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Do you need to begin a new podcast? We're here to help! We are working on launching our own podcast. We was at times overwhelmed by the vast number of podcast hosting providers. Through our research we found that there's not one-size-fits-all solution as the most suitable podcast hosting provider depends on the specific needs of your audience.

In order to help you determine the most crucial wants and requirements from a hosting service, we've gathered a selection of the most popular options, then grouped them by their strengths. So, here's our ultimate guide to finding the best podcast hosting -- for you depending on what matters to you the most.

Beginning with a host for your podcast

Before we get to the specific review, let's get to the basics of what a podcast hosting provider offer? The majority offer hosting (storage), in this case letting you download and save audio files in .mp3 format, and also automating podcast distribution.

When you upload a new file, the hosting provider generates (or updates) your site's RSS feed. An RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed contains all of the information a website's published for a particular post, including the full content, a summary/excerpt, publication date, author and URL. The host automatically uploads the RSS feed's updates to podcast directories including Spotify as well as Apple Podcasts. Google Podcasts and other directories so that your listeners are able to find your show in those podcast directories, too.

Other considerations

Podcasting hosts, it's also common to see additional services, which include audience data and insights as well as advertising and visual design choices, or perhaps the possibility to work with other team members through a shared data dashboard.

It is important to recognize that, like everything else the cost of hosting is a major factor in the decision-making process. If you're just beginning out, you may need to reduce your costs and use a free hosting service. There are several providers that don't charge. But as your podcast grows in its popularity as well as the amount of episodes you'll have to think about the possibility of signing up for the premium option that gives you storage and hosting capacity in exchange with a fee for subscription.

All decent hosting providers offer month-long subscriptions, and discounts in the event that you buy a year in advance. The typical cost for the lowest level of premium hosting will be between $10 and $20 a month, depending on the provider and the quantity of videos uploaded and the the size of the storage utilized.

A top podcast host to suit your needs

Let's begin looking at some options that might be most suitable to you. We've chosen a handful of podcasting providers that are famous for popular features, such the ability to analyze data, types of users and audiences. It's worth noting that a lot of these companies have great expertise in a range of other services. So, we've narrowed them down to the one we consider as the most effective hosting service in every category:

The best podcast hosting for revenue: Acast

Acast could be the one to bring about the current world of commercial podcasting, because of its creation and Acast Marketplace. Acast Marketplace. The Marketplace allows "dynamic commercial placement" which lets companies and advertisers place current message that is tailored to the person listening, on the nearly 40,000 podcasts that Acast hosts. It's easy to publish to iTunes Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts along with dozens of other podcasting platforms.

The best podcast hosting to reach the audience: (Anchor via) Spotify

The most well-known digital audio platform in the world of English is Spotify. It also has a dedicated podcast platform named Anchor, that claims to let you "create as well as distribute and monetize your podcast--all completely free." The platform comes with an integrated recording, uploading, and editing tools that let users create and publish podcasts which is hard not to be awed by the access of over 389 million listeners in 187 countries around the world.

The most reliable podcast hosting service to last: Libsyn

Libsyn due its long-standing reputation -since it was established all the way back in 2004 -- has become the choice of many people and media companies as it is the official launch partner of podcasts for Spotify, Pandora and more. Premium packages include unlimitted bandwidth and monetization, analytics and distribution to iTunes Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and more thanks to its Libsyn Publisher Hub plug-in.

Soundcloud is the best platform for podcasting with a creative mindset is Soundcloud.

If you've ever tried to track for an artist who was not signed or brand-new DJ has probably used Soundcloud, the "world's largest community on the internet of artists, bands, DJs and audio producers" that is hosting 265 million tracks. It's also easy to start with a podcast, as well, with automatic distribution to iTunes and Google Podcasts and Google Podcasts, in addition to analytics on the audience and features for monetization.

The most reliable podcasting platform to customize: Fusebox

For those who are graphically inclined, Fusebox puts huge focus on its customization options and mobile platform. The company boasts "enhanced user interfaces to improve the engagement of listeners". There are three designs for the player's interface: sticky, archive and track-by-track. However, there's the same distribution capabilities as it integrates the services of Stitcher, Spotify, Apple Podcasts as well as Google Podcasts as well as many others.

The top podcasting platform to analyze: Transistor

Transistor puts the focus on the mathematical side of the business. The company advertises as "hosting for creatives, brands professional" and creates an automatic the website of your podcast using various design styles. Transistor allows space for experimentation and experimenting with your podcast as many times as you'd like, and publish them through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts in addition to as inviting team members to view your statistics.

The best podcast hosting to provide all-in-one services: Castos

The staff at Castos do more than provide the essentials like information, tools for sharing and audio transcriptions, but they also assist in the creation of the podcast creation from beginning to end. The Castos team can assist with podcast notes, audio cut, and the final mixdown and also manage simple integration to Spotify as well as Podcasts from Apple Podcasts as well as Google Podcasts in addition to other.

The conclusion is: who is the top podcast host?

The best choice for a podcast hosting service is based on what you're searching for. From great personalization to easy analytics or commercial possibilities, with an experienced team and an extensive audience reach. If you're looking for a host and want to know more, we chose Castos as our host because of the completeness of their offerings, particularly for audio mixing and editing.

We hope that this article helps you narrow down your options and gives you a great start in finding the right podcast hosting provider for you! Let us know on social media whom you believe is be the perfect fit? We are on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Reference table

The following table shows the way we began our investigation. We investigated every major podcast hosting provider on the market and made a comprehensive overview of their main features, pricing, integrations and brand positioning. After that, we picked the ones with distinct features which could best meet specific needs for users. We found these: