Podcast hosting companies all store your audio and publish the RSS feed that directories read, so choose between them on the things that genuinely differ: how the price grows (by upload hours, by monthly downloads or not at all), which features Apple lists for each host, whether the host appears on IAB Tech Lab's podcast measurement compliance list, and how cleanly it lets you redirect the feed if you ever leave.
The two tables below cover eight hosts that appear on Apple's hosting partner page. Every price was read from the host's own pricing page on 1 October 2026, in US dollars, and will drift; treat the tables as a dated snapshot and confirm on the linked page before paying. If you are still at the idea stage, start with the podcast launch checklist.
What a host actually does for the money
Apple's hosting overview describes a host as the service that takes the parts of your podcast and creates an RSS feed, then helps manage that feed and investigate technical problems. Everything else a host sells sits on top: download statistics, a show website, team seats, private feeds, dynamic ad insertion, video delivery and links into subscription products. You can run your own server instead, but Apple strongly encourages an SSL certificate so the feed has an HTTPS address, and you inherit every technical requirement yourself.
Spotify for Creators is the outlier on price. Its switching guide describes unlimited free hosting and explains that Spotify funds it by taking a percentage of ad revenue from monetized shows. The setup trade-offs are covered in the Spotify for Creators setup guide.
Published prices, read on 1 October 2026
| Host | Entry price as published | Price scales with | Free route | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spotify for Creators | No hosting fee | Not priced; Spotify keeps a share of ad revenue from monetized shows | The whole service | Spotify switching page |
| Buzzsprout | $15 a month for the Audio plan, billed annually | Upload hours; the Audio plan lists 72 a year | 2 upload hours a month, with episodes hosted for 90 days | Buzzsprout pricing |
| Transistor | $19 a month for Starter | Monthly downloads, 20K on Starter, and private-feed subscribers | A 14-day trial | Transistor pricing |
| Captivate | From $19 a month for up to 30,000 downloads | Monthly downloads; every plan gets every feature | No free plan; a 30-day trial | Captivate pricing |
| Libsyn | $12 a month for Basic, with 3 hours of audio uploads a month; an $8 plan covers bare essentials | Monthly audio upload hours; video uploads up to 100GB a month on every plan | The first 30 days on any plan | Libsyn plans |
| Podbean | $17 a month for Unlimited Audio, or $12 a month paid yearly | Monthly upload size; Unlimited Audio allows 1GB | A free account, though paid plans cannot drop back to it | Podbean pricing |
| RSS.com | USD 15 a month for Plus, billed annually | Feature tiers rather than usage | A free plan with unlimited episodes and audio | RSS.com pricing |
| Acast | $25 a month for Essential, or $14.99 a month on yearly billing | Feature tiers and the number of shows | Starter: one show and five episodes, uncapped if the show joins Acast's ad marketplace | Acast pricing |
Features Apple lists and IAB compliance status
Apple's hosting partner page tags each host with up to seven features: show submission, subscription support, chapters, transcripts, HLS video, dynamic audio ads and dynamic video ads. IAB Tech Lab's compliant companies list shows which hosts have had their download counting certified.
| Host | Apple lists | Apple does not list | IAB list | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spotify for Creators | Transcripts and dynamic audio ads, with HLS video marked coming soon | Show submission, subscriptions, chapters, dynamic video ads | Not listed under this name | Apple, IAB |
| Buzzsprout | Submission, subscriptions, chapters, transcripts, HLS video, dynamic audio ads | Dynamic video ads | Listed, last certified 2025-10-29 | Apple, IAB |
| Transistor | Submission, subscriptions, chapters, transcripts, HLS video, dynamic audio ads | Dynamic video ads | Not listed | Apple, IAB |
| Captivate | Submission, subscriptions, chapters, transcripts, HLS video, dynamic audio ads | Dynamic video ads | Listed, last certified 2024-07-19 | Apple, IAB |
| Libsyn | Submission, subscriptions, chapters, transcripts, dynamic audio ads, with HLS video marked coming soon | Dynamic video ads | Listed, last certified 2025-11-17 | Apple, IAB |
| Podbean | Submission, subscriptions, chapters, transcripts, HLS video, dynamic audio ads | Dynamic video ads | Listed, last certified 2026-01-07 | Apple, IAB |
| RSS.com | All seven, including dynamic video ads | Nothing | Listed, last certified 2026-04-10 | Apple, IAB |
| Acast | Submission, chapters, HLS video, dynamic audio and video ads | Subscriptions, transcripts | Listed, last certified 2026-02-18 | Apple, IAB |
“Not listed” describes the list on the day it was read, not a judgement about a host's numbers. Every entry on IAB's list was certified against version 2.2 of the guidelines, and IAB Tech Lab's guidelines page shows version 2.3 was released in September 2026, so expect hosts to recertify over the coming months.
