Best Podcast Hosting Platforms 2026: Prices and Features
We rank podcast hosting and distribution platforms using only facts from their own sites: the monthly price of the cheapest paid plan with monthly billing, whether there is a permanent free plan, how many minutes of audio the entry plan lets you upload each month, IAB-certified download statistics, video podcasts, private podcasts, a built-in podcast website, an ad marketplace, dynamic insertion of ads and promos into published episodes, paid listener subscriptions, the year the service launched and a public status page. Every fact links to an official page with a check date. We do not use reviews, user scores or audio quality tests, and paid placements never change the Score.
| # | Company | Who it serves | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Podbean | 79 | $17.00 | Yes | 960 | Yes | Yes | Free plan IAB stats Video Private podcasts Ads |
| 2 | Buzzsprout | 79 | $18.00 | Yes | 360 | Yes | Yes | Free plan IAB stats Video Ads |
| 3 | Acast | 78 | $25.00 | Yes | Unlimited | Yes | Yes | Free plan IAB stats Video Ads |
| 4 | RSS.com | 77 | $19.99 | Yes | Unlimited | Yes | Yes | Free plan IAB stats Video Ads |
| 5 | Blubrry | 72 | $7.00 | Not verified | 90 | Yes | Yes | IAB stats Video Ads |
| 6 | Libsyn | 66 | $12.00 | No | 180 | Yes | Yes | IAB stats Video Ads |
| 7 | Captivate | 63 | Not verified | No | Unlimited | Yes | Yes | IAB stats Private podcasts Ads |
| 8 | Castos | 62 | $19.00 | No | Unlimited | Not verified | Yes | Video Private podcasts Ads |
| 9 | Simplecast | 60 | $15.00 | No | Unlimited | Yes | Yes | IAB stats Ads |
| 10 | Transistor | 51 | $19.00 | No | Unlimited | Not verified | Not verified | Video Private podcasts |
-
- Cheapest paid plan per month
- $17.00
- Free plan
- Yes
- Upload minutes per month on the entry plan
- 960
- IAB-certified statistics
- Yes
- Ad marketplace
- Yes
Pros
- IAB-certified download statistics
- Ad marketplace brings advertisers
- Dynamic insertion of ads and promos
- Has a permanent free plan
Details Visit site ↗ 85% backed by facts
-
- Cheapest paid plan per month
- $18.00
- Free plan
- Yes
- Upload minutes per month on the entry plan
- 360
- IAB-certified statistics
- Yes
- Ad marketplace
- Yes
Pros
- IAB-certified download statistics
- Ad marketplace brings advertisers
- Dynamic insertion of ads and promos
- Has a permanent free plan
Details Visit site ↗ 89% backed by facts
-
- Cheapest paid plan per month
- $25.00
- Free plan
- Yes
- Upload minutes per month on the entry plan
- Unlimited
- IAB-certified statistics
- Yes
- Ad marketplace
- Yes
Pros
- IAB-certified download statistics
- Ad marketplace brings advertisers
- Dynamic insertion of ads and promos
- Has a permanent free plan
Details Visit site ↗ 89% backed by facts
-
- Cheapest paid plan per month
- $19.99
- Free plan
- Yes
- Upload minutes per month on the entry plan
- Unlimited
- IAB-certified statistics
- Yes
- Ad marketplace
- Yes
Pros
- IAB-certified download statistics
- Ad marketplace brings advertisers
- Dynamic insertion of ads and promos
- Has a permanent free plan
Details Visit site ↗ 89% backed by facts
-
- Cheapest paid plan per month
- $7.00
- Free plan
- Not verified
- Upload minutes per month on the entry plan
- 90
- IAB-certified statistics
- Yes
- Ad marketplace
- Yes
Pros
- Low monthly price
- IAB-certified download statistics
- Ad marketplace brings advertisers
- Dynamic insertion of ads and promos
Cons
- Tight upload limit
Details Visit site ↗ 79% backed by facts
-
- Cheapest paid plan per month
- $12.00
- Free plan
- No
- Upload minutes per month on the entry plan
- 180
- IAB-certified statistics
- Yes
- Ad marketplace
- Yes
Pros
- IAB-certified download statistics
- Ad marketplace brings advertisers
- Dynamic insertion of ads and promos
- Hosts video podcasts
Cons
- No permanent free plan, trial only
- Tight upload limit
Details Visit site ↗ 84% backed by facts
-
- Cheapest paid plan per month
- Not verified
- Free plan
- No
- Upload minutes per month on the entry plan
- Unlimited
- IAB-certified statistics
- Yes
- Ad marketplace
- Yes
Pros
- IAB-certified download statistics
- Ad marketplace brings advertisers
- Dynamic insertion of ads and promos
- Private podcasts for teams or members
Cons
- No permanent free plan, trial only
Details Visit site ↗ 79% backed by facts
-
- Cheapest paid plan per month
- $19.00
- Free plan
- No
- Upload minutes per month on the entry plan
- Unlimited
- IAB-certified statistics
- Not verified
- Ad marketplace
- Yes
Pros
- Ad marketplace brings advertisers
- Dynamic insertion of ads and promos
- Hosts video podcasts
- Private podcasts for teams or members
Cons
- No permanent free plan, trial only
Details Visit site ↗ 78% backed by facts
-
- Cheapest paid plan per month
- $15.00
- Free plan
- No
