But don't worry—we've done all the hard work for you by putting together this list of the top 9 podcast platforms for 2023. We've taken the time to research each one so that you can find the best fit for your needs.

#1 Podbean

Podbean is a popular podcast hosting platform that offers a wide range of features for both podcast creators and listeners. The platform provides a user-friendly interface, making it easy for anyone to start their own podcast.

Podbean offers a variety of hosting plans that cater to different needs. It also provides a built-in audio editor, allowing creators to easily edit and enhance their audio files.

Additionally, Podbean offers a variety of features that make it easy to find and listen to podcasts. The platform has a built-in search function, allowing users to easily search for specific podcasts or episodes. Users can also subscribe to their favorite podcasts, and receive notifications when new episodes are released.

In terms of marketing and monetization, PodBean offers a variety of features, including native advertising, premium podcasts, and patron features. These options allow creators to offer paid access to additional content or connect with the right sponsors. The platform is a great choice for both new and experienced podcasters, providing a wide range of tools to help them grow their audience and monetize their content.

It also offers a variety of listening options, including streaming and downloading, allowing users to listen to podcasts on the go.

Pricing Options
  1. Basic Plan: This is a free plan that allows you to upload and distribute up to 5 hours of audio content per month, with a storage limit of 100 MB per month.
  2. Unlimited Plan: This plan costs $9/month and allows you to upload and distribute an unlimited amount of audio content, with a storage limit of 1 GB per month.
  3. Professional Plan: This plan costs $29/month and includes all the features of the Unlimited plan, plus additional features such as custom domains, advanced analytics, and the ability to upload video content.
  4. Business Plan: This plan costs $99/month and includes all the features of the Professional plan, plus additional features such as monetization options, team collaboration, and priority support.
  5. Premium Plan: This plan is tailored to the needs of large businesses and organizations, and pricing is based on the number of episodes and the storage required.

All plans include support for multiple languages and the ability to distribute your podcast to popular platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

#2 Buzzsprout

Buzzsprout is a podcast hosting and promotion platform that allows anyone to start their own podcast and reach a wide audience. It offers advanced analytics to track your listenership and ensure you're getting the most out of your show.

The platform is known for its user-friendly interface and easy-to-use features, making it a great option for both new and experienced podcasters.

By using Buzzsprout, podcasters can easily distribute their podcast to all of the major directories, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Alexa, Castro, Podchaser, and more. Additionally, the platform automatically optimizes audio files upon upload, ensuring that the audio quality is at its best. This makes it easy for creators to reach a wider audience and ensure that their content is of the highest quality.

Pricing Options
  1. Free Plan: This allows you to upload and distribute up to 2 hours of audio content per month, with a storage limit of 90 days.
  2. $12/month plan: This allows you to upload and distribute up to 3 hours of audio content per month, with a storage limit of 90 days. This plan also includes advanced analytics, the ability to add chapters to your episodes, and more.
  3. $18/month plan: This allows you to upload and distribute up to 6 hours of audio content per month, with a storage limit of 90 days. This plan also includes advanced analytics, the ability to add chapters to your episodes, and more.
  4. $24/month plan: This allows you to upload and distribute up to 12 hours of audio content per month, with a storage limit of 90 days. This plan also includes advanced analytics, the ability to add chapters to your episodes, and more.
  5. $36/month plan: This allows you to upload and distribute up to 24 hours of audio content per month, with a storage limit of 90 days. This plan also includes advanced analytics, the ability to add chapters to your episodes, and more.

All plans include support for multiple languages and the ability to distribute your podcast to popular platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts. Moreover, all paid plans include advanced analytics, the ability to add chapters to your episodes, the ability to add a website to your podcast, and more.

#3 RSS.com

RSS.com is a podcast hosting and distribution platform that's known for its user-friendly interface and ease of use. The platform offers a variety of features for podcasters, including comprehensive analytics, episode scheduling, an embeddable player for episodes, social media sharing, and an included website for their podcast. These features make it easy for creators to manage their podcasts and reach a wide audience.

Another great feature of RSS.com is its analytics. Podcasters can view detailed statistics on their listeners, including demographics, location, and listening habits. This allows creators to better understand their audience and tailor their content accordingly.

RSS.com provides a range of monetization options for podcasters, including a donation button that can be enabled or disabled. This feature allows creators to access funding through means other than traditional sponsorship and advertising. However, if sponsorships and ads are preferred, the platform also offers access to potential sponsors through its Podcorn marketplace. This gives creators the flexibility to choose the monetization method that best suits their needs.

