25 Best FREE Podcast Hosting Sites & Platforms [Sep 2023]
Alyssa Walker
A Podcast Hosting Platform is a special service that stores media files and delivers them to listeners. Podcast hosting services offer features such as website hosting, podcast analytics, and embeddable media players. They provide a podcast RSS feed that you will submit to Apple Podcasts and other podcast directories.
Following is a handpicked list of Top Podcast Hosting Websites with their popular features and website links. The list contains both open source (free) and commercial (paid) software. Read more…
Best Podcast Hosting Sites & Platforms: Free & Paid
| Name | Starting Price | Storage | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blubrry | $12 per month | 100MB of monthly storage | Learn More |
| Transistor | $9 per month | Unlimited | Learn More |
| Captivate | $44 per month | Unlimited | Learn More |
| Castos | $190 per month | Unlimited | Learn More |
| Simplecast | $15 per month | Unlimited | Learn More |
| Podbean | $9 per month | Unlimited | Learn More |
| Resonate | $25 per month | Unlimited | Learn More |
| Sounder | Free | Unlimited | Learn More |
| Spreaker | $6 per month | Unlimited | Learn More |
| BuzzSprout | $12 per month | Unlimited | Learn More |
1) Blubrry
Blubrry provides all the tools to set up your podcast and share your ideas to target listeners. They offer best podcast episodes from its expert in-house podcast team. It also allows customizing embeddable podcast players on your site pages or social media feed.
Features:
- Offers free WordPress site on all plans.
- It helps you publish your podcasts and distribute their episodes from your WordPress site using the PowerPress plugin.
- This is one of the best podcast hosting sites that monetize your Podcast.
- They Offer detail about your audience data by tapping into the platform’s advanced analytics.
- You will get email and phone support for all your podcast questions.
Plans: Four pricing plans $12 (Small), $20 (Medium), $40 (Large), $80 (Extra- large).
2) Transistor
Transistor is a podcast hosting website which is a professional, high-quality hosting service that has hosted several popular podcasts, Honeybadger, etc. It offers the capability to host unlimited shows, generating branded websites, podcast distribution, and advanced analytics.
Features:
- It helps you to create as many podcasts as you want on the same account at no extra charge.
- Allows you to set up the podcast player on your site so visitors can play it.
- Allows you to collaborate with your podcast.
- You can import your Podcast to a different hosting platform.
Plans: Three pricing plans $9 (Starter), $49 (Professional), $99 (Business).
3) Captivate
Captivate is a podcast hosting site that offers unlimited team members for accounts, marketing tools, and advanced analytics.
Their plans come with a mobile-friendly, customizable website that includes built-in donation support and call to action.
Features:
- Smart UI features
- Mobile-friendly website
- This audio hosting site is easy to set up
- It helps you to generate leads and to build an email list.
- Unlimited team members and advanced analytics
- Built-in calls to action
- Automated podcast website
Pricing: Three pricing plans $44 (Audio Influencer), $17 (Podcaster), Podcast Brand ($90).
4) Castos
Castos is a full-featured plugin for WordPress sites. This podcasting plugin easy to build, grow, and monetize your show. It is one of the best podcasting sites that can easily integrate with WordPress.
Features:
- Managed within WordPress
- Automated transcripts
- Unlimited podcasts/episodes
- Integrates seamlessly with WordPress
- An intuitive, simple plugin
- Offers unlimited audio storage and bandwidth
- Customizable media player
Plans: Three pricing plans Starter ($190), Growth ($490), Pro ($990) per year.
5) Simplecast
Simplecast is a leading podcast management and analytics platform. They podcast host some world’s largest brands, such as Facebook, Kickstarter, Nike, etc. This podcast hosting platform helps you to publish and distribute podcasts and also analyze how they are consumed.
Features:
- Easy-to-use interface
- It offers great audio quality
- Communicates well with servers
- Customization options
- This is one of the best podcast hosting platforms that offer unique social sharing functionalities
- Advanced analytics tools
- Recast podcast sharing tool
- Audience and web player insights
Plans: Three basic plans% 15 (Basic), $35 (Essential), Growth ($85).
