The Best Free & Cheap Podcast Hosting Sites [October 2020]

The world of podcasting has exploded in popularity. There are nearly a million active podcasts available online, and their popularity  is only growing. Podcasts are easy to listen to, freely available to listeners, and can be very entertaining. Like blogging or vlogging, being good at podcasting just requires you to have something to say, to say it well, and having the perseverance and persistence to keep your content flowing, but with those things (and a heap of luck) a podcast can catapult you to stardom.

Getting started in podcasting isn’t terribly complicated. One of the first things you need to do is to find a service that will host your podcast for you. Since you’re just getting started, cheap or free podcast hosting sites are the ideal place to begin your foray into podcasting. They involve minimal outlay and although the cheap and free sites have restrictions, those shouldn’t really affect you as a beginner. As your podcast grows in popularity, you can move on to a more performance-oriented service with the advanced features you’ll want at that point.

When looking for a podcast host, there are a few criteria to bear in mind. One critical factor is the host’s upload limits. Some free hosts will limit the size or number of files you can upload. This is fine if you’re experimenting with you’re once-a-week review of local restaurants, but not okay if you’re planning to launch your own network. Analytics is also important, and many free podcasts hosts have minimal analytics in place. Some hosts allow integration with third-party tools, some do not.

Integration with iTunes or other platforms is a useful feature, as is the ability to create a homepage within the hosting site where your latest podcasts can be featured in one place. After all, if someone stumbles across a podcast and likes what they hear, you want them to quickly be able to find the rest of your output.

Finally, a podcast hosting site that offers a free or inexpensive account with the option to upgrade to a more feature-rich service is ideal, because it means you can upgrade your offering without having to set up all over again.

If you’re looking for a site that can balance all of this and more, check out our suggestions below!

PodBean is one of the most accomplished podcast websites around. It is simple, has good reliability and performance and competitive pricing. It has a very clean interface that prioritizes ease of use so you can spend more time producing content. The tools are simple and get the job done quickly with the minimum of fuss. It is a very easy podcast hosting site to get to grips with.

PodBean offers four tiers, but most readers will likely be looking at their first two levels of payment. For free, all users gain access to five hours of storage space, 100GB of bandwidth, free podcast themes, and some basic podcast stats that keep you up to date on everything you need to know. If you’re looking to take your podcasts to the next level, PodBean’s $9 plan removes limits on both storage and bandwidth, improves your stats, and even opens up PodBean’s ad marketplace.

Libsyn is one of the most established names in podcast hosting. It isn’t as generous with its offering as PodBean and the interface isn’t as intuitive but it is reliable and straightforward enough. Libsyn takes a little while to get to grips with but once you do, producing and publishing content is a breeze.

Libsyn isn’t free either with plans starting at $5 a month. You only get 50MB monthly storage but no bandwidth limitations that I could see. Analytics cost $2 extra per month which is a little tight as they are mandatory for running an effective podcast. If you go with Libsyn, I recommend that you step up a level to the $15 a month plan for better features.

SoundCloud should need no introduction as it is huge. Known more for music than for podcasting, it nevertheless can provide both. The platform is bulletproof in its reliability and very fast to publish and to listen. The creator’s interface is fairly simple to use which is always nice. Select the Create part of the site to upload your podcast. One nice SoundCloud feature is that they offer a free 30-day trial so you can get your feet wet without having to spend any of your hard-earned cash.

There is a free plan that includes basic elements and three hours of uploaded content. You can share easily, connect and comment with listeners and access basic analytics. The Pro plans are worth investment once you’re up and running as they only cost up to $9.99 a month for unlimited use.

YouTube is a fantastic place to host a podcast given the power of the platform, the tools available and the sheer number of users. The interface is simple, you can upload or just drag and drop. There are some decent authoring tools but the majority of the work will be done locally and uploaded to YouTube.