Pricing Options

RSS.com appears to offer three plans, however, most users will only have access to the All-in-One Podcasting plan, which is priced at $12.99 per month. There are special plans available for students and non-government organizations, priced at $4.99 per month. The student plan includes all the same features as the All-in-One plan but requires approval to access. Users with more than 10,000 daily downloads may be eligible for the Podcast Networks plan, but they would need to contact the platform first.

#4 Captivate

Captivate is one of the best podcast-hosting platforms for beginners. It's easy to use, even if you've never hosted a podcast before, and it comes with all the features you need to get started.

Captivate has a simple dashboard that makes it easy to create an account, add your first episode, and upload your files. There are also lots of helpful tools like social media integration and analytics so you can see how many people are listening to your podcast.

They have a built-in tool for creating a website for your podcast and also offer a feature called "Smart Episode Pages" which allows podcasters to add a landing page to each episode to increase visibility and engagement.

It's free to start with Captivate, but if you want more advanced tools like video hosting or custom domain names, then you'll need to pay for a premium membership.

Pricing Options
  1. Free Plan: This allows you to upload and distribute up to 2 hours of audio content per month, with a storage limit of 90 days. This plan also includes basic analytics, and the ability to distribute your podcast to popular platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.
  2. Growth Plan: This plan costs $19/month and allows you to upload and distribute an unlimited amount of audio content, with a storage limit of 90 days. This plan also includes advanced analytics, the ability to add chapters to your episodes, and more.
  3. Pro Plan: This plan costs $49/month and allows you to upload and distribute an unlimited amount of audio content, with a storage limit of 90 days. This plan also includes advanced analytics, the ability to add chapters to your episodes and more, as well as access to PodMatch (Captivate's marketplace for sponsors) and Support this show feature.
  4. Agency Plan: This plan is tailored to the needs of podcasting agencies and pricing is based on the number of shows and the storage required.
#5 Transistor

If you're looking for a podcast hosting platform that will allow you to publish your episodes on a professional-looking website and get the most out of your marketing efforts, Transistor might be the perfect fit.

The site provides all the tools you need to make your podcast look great and grow the audience that loves it. You'll have access to analytics reports, social media integration, and more—all with no extra fees or subscriptions.

And while they don't have quite as many big-name podcasts like Cards Against Humanity as some other platforms do, they do have a few heavy hitters: Freakonomics Radio, The Nerdist Writers Panel with Chris Hardwick, and The Longest Shortest Time are just a few examples of some of the shows hosted on Transistor.

Pricing Options:
  1. Starter Plan: This plan costs $19/month and allows you to upload and distribute up to 2 hours of audio content per month, with a storage limit of 90 days. This plan also includes basic analytics, and the ability to distribute your podcast to popular platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.
  2. Professional Plan: This plan costs $49/month and allows you to upload and distribute an unlimited amount of audio content, with a storage limit of 90 days. This plan also includes advanced analytics, the ability to add chapters to your episodes, access to the Podcast Website feature, and more.
  3. Team Plan: This plan costs $99/month and allows you to upload and distribute an unlimited amount of audio content, with a storage limit of 90 days. This plan also includes advanced analytics, the ability to add chapters to your episodes, access to the Podcast Website feature, team collaboration features, and more.
  4. Enterprise Plan: This plan is tailored to the needs of large businesses and organizations, and pricing is based on the number of shows and the storage required.
#6 Audioboom

Audioboom is a reliable podcast hosting and distribution platform that provides a standard set of features for most users. The platform allows users to distribute their podcasts to popular directories, such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts, as well as offering unlimited episodes and a high download limit of 15,000 per month on their entry-level plan.

Audioboom's distribution options are based on popularity rather than quality. The service offers the ability to distribute your podcast to iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play Music, and more. Audioboom also allows you to create an RSS feed for your podcast that you can use for any other directory you want to submit it to.

Creating and uploading an episode is easy; simply click "Upload" when you're logged in and follow the instructions provided by the interface. You can also edit or delete existing episodes as well as manage your show's settings in the same place.

The only drawback of using Audioboom is that they don't offer any analytics tools or monetization options.

Pricing Options:
  • Free Plan: This allows you to upload and distribute up to 3 hours of audio content per month, with a storage limit of 30 days. This plan also includes basic analytics, and the ability to distribute your podcast to popular platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.
  • Premium Plan: This plan costs $9/month and allows you to upload and distribute up to 10 hours of audio content per month, with a storage limit of 90 days. This plan also includes advanced analytics, and the ability to customize your podcast website.
  • Premium Plus Plan: This plan costs $19/month and allows you to upload and distribute up to 20 hours of audio content per month, with a storage limit of 180 days. This plan also includes advanced analytics, the ability to customize your podcast website, access to monetization options, and more.
  • Pro Plan: This plan is tailored to the needs of professional podcasters and pricing is based on the number of shows and the storage required.
#7. Resonate

Resonate is a podcasting platform that offers a variety of hosting plans to suit your podcast’s needs.