6) Podbean
PodBean is a popular podcast hosting platform and monetization site that makes podcast hosting simple through its user-friendly interface. The service integrates podcast publishing, management, and detailed analytics into a single easy-to-use package.
Features:
- Offers user-friendly interface.
- 24/7 customer support.
- This is one of the best places to upload podcasts allows you to do metric comparisons across platforms and episodes.
- Hosting distributes your Podcast to all destinations.
- It helps you to publish audio and video podcasts.
- It helps you to track how your Podcast is doing and get insights into your audience.
- Helps you monetize your Podcast by using Podbean’s built-in dynamic advertising system.
Plans: Three pricing plans $9 (Unlimited Audio), $29 (Unlimited Plus), $99 (Business)
7) Resonate
Resonate Recording is a single platform to get professional editing and production, which helps you to seamlessly host your show. It also offers you a customized website, a great-looking embed player that helps track how people are listening, detailed analytics, and more.
Features:
- You can upload edited and pre-produced podcast files to your hosting and publish them.
- It allows you to create a microsite or simple landing page to engage with your Podcast better.
- This podcast hosting site allows you to distribute your podcast to different directories in a single click for increased reach.
- It helps you to track the growth of your Podcast by analyzing its statistics.
Plans: Three pricing plans $25 (Basic), $49 (Premium), Professional (ask).
8) Sounder
Sounder Plus is a podcast hosting site that automatically distributes your content to major podcast listening platforms. It allows you to manage your content together in one secure workspace.
Features:
- Offers inbuilt Sounder Audio Player
- Allows In-Stream Audio Search
- You can highlight and share your best content
- Offers analytics and measurement tools
- Sounder provides automatic transcriptions
Plans: Free
Link: https://www.sounder.fm/
9) Spreaker
Spreaker boasts everything you need to create, distribute, and monetize your Podcast. This easy-to-use podcast hosting site includes its Spreaker Studio tool for both mobile and desktop devices.
Their web hosting plans include ad revenue sharing, inserts for ads, and private episode sharing. It is one of the best podcast streaming services that allow you to distribute podcasts to major streaming websites, including YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Alexa.
Features:
- Distributes to major streaming portals
- Easy to navigate
- This free podcast hosting site offers excellent audio clarity
- Apps for both desktop and mobile
- Ad revenue sharing for monetization
- Private episode sharing
- Auto publishing.
Plans: Four pricing plans $6 (Broadcaster), $18 (On-Air Talent), $45 (Anchorman).
Link: https://www.spreaker.com/
10) BuzzSprout
Buzzsprout is another popular podcast hosting site. It is one of the best podcasting platforms which help you to host, promote and track your podcast and scale your business. This hosting provider offers a free plan that lets you upload two hours each month. They offer an analytics dashboard with easy-to-understand engagement metrics and download metrics.
Features:
- Easy upload and hosting
- Quick customer service
- Intuitive dashboard
- Advanced podcast statistics to track your progress
- Automatic episode optimization
- Easily create and publish episodes
- Make your Podcast more accessible with transcriptions
- Podcast states that are easy to understand
- Free to get started
- Social media sharing features
Plans: Three pricing plans starting at $12, $18 and $24 per month.
Link: https://www.buzzsprout.com/
11) SoundCloud
SoundCloud is a widely used podcasting website used by singers, musicians, and DJs, where they upload their music for free. This podcast hosting allows podcasters to upload their episodes, making it a directory and a podcast host.
Features:
- This free audio hosting and embedding offers advanced analytics
- Support through Twitter and SoundCloud help center
- This free podcast hosting tool offers unlimited hosting time
- It helps you to make money from the content, as it is the best place to upload your podcast using Repost.
- Offers audio files to match the quality of their content.
- You will exclusively get partner offers for sample tracks and DAWs.
- Offers free educational resources to make better sounding podcasts.
