Pricing comparison
Podcast hosting plans compared: entry prices and limits
Entry plans of ten podcast hosts side by side: price as listed, billing basis, main limit and free option. Not a ranking.
This table compares the entry paid plan of ten podcast hosts using only what each vendor publishes on its pricing page. It is not a ranking: the right host depends on how long your episodes are, how fast you expect to grow and which features you need. Read the billing column carefully, because some vendors display the monthly equivalent of an annual payment.
| Host | Entry plan and price | Billing basis shown | Main limit | Free option |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buzzsprout | Audio, $15/month | Monthly equivalent, billed yearlyWhen billed annually | Up to 72 upload hours per year; extra hours billed at the plan's hourly rate | Free plan: 2 upload hours per month, episodes hosted 90 days |
| Transistor | Starter, $19/month | Billed monthlyBilled monthly (yearly billing advertised as saving 17%) | 20,000 monthly audio downloads; no automatic shut-off | 14-day free trial |
| Castos | Essentials, $19/month | Billed monthlyPaid monthly ($190 per year if paid annually) | Unlimited podcasts, downloads and episodes; up to 100 private subscribers | 14-day free trial |
| Captivate | Personal, €17/month | Monthly equivalent, billed yearlyPaid yearly; the page displayed euros to us, while its title advertises plans from $19 per month | Up to 30,000 downloads per month | 30-day free trial |
| Podbean | Unlimited Audio, $17/month | Billed monthlyMonthly billing ($12/month on annual billing) | 1 GB of uploads per month (about 16 hours of audio); unlimited total storage under a fair usage policy | Free account offered (limits not listed on the pricing page) |
| RSS.com | Plus, $15/month | Monthly equivalent, billed yearlyBilled annually ($180 per year) | Unlimited episodes and downloads; up to 10 podcasts from the Pro plan | Free plan with no expiration; a card (not charged) is required before a second episode |
| Libsyn | Basic, $12/month | Billed monthlyBilled monthly after the free trial | 3 hours of audio uploads per month | First 30 days free |
| Blubrry | Standard 1.5, $7/month | Billed monthlyMonthly | 1.5 hours published per month; unlimited downloads | Not stated on the page we read |
| Acast | Essential, $25/month | Billed monthlyMonthly ($14.99/month on annual billing) | Plan features vary; see the vendor page | Starter tier: one show, five episodes unless monetized |
| Spotify for Creators | Free | FreeNot applicable | Unlimited hosting stated; funded by a share of ad revenue on monetized shows | Free |
Buzzsprout
Monthly equivalent, billed yearly- Entry plan and price
- Audio, $15/month
- Billing basis shown
- When billed annually
- Main limit
- Up to 72 upload hours per year; extra hours billed at the plan's hourly rate
- Free option
- Free plan: 2 upload hours per month, episodes hosted 90 days
Transistor
Billed monthly- Entry plan and price
- Starter, $19/month
- Billing basis shown
- Billed monthly (yearly billing advertised as saving 17%)
- Main limit
- 20,000 monthly audio downloads; no automatic shut-off
- Free option
- 14-day free trial
Castos
Billed monthly- Entry plan and price
- Essentials, $19/month
- Billing basis shown
- Paid monthly ($190 per year if paid annually)
- Main limit
- Unlimited podcasts, downloads and episodes; up to 100 private subscribers
- Free option
- 14-day free trial
Captivate
Monthly equivalent, billed yearly- Entry plan and price
- Personal, €17/month
- Billing basis shown
- Paid yearly; the page displayed euros to us, while its title advertises plans from $19 per month
- Main limit
- Up to 30,000 downloads per month
- Free option
- 30-day free trial
Podbean
Billed monthly- Entry plan and price
- Unlimited Audio, $17/month
- Billing basis shown
- Monthly billing ($12/month on annual billing)
- Main limit
- 1 GB of uploads per month (about 16 hours of audio); unlimited total storage under a fair usage policy
- Free option
- Free account offered (limits not listed on the pricing page)
RSS.com
Monthly equivalent, billed yearly- Entry plan and price
- Plus, $15/month
- Billing basis shown
- Billed annually ($180 per year)
- Main limit
