Speaker 1: Today is an exciting day because today we'll be ranking the top 5 podcast hosting platforms from worst to best so you can decide where to host your precious podcast baby. Coming in at number 5 is SoundCloud, and you did hear me correctly, the home of your unemployed cousin's rap album also offers podcast hosting. But is it any good for podcasts? Yes and no. The music slash social media hybrid application has been a favorite among up and coming indie artists since 2007 and it's easy to use interface is probably a big reason for this. Listeners can easily react and share your latest episode but we want to know how it works as a hosting platform so you can send your latest episodes over to Apple Music, Spotify, etc. And it's not great. SoundCloud's analytics are not IAB compliant which is really just a fancy way of saying you're not going to be able to accurately track your listeners. And there's been a lot of SoundCloud podcasters who have recently reported that their RSS feed isn't quite working properly and unfortunately requires a manual upload. So sorry to SoundCloud and to Cousin Kevin, we love you dearly, but you're at the bottom of the list for a reason. The hosting platforms after this one are all pretty great, but before we dive in, don't forget to check out our video How to Publish Your Podcast From Anywhere. It's super simple and a great jumping pad for future podcast success. Coming in at number four is Spreaker and even though its name might sound like an infectious disease, I'm sorry, I'm afraid you have Spreaker. Don't be fooled, there's a lot to love here. Founded in the same year as SoundCloud, Spreaker is an all-in-one podcasting platform that allows you to create, edit and of course host your podcast. It's got a beautiful user interface and a super simple hosting and distributing platform that allows you to share your podcast with just one click. So what's the problem? Pricing. Well, kind of. Spreaker offers four different price tiers, but if you want access to their more advanced statistics, you'll need to subscribe to their broadcaster tier, which is 20 bucks a month, which would be absolutely awesome if it really was the all-in-one solution that they claim it to be. To be blunt, Spreaker just doesn't have the recording and editing software to justify anything close to that price. And if hosting and distributing are all that really matter to you, you're probably going to get pretty ticked off with that price tag. And at number three is Podbean. Already a much better name than Spreaker, but why should you choose it? To start, Podbean is priced very fairly. For just nine bucks a month, you'll get access to their unlimited audio plan, which offers unlimited storage and their fantastic monetization services. Podbean makes it super simple to track your analytics and helps you start making money as soon as possible with their simple to use interface. Podbean also offers live streaming services in order to let you better connect and network with your users. This social connection is at the heart of Podbean and their deep integrations with social media make it super easy to promote your podcast anywhere. And their analytics are fully IAB certified, so you can make a fully informed decision on what sort of stuff you want your audience to see. Yet, like Spreaker, things start to fall apart when you take a step back and look at the full package. Automated captions aren't included in the plan and start at 20 cents per minute. Video podcasting is stuck behind a ludicrous $29 a month plan, and multi-track recording isn't even available at all. This means that if one of your guest audio gets messed up, it's almost impossible to fix. And speaking of guests, do you know how to properly talk to yours? If you're anything like me, the pandemic and being stuck inside forever didn't exactly improve your social skills. So don't forget to subscribe to check out an upcoming video we have on how to interview podcast guests like a pro. Back to Podbean. With their easy to use UI and analytics, we have no problem recommending Podbean for an easy to use, no frills hosting platform. And coming in at number two is yours truly, PodCastle. That's right, not number one. You're going to have to wait just a little bit longer to see our very top pick. You're probably wondering why we didn't just give ourselves the gold medal. But first, let's talk about everything PodCastle does right. First, hosting on PodCastle is super simple. All thanks to our talented team of UI designers who have made the process of hosting and then distributing your podcast to other platforms like Spotify and Apple Podcasts as simple as possible. Don't believe me? Check out our full tutorial on how to record, edit and host your podcast on PodCastle right here. Wait, don't go yet. Unlike some of the other platforms on this list, PodCastle is fully all in one with best in class recording, editing and even transcription features. So you might be wondering why isn't PodCastle listed as number one? Because this isn't a video about the best all in one podcasting software. And if it was, I'd probably spend this whole video dancing around and singing the PodCastle anthem that I've written, patent pending. So if you're only looking for hosting services, PodCastle probably isn't your best bet here. We don't want you to get too distracted by our amazing and intuitive recording, editing and AI features. But if you're looking for the full package, you can use PodCastle totally free with our basic plan. Or once you're ready to upgrade, you can get 50% off your first month of the PodCastle Pro plan using the code in the description below. Now onto number one. Our top pick for podcast hosting is as simple as it gets. And the number one pick is Buzzsprout. The reason we picked Buzzsprout is because it does exactly what it says on the tin. Nothing more, nothing less. As the only platform on this list dedicated solely to hosting podcasts, Buzzsprout is the leading expert in getting your podcast published everywhere with their easy to use directory setup system. Their no frills UI makes up for its somewhat beige personality in having exactly what you need to see exactly where you need to see it. And their pricing is super competitive. 18 bucks will give you access to six hours of podcast uploads a month and their professional team can answer all your questions. To conclude, if you're solely looking for somewhere to host your podcast, you really can't beat Buzzsprout with their simple no frills platform. But if you're looking for the complete package in recording, editing and hosting your podcast, PodCastle is the best all-in-one platform there is. Don't forget that 50% off deal and I'll see you in the next one.