Their lowest-priced plan includes unlimited episodes and listeners, which is great for those looking for a one-stop shop. While Resonate’s hosting plans offer a few of the standard features, they’re noticeably missing a customizable website, private/premium podcasting, and customer support on their lower-priced plans.

Resonate provides a comprehensive set of services for podcasters, including production, launch, podcast marketing, video production, and enterprise services. These additional services allow creators to produce a high-quality, well-produced podcast within a single platform, making it a convenient and efficient option for podcasters.

Pricing Options:

Resonate provides two standard monthly plans, Basic and Premium, for its users. The Basic plan costs $25 and the Premium plan costs $49. Both plans include unlimited episodes, downloads, and show users.

However, the microsite feature is only available with the Premium plan, which sets it apart from other platforms that typically offer website features in their basic plans. If the Basic or Premium plan does not suit your needs, you can consider the Professional plan, which comes with an additional microsite and support features.

#8. Castos

Castos is a podcast hosting platform that makes it easy to manage your podcast from a WordPress website. It's designed to sync with Seriously Simple Podcasting, which is also a WordPress plugin.

The Castos plugin makes it easy to create an RSS feed and post-show notes on your WordPress site. You can also manage episodes and track downloads using the plugin. The platform provides all of the necessary tools for you to start recording and publishing your podcasts without having to do any technical work.

In comparison to Buzzsprout, Castos offers more affordable audio transcription services, at only $0.10 per minute. The platform also has the capability to automatically upload episodes to YouTube in certain plans, making it a great option for podcasters looking to start a podcast on the platform.

Furthermore, Castos is focused on continuously improving and developing new features such as analytic reports tailored for potential sponsors and metrics on playback duration, giving creators insight into how long listeners are engaged with their content.

Price Options
  1. Podcast Hosting: This plan starts at $19/month and allows you to upload and distribute an unlimited amount of audio content, with a storage limit of 90 days. This plan also includes basic analytics, and the ability to distribute your podcast to popular platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.
  2. Podcast Pro: This plan starts at $49/month and includes all the features of the Podcast Hosting plan, plus advanced analytics, the ability to add chapters to your episodes, access to the Podcast Website feature, and more.
  3. Podcast Pro Plus: This plan starts at $99/month and includes all the features of the Podcast Pro plan, plus team collaboration features, automatic episode transcription, and more.
  4. Podcast Agency: This plan is tailored to the needs of podcasting agencies and pricing is based on the number of shows and the storage required.
#9. Libsyn

If you’re a new podcaster or just getting started with the podcasting game, Libsyn is a great place to start.

With its focus on simplicity, affordability, and reliability, it’s easy to see why so many people use Libsyn as their platform of choice for their podcasts.

If you want to get going quickly and don’t want to spend hours setting up your account, then Libsyn is definitely worth checking out.

It offers everything that most other platforms do and more. For example, it has built-in social media integration which makes it easy for listeners to share your content without having to leave the app itself. It also offers a web version of its service so that listeners can access your episodes anywhere they go – even if they don’t have an iOS device or Android phone!

The downside? If you have a long-running show with lots of episodes (particularly if you monetize) then this might not be the platform for you, but if you have a shorter show with fewer episodes then Libsyn could be perfect.

Pricing Options:
  1. Classic 50: This plan costs $5/month and allows you to upload and distribute up to 50MB of audio content per month, with a storage limit of 90 days. This plan also includes basic analytics and the ability to distribute your podcast to popular platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.
  2. Classic 250: This plan costs $15/month and allows you to upload and distribute up to 250MB of audio content per month, with a storage limit of 90 days. This plan also includes advanced analytics and the ability to customize your podcast website.
  3. Classic 400: This plan costs $20/month and allows you to upload and distribute up to 400MB of audio content per month, with a storage limit of 90 days. This plan also includes advanced analytics, the ability to customize your podcast website, and access to monetization options.
  4. Advanced: This plan is tailored to the needs of professional podcasters and pricing is based on the number of shows and the storage required.
Wrap-up

In summary, there are many podcast hosting and distribution platforms available, each with its own set of features and pricing options. It's important to consider your own unique podcasting needs when choosing a platform, such as uploading, bandwidth, downloads, and budget.

Moreover, it's also important to consider other factors such as monetization strategy and social media connectivity once you've narrowed down your options. With the right platform, you'll be well on your way to creating and distributing your own podcast.

You can easily create an online course with your Podcast and monetize it. CourseSupply can help you make this plan work. Get Started today!

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