- Unlimited episodes and downloads; up to 10 podcasts from the Pro plan
- Free option
- Free plan with no expiration; a card (not charged) is required before a second episode
Libsyn
Billed monthly- Entry plan and price
- Basic, $12/month
- Billing basis shown
- Billed monthly after the free trial
- Main limit
- 3 hours of audio uploads per month
- Free option
- First 30 days free
Blubrry
Billed monthly- Entry plan and price
- Standard 1.5, $7/month
- Billing basis shown
- Monthly
- Main limit
- 1.5 hours published per month; unlimited downloads
- Free option
- Not stated on the page we read
Acast
Billed monthly- Entry plan and price
- Essential, $25/month
- Billing basis shown
- Monthly ($14.99/month on annual billing)
- Main limit
- Plan features vary; see the vendor page
- Free option
- Starter tier: one show, five episodes unless monetized
Spotify for Creators
Free- Entry plan and price
- Free
- Billing basis shown
- Not applicable
- Main limit
- Unlimited hosting stated; funded by a share of ad revenue on monetized shows
- Free option
- Free
Sources: each vendor's official pricing or help page, listed below. Prices exclude taxes and add-ons. Plans and prices change: confirm on the vendor page before paying. No row is sponsored and we earn nothing from any of these vendors.
- Billed monthly
- Monthly equivalent, billed yearly
A lower bar is not a better deal: limits differ (see the table). Yearly-billed prices are monthly equivalents of an annual payment. Captivate is left out because its page showed euro prices to us.[9][2][3][5][1][6][7][8][10]
How to read this table
Three hosts in the table limit uploads rather than listeners. Buzzsprout counts upload hours per year on its annual plans, while Libsyn and Blubrry count hours per month. If your episodes run about an hour and you publish weekly, a 3-hour monthly allowance will not cover a month of episodes, while a 72-hour yearly allowance roughly matches one hour-long episode a week.[1][7][8]
Transistor and Captivate limit monthly downloads instead. Transistor says it keeps serving audio when you go over and asks consistently heavy users to upgrade. A download cap matters only once a show has an audience, which is why these plans often suit a brand-new podcast that publishes long episodes.[2][4]
Castos lists unlimited podcasts, downloads and episodes, so its plans differ on features such as private subscribers and video rather than on usage. RSS.com lists unlimited episodes and downloads on every plan, and its Pro plan hosts up to 10 podcasts.[3][6]
Billing basis changes the real price
Buzzsprout's displayed prices apply when billed annually, and RSS.com's displayed rate is an annual rate. Podbean and Acast show both a monthly price and a lower monthly equivalent for annual billing. Transistor's displayed prices are billed monthly, and Castos shows $19 per month or $190 per year for Essentials. Comparing a monthly price with an annual equivalent can make one host look cheaper than it is for someone who wants to pay month to month.[1][6][5][9][2][3]
Free options compared
Free options differ more than paid plans. Buzzsprout's free plan removes episodes after 90 days. RSS.com's free plan asks for a card, which is not charged, before the second episode. Acast's free tier caps you at five episodes unless the show joins its marketplace. Spotify for Creators states unlimited free hosting funded by ad revenue from monetized shows. Libsyn offers its first 30 days free, while Transistor and Castos offer 14-day trials.[1][6][9][10][7][2][3]
What the pricing pages do not tell you
- Overage prices are not always published. Buzzsprout's FAQ confirms overage billing at an hourly rate but the pricing page we read did not state the rate.
- Captivate displayed euro prices on the page we read, so the US dollar price may differ.
- Podbean's pricing page lists unlimited total storage under a fair usage policy without giving a number.
- Statistics standards vary; see the measurement section of our hosting guide.
Once you have shortlisted a host, enter its price in the launch budget planner to see what a full year costs with your other tools.
Sources
Official pages read for this guide. Prices change: always confirm on the vendor page before paying.