The Top 5 Podcast Hosting Sites to Consider and Why

Everyone wants their  podcast to be available on the most popular platforms: Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, and Spotify. But in order to have them available there, they have to be hosted. There are tons of hosting sites available that allow you to upload, customize your cover photos and more importantly, provide analytics.

Here are our top 5 podcast hosting sites that you should consider using:

Buzzsprout

Founded in 2008, Buzzsprout prides itself on being “the easiest way to start a podcast.” They offer Magic Mastering to filter your audio quality, automatic episode optimization, transcriptions, and some start options for affiliate marketing. You can also download soundbites of your podcast, perfect for posting on social media.

Every month, they send you a monthly report, including total downloads over time, what apps people are using to listen to your podcast, and where people are listening to your podcast.

For those starting out, Buzzsprout offers a free membership, a free trial period for 90 days and paid membership starting at $12 a month. Their Creator Program partners with independent podcasters to help support their endeavors, and grow their influence. Meanwhile, their Affiliate Program rewards users who refer other podcasters to Buzzsprout.

PodBean

Originating in 2007, PodBean is “everything you need for a successful podcast.” In addition to seamless adding your podcast to your own website and social media, your podcast will also be immediately available on Amazon Alexa. PodBean also collects email addresses and automatically shares your new episodes to your subscribers via Podbean’s Mailchimp integration. You can start a free membership with them and a paid membership starting at $9 a month.

They also have an app, PodBean Podcast App, available for easy access. The Podbean app seamlessly and securely delivers your premium or patrons-only content to the paid listeners or donors.

Their readily available statistics report on downloads and trends, top ten episodes, listener geographies, user agents, downloads by the time of day and user retention. They offer monetization methods that best fit your podcast: Advertising, premium and patreon. Their podcasts are available for live streaming, an opportunity for listener engagement, thanks to the opportunity of remote co-host and guest call-ins.  

Transistor.fm

Created only three years ago in 2017, Transistor.fm is a platform that believes that businesses should invest in their own branded podcasts, in comparison to investing in podcast ads. For content creators with multiple podcasts, Transistor could be for you, since they don’t charge extra for multiple podcasts. They deliver detailed podcast analytics on average downloads per episode, popular podcast apps, number of subscribers and other trends. There is a 14 day free trial for those who sign up, with plans starting at $19 a month.

Simplecast

Self proclaimed as “the modern independent podcast hosting and analytics platform,” Simplecast provides podcasters with industry-leading publishing, distribution, analytics, and sharing tools since 2013. You can set your podcast website on Simplecast, have multiple shows and collaborators on one account, and reshare your content through branded soundbites on Recast. There is a 14 day free trial for those who sign up, with plans starting at $15 a month.

Captivate

The world’s only growth-oriented podcast host, Captivate caters to independent podcasters. you can move your podcast to their website for free. Captivate offers websites if you don’t have a dedicated site for your podcast (yet). Their delivered podcast statistics are IAB Certified but easy to understand. There is a 7 day trial for those who sign up, starting at $49 a month or $44 a year. All of their plans include unlimited podcasts and team members, with flexible podcasting with no contracts.