Last updated on January 29th, 2023
There are a lot of podcasts out there, and so it follows that there would be a lot of free podcast hosting services out there. Podcast hosting services are the way that podcasts are stored and distributed. If you want to create a podcast, it needs to be hosted somewhere. These places provide an easy-to-use place to host shows for people who don’t want to go the DIY route.
Ideally, these places provide an easy way to upload audio files, generate an RSS feed for these files, distribute that RSS feed, and provide a place where an audience can listen. Other features a hosting service might provide are analytics, ad integration, and a website for your podcast. There are a lot of options for podcast hosts, both free and paid. If you don’t want to spend money to host your podcast, here are some free podcast hosting options.
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You can upload podcasts at a hosting service of your choice. Some are paid, but many offer free options so you can launch a test balloon of your show before committing money.
A free podcast hosting service acts as the home for your show. Just like a website needs a hosting provider, podcasts also need some way to help store and distribute the podcast audio files. Though most have cost tiers associated with them, and you can read about our favorite podcast hosting services here, several have more affordable options and some even provide free podcast hosting. Below is a list of the pros and cons and reviews of the best free podcast hosting services.
In general, podcast hosting services:
Another way to look at hosting is it serves as a vehicle that transports the show from its upload to its storage to its distribution and finally to its analytics as well as potential money-making opportunities. The host helps simplify everything in the creation and management process.
Don’t want to read the entire analysis? Here’s our quick winner:
Buzzsprout — a simple, intuitive, and feature-rich podcast host perfect for most podcasters.
In addition to its means as a platform that stores your important mp3 files and data, free services are also geared toward startup shows and traditionally has a lot of extra features and resources. These services may provide valuable tutorials and other reading material to learn more about what makes a good podcast and how to improve the overall quality of the audio recording. If you’re just starting out, make sure to check out our guide on how to start a podcast.
Though the analytics for a podcast are basic at the free podcast hosting level, they can still help deliver important information and where and how your generating an audience as well as build upon that audience. The goal is to eventually have enough listeners that you can turn a profit on the podcast, though many still do it simply for the hobby of podcasting.
There are many other advanced features that are sometimes included with a free version and other times only granted to podcasters with paid accounts. These include a blog or website for listeners to stop in and visit, methods for listener feedback, automatic uploads to popular directories (Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, etc.) and customer service for any questions or problems you run into regarding the hosting or RSS feed.
The same rule applies with podcast hosting with any product: you get what you pay for and once again the old adage is true, “if you’re not paying for the product, you’re the product.”
If after some time your podcast outgrows the free host tier, there is always the opportunity to upgrade to a paid podcast hosting solution.
Many are reasonably priced between in $10 to $20 per month. Until then you can expect the upload time and bandwidth to be limited, which not only impacts the number of hours you can upload each month but also the playback speeds. Advanced metrics and potential money-making opportunities are usually restricted to paid subscribers as well.
In the end, free versions are basic means to an RSS feed and file hosting, but as your audience grows you’ll want to consider an upgrade. When you get to that point, make sure to read our best podcast hosting services review. For now a free account is sufficient for many new podcasts.
| Podcast Host | Bandwidth | Storage | Submit to Apple, Google, and Spotify | Monetization | Analytics |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buzzsprout | 250 GB | 2 hours | ✓ | X | ✓ |
| Spreaker | Unlimiited | 5 hours | ✓ | X | ✓ |
| Podbean | 100 GB | 5 hours | ✓ | X | ✓ |
| Castos | Unlimited | Unlimited | ✓ | X | ✓ |
| Simplecast | Unlimited | Unlimited | ✓ | X | ✓ |
Buzzsprout is a hosting service that features a basic, free podcast hosting plan along with affordable monthly options that require no contract or credit card to sign-up. Buzzsprout currently works with notable podcast directories like Apple/iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcast and Stitcher.
The website has worked to provide hosting for over 50,000 people since the website was launched in 2009. It boosts several 5 star reviews from satisfied customers.
Strengths
Weaknesses
Buzzsprout is promoted as one of the easiest ways to host, promote and track a podcast. Like a lot of providers it includes detailed analytics to learn more about the audience tuning in.
The website is designed to make it easier to upload and publish once an episode is recorded. Publishing can take place within minutes of an upload, or even get scheduled days or weeks in advance.
It supports a number of different audio files. Not only that but the website optimizes the file based on if it’s more spoken word, or a show that also incorporates a lot of music. A purchasable add-on will event boost audio to 128k stereo.
One great feature on the dashboard is that it provides a notification of how much upload time is left in the current cycle, so you do not have to guess approximately how many more minutes you have left to upload each month.
Podcasters may learn everything about where and how listeners are connecting, what device or directory they are using to play the episode, and more advanced stats.
