Don’t have time to read? Our top pick for the best podcast hosting platform is Buzzsprout. Transistor and Castos are the top runner ups.
Already know the basics about podcast hosting? Skip right to the review.
#1 — Buzzsprout
#2 — Transistor
#3 — Castos
* Disclosure: This post has affiliate links, which means I might get a commission if you click and purchase from a link — at no extra cost to you. In fact, you might even get an exclusive discount.
The best podcast hosting for 2021 — a no-fluff review
There are quite a few different podcast hosting platforms to choose from out there. But which one’s the best for hosting your unique podcast?
While there are a lot of veterans in the field, there are also a couple of new competitors looking to take over the podcast hosting scene.
So, if you’re looking for the right hosting platform to start a podcast, save money on hosting, or transferring to a better service, you’re in the right place!
To start a podcast, a podcast hosting company is essential since you’ll need something reputable to store your .mp3’s and your podcast feed.
Similar to starting a blog and getting a web hosting service, podcasts need a sort of media host.
If you’re familiar with podcast hosting sites and looking for a switch, our review covers the top hosting services that allow smooth transfers and migrations.
We have researched, tested, and reached out to people at every company to find out which platform is best for your needs.
Here’s what we’ve found after testing out some of the best podcast hosting tools in the market.
What’s the best podcast hosting platform?
#1 — Buzzsprout — best podcast hosting overall (value, simplicity, & promotion)
Buzzsprout is arguably the best podcast hosting platform in the world – for many reasons.
For a start, you can host your podcast for free.
If you want to commit a little more, Buzzsprout has pretty competitive pricing options with varying amounts of storage and bandwidth.
The free plan only stores your podcast episodes for 90 days, so if you want to get serious about podcasting, one of it’s premium plans will look pretty good.
But if you want to try Buzzsprout risk-free, by all means, the free plan is the way to go.
What makes this podcast hosting option stand out from all the other podcast hosting sites is that it looks updated and modern.
Unlike most other platforms, the available fonts, colors, customization options, and aesthetic options on Buzzsprout actually look appealing.
Credit could be given to the fact that Buzzsprout is relatively new compared to the others, so it naturally looks sleeker.
Need proof? Just take a look at the image below.
New Buzzsprout features?
- 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
Some of the nice features they’ve added in 2020 are statistics (podcast analytics) and an awesome mobile-friendly website design.
In addition, Buzzsprout has an affiliate marketplace which allows you to make some more money with your podcast show.
Depending on the plan you purchase, you can add administrators or editors to your podcast as well.
Buzzsprout plans and pricing
Buzzsprout’s pricing structure is simple and easy to understand. They charge by the length of your shows.
- $12/month – 3 hours of audio/month
- $18/month – 6 hours of audio/month
- $24/month – 12 hours of audio/month
So if you have an idea of how long your podcast shows will be, it’s a piece of cake to determine how much you’ll be paying for podcast hosting.
Buzzsprout podcast hosting upgrades
Here are their upgrade options:
- +$6/month – super-high quality audio (192k stereo)
- $.10/minute for transcription
Buzzsprout sound good to you? You can get a $20 Amazon gift card if you decide to go with one of their premium plans for just 2 months. 😉
And it’s risk-free. You get a 90-day free trial for all paid plans, no commitment or credit card required.
#2 — Transistor — best podcast hosting for brands & teams
Transistor is a newer podcast hosting that focuses on team collaboration and awesome analytics.
This is probably the best podcast hosting platform for brands with multiple sites and shows.
The feature that makes them unique among podcast hosting companies is their allowance of unlimited podcasts on any single plan.
This gives you the ability to host multiple podcasts, customize pretty much all parts of your player, and build an awesome website for your brand.
You won’t find that much on other podcast hosting sites.
You’re even able to add users to your show in case your team grows.
In addition, the features and aesthetic appeal is definitely up to standards and easily provide an excellent user experience.
Transistor does an awesome job of hosting you audio files and provides a great suite of analytics to help you gauge the progress and reach of your podcast.
These analytics include statistics of views, downloads, and more as well as the number of subscribers, and the directory.
All in all, Transistor is the perfect podcast hosting tool if you want a super flexible podcast hosting that doesn’t have any tricks and lets you do your thing and grow your audience.
If anything comes up, their awesome support team can be reached by their knowledge base, live chat, and email requests or tickets.
What’s more is that if you decide that your current podcast hosting platform just isn’t right for you, Transistor makes the transfer seamless.
Transistor plans and pricing
Finally, Transistor.fm doesn’t have a free plan but it does allow you to test all the features with a 14-day trial. After the trial, paid plans start at $19/m up to $99/m and are limited by the number of team members you can invite and total show downloads.
Transistor has download limits on their unlimited plans, with the lowest being 15,000 downloads on their $19 per month Starter Plan, but promises never to shut off an account if a download cap is reached, which is a nice touch. Instead, they’ll contact you and allow you to easily upgrade your plan. Those upgrades include the $49 per month Professional plan (75,000 monthly downloads) and $99 per month Business plan (200,000 monthly downloads).
For one price 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
And more…
One thing I really like about the provided website is that you can browse around while an episode plays uninterrupted (check out their podcast about building Transistor).
Transistor All Podcasts
Transistor ‘Your Podcasts’ Page
They also have a great private podcasting feature that they just made even better. Because you host multiple shows you can create both private and public podcasts under the same account without paying for a new hosting plan.
Transistor Podcast Statistics
Transistor Podcast Statistics
Pricing starts at $19/month for 10,000 downloads per month, which is plenty for most people. If you need more than that, they have higher tiers with more downloads and team members as well.
They also have great comparisons for Transistor vs Anchor and Transistor vs Simplecast if you want to learn more.
Start your 2-week trial here.