How to read the matrix for your own show
- Upload caps versus download caps. Upload-based plans charge for how much you publish, which can squeeze a show that releases long episodes to a modest audience. Download-based plans charge for how many people you reach, which bites only when the show grows. Both Transistor and Captivate say they keep serving audio when you exceed a tier and contact you about upgrading instead.
- Certified statistics. If you plan to sell sponsorships, certified download counting gives buyers a common yardstick. What certification covers is explained in the podcast analytics guide.
- Video. Apple's HLS video guide works through an API key you generate in Apple Podcasts Connect and give to your host; Apple Podcasts Subscriptions remain audio-only. On Spotify, a host can push video only through Spotify's Distribution API, which Spotify's video article says Audioboom, Audiomeans, Libsyn, Podigee and Podspace support.
- Private feeds. Members-only or internal shows need a host that issues private, per-listener feeds. Apple's distribution page recommends the itunes:block tag on any private feed so its public directory ignores it.
- Ownership. Read the terms for who owns uploads. Spotify says you keep ownership of your episodes even when you monetize, and Transistor's pricing FAQ says the same of its service.
Turned into quick decisions, the tables suggest a few shortcuts. None of them is a ranking; each simply matches a host feature to a show need.
- No budget and a Spotify-first audience: Spotify for Creators, accepting that you submit everywhere else by hand and that its video stays on Spotify.
- Plans to sell ads to agencies or brands that ask for audited numbers: shortlist hosts that currently appear on the IAB list.
- Long or frequent episodes with a modest audience: a download-priced plan, since publishing more does not raise the bill.
- A members-only or staff-only feed: compare private subscriber allowances before anything else.
- HLS video on Apple Podcasts right now: pick a host Apple lists for video without the coming-soon label.
Free tiers cap different things
“Free” means something different at each host. Spotify for Creators has no hosting fee at all, but you have to switch on the RSS feed, accept that your email address becomes visible in it, and submit to every other app yourself. Buzzsprout's free plan keeps each episode online only for a limited window, so it works as a trial rather than a home. Acast's Starter tier stops at a handful of episodes unless you open the show to its ad marketplace. RSS.com's free plan is uncapped on episodes. Podbean lets you start free but will not let a paid account return to the free tier. Match the cap to your plan: a limited series can live happily on a tier that a weekly show would outgrow quickly.
Migration-out checklist: leaving a host without losing listeners
Apple's guide to changing hosting providers says a well-run move should leave listeners unaffected, with downloads, follow status and play position intact. Work through these steps in order:
- Download your audio masters, show notes and the old host's statistics. Spotify's switching guide warns that analytics from a previous host do not carry over.
- Import the show into the new host, then open both feeds in an RSS viewer and compare titles, descriptions, artwork and audio.
- Check that every episode GUID is identical in both feeds; where the old host used enclosure URLs instead, those must stay unchanged too.
- Confirm season and episode numbers came across, since mismatches can create duplicates.
- On the old host, set a 301 redirect to the new feed, and make sure the new feed carries the itunes:new-feed-url tag. Apple's feed URL page says to keep both in place for at least four weeks.
- If you have lost access to the old host, change the feed URL directly in Apple Podcasts Connect.
- Update the feed link in Spotify for Creators settings if the show is claimed there, and review the RSS settings on your YouTube podcast's details page if YouTube ingests the feed.
- If you publish HLS video to Apple, authorize the new host with a fresh API key.
- Leaving Spotify for Creators itself? Its redirect guide says the redirect can take up to 7 days and advises waiting at least a week before deleting the account; switch off any subscriptions first.
- Cancel the old plan only after the redirect is confirmed working.
Expect host statistics to wobble for a while. IAB Tech Lab's version 2.3 guidelines explain that some apps treat a changed enclosure URL as a new episode and download it again, and they advise keeping GUIDs, titles and publication dates unchanged during a move. Apple notes its own analytics should stay consistent even when host dashboards look unusual.
Newsletter platforms that host podcasts too
If a newsletter is your main business, the newsletter platform may already be a podcast host. Substack and beehiiv both appear on Apple's partner page, and both are on the IAB compliance list with certification dates in August 2026. Keeping audio beside the list can simplify paid tiers, though it ties two parts of the business to one company. The Substack monetization guide covers its fees, and the guide to building an email list you own covers why the list matters more than the platform.
Limitations of this comparison
Prices were read once, from public pages, without logging in, so promotions, taxes, regional pricing and legacy plans are not reflected. Feature columns repeat what Apple's partner page says about each host; no host was tested for reliability, support or statistics accuracy, and none is recommended over another. Several hosts outside the eight shown may suit you better. Contract terms, data-processing agreements and cancellation rules matter if you run a business podcast, so read them, and ask an accountant how hosting costs are treated for your tax situation.