Podbean vs. Buzzsprout – Which Tool To Use in 2022?

I’m SUPER excited to share my in-depth Podbean vs. Buzzsprout comparison guide.

If you’re looking for the perfect podcast hosting platform, then Podbean and Buzzsprout are two amazing software to consider. They both offer easy-to-use features to help you create, host, and market your podcast.

Note: I’ve used Podbean and currently use Buzzsprout, so I’ll be sharing a firsthand experience — you’ll discover what I like and what I dislike.

Why choose Podbean? Or is Buzzsprout a better podcast hosting service? That’s exactly what we’re going to talk about. 

Let’s begin.

1. Podbean vs. Buzzsprout At A Glance

How do Podbean and Buzzsprout stack up, which podcast hosting solution will serve you best? Let’s take a quick look.

4.9	4.7
Best Overall. Simplifies the process of starting, recording, marketing, and monetizing podcasts. Starts at $14/month.	Feature-rich. Provides powerful tools for experienced users when it comes to hosting podcasts. Starts at $12/month.
Try Podbean	Try Buzzsprout

2. Who Is Podbean Best For?

Podbean is best suited for beginners, which includes business owners, authors, online advertisers, consultants, and other subject matter experts who want to start podcasting and make money from it.

Other individuals, as well as small businesses who desire to reach new audiences and scale their influence, can also benefit from Podbean’s robust podcasting platform.

3. Who Is Buzzsprout Best For?

Buzzsprout is highly recommended for successful entrepreneurs, influencers, online marketing experts, and experienced podcasters. If you have some experience with podcasting or wish to switch to a platform with more advanced features and tools, Buzzsprout might just be your best option.

4. A Close Look At The Features Of Podbean and Buzzsprout

In this table, we’ll take a closer look at how Podbean compares with Buzzsprout. Let’s examine the key features briefly: 

Features
Podcast Distributions
Podcast Transcriptions
Podcast Live Stream
Magic Mastering
Monetize Your Podcast
Podcast Analytics
Embeddable Podcast Players
Podcast Website and App
Visual Podcast Promotions
Podcast Integrations and Device Support
Get Started	Try Podbean	Try Buzzsprout

5. Key Features Of Podbean

Podcast listeners have grown by 37.5% in 3 years, and 50% of Americans ages 12-34 listen to podcasts monthly.

Podbean allows you to quickly turn your ideas into a podcast for the world to enjoy. 

You can also make money from sharing your expertise in a particular field or industry.

Here are the 5 key features of Podbean:

#1 Podcast Publishing

Podbean is easy to use and helps you get your podcast up and running on time. 

Whatever tool you need to publish your podcast episodes is available on Podbean.

It uses an intuitive interface with a few clicks to get your episodes published. 

You can also use your own branded domain to ramp up your podcast website.

Podbean also offers unlimited hosting with no limitations on downloads.

The scheduled publishing feature helps you publish your episodes on your timetable. 

Upload your audio and schedule your episodes to go live at your preferred time.

The publishing process is quite simple and flexible. 

Podbean even lets you publish podcast episodes from your mobile phone. 

You’re in control.

#2 Podcast Distribution And Promotion

It’s not enough to have fantastic ideas for your episodes. Podbean amplifies your voice and helps you reach potential listeners — so that you can grow your audience.

Where you publish your podcast matters. That’s why Podbean takes podcast distribution seriously. 

Get listed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and podcast apps.

The embeddable players make distribution pretty easy. Simply generate stunning and customizable players to embed your podcast on your blog and landing pages. 

It’s easy to add single-episode and multi-tract players in your preferred sizes, shapes, and colors.

There’s more… 

Reach as many people on social media by automatically posting your new episodes to Facebook, YouTube, etc., once they’re connected with your Podbean account.

Distributing your podcast episodes to Amazon Alexa devices can help you reach listeners at home. 

Build your email list by collecting email addresses automatically so that you can easily share your new episodes via email. Podbean integrates well with MailChimp.

#3 Podcast Monetization and Revenue Tools

Podbean provides all the essential tools and monetization methods that will fit your podcast.

First, you can list your podcast in the Podbean advertising marketplace at no extra cost. 

This will expose your podcast to potential advertisers. Run ads and generate income like a pro and maximize revenue. 

You’ll be paid via PayPal.

The premium monetization method allows you to get paid for podcast content via single-episode sales, or you can set up subscriptions. 

Simply focus on creating helpful and interesting episodes, and Podbean will handle payment, technical, and support needs.

More so, your fans and listeners can support your podcast with monthly donations via Patreon. 

Quickly create a Patreon page in minutes, set up different levels of rewards and donations — and you can even publish Patreon-only content to maximize donations.

Podbean takes podcast monetization seriously. That’s why they offer PodAds, premium sponsorships, and Patreon opportunities to help podcasters make more money. Buzzsprout’s mode of monetization is mainly via affiliate marketing.

Burkhard Berger

#4 Live Audio Streaming Tools

Live streaming is an upgraded method of podcast promotion. 