Buzzsprout helps get you listed on popular podcast directories and is also mobile-friendly. An embedded version is provided for your own domain. The hosting provider also includes your own website upon sign-up.
The free subscription delivers 2 hours of upload time each month and the episode is hosted for 90 days before its removed. The next step up costs $12 per month, and only one more hour of upload time each month yet is hosted indefinitely.
| Plans | Storage | Hosting | Bandwidth |
| Free | 2 hours | 90 days | Limited |
| $12 month | 3 hours | Indefinitely | 250GB |
| $18 month | 6 hours | Indefinitely | 250GB |
| $24 month | 12 hours | Indefinitely | 250GB |
Deal: Get a $20 Amazon gift card when you sign up. Click here.
Spreaker is a well known provider for podcasters as it’s an all-in-one system for new as well as established shows. It provides a versatile program that helps you create, distribute, as well as potentially make money on your podcast.
Spreaker says they are “the one-stop-shop for recording, publishing, monetizing, and distributing your podcasts.” The free plan gives you basic stats, and the ability to store up to 5 hours of audio, and 10 episodes for the whole account.
The episode size limit is 300MB for all plans on Spreaker. You can host multiple podcasts on the same account, and they assist with distribution to iHeart Radio, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. Spreaker does not offer monetization for their free podcast hosting plan, though it is available on their paid ones.
You don’t need a credit card to sign up for the free plan. Spreaker has an app you can use to produce your show, and even go live (no other free podcast plan allows for live broadcasting). The free plan has a 15 minute limit per live broadcast session.
Spreaker was launched in 2010, and now hosts thousands of publishers along with millions of active listeners. It includes apps for Android and iOS as well.
Strengths
Weaknesses
Spreaker is unique in that it also features an onboard recording and editing system on its platform. Users may record a podcast and post at a later date, or even broadcast live. Content may also get migrated from an existing service through its RSS importer. The studio app is extremely resourceful and easy to use.
After you record or upload an audio file, it’s time to distribute. Spreaker supports various forms of social media for uploads as well as mainstream directories like Apple Podcasts and YouTube. Like most podcast hosting services, you may also embed a widget onto your own website for immediate playback.
Analytics are crucial to the success of any new podcast and Spreaker provides basic statistics for its free and $5.99 per month plans, as well as more detailed stats for the higher priced monthly subscriptions. The analytics for the free plan is good but not great, about what you would expect as well as comparable to other free hosting providers.
The free plan also includes 5 hours of audio storage and 15 minutes of max live streaming (in a single session). However, the podcast monetization tool is not available with the free sign-up. Bandwidth is unlimited on every type of subscription.
| Plans | Storage | Bandwidth | Monetization | Analytics |
| Free | 5 Hours | Unlimited | ☓ | Basic |
| $6 month | 100 Hours | Unlimited | ✓ | Basic |
| $18 month | 500 Hours | 3 Unlimited | ✓ | Advanced |
| $45 month | 1,500 Hours | 5 Unlimited | ✓ | Full |
Deal: First month free with code “discoverpod”. Click here.
Simplecast is taking a big and bold approach, with a modern design aesthetic that looks more like a high end gym or streetwear brand than a podcast hosting service. But, don’t be distracted by the bold fonts — with a $15 per month unlimited plan and two-week trial with no credit card required, they clearly mean business.
Simplecast also offers tools aimed at growing podcasts in their $35 per month Essential plan and $85 per month Growth plan, including more advanced analytics, collaboration tools and an increase in the number of included monthly downloads.
Simplecast also offers Professional and Enterprise plans for larger volume shows, which is rare for some of the newer podcast hosting platforms out there. You have to contact Simplecast’s sales team for pricing, but working with a growing host could be a great option for a growing podcast network looking to get competitive pricing and lots of access to customer support.
Podbean is self-described as an “easy and powerful” way to podcast. The podcast hosting service provides four different plans for users, including one completely free version. As your podcast grows it also offers two paid versions.
Podbean currently hosts over 240,000 podcasters with more than 7.4 million episodes combined. The site also boasts around 6 billion downloads.
Strengths
Weaknesses
Podbean advertises as a service that presents everything you need to create, manage, and promote a podcast. The website features everything from custom domains to upload and publishing tools, methods to promote a podcast, as well as embedded players for the episodes.
The provider is like a lot of the podcast hosting companies featured in the article in that little programming knowledge is necessary to record, produce, upload and share your new podcasts. It is also mobile-ready which is a must for any podcast hosting service these days.
Though the three paid options do deliver unlimited bandwidth, the free version is capped at 100GB monthly, and five hours of storage space. The hosting is described as reliable with a robust network that is flexible based on where and how your viewers listen.
