9 of the Top Podcasting Platforms (2023)
For your convenience in researching, we've created a brief introduction, highlighted the most important aspects, and outlined pricing plans for 9 of the most popular podcast platforms. The platforms have been ranked according to price, upload speed and limits, monetization tools and many more. Let's get started!
Our top list of 9 best podcasting platforms:
PodBean
With more than 10 years of experience, PodBean boasts an impressive 650,000 registered podcasters on its platform. PodBean offers users simple-to-read statistics like downloads by date and time, trends, top 10 episodes as well as demographics of listeners as well as user retention. This platform also lets you live stream to your audience as well as allow guests and listeners to call in to take part or listen to your broadcast.
The key Features
- Free plan available
- Podcast website that can be customized for all plans
- A customizable and embeddable podcast player for your website
- Native tools to make it easy Podcast revenue
- Auto-sharing is enabled on social media accounts
- Live streaming with the ability for users to make calls and listen
Price band:
PodBean is among the few platforms to offer the option of a no-cost plan. Their free plan supports mp3 file formats and includes 5 hours of space (500MB) as well as 100GB of bandwidth per month.
In addition to the no-cost plan PodBean has three plans for paid customers: Unlimited Audio ($9), Unlimited Plus ($29), and Network ($79). The unlimited Audio and Unlimited Plus plans include unlimited storage space as well as bandwidth, while the Network plan restricts bandwidth to 3TB and offers the option of purchasing additional bandwidth.
Buzzsprout
Buzzsprout is the preferred podcast hosting platform that is used by more than 100,000 podcasters. This platform offers advanced analytics to help you monitor the number of people who download your shows, the countries they're coming from, as well as the number of users access your podcast. It also gives you access to various tools like an embeddable episode player for websites, optional episode transcription, and "Dynamic Content" that lets you edit pre and post-roll segments even after publishing.
After uploading your audio your podcast to Buzzsprout the platform, you'll be able to promote your podcast in most of the leading directories like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Alexa, Castro, Podchaser, and many more. The platform will also automatically improve uploaded files to make your podcast the most effective it can be.
The key Features
- Plan available for free
- Podcast website that can be customized for all plans
- Embeddable customizable podcast player to your site
- Ability to create chapter markers to mark episodes
- Advanced statistics to track your progress
- Dynamic content allows you to change the pre- and post-roll segment immediately after you have published
Price price range:
Buzzsprout is also one of the very few platforms that offer a trial plan for free. For their paid plans They offer three plans including $12, $18, and $24 per month. There is no any annual prices at the moment, so you'll have to stick with the monthly pricing. The only difference between their paid plans is how many upload hours each plan includes.
RSS.com
RSS.com offers a user-friendly interface that's known for its ease to usage. This platform gives users access to features like complete analytics, schedulers for episodes, an embeddable episode player and social media sharing as well as a podcasting site that is included.
Setting itself apart from other podcast hosting platforms, RSS.com offers a donation button that you can turn on or off. It allows you to access funds in addition to the traditional ads and sponsorship options. But if sponsors and ads are your thing you can also get them. Podcasters are able to find sponsors through RSS.com's Podcorn marketplace.
Key Features
- Unlimited audio and episodes for all plans
- Podcast website that can be customized for all plans
- Embeddable podcast player for your website
- Native episode scheduler
- Optional button for donations
- Ability to create chapter chapters, soundbites and transcripts within the platform
Price range:
It appears RSS.com provides three plans but the vast majority of customers will be eligible for the All in One Podcasting plan priced at $12.99 each month. Non-governmental organizations, students and students may avail a special plan for them at $4.99 per month. The Student plan has all the features of those in the All in One plan, however you'll need to get approved. If you have more than 10,000 daily downloads will be eligible for The Podcast Networks plan, but it is also necessary to get in touch with the platform first.
Captivate
Captivate is a good option for new podcasters. The hosting dashboard of Captivate is well-known by the podcast industry due to its easy-to-use interface. It will allow you to easily distribute your podcast episodes across all of the top podcasting directories, promote your show using integrated marketing tools and monetize with private podcasting.
Key Features
- A podcast site that you can customize on every plan
- Unlimited uploads and podcasts, as well as storage on all plans
- Podcast embeddable, customizable player on your site
- Additional Captivate Sync(tm) WordPress Plugin for flexible hosting control
- Podcasting Premium/Private with all plans
- Unlimited team members with customizable roles
Price band:
Captivate provides three plans that include Personal ($19) and Professional ($49) as well as Business ($99). There isn't a trial plan for free but you are able to enjoy seven days of trial free with each plan. The main distinction between the paid plans is in the amount of networked podcasts, private podcasts, as well as subscribers to private podcasts they allow. Apart from these options, all plans are the same.
Transistor
Transistor is a top-quality podcast hosting platform , which includes big-name podcasts like Cards Against Humanity. Transistor provides complete analytics, private podcasts, and 1-click distribution to every one of the top directories. They also offer 1-click broadcasting via Listen Notes and The Podcast Index two famous search engines that are dedicated to podcasts.
Transistor is a great option when you've got multiple podcasts. The platform offers unlimited shows for every plan. They don't restrict podcasters on bandwidth or storage or downloads per month, but rather by monthly downloads. This makes understanding limits much easier.