The ideal combination would be SoundCloud or PodBean and YouTube. YouTube may count its users by the billion but it doesn’t have all the tools a podcast might need such as RSS. The downside is that it doesn’t support MP3 so you will have to encode in MP4 for it to work. It does have extensive analytics, a home page of sorts and is incredibly easy to use. Plus, there are users by the billion, some of whom will undoubtedly stumble across your podcast.

Pinecast likes to keep things simple. A very stark website, minimalist interface and uncomplicated but powerful tools. Yet what it does, it seems to do well. The UI is easy to master and puts the podcast at the center of everything. It also includes analytics as standard and makes it easy to become a publisher.

There is a free account but it’s the paid accounts that have the real power. From as little as $10 a month you get unlimited storage, unlimited bandwidth and has no limitation on any aspect of the service. Add-ons are available that let you add new features like analytics, crew, growth, and more.

If you’re looking for a way to host your podcast for free—and in fact, make some cash while doing it—RedCircle is the way to do it. RedCircle hosts your podcast for absolutely free, with unlimited storage, auto-distribution, dynamic ad placement, and so much more. How does it work? It’s simple, actually: RedCircle takes a cut of the profit your podcast earns, including 30 percent from ads and 12 percent from subscriptions. That might work out great for smaller podcasts, though if you eventually grow into a giant of the podcasting world, it might not make much sense.

Buzzsprout markets itself as the podcast hosting site for normal people. It touts a simple interface, powerful publishing tools and a no-nonsense approach as its forte and seems to deliver on all of them. The dashboard is super-easy, with a clear UI, big green upload button and an obvious measure of how much storage you have left for the month.

The free plan offers two hours per month hosted for a maximum of 90 days. For $12 you get 3 hours per month and indefinite hosting. $18 gets you 6 hours and $24 a month gets you 12 hours.

Blubrry is another podcast hosting site that emphasizes ease of use. It also provides some powerful podcast publishing tools and decent analytics even with their cheapest account. One of the highlights of Blubrry is their WordPress plugin that allows you to integrate your podcasts into your blog or website.

Blubrry don’t offer free accounts and subscriptions begin at $12 a month. In return you get 100MB of storage, unlimited bandwidth, full analytics and a web uploader. More expensive plans offer more storage and the ability to add vlogs as well as podcasts. The PowerPress WordPress plugin is available in all plans.

BlogTalkRadio is a podcast hosting site to consider when you’re up and running and need more powerful publishing tools. It is expensive but in return you get an extensive selection of tools and features to publicize, monetize and promote your podcast. The interface is detailed but simple to use and uploading your audio takes mere seconds.

BlogTalkRadio is a little reticent to show their prices and for good reason. They start at $39 per month but provide 2 hours of podcast, unlimited uploads, unlimited media hosting, the ability to hold call-ins, have guests, scheduling and live broadcasts. There is a free Tryout Plan that offers 30 minutes of broadcast with limited analytics so you can try before you buy.

Fireside is our final cheap or free podcast hosting site worth checking out. It is another platform that combines power and simplicity into one. You can upload your files from local storage or import from other podcast hosts or cloud storage. The layout is a little like WordPress, so if you know that publishing platform, you will find yourself in familiar territory.

There is only one plan for Fireside and it costs $19 per month. In return you receive unlimited storage, bandwidth and full access to analytics. You also get your own homepage to help promote your work.

Finding good quality, reliable podcast hosting sites took a lot of research but I am confident that those listed here are currently some of the best around. As you can see from reading through each one, there is a huge difference in what you get for your money and how much you pay.

Some of the more expensive plans justify that investment by offering powerful monetization and promotion features while others do not. Some offer free or trial plans before you have to pay and some do not. My advice would be to find a podcast hosting site that offers a free account or decent length trial so you can switch should you like to keep going or upgrade your experience. Which you choose is now entirely up to you and what you are looking for.

Got any other cheap or free podcast hosting sites that we should mention? Had experience using any of these? Tell us about your experience below!