- Upload minutes per month on the entry plan
- Unlimited
- IAB-certified statistics
- Yes
- Ad marketplace
- Yes
Pros
- IAB-certified download statistics
- Ad marketplace brings advertisers
- Dynamic insertion of ads and promos
- Built-in podcast website
Cons
- No permanent free plan, trial only
Details Visit site ↗ 78% backed by facts
-
- Cheapest paid plan per month
- $19.00
- Free plan
- No
- Upload minutes per month on the entry plan
- Unlimited
- IAB-certified statistics
- Not verified
- Ad marketplace
- Not verified
Pros
- Dynamic insertion of ads and promos
- Hosts video podcasts
- Private podcasts for teams or members
- Built-in podcast website
Cons
- No permanent free plan, trial only
Details Visit site ↗ 73% backed by facts
Not ranked yet: not enough verified data
These services are known to us, but we haven't verified enough facts to rank them fairly.
- RedCircle (52% backed by facts)
- Spotify for Creators (61% backed by facts)
- Spreaker (48% backed by facts)
- Zencastr (36% backed by facts)
How we calculate the Score
30%
Price
Monthly list price in USD of the cheapest paid plan that lets you publish new episodes, with monthly billing: $0 scores 100, $50 or more scores 0 (weight 3). Annual-billing discounts, archive-only plans and first-months promotions are ignored; if the page does not show which billing period a price belongs to, or shows it only in another currency, the fact stays empty. Services whose hosting is completely free, with no paid hosting plan, are recorded at $0. Also a permanent free plan, not a trial (weight 2), and how many minutes of audio the entry plan lets you upload per month: 1,200 minutes (20 hours) or no upload limit scores 100 (weight 1).
30%
Publishing and stats
Whether the vendor says its download statistics are certified or verified under the IAB Tech Lab podcast measurement guidelines (weight 2), and whether it supports video podcasts (weight 1), private podcasts for teams or members (weight 1) and a built-in podcast website (weight 1). A feature counts if any plan has it: check the note under each fact.
25%
Monetization
Whether the platform offers an ad marketplace or ad network that brings advertisers to your show (weight 2), dynamic insertion of ads or promos into published episodes (weight 2) and paid listener subscriptions or memberships (weight 1). We record what the vendor offers, not how much podcasters earn.
15%
Track record
How long the service has been running: 20 years or more scores 100 (weight 2), and whether it publishes a public status page with incidents (weight 1).
How to choose a podcast hosting platform
Check the real limit
Plans limit upload hours, storage or monthly downloads. Estimate how many hours you publish and how many downloads you expect in a year, and see what happens when you go over.
Look at the free plan's catch
Free plans may delete old episodes after a few months, add ads to your show or leave out statistics. Read what happens to your back catalogue before you rely on one.
Plan how you will earn
If you want ad income, check whether the host has an ad marketplace, dynamic ad insertion and IAB-certified stats that advertisers accept. For listener support, look for paid subscriptions.
Keep control of your feed
Make sure you can redirect your RSS feed and export your audio if you leave. A host that supports feed redirects lets you switch without losing subscribers.
Frequently asked questions
Which podcast host is best?
The platform in first place has the highest Score under our open method, but the Score does not measure audio quality, support or how well a tool fits your show. Compare the price, the upload limit and the features you actually need.
Why do you compare the cheapest paid plan with monthly billing?
Hosts price by upload hours, storage or monthly downloads, so plans are hard to line up. The cheapest paid plan with monthly billing is the real entry cost without a yearly commitment. Annual prices are lower; the note on each platform shows them.
What does IAB certification mean for podcast stats?
The IAB Tech Lab publishes podcast measurement guidelines that filter out bots and repeated downloads. Hosts that pass its compliance program report downloads that advertisers trust. We record the vendor's own statement; a host that says only that it follows the guidelines is not counted as certified.
Why is the price empty for some platforms?
We record only a price in US dollars that the official page clearly shows for monthly billing. If the page shows another currency to our visitor or does not say which billing period a price belongs to, the fact stays empty and lowers data completeness.
What does an empty fact mean?
We could not confirm it on an official page. An empty fact scores zero and lowers data completeness. A platform with too little data is not ranked.