Related reading: Podbean vs. Blubrry Podcast Host Review

But when you’re in a field where the possibilities are so wide, and the barrier to entry is so low, finding the right place to put your creation becomes the most important thing. This is why many podcasters wonder about the right place to host their podcast. What hosting platform will give them the features that they need to be successful in such a big pool of creators? There are many hosting services, all with different features, pros, and cons, and all the podcast host reviews out there can be confusing and overwhelming when you’re getting started.

At its core, the technology needed to store and distribute podcasts is pretty simple. Podcasts are stored as audio files, and then distributed by RSS feed. RSS feeds are a kind of standardized list of updates that can be read from any device, and they contain links to the actual audio files of the podcast. Aggregators (like your phone’s Podcast app) check RSS feeds for updates, and then transform the content from the RSS page into readable (or listenable) content for you.

So, a good podcast hosting platform needs to do two things: it needs to store the audio files of your podcast, and it needs to give you the tools to create an RSS feed. But besides those two options, it can be hard to see what you’re getting when you decide on a platform! That’s why this article is going to compare two of the most popular places to host your podcasts: Podbean and Libsyn.

Podbean Podcast Host

Podbean is quickly becoming a popular hosting choice with podcasters. It gives you the ability, not just to host your podcast, but also to create your own podcast website that people can browse like a normal blog.

Podbean’s plans start at just $3 per month. For this price, you can get basic statistics about your podcast listeners, be played on the native iPhone and Android podcast apps, and get 100 MB of storage space on the cloud for your audio every month. All plans also include an RSS feed, plus the ability to have your podcast on iTunes. More advanced plans, for $9, $29, or $99 per month give you more options, including unlimited storage space, your own domain name, and more options for networking with other podcasts. The $9/month “Unlimited Audio” plan gives you unlimited storage space and bandwidth for audio, which makes it probably the best deal for a beginner podcaster. When it comes to the higher prices, you’ll need to be really sure that you want the additional features.

The company puts a focus on keeping things simple and hassle-free for the customer. It’s an all-in-one platform that doesn’t require much technical know-how to handle. If you need help, you can contact technical support through an online form, but be warned: the more you’re paying, the sooner you’ll get help for your issue. Some Podbean host reviews have criticized the customer support and claimed that they were not taken care of by staff until they threatened to cancel their subscriptions.

The greatest strengths of Podbean are its smooth, easy-to-handle user interface, its low price compared to the amount of storage you get (aka infinite storage after $9/month), and its support for various distribution styles, including RSS, your own website, and iTunes. For a beginner who wants to get their podcast out into the world, this is a great choice! However, if you’re not interested in all those different distribution styles, and you want a more technical, nitty-gritty approach where you can be confident that you’ll get detailed, immediate customer support no matter how much you pay, Podbean might not meet your needs.

Libsyn Podcast Host

Libsyn (short for “Liberated Syndication”) is one of the oldest and largest podcast hosts. It’s been operating since 2004, and in 2011, more than eighteen million people were using it. Libsyn has its own smartphone app, and gives you more stripped-down tools for creating a webpage for your show, plus the ability to cross-post to your social media using a single-click tool called OnPublish. The RSS feed it generates is compatible with Apple and iTunes, just like the Podbean one.

Its plans are a big step up in price compared to Podbeans, beginning at $5/month for 50 mb of storage space. There are options at $15, $20, $40, and $75 per month, but even the most expensive plan doesn’t give you the unlimited storage that Podbean boasts. Sure, 1500 mb per month (the amount available to $75/month subscribers is probably as much as anyone needs, but if storage is your main concern, paying $75/month for 1500 mb is just not comparable to getting unlimited audio space for just $9/month.

Libsyn gives its subscribers more options for customizing their plan than Podbean – you can choose to add statistics to your $5 plan for an additional $2/month, get the custom mobile app for $10/month, and even buy extra storage space.