Plans: Free
Link: https://soundcloud.com/
12) OmnyStudio
OmnyStudio is an audio management solution for podcasters and radio stations to create enterprise podcasting. This hosting site helps you to migrate your Podcast or start a new show in just minutes.
Features:
- It offers the functionality you need to go from on-air to online in seconds.
- Unlimited episode hosting, publishing, editing, and audio processing.
- Podcasting with Apple Podcasts compliant RSS feeds.
- Allows you to capture and store every talk-break securely and conveniently in the cloud.
- Reach your audience anywhere on any device.
- It helps you to generate revenue from a range of podcast monetization solutions.
- Class-leading download and subscriber analytics
Plans: Only one pricing plan $29 per month.
Link: https://omnystudio.com/learn
13) PodOmatic
PodOmatic allows people to sign up for free and enjoy generous limits for growing their audience. In this podcast hosting site, you can connect your Patreon account to build an audience willing to pay for your content.
Features
- Upload and store up to six hours of audio content for free.
- Allow listeners to enjoy up to 15 GB bandwidth a month.
- This is one of the best podcast websites that allows you to play your Podcast on Facebook and Twitter feeds.
Plans: Three pricing plans $2.49 (Pro), $18 (Pro Plus), $45 (Pro Platinum).
Link: https://www.podomatic.com/
14) Podigee
Podigee Podcast is a highly modern, powerful, and customizable podcast player for websites. It allows you to optimize your audio content for the different podcast platforms.
Features:
- Content is always accessible and reaches your listeners at all times.
- Easily comply with local data privacy regulations, like the GDPR.
- Easy integration on your website or CMS.
- Analytics provide realistic download data
- Podcasts are automatically validated and are compatible with all podcast platforms.
Plans: Two plans Basic ($13), Advanced ($29)
Link: https://www.podigee.com/en/
15) Libsyn
Libsyn is one of the oldest and reputed Podcast hosting sites. It is one of the best podcast hosting sites known for its simple user interface, easy RSS link generation, and customizable iTunes information. This podcast hosting site is a pioneer in creating the hosting system and publishing podcasts with listeners’ ever-growing network.
Features:
- Provide all the tools necessary for promoting your podcasts, advertising programs, statistics, etc.
- Customized apps
- Podcast monetization options
- Timely support provided to the customer
- Provide deep audience analytics
Plans: Four pricing plans $5 (Classic 50), $15 (Classic 250), $20 (Advanced 400), $40 (Advanced 800)
Link: https://libsyn.com/
16) Audioboom
Audioboom is a podcast hosting platform for dynamic ads and monetization. It allows podcast distribution when you reach beyond 10k monthly downloads. This hosting site provides access to the targeted network, sponsorships, and branded partnerships.
Features:
- Excellent technical support
- This audio hosting site offers unlimited episode uploads per month.
- Allows embeddable players for the website or social media integration.
- It helps you to monetize your website once your audience base starts growing easily.
Pricing: Free
Link: https://audioboom.com/hosting
17) Fireside
Fireside allows you to import your existing Podcast from any existing podcast platform or custom RSS feed with just one one-click, without losing subscribers. Fireside can also import from any valid podcast RSS feed.
Features:
- Customizable website
- Download stats & analytics
- Offers every podcast with a free SSL (https) certificate for both subdomains and your custom domain name.
- You can use your domain to create a seamless experience for your listeners
- This is one of the best podcast hosting platforms that offer lightning-fast file hosting
Pricing: Three pricing plans $9, $19, and $49.
Link: https://fireside.fm/
18) Acast
Acast provides a wide range of benefits, including integrations with tools like IBM Watson. This site automatically creates free transcriptions of your episodes. They also offer the Snipper tool, which helps you to create videos with ease.
This free podcast website provides a free plan, making it an ideal choice if you are not sure how long this podcasting experiment will last.
Features:
- Offers a powerful tool for podcast creators.
- This audio hosting site offers unlimited hosting and distribution.
- Provide an advanced analytics engine to understand and grow your audience.
- Offers powerful Ad tools to monetize your podcast show.
