How we rank: Podcast hosting platforms
The Score (0–100) is a weighted sum of the factors below. Each factor is the weighted average of its metrics; each metric is calculated from one published fact. Missing facts score zero, and a service is ranked only when enough of its Score is backed by facts.
A service is ranked only when at least 70% of its Score is backed by verified facts.
Price 30%
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).
| Metric | Rule |
|---|---|
| Cheapest paid plan per month | Linear from 0 (100) to 50 (0) — lower is better |
| Free plan | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
| Upload minutes per month on the entry plan | Unlimited = 100; linear from 0 to 1,200 |
Publishing and stats 30%
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.
| Metric | Rule |
|---|---|
| IAB-certified statistics | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
| Video podcasts | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
| Private podcasts | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
| Podcast website | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
Monetization 25%
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.
| Metric | Rule |
|---|---|
| Ad marketplace | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
| Dynamic ad insertion | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
| Paid listener subscriptions | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
Track record 15%
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).
| Metric | Rule |
|---|---|
| Founded | Full score at 20+ years |
| Public status page | Yes = 100, No = 0 |