Ten years ago, it was content that ruled digital content and marketing. Then it was a video about five years ago. Today, it’s a podcast.
Many people are now switching to podcasts to entertain themselves, with platforms like Spotify taking charge to offer some of the best podcast content available. They struck many deals with podcasters—a famous one being Joe Rogan for an exclusive $100 million partnership.
It’s safe to say, as a creator, that the sky’s the limit in podcasting.
Many people are jumping aboard this train, and for you, there’s no better time than now to come onboard.
But which platform should you go for to host your podcast? Here are some options to look out for:
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Top 7 Best Podcast Hosting Platform in 2021
#1. Buzzsprout
One of the reasons behind Buzzsprout’s popularity over the years has been its easy-to-use and smooth interface, which is very accessible, especially for first-time users. They provide a clear step-by-step path to uploading podcasts to platforms such as Spotify.
But also it attracts professional podcasters because of its outstanding features.
One of these features is “Magic Mastering”’ This feature helps you give studio-quality sound output. Other advanced features include transcribing service (which starts at $0.25 per hour) and podcast locking (so that no one can steal your content).
It has a major drawback though in the form of caps for bandwidth and uploaded audio.
Pros
- The user interface is easy to use, and especially friendly toward beginners.
- It gives you the ability to distribute your podcasts to major directories such as Google Podcasts and Spotify.
- It includes the Magic Mastering feature, which makes for smoother audio output.
- There are lots of guides and tutorials available that can help new users get started.
- It can be easily monetized using affiliate marketing programs
- Users can create video snippets—this comes in handy for social media posts.
Cons
- For the free plan, it deletes the audio within 90 days.
- The standard plan offers you 96kbps quality audio, which may not be satisfying. Users have to pay extra to get advanced-quality sound.
- A bandwidth limit of 250GB monthly can restrict serious podcasters.
Pricing
- Buzzsprout offers 4 plans:
- Free—uploads 2 hours per month
- $12/month—uploads 3 hours per month
- $18/month—uploads 6 hours per month
- $24/month—uploads 12 hours per month
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#2. PodBean
PodBean is an industry veteran. Starting in 2006, it now hosts more than 400k podcasts! It is very popular. Industry big-wigs, such as Stripe and IBM, use PodBean for hosting their business podcasts.
What’s impressive is the fact that it is one of the cheapest podcast hosting providers out there in the market. Even its free plan offers users a generous 100GB of bandwidth per month.
It offers all the features that any podcast creator would need—good analytics, a custom website, Patreon support, and too, they push your podcast to all the major directories.
A minor drawback is its interface, which many users have complained to be too “clumsy.” But for the price tag, they do an excellent job.
Pros
- PodBean automatically posts your podcasts to social media websites.
- Podcasts can be easily monetized using Patreon integration.
- It gives users the ability to do both audio and video podcasts.
- Users get their subdomain for hosting their podcasts.
- Lots of themes are provided, which can be easily customized per your requirements.
Cons
- Although a subdomain is provided, it lacks many functionalities. It is better to build a dedicated website rather than rely on the subdomain given.
- Users have to pay extra for premium bandwidth.
Pricing
- Like Buzzsprout, PodBean also offers 4plans:
- Basic—Free
- Unlimited Audio—$9/month
- Unlimited Plus—$29/month
- Business—$99/month
#3. Captivate
Unlike other best podcast hosting platforms, Captivate was started by folks who were once into the podcasting business themselves. As a result, they have created a fantastic product.
To start with, Captivate’s user interface is perhaps one of the best in the market. For beginners, Captivate integrates tooltips for advanced features such as bit rate and advanced statistics.
It is an all-in-one solution, packing all the necessary features that users might need. It also packs some more advanced features, such as the ability to insert CTAs strategically.
Pros
- The interface is slick and easy-to-use.
- A WordPress plug-in is provided, with which users can publish podcasts like regular posts.
- Effective CTAs (call-to-action) can be built in and integrated.
- Users can add team members to divide the workload.
- Their solid analytics tab can keep track of the audience and related statistics.
Cons
- Captivate offers no free plan.
- If a user has multiple shows, the number of allowed downloads will go down.
Pricing
- Captivate has 3 plans available to choose from:
- Personal—$17/month
- Professional—$44/month
- Business—$90/month
#4. Libsyn
Libsyn boasts one of the most extensive distribution options, spreading your podcasts to many directories such as iHeartRadio, Twitter, Apple, YouTube, etc., and ensuring that the podcast’s reach is far and wide.
Users also get their custom feed for platforms such as Spotify. These feeds help users put extra information about their podcasts.
They also offer users a custom page on their Libsyn platform (yourpodcastname.libsyn.com), and their advanced tiers let users create their podcasts’ custom apps and upload them on Play Store and App Store.
Pros
- One of the widely used and reputed podcasts hosting providers, its famous users include Joe Rogan and Dan Carlin.
