Speaker 1: What's up, Podcaster? It's Ben here from Podcast Pros with a Podcast Host in Comparison, and today we are comparing Buzzsprout to Simplecast. So if you've been debating between these two hosts, this video will help you make the right decision for you and your show. And once you've made your decision, there are links to both Buzzsprout and Simplecast in the description box and pinned comment. We're going to break down these two hosts based on three categories. The first being features, second being price, and third being ease of use. Each category will be out of 10 for a total possible score of 30. So let's get right into it. Buzzsprout does give you a lot to work with. For starters, like most podcast hosts, they provide super easy distribution to all the different podcast directories, so it makes it very easy to get listed where people can actually listen to your show. Custom episode publishing, as well as the ability to schedule episodes to be released at a later date. They also have a feature called Magic Mastering, and this feature is actually exclusive to Buzzsprout. So what Magic Mastering does is if you upload an episode up to Buzzsprout and you've paid for the additional Magic Mastering service, it actually treats the audio, it levels it out, it makes it sound a lot better. This is huge if you're using two different microphones or say it's an online call. It normalizes the audio, it makes it far more friendly on the ear. So this is an extra paid add-on, but it does a ton of the editing work for you, and there's quite a dramatic difference before and after when you use Magic Mastering. For podcasters looking to monetize their show, Buzzsprout provides two different solutions. The first is their exclusive affiliate hub. So essentially what they've done is they've reached out to brands that are highly reputable and have great affiliate programs, and they've negotiated for even better affiliate opportunities exclusive to Buzzsprout users. So if you are a Buzzsprout user, you get access to this affiliate hub so you can start making money right off the bat through using these offers. They also have the ability to integrate your show with Podcorn, which makes it very easy to find sponsorship for your shows. Buzzsprout also allows you to manage your shows and upload content all from your mobile device. Buzzsprout's very much community-driven, and this is shown through their content and presence on social media. From their blog to their YouTube channel, they have a ton of very helpful resources to really guide you through anything that you'd want to do with your podcast. In addition to this, they also have a Facebook group with over 10,000 members that are all Buzzsprout users that are very eager to help you with anything Buzzsprout or podcast related. Buzzsprout also allows you to create audiograms or what they call visual sound bites, which are great tools that you can use to promote your show on social media. All of Buzzsprout's plans also give you a podcast website that can act as a mobile app, but it's not a true native app, meaning it's not one that you could just go download from the App Store directly. Buzzsprout also provides automatic episode optimizations that you don't have to worry about choosing the right file type when you're uploading audio to your host. They also offer on-platform transcription and an embeddable podcast player, which makes it very easy to embed specific episodes on certain pages on your website. They also give you the ability to put in chapter marks, which makes it very easy to highlight specific points within the episode, making it very easy for your listeners to jump to the significant points within the episode. One point of note on that one is that not every podcast directory has this feature built in, so it'll only work on those that actually allow it to happen. All of Buzzsprout's plans allow for unlimited team members, meaning you can have as many people as you want, helping you to manage and operate your show. All their plans also come with unlimited storage. What you get more of as you move up the tiers is more upload time per month. Some recent additions to features on Buzzsprout is you now have the ability to import your podcast stats from your previous host. So when you're switching over to Buzzsprout, you can actually import all those download numbers so that you never lose the downloads that you've worked so hard to achieve. They've also added some dynamic content features in the form of dynamic pre- and post-rolls for an episode or all of your episodes. And what that allows you to do is change either an intro or an outro to your episode to highlight whatever you're trying to promote at that time. This is great for working with sponsors because you can also offer sponsorship on all of your previous episodes in the form of changing the dynamic pre- or post-roll. So in layman's terms, there's a piece before and after an episode, and you can change that live without actually changing the physical episode, meaning the episode stays the way it was, but you can change the beginning or the end to suit whatever need you have at the time. So that was a lot for even me to say, so that definitely speaks to how many features Buzzsprout gives you. So obviously, they scored very well in this category. We gave them an 8 out of 10. And the only reason they didn't score even higher is for a few nitpicky things. The first is that for every paid plan, you only get one show, meaning that if you do want to have more than one show, you are going to have to pay for its own allotment of hours. You can manage it on the same Buzzsprout account, but you do have to pay per show per month. And the other things we're being nitpicky about is it would be nice to have a private podcast hosting option. A lot of the other hosts out there do offer this, and Buzzsprout doesn't. And the final thing that we're really nitpicking here is that Magic Mastering is a feature exclusive to Buzzsprout that we love, but it is behind a paywall, meaning that if you do want to use that for your show, and we highly recommend it, you do have to pay for that in addition to what you're paying for already to host your show. So that's the reason it didn't score even higher, but 8 out of 10, a very, very solid score, and we are very happy with Buzzsprout's features. Moving on to price, all of Buzzsprout's plans are very affordable, and you do get a ton for what you're paying for, and they even have a completely free option. But with that free option, they only host your episodes