{"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": "2026-10-28T00:52:31Z", "permalink": "https://bikoosh.com/answers/s/podcast-hosting-platforms-small-businesses-2026-10-28", "question_page": "https://bikoosh.com/answers/q/podcast-hosting-platforms/small-businesses", "brands_named": [{"position": 1, "brand": "Transistor", "label": "recommended"}, {"position": 2, "brand": "Transistor.fm", "label": "recommended"}, {"position": 3, "brand": "Buzzsprout", "label": "recommended"}, {"position": 4, "brand": "Captivate", "label": "recommended"}, {"position": 5, "brand": "Professional", "label": "recommended"}, {"position": 6, "brand": "Castos", "label": "recommended"}, {"position": 7, "brand": "WordPress", "label": "recommended"}, {"position": 8, "brand": "Libsyn", "label": "recommended"}, {"position": 9, "brand": "Spotify", "label": "recommended"}], "sources_cited": [{"url": "https://dupple.com/learn/best-podcast-hosting", "domain": "dupple.com", "source_type": "other"}, {"url": "https://findstack.com/resources/best-podcast-hosting", "domain": "findstack.com", "source_type": "other"}, {"url": "https://learn.g2.com/best-podcast-hosting-platforms", "domain": "learn.g2.com", "source_type": "review"}, {"url": "https://www.websiterating.com/hosting/best-podcast-hosting", "domain": "websiterating.com", "source_type": "other"}, {"url": "https://costbench.com/compare/buzzsprout-vs-captivate/", "domain": "costbench.com", "source_type": "other"}, {"url": "https://costbench.com/stats/podcast-hosting-pricing-2026/", "domain": "costbench.com", "source_type": "other"}, {"url": "https://app.unilink.us/blog/best-podcast-platforms-2026", "domain": "app.unilink.us", "source_type": "other"}], "answer_text": "Here's what I'd actually recommend, roughly in the order I'd consider them for a small business podcast:\n\n**1. Transistor.fm - my default pick for most small businesses.** Flat pricing with *unlimited downloads* on every plan (no overage surprises if an episode takes off), unlimited shows, and team seats included. The unlimited-shows part matters more than people expect - you can run a customer-facing marketing show plus a private internal/client-only feed on one subscription. Also does private podcasts natively, which is the killer feature for onboarding, training, or paid-member content. ~$19/mo starter, ~$49/mo for the common tier.\n\n**2. Buzzsprout - if you want the least friction.** The cleanest dashboard in the category and genuinely the best experience for someone who is not a podcast person and just needs episodes out the door. Great Magic Mastery audio cleanup, excellent support, solid distribution help. The catch: pricing is tiered by *hours uploaded per month* (~$19/$39/$79), so it's billed differently from Transistor's download model - fine for a weekly 30-min show, annoying if you publish a lot.\n\n**3. Captivate - if the podcast is explicitly a marketing channel.** It bu", "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"}}