{"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": "2026-10-25T23:29:44Z", "permalink": "https://bikoosh.com/answers/s/podcast-hosting-platforms-small-businesses-2026-10-25", "question_page": "https://bikoosh.com/answers/q/podcast-hosting-platforms/small-businesses", "brands_named": [{"position": 1, "brand": "Buzzsprout", "label": "recommended"}, {"position": 2, "brand": "Spotify", "label": "recommended"}, {"position": 3, "brand": "Transistor", "label": "recommended"}, {"position": 4, "brand": "Captivate", "label": "recommended"}, {"position": 5, "brand": "Castos", "label": "recommended"}, {"position": 6, "brand": "WordPress", "label": "recommended"}, {"position": 7, "brand": "Podbean", "label": "recommended"}, {"position": 8, "brand": "Libsyn", "label": "recommended"}], "sources_cited": [{"url": "https://learn.g2.com/best-podcast-hosting-platforms", "domain": "learn.g2.com", "source_type": "review"}, {"url": "https://dupple.com/learn/best-podcast-hosting", "domain": "dupple.com", "source_type": "other"}, {"url": "https://talks.co/p/best-podcast-hosting", "domain": "talks.co", "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://www.websiterating.com/hosting/best-podcast-hosting", "domain": "websiterating.com", "source_type": "other"}], "answer_text": "Here's what I'd actually recommend, in order:\n\n**1. Buzzsprout** - my default pick for a small business starting its first show. Dead-simple publishing, automatic distribution to Apple/Spotify, clean per-episode analytics, and transcripts/chapters built in. There's a free tier (episodes expire after 90 days) with paid plans around $15-$30/mo depending on monthly upload hours. The appeal is that nobody on your team needs to learn anything - you upload, it goes out.\n\n**2. Transistor** - the one I'd pick if you might run more than one show (e.g., a customer-facing podcast plus an internal/private feed). Every plan hosts **unlimited podcasts** on one bill, which is unusual, and it does private podcasts well for member-only or employee-only content. Starts around $19/mo, up to ~$199/mo. Also the best analytics of the bunch for people who actually read dashboards.\n\n**3. Captivate** - the growth-oriented middle ground. Priced on monthly downloads rather than upload hours, unlimited shows on every tier, and it bundles the marketing layer: in-episode calls-to-action, a decent podcast website builder, and guest/contact tools. Entry plans run ~$17-$19/mo, scaling to ~$99/mo. Good fit if the p", "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"}}