If you’re unfamiliar with podcast hosting, a platform like Simplecast may be a good fit. It’s easy to use if you’re a new podcaster, and easy to scale up once you’re ready for more pro features.
But is Simplecast really the best fit for your show? We’re taking a closer look so you can see for yourself. Once we outline its features, pros, and cons, we highlight a few alternatives so you can better compare your options.
Let’s dive in.
- Introduction to Simplecast Podcast Hosting
- Key Features of Simplecast Podcast Hosting
- What People Are Saying About Simplecast Podcast Hosting
- Simplecast Pricing Plans and Options
- Alternatives to Simplecast for Podcast Hosting
- The Bottom Line on Simplecast
Introduction to Simplecast Podcast Hosting
What do you get with Simplecast podcast hosting?
Here’s a quick breakdown of what to expect:
| Features | Mobile app | Monetization tools | Monthly contracts | Price |
| Basic analytics, show website, unlimited storage and uploads, one-click publishing, and advanced ad insertion | ✔️ (iOS and Android) | ✔️ (requires upgrade) | ✔️ (optional) | $15 per month (After a 14-day free trial) |
Don’t know if these hosting features will suit your podcast’s needs?
You can read our podcast hosting checklist to get more clarity about your options.
Pros of Simplecast for Podcast Hosting
- Simplecast lives up to its name as one of the easiest podcast hosts for beginners. You don’t need any prior knowledge to get started — just the right podcast equipment to record and edit your show.
- Every Simplecast plan comes with unlimited storage and uploads. Unlike other podcast hosting platforms, you don’t need to worry about maxing out your space.
- If you’re a larger podcast company that plans to monetize your network, you can use Simplecast’s more expensive plans to insert dynamic ads. They also offer additional quality-of-life tools for your listeners, including frequency capping, brand blocking, and advanced targeting options.
Cons of Simplecast for Podcast Hosting
- Simplecast doesn’t offer any monetization features unless you upgrade to a Network & Shows plan. This could be a frustrating limitation if you’re a newer podcaster with a smaller monthly budget.
- There’s no transparent pricing listed for the Professional and Enterprise plans. The only way to get a quote is to contact the sales team.
- Simplecast’s base plan is bare-bones compared to other podcast hosting platforms. And no matter how much you upgrade, you’ll never have access to any AI features, social media promotion tools, or in-browser recording options.
Key Features of Simplecast Podcast Hosting
It’s no surprise that Simplecast’s features are designed to be simple and easy to use.
Let’s take a look at its most unique features compared to other podcast hosts:
Podcast Analytics
You can use Simplecast’s IAB-certified analytics to analyze and improve your podcast’s performance. Basic analytics are available on the base plan, while more advanced features require an upgraded plan.
Analytics categories include:
- Overview (total downloads, top listening methods, top countries, top time of day)
- Audience Insights (episode downloads, show downloads)
- Location (interactive map)
- Web Players (retention and play-through analytics)
- Technology (devices, networks, listening methods)
- Unique listeners (per show or episode)
Show Website
Like many other podcast hosting sites, you can use Simplecast to create a website for your show. This, unfortunately, is somewhat limited, especially compared to other podcast hosting alternatives.
Your customization options include adding:
- Links and email links
- Google Analytics
- Facebook Pixel codes
- Transcripts
- Podcast App Badges
Keep in mind Simplecast also has an official WordPress plugin, which means you can easily embed a Standard Web Player on your self-hosted or enterprise-hosted plan.
Advanced Monetization Tools
Simplecast offers monetization features on its two most expensive plans (Professional and Enterprise).
The Professional plan comes with:
- Dynamic ad insertion: This allows you to customize shows and episodes with the types of ads you prefer. You can also tap into advanced targeted tools to block brands or cap frequencies whenever necessary.
- The ad reporting suite: Account users can view their campaign revenues in real time. They can also generate customizable reporting templates and automate their delivery at key monthly points.
- Baked-in ad replacement: This could provide you with additional revenue opportunities.
- Secondary and ad-free feeds: In case you want listeners to pay for an ‘ad-free’
The Enterprise plan comes with all the above, plus an additional tool called the AdsWizz SSP. This allows you to connect with third-party ad networks, resellers, and programmatic buyers to make money outside of Simplecast’s network.
One-Click Publishing
Once you publish your first episode with Simplecast, you’ll have access to an RSS feed you can submit to directories. This allows you to send your show to popular podcast platforms in one click, which then automatically updates each time you upload a new episode.
Some of Simplecast’s most popular directories include:
- Breaker
- Spotify
- Amazon Music and Audible
- Pocket Casts
- iHeart Radio
- PlayerFM
- Google Podcasts
- Overcast
- TuneIn
- Audacy (Formerly Radio.com)
- Samsung Podcasts
- Stitcher/Pandora
- Deezer
- RadioPublic
- Apple Podcasts
- Gaana
- JioSaavn
Just keep in mind directory approval times vary. You may wait several days to several weeks before seeing your RSS feed listed on these websites.
Unlimited Storage and Uploads
Simplecast is one of few podcast hosts that doesn’t put a cap on their storage amounts. You’re free to upload as many episodes as you wish without needing to pay extra or upgrade for more space.
That said, Simplecast does put a limit on downloads per month, which isn’t the case for all podcast hosts. You’re limited to 20,000 total downloads on the base plan, although there’s a customizable cap on the Professional and Enterprise plans.
What People Are Saying About Simplecast Podcast Hosting
Simplecast averages an 85% positive sentiment rating across popular online review sites.
