Choosing a podcast host used to be simple: upload your episodes, generate an RSS feed and publish your show.
Today, hosting platforms can include analytics, video, websites, monetization, AI tools and more, which makes comparing them more complicated.
When looking at Blubrry Podcasting, Buzzsprout, Libsyn, Podbean and other hosts, it’s easy to focus on price or feature lists.
But the better question is:
Which podcast host fits the way you actually plan to podcast?
Here are the most important things to compare.
1. How Does the Podcast Host Structure Its Plans?
Podcast hosts structure their plans in different ways. Depending on the provider, limits may be based on storage, upload time, bandwidth, downloads or included features.
That means two plans with similar prices may work very differently.
Blubrry: Hosting Based on How Much You Publish
Blubrry hosting plans are based on monthly publishing time—not megabytes or file size.
For example:
- 1.5 hours per month — $7
- 3 hours per month — $15
- Additional plans offer more monthly publishing time for creators who produce longer or more frequent content.
Your monthly time can be used for audio or video, making it easier to choose a plan based on how much content you actually publish.
Instead of estimating file sizes, the question becomes much simpler:
How many hours of content do you publish each month?
2. Does the Host Support How You Want to Publish?
There was a time when podcasting meant recording an MP3, uploading it, and calling it a day. Those days are long gone.
Today, creators are publishing audio, video, YouTube clips, private podcasts, bonus episodes, and entire podcast networks. That’s why choosing a host isn’t just about getting your RSS feed online anymore.
Others are publishing:
- Audio podcasts
- Video podcasts
- YouTube content
- Multiple shows
- Short-form and long-form content
- Private or premium content
There is no single correct way to podcast.
What matters is whether your hosting platform supports the way you want to create.
A podcaster starting with audio today may decide to experiment with video later.
A solo creator may eventually launch a second show.
A business may need multiple team members managing content.
You should not choose a host only for the podcast you have today.
Think about what you may reasonably want to do next.
Audio and Video With Blubrry
Blubrry hosting plans support both audio and video podcast publishing.
Creators who are already producing video content for YouTube can also use Vid2Pod, a publishing method available with Blubrry hosting that helps turn existing YouTube videos into podcast episodes for distribution through podcast listening platforms.
You can choose the format that makes sense for your content without feeling like video is required to have a successful podcast.
Apple
Blubrry also supports HLS (HTTP Live Streaming) for Apple Podcasts video delivery, providing adaptive streaming that automatically adjusts video quality based on the listener’s connection and device. This creates a smoother viewing experience while meeting Apple’s preferred video streaming requirements.
3. What Kind of Podcast Analytics Do You Actually Need?
Almost every podcast host offers some form of statistics.
The important question is what those statistics tell you.
A new podcaster may initially want to know:
“How many people listened?”
As a podcast grows, the questions often become more detailed.
Where are people listening?
Which episodes perform best?
Are there meaningful audience trends?
How does performance change over time?
Which data can I confidently use when talking with advertisers, sponsors or stakeholders?
Analytics become especially important when a podcast is connected to a business, organization or monetization strategy.
Blubrry’s Approach to Podcast Statistics
Podcast analytics have been a major part of Blubrry’s platform for years.
Blubrry provides podcast statistics designed to help creators better understand audience activity and podcast performance, with more advanced analytics available for podcasters who need deeper reporting.
For some creators, basic statistics may be enough.
For others, analytics become one of the most important parts of their podcast infrastructure.
Know which type of podcaster you are before choosing a platform.
IAB
4. How Much Control Do You Want Over Your Podcast?
This is one of the most overlooked questions when comparing podcast hosts.
Your podcast is more than a collection of audio files.
Over time, it can include:
- Your RSS feed
- Your website
- Your episode archive
- Your audience
- Your analytics
- Your search presence
- Your monetization
- Your publishing workflow
Think about how much control you want over those pieces.
Some creators prefer having everything contained within one simple platform.
Others want greater flexibility to connect their podcast hosting with their own website, publishing tools and broader digital presence.
Neither approach is automatically right or wrong.
But they are different.
Ownership Has Always Been Important at Blubrry
Since the early days of podcasting, we’ve believed creators should own their podcast, not rent it.
