{"question": "best podcast hosting platforms for small businesses", "category": "podcast-hosting-platforms", "category_name": "podcast hosting platforms", "audience": "small-businesses", "audience_name": "small businesses", "engine": "Claude (Anthropic) with web search", "model": "claude-opus-5", "asked_at": "2026-10-10T22:40:08Z", "permalink": "https://bikoosh.com/answers/s/podcast-hosting-platforms-small-businesses-2026-10-10", "question_page": "https://bikoosh.com/answers/q/podcast-hosting-platforms/small-businesses", "brands_named": [{"position": 1, "brand": "Buzzsprout", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 2, "brand": "Spotify", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 3, "brand": "Transistor", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 4, "brand": "Captivate", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 5, "brand": "Podbean", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 6, "brand": "RSS.com", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 7, "brand": "Libsyn", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 8, "brand": "Simplecast", "label": "mentioned"}], "sources_cited": [{"url": "https://costbench.com/best/best-podcast-hosting-for-business", "domain": "costbench.com", "source_type": "other"}, {"url": "https://costbench.com/stats/podcast-hosting-pricing-2026/", "domain": "costbench.com", "source_type": "other"}, {"url": "https://www.unilink.us/blog/best-podcast-platforms-2026", "domain": "unilink.us", "source_type": "other"}, {"url": "https://dupple.com/learn/best-podcast-hosting", "domain": "dupple.com", "source_type": "other"}, {"url": "https://costbench.com/compare/buzzsprout-vs-transistor/", "domain": "costbench.com", "source_type": "other"}], "answer_text": "Searched for current pricing and rankings. Here's what I'd actually recommend, in order:\n\n## My picks\n\n**1. Buzzsprout** - the default I'd suggest for most small businesses. Dead-simple dashboard, genuinely good human support, transparent pricing (free tier, then ~$15-$30/mo depending on upload hours), and \"Magic Mastering\" cleans up audio automatically so you don't need an editor for a straightforward interview show. If you just want episodes live on Apple/Spotify without thinking about it, this is it.\n\n**2. Transistor** - what I'd pick if the podcast is a company asset rather than a hobby. From ~$19/mo you get **unlimited shows** on every paid plan, multiple team members, and solid private/internal podcast feeds - great if you want one public marketing show plus a private feed for clients or staff. Best value the moment you have more than one show.\n\n**3. Captivate** - the \"podcast as a marketing engine\" host (~$17-$19/mo entry). Built-in calls-to-action in episode players, decent landing pages, email capture, and unlimited shows on every tier. Choose this if lead generation is the actual point of the podcast.\n\n**4. Podbean** - the budget option, around $12/mo. Monetization (dynam", "answer_truncated": true, "measurement": "One answer from one engine on one date. Not a ranking and not a claim about the world; brands the engine did not name are not recorded.", "limitation": "Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included.", "alerts": {"name": "Answer Watch Pro", "price_usd": 79, "period": "month", "gets": "daily change alerts for up to 5 brands in what one AI answer engine says, history, CSV export. Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included", "url": "https://bikoosh.com/answers"}}