Here’s how the individual scores break down:
- G2: 3.9/5 stars from 13 user reviews
- ProductHunt: 4.8/5 stars from 27 reviews
- Findstack: 4.0/5 stars from 13 user reviews
Customers love how easy it is to get started. They also appreciate the speed of email support in case something goes wrong with the upload or monetization process.
Current users have said:
- “In addition to facilitating the production of promotional videos for podcasts, the user interface is intuitive and uncomplicated, the initial setup procedure is brisk and needs very little time, and it is a delight to post podcasts.” — Nicolas H., Findstack
- “I like that you get to see the analytics of each episode in different dashboards, even a worldwide map!” — Guille S., G2
- “We’ve used Simplecast for quite a few years to host multiple podcasts. Not a single complaint and the whole team is one of the best in the industry.” — Josh Pigford, ProductReviews
That said, not everyone is thrilled with Simplecast’s software. Several past users were unhappy with the upload speeds. Others feel misled by the company’s confusing product roadmap.
Simplecast Pricing Plans and Options
Simplecast offers four distinct pricing plans: Basic, Essential, Professional, and Enterprise.
Here’s a quick comparison chart so you can see how each compares:
| Basic | Essential | Professional | Enterprise | |
| Price per month | $15 | $35 | Call for price | Call for price |
| Users per plan | 2 | 4 | Custom volume team member pricing | Volume pricing for team member seats |
| Downloads included per month | 20,000 | 50,000 | Custom volume show pricing | Custom volume show pricing |
| Monetization support | ❌ | ❌ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Now, let’s break down each of these plans below.
Basic
The basic plan offers bare-bones features for podcast hosting on the web.
For $15 USD per month (or $13.50 USD paid annually), you’ll get:
- A podcast website
- 1 embeddable episode web player
- Recast
- One-click distribution
- Basic analytics
- Space for two team members
Essential
The Essential plan unlocks more extensive analytics, including support for additional downloads per month.
For $35 USD per month (or $31.50 USD paid annually), you’ll get:
- Reports on unique listeners
- Analytics for web players, technology, and multiple episodes
- Space for four team members
Professional
The professional plan doesn’t come with transparent pricing. Instead, you have to contact the company for a quote.
For an undisclosed price per month, you’ll get:
- Podcast monetization features
- Custom volume pricing for team members and downloads
- Advanced real-time podcast analytics
- Priority customer support
Enterprise
Like the Professional plan, the Enterprise plan doesn’t have a listed price. You’ll still have access to the AdsWizz Podcast Marketplace, along with additional features for network brands.
For an undisclosed price per month, you’ll get:
- Additional audience data onboarding
- 1:1 support managers
- Higher bitrate audio
- API integrations
- On-demand RSS feed creation
Alternatives to Simplecast For Podcast Hosting
Simplecast can be a simple solution for newer or less experienced podcasters. However, it may also be a little too simple if you have hundreds of episodes under your belt.
Let’s take a look at four podcast hosting alternatives you may want to use instead of Simplecast:
Buzzsprout
Buzzspout is one of the most popular hosting platforms for new podcasters who are unfamiliar with the technology.
You can get unlimited team members with every Buzzsprout plan, which isn’t accessible if you’re using Simplecast. You’ll also have access to monetization features like subscriptions, but be warned — their ‘free’ plan isn’t really free.
Our complete guide to Buzzsprout covers all these details and more.
Spotify for Podcasters
Thousands of show hosts rely on Spotify for Podcasters to record, upload, and distribute their episodes. Not only is this platform 100% free, but it also allows you to upload video podcasts — a rare feature even for paid podcast hosts.
However, while Spotify for podcasters doesn’t cost money, its podcast monetization tools are still limited. If you’re not lucky enough to live in one of its 34 supported markets, you won’t be able to make money on podcast ads at all. Plus, you have to give 50% of your revenue to Spotify, which is a fairly steep cut compared to other podcast hosting alternatives.
You can use our guide to Spotify for Podcasters to decide if it’s a fit.
Blubrry
If you’re on the hunt for podcast AI, Blubrry may be a strong contender. Each plan comes with access to the Podcast AI Assistant (PAI), which can help you automatically create clip highlights, produce social media captions, and other podcast marketing assets.
This, unfortunately, doesn’t come cheap — PAI is only available on the mid-tier plan or higher. You can also purchase it as an add-on package, although the long list of ‘extras’ could add up fast.
Our guide to Blubrry for podcast hosting covers the rest.
Captivate
Captivate is a podcast management tool with built-in hosting features to help your podcast reach new audiences.
Just keep in mind Captivate is more expensive than Simplecast, although it does offer more downloads per plan. You also won’t get additional features when you upgrade, which could be a major limitation if you’re planning on scaling your show.
If you want additional details, check out our guide to Captivate.
The Bottom Line on Simplecast
Simplecast can be as easy or complex as you want, whether you’re a budding podcast producer or a seasoned podcast professional. It’s simple to get started if you’re unfamiliar with the technology and easy to scale up once you’re ready to monetize your show.
Of course, Simplecast can’t make you an overnight success. You need several other components — including podcast editing software, good podcast microphones, and the right podcast promotion know-how — to successfully launch and maintain your show.
That’s why the world’s most successful podcasters rely on The Podcast Consultant: the most effective way to delegate tedious podcast production tasks. Our editing, recording, and post-production services can help you grow into a visionary role, which gives you the space, time, and creative energy to move the needle forward on your show.
Learn more about The Podcast Consultant and the podcast production services we offer by scheduling a no-obligation discovery call.