Plans: Two pricing plans $14.99/month (Influencer), $29.99/month (Ace)
Link: https://www.acast.com/en
19) Anchor
Anchor is another well-known free podcast platform. This podcast hosting tool mostly focuses on mobile podcasting. However, you can also use their web interface to edit and manage your episodes. You can also monetize your Podcast through the Anchor sponsorship program.
Features:
- This podcast provided company offers free unlimited podcast hosting
- Provide one-click distribution to all major platforms like Apple Podcasts, Google, and Spotify.
- Allows you to edit your audio files, and it is constantly updated with new features.
- It offers multiple collaborators.
- It helps you to analytics to track progress.
Pricing: Free
Link: https://anchor.fm/
20) Zencast.fm
ZenCast.fm is a popular hosting service that has been designed specially to make publishing and to host Podcast easy. All of their hosting plans have no upload or download limits. This removes the stress of having to plan uploads around your monthly quota.
This podcast website hosting includes guest profiles to give listeners more information and quick access to guest’s social media profiles.
Features:
- No upload or download limits
- Provide support for keeping track of and linking people to episodes.
- Host and guest profiles can be included on the website and player.
- This podcast hosting site offers multiple podcasts under the one account
- Google analytics integration
- Podcast rating and review monitoring
Pricing: Plans Three pricing plans: $12, $35, $89.
Link: https://www.zencast.fm/
21) Megaphone
Megaphone is another enterprise-centric podcast hosting site on this list. It is an ideal selection for you if you want to monetize your podcast. Megaphone has the framework and team dedicated for getting your podcast platform to start making money once you find the right audience.
Features:
- Helps you to monetize your content through the dynamic insertion
- Scale reliably without any downtime or outages
- Access world-class support through their customer experience team
- Explore publisher tools
- Reach your target audience
- You can provide high-quality content from some of the biggest podcast creators
- Provide engaging craft ads designed specifically for podcast listening
Plans: You need to contact them for the plan as it is not mentioned on their website.
Link: https://megaphone.fm/
22) RedCircle
RedCricle is a podcast web hosting website that allows you to leverage the same technology and strategies as the world’s largest publishers to build and monetize your Podcast.
Features:
- Earn more money through your podcasts
- Offers actionable strategies to maximize your own Podcast’s revenue.
- RedCircle makes sure you get paid within days
- Your content is always yours to control
Pricing: Free
Link: https://redcircle.com/
23) Backtracks
Backtracks is one of the best podcast hosting tools for publishers to win in podcasting. It is one of the most advanced podcast analytics and advertising platform. It offers a chapter editor to an analytics pipeline.
Features:
- Verified and standardized podcast analytics, which works on any podcast.
- Backtrack’s Searchable Index.
- On-brand customizable audio player
- Constantly updated rankings and features
- Better data allow for better monetization.
Pricing: Free
Link: https://backtracks.fm/
How to Start a Podcast?
Staring with a Podcast is not very tough. Here are some steps you need to follow to create a podcast:
Step 1) Start with preparation work. In this stage, you need to add the title, topic, and prepare the artwork.
Step 2) Record the episode/audio file. Here, you need to remember that each episode of the podcast will be a separate audio file.
Step 3) Upload the file to the podcast hosting and get an RSS feed.
Step 4) Submit an RSS feed to podcast directories.
FAQ
Best Podcast Hosting Sites & Platforms: Free & Paid
| Name | Starting Price | Storage | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blubrry | $12 per month | 100MB of monthly storage | Learn More |
| Transistor | $9 per month | Unlimited | Learn More |
| Captivate | $44 per month | Unlimited | Learn More |
| Castos | $190 per month | Unlimited | Learn More |
| Simplecast | $15 per month | Unlimited | Learn More |
| Podbean | $9 per month | Unlimited | Learn More |
| Resonate | $25 per month | Unlimited | Learn More |
| Sounder | Free | Unlimited | Learn More |
| Spreaker | $6 per month | Unlimited | Learn More |
| BuzzSprout | $12 per month | Unlimited | Learn More |