Podcasters may connect their own website to the hosting provider or embed a player on their own domain for easy playback. Sharing tools enable listeners to connect with you on social media, while other types of audience engagement like enabling feedback are nice additions.
Podbean presents a breakdown of how the podcast is performing, and also provides advertising sponsorship opportunities for its members. The website can help introduce premium subscription services to your podcast as well as crowdfund.
Related reading:
| Plan | Bandwidth | Storage | Analytics | Monetization |
| Free | 100 GB | 5 Hours | Basic | ☓ |
| $9 month | Unmetered | Unlimited | Advanced | ✓ |
| $29 month | Unmetered | Unlimited | Advanced | ✓ |
Deal: Get your first month free if/when you upgrade for a paid account. Click here.
Acast says they are “the world’s leading independent podcast company.” The free podcast hosting plan gives you basic analytics, unlimited episodes, and a basic podcast website. You can’t integrate with Patreon, customize your website, monetize with advertising, or distribute to Amazon Music, Spotify and Youtube using Acast on the free plan (as these features require a Pro account).
You’ll have to submit your RSS feed to listening platforms manually. There is not a limit to episode size for the free plan specifically, though the max episode size is 150MB for all plans on Acast to match the file download limit on Apple Podcasts. You don’t need to input any billing info to sign up on the free plan. Acast allows for multiple shows, but you are billed one plan per podcast – not an issue for using the free plan, but could potentially make upgrading costly if you have multiple podcasts on Acast.
Anchor is self-proclaimed as “the easiest way to make a podcast.” When it started, Anchor had some controversy about who owns the content uploaded to it, but they have since clarified in their terms of service that “You retain ownership of your User Content. Using Anchor does not cause you to lose ownership of your content.”
Since being acquired by Spotify, Anchor has had numerous issues with the podcast community including producing podcasts in a non-compliant manner, making their podcasts unplayable in some podcast players, several large-scale bugs, deleting podcasts without cause, allowing pirated podcasts on their platform (and here) — and to be monetized, and many others. I would recommend staying away from Anchor.
They only offer a free plan, which allows for unlimited episodes, basic analytics, a simple website, and some monetization options, though the latter is available only to users in the US. There is no episode size limit, though you can only upload 250MB at a time (but multiple files can be combined into a single episode).
The biggest downside of Anchor is that you can only create one podcast per free podcast hosting account. If you want to use Anchor for multiple feeds, you’ll need multiple emails – but only a different email, as you don’t need a credit card to sign up. Anchor also assists with distribution to a number of listening platforms, and has an app that podcasters can use to make their show.
Castbox is a podcast app (self-proclaimed as “the best free podcast app with over 95 million volumes of content”) that also allows podcasters to host their feeds for free. Their plan allows unlimited hosting, but they only offer statistics from people who listen using their app.
If you want additional analytics on your show, you’d have to use a third party service, and this can be a dealbreaker to many (especially because many third party services aren’t free themselves). You can host multiple feeds in the same account on Castbox, and you don’t need to input any billing info to sign up. The episode size limit is 400M, the second largest of all the free hosting services. There are no monetization options available through Castbox, and you’ll need to submit your RSS feed to other platforms manually – though it will automatically show up on the Castbox app.
Pinecast’s tagline is “podcast hosting made easy.” The free plan gives you basic analytics, up to two podcast feeds, and access to the tip jar (which lets you collect donations from your listeners). Pinecast also assists with distribution to a number of listening platforms.
On the free plan, you can upload an unlimited number of episodes, but only the ten most recent episodes per podcast are available to listeners – previous episodes are not deleted, and if you join a paid plan your full backlog will be available to all. If you’re making a serialized show with more than 10 episodes, this might be a dealbreaker, but if you’re doing topical episodes this might not be an issue.
The free plan has a 48MB episode size limit, which becomes 80MB on a paid plan (along with unlimited feeds instead of two). You don’t need a credit card to sign up for the free plan, and there are no monetization options available through Pinecast beyond the tip jar.
The free podcast hosting plan gives you 15 GB of bandwidth per month and 500MB of storage a month, by far the most technical limits of any free podcasting plan. There is not a limit on the number or length of episodes beyond the available bandwidth and storage on your Podomatic account. The episode size limit for Podomatic is 350MB for all plans.
On the free plan, you cannot get any analytics for your show, integrate with Patreon, or get sponsorships with Podcorn using Podomatic, but they will help assist with distribution to a number of listening platforms. Like with Castbox, the lack of analytics is Podomatic’s biggest drawback.
You can manage multiple feeds using one email, but must have separate accounts with different usernames. Podomatic also offers a way to record your podcast directly on the podomatic website (though it does not support guest callers), and you don’t need to input any billing information to sign up.
SoundCloud is not a podcast host. Do not use SoundCloud for podcasts.
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