Since it’s been in the game for so long, Libsyn has struck a balance between simple and customizable that’s hard to manage. They give you all the tools that you need to produce and distribute a podcast, but their interface is a little more stripped-down than Podbean’s, and it doesn’t have quite as many fancy options when it comes to building a website for your podcast. But if podcasting is your game, building a website might not even interest you! Libsyn’s long history also means that there is a ton of support out there for podcasters who use it, and it’s easy to get advice and troubleshooting tips from podcasters who have been using the service for years. Libsyn has a “Helpdesk” that provides video tutorials and answers to FAQs, where you can ask for technical support through an online form. There are additional email addresses where you can ask for help on technical support, mobile app support, and billing support. If you have a premium subscription, there’s also a special email address just for you to ask your questions – like with Podbean, spending extra money gets you special treatment, but the services for even low-paying subscribers are much more comprehensive on Libsyn.

Overall, Libsyn is a great service to use if you don’t need that unlimited storage space, but want a strong community with a long history. At its core, Libsyn has a simple interface where it’s easy to upload audio and generate your RSS links. Additional features, like social media posting and the website, are present, but they’re not the core selling points the way they sometimes seem to be on Podbean.

So, in the great Libsyn vs. Podbean debate, which platform is right for you? If you’re looking for a simple, stable platform with a long history and a big community, Libsyn might be the right choice for you. Its customer support and huge user base can be helpful for a beginning podcaster, and you won’t be overwhelmed with bells and whistles you don’t know how to use yet. If, on the other hand, you’re an ambitious type with big dreams for content and for distribution, Podbean’s unlimited hosting and more advanced distribution tools might be more up your alley. For a low price, you have a lot more freedom to create as much content as you want, plus more advanced tools for getting it out to various audiences.

Once you’ve picked the podcast host that’s right for you, you’re ready to go! Whether on Libsyn or Podbean, you’re opening up a new world of creativity and connections.

The post Libsyn vs. Podbean Podcast Host Review appeared first on Discover the Best Podcasts | Discover Pods.

There are dozens of platforms out there that podcasters can choose to host their creations. But which one is the right one for you? Which one will be the best for getting your ideas out to an audience that will actually appreciate them? In this article, we’re going to look at two of the most popular podcast-hosting platforms, the budget-friendly Podbean and the podcaster-created Blubrry, and try to help you decide which host is the right choice for your podcast.

There are so many platforms because, at its core, the technology for storing and distributing podcasts is fairly simple. First, a podcast platform stores the actual audio file of the podcast, and creates a link for it. Then, these links are distributed through RSS feeds. The purpose of RSS feeds is to update people on the podcasts they follow. RSS is a standardized way of expressing lists of updates in computer code, and they can be read from any device and through lots of different apps, like your phone’s native Podcast app, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. These apps are aggregators, and they basically check the RSS feeds for updates and then automatically open the audio files for no-fuss listening.

This means that all podcast hosting platforms have to do two things: first, they have to store the audio files and generate links for them, and second, they have to generate an RSS feed. Easy! But most platforms don’t stop there: to stay competitive in the podcast-hosting markets, podcast platforms are offering tons of additional features intended to help their users reach their audience as conveniently as possible.

In this article, we’re going to look at two popular podcast hosting platforms: Podbean and Blubrry. In this Podbean and Blubrry podcast host review, we’ll review the best (and worst) features of each platform, go through their price plans, and give some ideas for why you might want to pick one or the other. By the end of this article, you’ll have an idea of which platform is right for you!

Podbean Podcast Host

Let’s start with Podbean. Podbean is a budget-friendly, user-friendly platform geared towards creators who want maximum flexibility with their podcast.

When it comes to prices, Podbean is hard to beat. Podbean’s paid hosting plans (they do offer a limited free podcast hosting plan) start at $9 per month, which gives you unlimited storage space and bandwidth for your audio every month, as well as basic statistics about your listeners, Apple Podcasts support, an RSS feed generator (of course!) and the tools to build a podcast website. The next level, for $29/month “unlimited plus” plan, you can also use that unlimited storage to upload video podcasts. The higher-priced plans give you increasingly diverse options for distributing and monetizing your podcasts, like access to a network page, the ability to manage multiple podcasts from the same account, and access to a patron program where listeners can support your podcast directly.