Key features
- Podcast website that can be customized for all plans
- Unlimited podcasts in all hosting plans
- Dynamic Ad tool to allow intuitive and automatic ad insertion
- Automatically upload each episode to YouTube
- Exclusive RSS feeds for every show you have
- Embeddable podcast player for your website
Price price range:
Transistor provides three pricing plans including Starter ($19) as well as Professional $49) and Professional ($99). There are only three features which change between plans plan. The three are: the number of team members you are able to add, the number of private podcast listeners you have the option of having, and the monthly download limit. Luckily, the Starter plan allows unlimited monthly downloads of 10,000 that is enough for podcasters just starting out.
Audioboom
Audioboom is a reasonably standard platform for most users, providing distribution to directories that are well-known, unlimited episodes, and an impressive 15,000 download limit per month for their basic plan. The way they approach revenue generation is what makes it apart from other platforms. Podcasters can access the monetization marketplace once they have reached 10,000 monthly downloads. If you have a significant fan base, this shouldn't effect your podcast much. But if you're a smaller show, it may mean not having the chance to make money once you've reached this crucial point.
The key features
- Unlimited episodes per month
- 15,000 downloads per month on entry-level plan
- Distribution to the most popular directories
- IAB compliant analytics dashboard
- Access to global advertising marketplace when you have reached 10,000 monthly downloads
Price price range:
The pricing plans of Audioboom are easy to understand! There are two monthly plans available which include that is the Standard Plan ($9.99) and the Plus Plan ($19.99). The Standard plan allows for as much as 15,000 monthly downloads. If you're looking for more, the Plus Plan allows up to 10,000. In case that's still not enough, get in touch with them to request a customized Podcast Professionals account.
Resonate
Resonate is an excellent podcasting platform that is ideal for people who require a single-stop solution. Although their plans for hosting offer some of the most popular attributes, they're not offering the ability to customize their website, private/premium podcasting, and customer support on their lower-priced plans. While Resonate is lacking in standard hosting features, it may compensate with additional features.
Resonate provides a variety of podcasting services. These include producer, launch, production, video production, podcast marketing, and enterprise services. These services enable podcasters to create a high-quality highly produced and well-produced show in one platform.
Important features
- Automatically generated podcast microsite
- Embeddable podcast player for your website
- Comprehensive analytics and statistics of embedded player
- Built-in Dynamic Ad insertion with time-sensitive announcements and timed campaigns
Price price range:
Resonate provides two pre-installed monthly plans The the Basic ($25) or Premium ($49). They both include unlimited episodes, downloads, and users of the show. However, the microsite is only available with the Premium plan which separates Resonate from other platforms that offer websites as part of the most basic plans. If you find that neither the basic nor the Premium plans meet your requirements, you should consider the Professional plan which gives you more microsites and support capabilities.
Castos
Unlike other podcast hosting platforms, Castos is a WordPress plugin. It's built to integrate with Seriously Simple Podcasting and allows podcasters to control their podcast hosting directly from their WordPress site. Castos lets users build custom podcast sites as well as detailed statistics.
Comparatively with Buzzsprout and Buzzsprout, their transcription services are significantly less costly, at the low of $0.10 for each minute. If you're looking to start your own podcast through YouTube, Castos will also immediately upload the episodes to YouTube when you subscribe to certain plans. The platform is focused on improving and creating new features that will deliver analytic reports tailored to potential sponsors and playback duration metrics that will let you have a better idea of the time that listeners stay watching.
Important attributes
- Customizable podcast website on every plan
- Unlimited podcasts episode uploads
- Private podcasting feature for premium content
- Web page templates that have been pre-built
- Automatic podcast transcriptions (optional)
- YouTube republishing
Price range:
Castos has four pricing options including Starter ($19) Growing ($49), Pro ($99) as well as Premium ($499) monthly. Opting for annual payments could save you about 17% in total. Although the basic plan offers all the features you would expect, the growth plan and higher come with YouTube republishing.
Libsyn
From 2004 to 2004, Libsyn has been a long-time participant in the world of podcasts. It's a great platform for new creators, hosts with short episodes with low episodes or podcasts with monetization. It is important to keep in mind that this platform limits uploads and bandwidth. This could cause issues with podcasts that have a massive number of episodes or large numbers of viewers. If you want to expand storage or capacity, you'll need choose larger plans and that's the reason this platform is best suited for small audiences or shows producing revenue.
Key Features
- Podcast website that can be customized for all plans
- built-in monetization via advertisements and private podcasting
- Integrated visual-builder that integrates with Canva
- Custom iOS and Android app for your show
- Distribution to the most popular podcast directories
Price range:
Libsyn has a wide range of 6 options, including 3 for audio podcasts and three videos podcasts.
Audio Podcasts
Pricing for audio starts at $5 and go up to $15 and $20 for a month. However, Libsyn limits the number of audio hours that you can upload per month and total storage capacity, in contrast to other platforms on this list. Selecting a pricey package will give you more of both.
Videos Podcasts
The video podcast plan starts at just $40 and then go up to $150 and $75 monthly. The analytics remain the same, but only upload and bandwidth limits are changed and increase as you pay more.
Final thoughts
Here you are! Nine of the most popular podcasting platforms. Selecting the right platform is just the first of many decisions that you'll need to make as a podcaster. While you're researching for the right platform, be sure to take into consideration your particular needs in the field of podcasting. Consider your primary demands such as uploading, bandwidth downloads and your budget. Then consider things like the strategy for monetizing your site and the social media connection once you've narrowed the list down to your top three choices.
Need more help in starting an audio podcast? Check out our other podcasting articles: