How to choose: five questions
- What does the host meter? Buzzsprout and Libsyn meter upload hours, Podbean meters storage, and Transistor and Captivate meter downloads. A long show with a small audience fits download-metered plans. A short show with a big audience fits hour-metered ones.
- One show or several? Transistor and Captivate include unlimited shows on every plan. Elsewhere, a second show usually means a higher plan.
- Is video part of the plan? Spotify and YouTube video support varies more than any other feature here, and some of it is still labeled "coming soon".
- How will you make money? Ad marketplaces, dynamic ad insertion, paid subscriptions and listener support all differ by host, and revenue shares range from 50% to 70% where they're published.
- How hard is it to leave? Every host lets you redirect your feed, but the cost of keeping that redirect alive ranges from free forever to "keep paying for 90 days". Read our guide to how you switch podcast hosts without losing listeners before you commit.
The comparison table
Prices in USD, checked October 7, 2026. "Annual" is the per-month price when billed yearly. IAB claims are what each host says; we didn't verify them against the IAB Tech Lab's list.
| Host | Entry paid plan (monthly / annual) | What's metered | Shows | Video | Private / paid podcasts | Monetization | Analytics claim | Leaving |
|---|
| Buzzsprout | Audio $18 / $15 | 6 upload hrs/mo | 1 (Multi-Podcast: 5 or 10) | Audio + Video plan ($30 / $25): 1080p to Apple, Spotify, YouTube | Buzzsprout Subscriptions (15% fee); Apple Subscriptions | Buzzsprout Ads marketplace (podcaster share not published) | "IAB 2.2 Certified" | Redirect kept on the free plan |
|---|
| Transistor | Starter $19 / $15.83 | 20K downloads/mo | Unlimited | Listed on pricing page; feature page says "Coming Soon" | Private feeds (50 subscribers on Starter) | Dynamic ads on Professional+ | Says IAB-compliant, not certified | 301 free and permanent, even after you cancel |
|---|
| Captivate | Personal $19 / $17 | 30K downloads/mo | Unlimited | No native video found | Private podcasts; Memberships & Tips | AMIE dynamic insertion; Captivate Marketplace | "IAB certified" | Cancel flow sets up a 301 (duration not stated) |
|---|
| RSS.com | Plus $19.99 / $15 (free plan available) | Unlimited audio | 1 (Pro: up to 10) | Max plan: video and YouTube auto-publish | Apple Subscriptions (Plus+) | PAID programmatic ads, 70% to creator | "IAB-Certified" | Pay 45 to 90 days after redirect; none on trial or after cancel |
|---|
| Spotify for Creators | Free | Not metered on pages we read | Not checked | Native video, plays in Spotify only | Spotify subscriptions (10% fee from Oct 20) | Spotify Partner Program (50% of Spotify-sold ads) | Spotify's own analytics | Web-only redirect, up to 7 days |
|---|
| Podbean | Unlimited Audio $17 / $12 | 1 GB/mo uploads (about 16 hrs audio) | 1 (Plus: 2) | Plus and up; Spotify distribution audio-only | Business plan: 100 private members; Apple Subscriptions | Ads marketplace; dynamic ads at $1 CPM | IAB certified (help center) | No official leave guide found |
|---|
| Libsyn | Basic $12 (monthly only) | 3 upload hrs/mo | Not checked | About 100 GB/mo video; YouTube all plans, Spotify video on Advanced+ | Apple Subscriptions | Automatic Ads 50% (60% at 50K+ downloads) | "IAB Verified" | Redirect stays after you close; content removed |
|---|
| Riverside | Pro $29 / $24 | Not published | Pro: 1; Grow: 2 | Grow: video to Apple Podcasts | Business plan only | None found | None found | Self-serve redirect |
|---|
Example: what a weekly show costs on each host
Example assumptions: one show, one 45-minute audio episode a week (about 3.25 hours a month, 3.75 hours in five-episode months), 3,000 downloads a month, no add-ons, US list prices before tax, checked October 7, 2026. "Cheapest plan that fits" means it covers the five-episode months.
| Host | Cheapest plan that fits | Monthly billing | Annual billing (per month) | Why this plan |
|---|
| Spotify for Creators | Free | $0 | $0 | No hosting fee |
|---|
| RSS.com | Free (Plus to monetize) | $0 / $19.99 | $0 / $15 | Free plan covers unlimited audio; ads and subscriptions need Plus |
|---|
| Podbean | Unlimited Audio | $17 | $12 | Free plan's 5 hours of total storage runs out in about six weeks |
|---|
| Buzzsprout | Audio | $18 | $15 | Free plan's 2 hrs/mo is too small; Audio allows 6 hrs |
|---|
| Transistor | Starter | $19 | $15.83 | 3,000 downloads is well under 20K |
|---|
| Captivate | Personal | $19 | $17 | 3,000 downloads is well under 30K |
|---|
| Libsyn | Advanced | $25 | No annual price shown | Basic's 3 hrs only fits four-episode months |
|---|
| Riverside | Pro | $29 | $24 | Includes recording and editing, not just hosting |
|---|
Three things would change this. Buzzsprout's Magic Mastering add-on adds about $5 a month on the annual Audio plan. A 90-minute weekly show doubles the hours and pushes Libsyn, Buzzsprout and Podbean up a tier, while Transistor and Captivate stay the same. And if you grow past 20,000 downloads, Transistor moves to $49, while hour-metered hosts don't change.
The hosts, by who they fit
Buzzsprout: best first host, and simple video
Buzzsprout charges by upload hours: the Audio plan is $18 a month, or $15 billed annually, for 6 hours a month, which is plenty for a weekly show under 80 minutes. Unused hours don't roll over. On monthly billing you pay an unpublished hourly rate for overage; annual plans have no overage, so you upgrade. Audio + Video ($30, or $25 annually) publishes 1080p video to Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube, which is the simplest video setup we found. Multi-Podcast plans cover 5 shows ($36 / $30) or 10 ($78 / $65). The free plan gives 2 hours a month and deletes episodes after 90 days, so treat it as a trial. Magic Mastering, its audio-processing add-on, is about $60 a year on the annual Audio plan. Buzzsprout Subscriptions takes a flat 15%.
Pick it if this is your first show, or you want video on YouTube and Spotify without extra tools. Skip it if you run several shows on a budget or publish very long episodes. Buzzsprout review.
Transistor: best for several shows and private feeds
Transistor meters downloads, not hours: Starter is $19 a month for 20,000 downloads, Professional $49 for 100,000, Business $99 for 250,000. Annual billing is "12 months for the price of 10". Every plan includes unlimited shows with no upload cap, which makes it the best value we found for a creator with a main show plus side projects. Private podcasts give each subscriber a unique feed (50 on Starter, 500 on Professional, 3,000 on Business), and you run the paywall yourself, for example through Patreon. Transistor's own support page says its stats are "compliant with IAB guidelines" but not certified, which is more candid than most. Video is listed on the pricing page, but its feature page still says "Coming Soon", so don't buy it for video yet. Its exit terms are the best here: a 301 redirect that stays free and permanent after you cancel. No free plan; a 14-day trial.
Pick it if you run more than one show, sell a private feed, or value a clean exit. Skip it if you want a built-in ad marketplace or video today. Transistor review.
Captivate: best for selling ads and memberships
Captivate also meters downloads: Personal is $19 a month or $17 billed annually (30,000 downloads), Professional $49 / $44 (150,000), Business $99 / $90 (300,000). Every plan has unlimited shows and every feature, including AMIE dynamic insertion, private podcasting, Memberships & Tips (your own paywall with tiers and one-off tips) and the Captivate Marketplace for ads. Captivate says its analytics are IAB certified. Going over your download limit two months running gets you a request to upgrade, not a shutdown. Captivate offers 25% off for students, education, charities and non-profits. We found no native video hosting and no published Marketplace revenue share. There's no free plan.
Pick it if you'll sell sponsorships, insert ads across your back catalog, or run memberships through your host. Skip it if video is central to your show. Captivate review.
RSS.com's free plan includes unlimited episodes and audio, distribution and donations, with 30 days of basic analytics. Plus ($15 a month annually; $19.99 monthly per RSS.com's help and blog pages, not its pricing page) adds programmatic ads through its PAID program, which pays creators 70% (up to 90% on some contracts), plus Apple Podcasts Subscriptions. Pro ($26 / $34.99) covers up to 10 shows; Max ($37 / $49.99) adds video and automatic YouTube publishing. RSS.com says its analytics are IAB-certified. Two catches: feeds are locked by default (turn off Copy Protection before you move), and the redirect stops when you cancel, so RSS.com says to keep paying 45 to 90 days after you leave. Its terms grant a worldwide, sublicensable licence to your content.
Pick it if you want a free host with your own portable RSS feed. Skip it if you'll want to leave cheaply later. Not yet reviewed.
Spotify for Creators: free, but built around Spotify
Spotify for Creators doesn't charge for hosting and supports native video up to 60 GB and 12 hours per file. Its Spotify Partner Program pays 50% of Spotify-sold ad revenue plus Premium video revenue, but only if you host there, and only above 3 episodes, 2,000 consumption hours and 1,000 listeners in the last 30 days (Spotify's two help pages word these slightly differently), in eligible countries. Subscriptions become "Memberships" with a 10% all-in fee from October 20, 2026. The catches: video uploaded here plays only in Spotify, the RSS feed for other apps has to be switched on manually (and that makes your email public), and leaving means losing Partner Program eligibility.
Pick it if most of your audience listens on Spotify and $0 matters most. Skip it if Apple and YouTube matter as much as Spotify. Not yet reviewed.
Podbean: cheapest annual paid plan
Podbean's Unlimited Audio plan is $17 a month or $12 annually, with 1 GB of uploads a month (about 16 hours of audio). Unlimited Plus ($39 / $29) adds a second show and video. Network ($99 / $79) covers unlimited shows, and Business ($129 / $99) adds 100 private members. It has an ads marketplace, dynamic ad insertion at $1 CPM (free on Network) and Apple Podcasts Subscriptions, and its help center says it's been IAB certified since 2020. Its Spotify distribution is audio-only. The free plan is 5 hours of total storage that never resets, and it shows only 20 episodes in your feed. We found no Podbean guide to leaving.
Pick it if you want the cheapest paid plan billed annually. Skip it if you need Spotify video. Not yet reviewed.
Libsyn: the veteran, with the clearest AI clause
Libsyn bills monthly only: Basic $12 (3 upload hours), Advanced $25 (10 hours), Max $150 (55 hours), after a 30-day trial. Every plan includes about 100 GB a month of video. YouTube is on all plans, and Spotify video is on Advanced and up, through Spotify's official video API. Automatic Ads pay a 50% revenue share (60% at 50,000+ downloads a month), with a $20 minimum payout. Libsyn says its analytics are "IAB Verified". Its terms say it won't train general-purpose generative AI on your non-public content without consent, the most specific AI clause we found among these hosts, and content stays exportable for 30 days after you leave.
Pick it if you want Spotify video from a host that isn't Spotify. Skip it if you want an annual discount. Not yet reviewed.
Riverside: hosting as part of your studio
RiversideAFFILIATE includes hosting with its paid plans, with distribution to Spotify, Apple and YouTube. Pro is $29 a month or $24 billed annually (another check of the pricing page showed $35 monthly, and the page carried a "staging environment" banner, so confirm at checkout). Grow ($39 / $34) hosts 2 shows and publishes video to Apple Podcasts. Private hosting is on the custom Business plan. We couldn't find published download or upload limits, an IAB claim, or ad and subscription tools. If you edit elsewhere, compare DescriptAFFILIATE in our Descript vs Riverside comparison.
Pick it if you already pay for Riverside to record. Skip it if you need ads, subscriptions or certified stats. Riverside review.
Portability: the part nobody prices in
Your RSS feed is the asset. A host is a service that serves it. On that test, Transistor's free permanent redirect and Buzzsprout's free-plan redirect are the strongest exits. RSS.com's "keep paying 45 to 90 days" is the weakest, and Spotify for Creators keeps Partner Program money and Spotify-only video behind when you go. No host carries your download history over as certified stats, so export CSVs every quarter whatever you choose. Our guide to how you switch podcast hosts without losing listeners covers the full move.
Our picks, by fit
- First show, simplest setup: Buzzsprout.
- Several shows or a private feed: Transistor.
- Ads, sponsors and memberships: Captivate.
- $0 budget, own your feed: RSS.com free.
- $0 budget, Spotify-first audience: Spotify for Creators.
- Video on Spotify from an independent host: Libsyn (Advanced) or Buzzsprout (Audio + Video).
- Already recording in Riverside: Riverside hosting.
What would change these: Transistor shipping video, Captivate publishing its Marketplace revenue share, or RSS.com keeping redirects alive after cancellation.