for 90 days. But it is a fantastic way to really experiment and get your hands on Buzzsprout and see if you like it before upgrading to a paid plan. But even Buzzsprout's paid plans are all very affordable, and you do get a ton of value for what you're paying for. What you get more of as you upgrade to the higher tiers is more upload time. So depending on how much content you're going to be uploading per month in terms of time will depend on which tier you have to go for. So with all that being said, we still think Buzzsprout has fantastic value regardless of which plan you go for, so we gave them an 8 out of 10 when it comes to price. Finally, moving on to ease of use. This is where Buzzsprout really, really shines. This is their core focus as a business. They want to give you everything that you could possibly want as a podcaster, but they only give you a feature if they can make it extremely simple and very easy to use, and that is a core focus of theirs through and through with everything that they offer. And on top of their features being very straightforward and easy to use, they also give you a ton of support in the forms of their YouTube channel, their blog, and the Facebook group with over 10,000 members. So it's unlikely that you'll ever have any problems or confusion with using the service, but if you ever do, there is a ton of support to help you. So for all those reasons, we gave them a 10 out of 10 when it comes to ease of use because this is really their core focus as a business. So overall across the three categories, Buzzsprout scored a 26 out of a possible 30 points. We are massive fans of Buzzsprout, and we think it's a fantastic option for you and your show. So let's start off with features. What I love about Simplecast is that all of their plans offer unlimited storage and uploads, meaning that you can put up as much content as you want, and you won't have to pay any additional fees. Instead, how they charge is based on downloads per month, and their cheapest plan gives you up to 20,000 monthly downloads. So as long as you're under that, you can post as much content as you want. And 20,000 monthly downloads is a pretty high number, meaning that most people will be able to stay on the cheapest plan for some time. Simplecast also provides a podcast website and the opportunity to attach a custom domain for that website. So if you own one for your show, you can easily attach it. You're also able to manage multiple shows with one Simplecast account. So if you do have numerous shows, you don't have to make multiple accounts, but you will have to pay monthly for each show that you're hosting with Simplecast. They also provide an embeddable podcast player, which allows you to easily embed podcast episodes to easily play on websites. Simplecast also offers professional and enterprise-sized plans for businesses, larger shows, and podcast networks, meaning that regardless of your situation, there's probably a plan for you that would work on Simplecast. The basic plan starts with two team members or two team managers, meaning that two people can have their own Simplecast account to manage the same show. Simplecast also has what they call the recast feature, which allows you to easily create trailers and audiograms to help promote your show on social media. All Simplecast plans come with basic analytics, but they do move up and become more advanced as you pay for the higher plans. So those are all Simplecast's core features that you're going to want to keep in mind. They do give you a ton to work with, but there are some features that aren't available on Simplecast that are on other hosts, which is why Simplecast gets a 7 out of 10 when it comes to features. They give you everything you need, but not some of the things that you may want. So now let's move on to pricing. Simplecast offers three primary plans based on your unique needs for you and your show, and the cheapest one starts at $15 a month, that you can get down to $13 a month if you do pay annually. What I do love about Simplecast, though, is if you use the link in the description box or the pinned comment, you'll get yourself a free 14-day trial, so you can actually see if you like using Simplecast to run and operate your show. But as I mentioned earlier, they charge based on monthly downloads, and their cheapest plan will get you up to 20,000 downloads per month. But as your show grows, you are going to have to pay more, so that's something you should be aware of. But with that said, that 20,000 number is quite substantial, and the majority of shows are going to be under that for quite some time, and their beginning or starting plan is quite affordable. And for all of those reasons and all the features that Simplecast gives you, we would give their pricing a 9 out of 10 based on value for what you're paying. And the third category is ease of use, and this is obviously very important because you're going to be using this a lot, so you want to make sure that you actually enjoy the process. And as you may have guessed from their name, Simplecast, one of their core focuses is keeping their offering as simple as possible, and that is one of the reasons why they don't have as many features as other hosts may have, because they want to keep the process very simple and very easy to use for its users. So what they sacrifice in terms of mass features, they make up for in simplicity and ease of use. Their whole process from setting your show up to getting it live on different podcast directories is incredibly simple and easy to follow, meaning that basically anyone can use Simplecast, and that's really the whole point. And for that reason, they get a 9 out of 10 for ease of use. So overall, Simplecast gets a 25 out of 30. It is a very simple and easy to use podcast host, so as long as it has all the features that you're looking for, it may be a great option for you and your show. So as I mentioned earlier, there are links to both Buzzsprout and Simplecast in the description box and pinned comment down below. Full disclosure, those are affiliate links, so we appreciate the support in advance. Using that Buzzsprout link to sign up for a paid plan will get you a free $20 Amazon gift card, and a Simplecast link will get you a free trial of their service. So after watching this breakdown, we want to hear from you. Are you going to go with Buzzsprout or Simplecast? Let us know in the comment section down below. And don't forget to subscribe for more podcasting videos, and I'll see you in the next one. Happy podcasting.