

The analytics are advanced, yet easy to understand
The podcast player and website look amazing
There are built-in CTA’s (calls to action) to help direct people anywhere you want
Add as many team members as you need (no limits)
Private podcasting on every plan

Here’s a little preview before you try it out:

Batch uploading, clever UI features like default scheduling time, WordPress connection with their proprietary plugin, and a slew of additional features are all available.

They have released a nice-looking and simple-to-create podcast sponsorship kit PDF that allows you to promote current episodes and display critical download numbers:

Of course, you get a great-looking mobile-friendly website that uses your colors automatically – or you may pick your own:

One thing I didn’t like about the new podcast workflow was that it was recently updated, indicating that they are listening to comments and making changes rapidly. That’s fantastic!

Try Captivate for free for 7 days and see for yourself!

Starting at $19/month for 12K downloads, you can host an infinite number of podcasts – more than enough for 97 percent of podcasters.

They also don’t limit basic functionality based on your plan, which is something that other providers don’t do.

Start A Podcast With Captive

3. Transistor

Transistor is a newer podcast hosting and analytics platform with a strong team behind it. They cater to companies (Cards Against Humanity was one of their first customers) and consumers who are serious about podcasting (vs those just dabbling or as a hobby).

For a single fee, you can:

Host as many different shows as you want
Add and manage team members (producers, editors, etc.)
Get great podcast stats
Have an excellent podcast site

One of the things I enjoy about the offered website is that you may browse while an episode is playing (check out their podcast about building Transistor).

It’s their analytics tools that set them apart. Their dashboards include information like as average downloads per episode, subscription count, and downloads over time.

You may also use easy migration tools to integrate your current feed into Transistor if you use another hosting platform like Libsyn or Anchor.

Pricing Plans:

Starter Plan ($19/month): Provides unlimited podcasts and episodes, up to 2 users, and 10,000 downloads per month.
Professional Plan ($49/month): Everything in the starter plan, but now with up to five team members and 50,000 downloads per month.
Business Plan ($99/month): All features in the previous plans, but with up to 10 team members and 150,000 downloads per month.

What I Like/Dislike About Transistor:

Support for various platforms means that you can quickly get your show out there.
Many long-time users love the simplicity and user-friendliness of Transistor.
It gives you good analytics to track your progress and see where your listeners are coming from.
The interface is easy to understand and makes it easy to get started.
Priced based on the number of downloads you receive, making it more affordable for people starting out.

Start Podcasting With Transistor

4. PodBean

Podbean makes creating and selling a podcast as simple as possible. I like that this platform may help both newcomers and seasoned podcasters achieve their goals. You can even start sharing your message with the world with only a few taps on your phone. I also enjoy that every account comes with a podcasting website, so your audience can simply locate your stuff online.

PodBean is my #5 recommendation is . They’ve been hosting podcasts for over ten years, host 540,000 podcasters, and are the most user-friendly host on our list.

Key Features:

5 hours of storage on the free plan.
Unlimited storage on the $9/month plan.
Dynamic ad insertion.
Patreon program to accept recurring revenue from listeners.
Auto-uploads to YouTube.
Mobile app.
Auto-posting to social media like Facebook and Twitter.

The process of creating a podcast is very simple, and you can even import existing audio files if you want to.

You may choose a different podcast logo or stick with the default, and you can change the color palette to reflect your brand.

Finally, the statistics summary panel offers you a fair sense of how well your podcast is doing and where you should concentrate your efforts.

Pricing:

Basic (Free and Open-Source): 5 hours of storage and 100 GB monthly.
Unlimited Audio ($9/month): Unlimited storage and bandwidth, pro themes, advanced design, and ad marketplace.
Unlimited Plus ($29/month): Features above, plus Patreon program and dynamic ad insertion.
Business ($99/month): Features above, plus multiple domains, private podcasts, advanced statistics, and live chat support.

What I Like/Dislike About PodBean:

A straightforward podcast hosting provider that makes it easy to get your show online.
No downtime and fast downloads mean your listeners can always hear your latest episode.
Upload video and audio podcasts with just a few clicks, making it easy to get started.
Easy to distribute shows to a broad audience, thanks to integrations with major podcast platforms.

Start Podcasting With PosdBean

5. RSS.com

RSS.com is my go-to recommendation. Look no farther than RSS.com if you want limitless storage, strong analytics, and a podcasting website to go along with your recording. These features ensure that your podcast platform will be able to manage any future company development.

Since 2005, RSS.com has been one of the pioneers in the podcasting field, developing tools and resources.

You can get started and set things up for free; you’ll have to pick a plan when your first episode is released.

The most popular plan is $12.99 per month (or $99 per year if paid in advance) and includes:

Unlimited episodes
Cross-platform analytics
Personalized RSS feed URL
A free website
Tons of bandwidth