- Powerful analytics is included that helps users to retain old subscribers and attract new audiences.
- It can easily publish podcasts to multiple directories, such as Pandora and SoundCloud.
- There are different tiers of pricing plans offered that cater to specific requirements accurately.
- Libsyn gives you standalone feeds of your podcasts on platforms like Spotify and Pandora.
Cons
- Relatively old design—other platforms can offer you a better user interface.
- A free plan is not available.
- For some of the features, users have to pay extra even if they are on a premium plan—features like using the iOS and Android app.
Pricing
- There are 4 Basic plans available:
- Classic 50—$5/month
- Classic 250—$15/month
- Advanced 400—$20/month
- Advanced 800—$40/month
- Further, there are 2 Advanced plans:
- Advanced 1500—$75/month
- Advanced 3000—$150/month
#5. SoundCloud
A lot of users might have come across SoundCloud. It is popularly known for music streaming, but nowadays it is widely used for podcasts as well.
One of the best reasons anyone should choose SoundCloud for hosting is the sheer number of people visiting SoundCloud. It ranges in tens of millions. Podcasters can easily tap into this audience.
Many people use SoundCloud as their stepping-stone into podcasting. It helps them figure out how it works. The free version is adequate for that.
SoundCloud offers three tiers, and all of them monetize using something called “Repost.” It works by placing ads before the podcast. But users can only draw the money generated by the ad after they hit a particular target.
Pros
- The SoundCloud player is good-looking and can be easily embedded. That is one of the primary reasons why one can find it across many websites.
- The platform has a large user base. If appropriately channelized, one can get a constant stream of traffic from the platform.
- The paid plans offer advanced insights that can be beneficial.
Cons
- No monthly plans are available. Users have the option to buy annual plans only.
- For the free plan, there’s a 3-hour limit.
Pricing
- There are 3 plans to choose from:
- Soundcloud Basic—free
- Repost—$30 per year
- Soundcloud Pro—$90 per year
#6. Blubrry
Blubrry is a company like nothing else. It is when a podcasting hosting platform meets a podcast directory then meets a plug-in for WordPress.
They are a good hosting company, but they are well-known for their WordPress plug-in. It is specifically optimized for WordPress across different domains, such as an easy-to-use to storage space.
One of its advanced features is an extra 25% allowance of storage. Every user has a monthly allocation, but in case of a spike in users, that allocation can quickly get exhausted and your hosting may be stopped.
To counter that, Blubrry gives its users that extra allowance.
Pros
- A free PowerPress site is available across all the plans.
- They give users an extra 25% allowance for going over the allocated storage of your plan.
- Each plan offers you unlimited bandwidth and premium stats to keep track of the audience.
Cons
- For a non-WordPress user, it can get overwhelming.
- The statistics can be pretty hard to figure out.
pricing
- Blubrry offers 4 plans to choose from:
- Small—$12 per month
- Medium—$20 per month
- Large—$40 per month
- Extra Large—$80 per month
#7. Spreaker
Spreaker is a popular podcast app that hosts tens of hundreds of podcasts across the globe. To get more creators and podcasts on the platform, Spreaker offers a fantastic platform.
It has all the features to create a great podcast and publish it to different platforms, such as Stitcher and Spotify.
Pros
- It can be integrated with Spreaker Studio, which gives you many tools to record professional-quality podcasts.
- It gives you the ability to communicate with podcast listeners via the chat feature.
- Spreaker also offers you the feature of a live broadcast.
- It has an enormous repository of podcasts and listeners, which you can exploit and target.
Cons
- The statistics feature is tiered. Cheaper plans give you statistics that won’t help you drive meaningful insights.
Pricing
- Spreaker offers 4 plans to choose from:
- Free Speech—free
- On-Air Talent—$6/mo. billed annually, or $7/mo. billed monthly
- Broadcaster—$18/mo. billed annually, or $20/mo. billed monthly
- Anchorman: $45/mo. billed annually, or $50/mo. billed monthly
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| Software | UI | Analytics | Free Trial | Pricing |
| Buzzsprout | Easy to use | Moderate | Free for 90 days | Starts at $12 per month |
| PodBean | Moderate | Good | 14-day trial | Starts at $9 per month |
| Captivate | Easy to use | Good | 7-day trial | Starts at $17 per month |
| Libsyn | Moderate | Good | No free trial | Starts at $5 per month |
| SoundCloud | Easy to use | Decent | Free version available | Starts at $30 per year |
| Blubrry | Moderate | Moderate | Free version available | Starts at $12 per month |
| Spreaker | Moderate | Moderate | Free version available | Starts at $6 per month (billed annually) |
Conclusion
So these are some of the best podcast hosting platforms available for you in 2021. A good way to choose the best platform is by identifying your requirements, making a list of them, and checking which best podcast hosting platform ticks the most boxes.