Related reading: best free podcast hosting solutions

From its slick landing page to its website-building tools, Podbean puts the focus on keeping things simple from the customer’s perspective. The flexibility of the pricing plans and unlimited storage goes along with tools that don’t require too much technical expertise for the podcaster to handle. Podbean tries to keep things as hassle-free for the customer as possible, including 24/7 support staff helping podcasters troubleshoot (business plans have live support chat). 

Another differentiator —  albeit one many podcast hosts are replicating — are several ways for podcasters to monetize their show including their ads marketplace, livestream gifting, patron donations, and dynamic ad insertions.

Overall, Podbean’s greatest feature is the incredibly low price for unlimited storage. If your idea for a podcast involves a lot of content – like daily uploads, or weekly uploads of an hour or more – or if you just don’t want to have to worry about how much space you have left, then Podbean’s unlimited storage plans are unbeatable. Additionally, if you want all the bells and whistles of your own site, but don’t feel comfortable with all the technical coding elements, Podbeans gives you the tools to make this easy. However, if you don’t have those high-content plans that would make the unlimited storage worth it, or if you’re a more technically-minded person who wants more customizability and wants to be certain that customer service will help them every time, it might be worth looking somewhere else.

Deal: First month free

Blubrry Podcast Host

Blubrry was created mainly by podcasters, for podcasters, and its website outlines a business philosophy that emphasizes the importance of the creator having total control over their own show. “Blubrry believes we should provide you great tools and not interfere,” the website states, and the tools available to Blubrry users reflect that. The website includes tons of information aimed at informing and educating potential podcasters, including a link on the home page to a Podcasting Manual that gives tons of tips and tricks for using the platform, as well as more in-depth advice about how to succeed as a podcaster. This manual is completely free, and even if you end up choosing a different podcast host, you’re sure to find some useful information in it if you’re a beginning podcaster. The website also includes lots of information about monetization options, if you want to make money off your podcast as efficiently and ethically as possible. Detailed statistics are available to users at every level, as the Blubrry philosophy also states that “Blubrry believes in providing you accurate statistics.” While they don’t have the tools for creating your own native website, they do have a tool called PowerPress that will help you integrate your podcast seamlessly into any WordPress website.

Deal: First month free with code “discoverpods” 

But just like buying any other product from creator-driven, American-owned companies, what you might like about the ethics and philosophy does come at a price. One downside of Blubrry is the cost. The lowest tier already costs $12 per month, for only 100 MB of storage. If really you want the unlimited storage that Podbean offers for only $9/month, you’re going to have to inquire about the “professional package,” which has no fixed price listed on the website – but you can bet it’s going to be more than the $80/month of the highest-tier “extra large” package. If you’re interested in uploading video, the $20/month “medium” plan is slightly cheaper than Podbean’s $29/month “unlimited plus” plan, but still has only 250 MB of storage, compared to Podbean’s unlimited option.

Blubrry is rapidly becoming one of the highest-rated podcast hosting services, with many creators loving its ethics and tools, and finding they don’t miss the bells and whistles of Podbean and other hosts. And if you’re worried about customer support, chew on this – Blubrry is the only podcast hosting service in the world to provide customer service over the phone.  

Overall, in the great Podbean vs Blubrry debate, you’re going to have to decide what’s most important to you as a creator: a better value for a large amount of storage, or a supportive, creator-driven platform. There’s not a right or wrong answer here – both are valid perspectives! If you’re an independent type with a big, ambitious podcasting plan, Podbean might be more your speed. If you’re interested in learning more about the art of podcasting and supporting other podcasters, but your idea for your own show is a touch more modest, Blubrry might be for you.

Whether you eventually choose to host your podcast on Podbean or Blubrry, know that you’re entering one of the most exciting creative fields of the twenty-first century. Good luck, and happy podcasting!

The post Podbean vs. Blubrry Podcast Host Review appeared first on Discover the Best Podcasts | Discover Pods.