Podbean provides handy tools to expand your podcast with audio live shows and simplifies the entire process — so that you can engage your audience in new ways.

It’s easy to send instant messages and make calls on your live shows. 

What a great way to interact with your fans and boost your listener engagement metrics!

With the Remote Co-host/Guest Call In feature, it’s easy to invite remote co-hosts from your city or anywhere in the world through the live stream tool — which is available in the free Podbean app.

During a live stream, you can tap into the revenue opportunities by selling virtual tickets and getting virtual gifts from your active listeners. You can easily convert virtual gifts into US dollars and withdraw them.

#5 Podcast Statistics and Listener Analysis

Is your podcast performing well? Podbean gives you comprehensive statistics about your podcast.

Check out downloads and trends. This helps you to better understand how your podcast is performing and your audience’s response to each episode you publish.

The User Agents chart is also insightful, as it shows which directories and devices your audience is listening from.

Podbean also does something amazing. 

It summarizes all your download data and gives you the top 10 episodes based on different date ranges. 

This data is important when you’re looking to spot patterns and grow your audience.

Additionally, Podbean also shows where your listener came from on the map. 

Track podcast downloads by the time of day, user retention, and so on.

6. Key Features Of Buzzsprout

Podcasters love Buzzsprout due to some of its user-friendly advanced podcasting features. 

These features make it easy for intermediates and experienced podcasters to switch to the platform or host a new podcast channel.

Let’s consider the key features that make Buzzsprout stand out.

#1 Publish and Distribute Podcast Episodes

It’s easy to publish a new podcast episode on Buzzsprout. Simply upload a new episode or drag and drop your audio file into the dashboard.

After a successful upload, you’ll be prompted to add a title and description for your new episode.

Buzzsprout not only helps you start your podcast, but it also distributes it to the top podcast directories such as Google Podcasts, Alexa, Overcast, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Podchaser, Stitcher, and so on.

It would not be difficult to grow an audience if your entire marketing efforts were within Buzzsprout and your blog.

These podcast directories attract millions of young and old podcast lovers who want to listen and learn from insightful podcasts.

With Buzzsprout, all it takes is a few clicks, and your podcast will be listed in all of the popular directories at no extra cost.

#2 Advanced Podcast Analytics And User Data

If you want to go beyond the typical podcast analytics, Buzzsprout provides advanced statistics with a comprehensive at-a-glance insight into your podcast’s growth and reach.

As you begin to scale your podcast and produce more episodes, Buzzsprout will have enough data to provide in its rich and robust analytics dashboard.

Advanced statistics help you measure:

• Listener location
• Episode downloads
• Podcast performance and trends over time
• Apps and devices used by listeners

The objective of tracking performance is to gather valuable insight into what is working and what isn’t. That way, you can fine-tune your podcast and expand your reach.

If you need richer and more comprehensive podcast analytics and user data, Buzzsprout is the best option. Podbean’s analytics report is basic, which is fine for beginners, but it may not be ideal for more experienced podcasters.

Burkhard Berger

#3 Podcast Optimization and Transcription

Buzzsprout provides automatic episode optimization. 

There’s no need to worry about file types, ID3 tags, or bitrates. 

All you need to do is upload your audio file and then allow Buzzsprout to optimize your episodes automatically.

You can choose to publish your episode right away or schedule the time and day you prefer.

In addition to automatic episode optimization, Buzzsprout has one of the best transcription tools. 

When you transcribe your podcast, it becomes more accessible to speed readers, search engines, and the hearing impaired. 

Alternatively, you can choose to manually add your transcript and publish it instantly.

#4 Monetize Your Podcasts

There are so many ways to generate revenue from podcasts. 

Podcast advertising is one proven way. However, it might not work for new podcasters or for podcasters who don’t have a loyal fanbase.

The good news is that Buzzsprout has improved the entire process of monetizing your podcast. 

You can take advantage of affiliate marketing to generate income from your podcast. Here’s how it works:

Podcasting should be easy and fun, but at the same time, making money must be a priority. 

That’s why Buzzsprout has partnered with other brands to help you start your podcast and monetize whenever you want.

#5 Create A Beautiful Podcast Website

Your podcast needs a website. 

You can’t afford to publish your podcast episodes everywhere — you need a single place where people can easily discover your podcast, connect with your show on social media, and easily subscribe to it.

For free of charge, Buzzsprout provides dedicated websites to every user, regardless of the plan they’re enrolled in. 

Don’t forget to add a beautiful and custom podcast player to your website.

So, there’s no need to design your podcast website using Wix, Squarespace, or WordPress. 

Save your web hosting fee and reinvest it into your podcast to reach even more listeners and make more money.

7. Podbean vs. Buzzsprout – Pros And Cons

Podbean is a truly powerful all-in-one podcast hosting software with handy tools to help you start a podcast, promote it, and make money from sharing what you know with the world. 