That’s why we’ve invested in tools like PowerPress, podcast websites, detailed analytics, and flexible RSS management. They’re designed to give you control over how and where your podcast grows, instead of locking you into a single ecosystem.
5. What Happens When Your Podcast Changes?
Most podcasters don’t outgrow their microphone first, they outgrow their hosting.
The show you launch today probably won’t look the same a year from now.
Maybe you’ll start publishing video. Maybe you’ll launch a second show. Maybe your hobby podcast becomes part of your business.
Good hosting should make those changes easier, not force you to start over.
You might go from:
One show → Multiple podcasts
Audio only → Audio and video
Basic statistics → Advanced analytics
Solo creator → Multiple team members
Hobby project → Business asset
Publishing episodes → Monetizing an audience
That does not mean every podcaster needs the most advanced hosting plan from day one.
You probably do not.
But it is worth understanding what options will be available if your needs change.
Look at more than the least expensive plan.
Look at the entire platform.
6. What Kind of Support Is Available?
Support is not always the first thing people think about when shopping for podcast hosting.
Until something goes wrong.
Maybe your RSS feed is not updating correctly.
An episode is not appearing where you expected.
You are moving an established podcast from another host.
You have a question about Apple Podcasts, Spotify or another distribution platform.
Suddenly, support matters quite a bit.
When comparing hosting providers, look at:
- What support channels are available?
- Can you reach an actual person?
- Does the support team understand podcasting?
- Is educational help available when you need it?
Blubrry’s support team includes people with hands-on podcasting experience who regularly help creators work through publishing, RSS, distribution, statistics and other podcasting questions.
Sometimes the most important feature of a hosting platform is the person who can help you when something does not work as expected.
7. Look Beyond the Monthly Price
Everyone compares the monthly price first.
That’s understandable.
But after years of helping podcasters move their shows from other platforms, we’ve learned that price is rarely the reason people switch.
More often it’s because they’ve hit a limit, need better analytics, want to publish video, or simply need support from someone who understands podcasting.
Ask:
What publishing limits apply?
Is audio and video supported?
What analytics are included?
Does the plan include a podcast website?
Are AI or publishing tools included?
What happens if I need more publishing capacity?
What support is available?
Can the platform accommodate multiple shows or team members later?
Most importantly:
Does the platform fit the way I want to build my podcast?
That question is much more useful than simply asking which host has the longest feature list.
Blubrry vs. Other Podcast Hosting Platforms
Podcast hosts are built with different priorities.
Some platforms emphasize a streamlined experience for quickly starting a show.
Others offer large ecosystems of creator tools.
Some have been serving podcasters for many years and support a wide variety of publishing needs.
Blubrry’s approach centers around giving podcasters the infrastructure to publish, measure and manage their content while maintaining flexibility and control over their broader podcast presence.
That includes:
- Time-based hosting options based on how much you publish
- Audio and video podcast support
- Podcast analytics
- Podcast website options
- WordPress integration with PowerPress
- AI podcast tools
- Monetization opportunities
- Vid2Pod publishing
- Options for individual creators, businesses, teams and networks
- Support from people who understand podcasting
The right podcast host ultimately depends on what matters most to you.
Think Beyond Episode One
There is no universal “best” podcast host for every podcaster.
And that is probably a good thing.
A hobby podcaster publishing once a month may have completely different priorities from a company producing several shows.
Someone recording their first episode has different needs from a podcast network managing years of content.
The goal should not be to find the platform with the most features.
It should be to find the platform whose features, pricing structure and philosophy match the way you want to podcast.
Think about what you need today.
But also think about what happens next.
Your next format.
Your next 100 episodes.
Your next show.
Your growing audience.
Your business.
Your podcast host is part of the infrastructure supporting all of it.
Choose accordingly.
Ready to Explore Blubrry Podcast Hosting?
Blubrry offers podcast hosting options for creators publishing everything from a few episodes each month to high-volume shows and podcast networks.
Choose a plan based on how much you publish, with tools for audio and video podcasting, analytics, websites, monetization and more.
Explore Blubrry Podcast Hosting Plans