To help you in making smarter decisions, let’s separate the good from the bad using the pros and cons:

Pros	Cons
The interface is clean and easy to use.	There is no money-back guarantee on paid plans.
The basic plan is free forever.	The security features are limited.
There is a free podcast website builder.	Only Podbean users can subscribe to your podcast. Non-registered users can’t.
You can easily invite remote co-hosts to your show.	Podcast listeners can’t post comments, except through the Podbean app.
Free podcast advertising helps you attract premium advertisers.
Live streaming is seamless, and the podcasts are high-performance.
The podcast analytics report is rich and modern.

If you need a more advanced podcast platform for starting, promoting, and tracking podcast analytics, Buzzsprout is a great option.

Here are its pros and cons:

Pros	Cons
There is unlimited storage space for all paid plans.	There is no website builder.
They offer a 90-day free trial.	Customer support can be improved since it’s only available via email.
You can easily transcribe podcast episodes for the hearing-impaired and search engines.	The Advanced Podcast Analytics reports might be a bit complex for beginners.
There is no credit card required during the free trial sign-up.
You can gain access to advanced podcasting tools.
There is a one-click podcast distribution to top directories such as Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Alexa, etc.

8. Where Do I Get The Most For My Money?

Are you ready to start your podcast? 

You might be wondering how much Podbean or Buzzsprout costs.

After all, pricing is always an important factor to consider.

Let’s break down the plans and pricing for Podbean and Buzzsprout.

Podbean Pricing Plans

Podbean offers 4 pricing plans that are easy to choose from based on your podcasting needs: 

• Basic ($0.00/month): If you’re just getting started, this Podcast Starter is the most ideal. It’s 100% free forever, and comes with 5 hours of storage space, 100GB monthly bandwidth, mobile app & podcast player.

• Unlimited Audio ($14/month): This plan gives you more control over your podcasting channel. It costs $9/month (billed annually), which is a huge savings. The features are unlimited storage, unmetered bandwidth, embeddable players, and more.

• Unlimited Plus ($39/month): You get all the features in the Unlimited Audio plan, plus Patreon programs, PodAds, Premium sales, and more. If you’re looking to monetize and make money from your podcasts from day one, this is the best plan. It costs $29/month (billed annually).

• Business ($129/month): Podbean offers an enterprise-level plan for business podcasts and podcast networks. If you pay yearly, it will only cost $99/month and comes with all the features in Unlimited Plus and more.

Buzzsprout Pricing Plans

Buzzsprout offers a simple pricing structure with no contracts required. Here’s the breakdown:

• Free ($0.00/month): Get started with this completely free plan. Upload and host your podcast episodes for 90 days, 2 hours uploads each month, advanced stats, unlimited team members, but the podcast website comes with ads. You can always upgrade to remove ads.

• $12/month): This plan comes with indefinite episodes hosting, advanced stats, unlimited storage, unlimited team members, and up to 3 hours of episodes each month.

• $18/month): This plan can host 6 hours of episodes each month, and they’ll be indefinite. Upload more content for $3/hour. Other features include unlimited team members, unlimited storage, advanced stats, and more.

• $24/month: Upload 12 hours of episodes each month. Your episodes are hosted indefinitely, get advanced stats, unlimited storage, unlimited team members, and even upload additional content for $2/hour.

9. Conclusion – Which Is Better: Podbean Or Buzzsprout?

Podbean is an all-in-one platform that helps you start a podcast. It has everything you need to start and grow a successful podcast. There’s no complex technology to learn.

Buzzsprout, on the other hand, gives you advanced tools to host, promote, and track your podcast performance in real-time.

If you don’t want to commit for one year, Buzzsprout offers monthly plans only. 

There are no contracts whatsoever. 

Podbean offers yearly discounted pricing. 

The monthly billing might be expensive if you’re on a tight budget.

Buzzsprout is perfect if you have gained some experience with podcasting and simply need a more advanced hosting software. 

It provides better tools for monetizing and generating revenue from your efforts.

If you don’t want to mess with technology, perhaps you’re new to podcasting and want to get started as quickly as possible, you should definitely go for Podbean.

10. Podbean vs. Buzzsprout – FAQ

Is Podbean or Buzzsprout better for starting your podcast? 

With so many questions already, let’s address 4 FAQs:

Is Podbean really free?

Yes, Podbean has a basic podcast hosting plan which is free forever. However, the free plan only accommodates 5 hours of storage space, 100 GB bandwidth monthly, and other essential features. Podbean also offers paid plans with tons of advanced features and more storage space.

Does Buzzsprout support video?

Buzzsprout doesn’t support video podcasting as Podbean does. However, it provides tools that will help you incorporate videos into your podcasting process. Podbean gives you more control when you want to start and record video podcasts.

Does Podbean upload to Spotify?

Yes, Podbean is an official Spotify “passthrough” partner. So essentially, once your episodes are submitted and approved, Spotify will instantly fetch your content from your RSS feed, much like other podcast apps and podcatchers.  

Does Buzzsprout have an app?

Podbean has a dedicated app, but Buzzsprout doesn’t. However, your Buzzsprout podcast website can play the role of a mobile app on your listener’s devices. To activate this, simply use the Add to Home Screen feature on iOS and Android devices, and that’s it. You get an app-like display for your audience.