Choosing the right podcast hosting service is crucial for any podcaster looking to grow their audience and streamline their workflow. In this comprehensive Podbean vs SoundCloud, we compare two of the most popular platforms in the industry.
Whether you’re just starting or a seasoned podcaster, understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each service will help you make an informed decision that aligns with your goals.
Podbean and SoundCloud both provide unique features and capabilities tailored to different types of podcasters. We’ll break down these features, discuss the costs, and examine user experiences to give you a clear picture of each platform’s offerings.
By the end of this article, you’ll have all the information you need to decide which hosting service will best support your podcasting journey.
Let’s dive into the specifics and determine which platform reigns supreme in the Podbean vs SoundCloud.
Key Differences Between Podbean vs SoundCloud
When comparing Podbean and SoundCloud, it’s important to understand the key differences to determine which platform best suits your podcasting needs.
- Pricing: 💰 Podbean starts at $5/month, whereas SoundCloud has a free plan and the Pro Unlimited plan starts at $12/month.
- Ease of Use: 🖥️ Podbean offers a beginner-friendly interface, whereas SoundCloud is geared more towards users familiar with music streaming platforms.
- Analytics: 📊 Podbean provides decent metric schematics, whereas SoundCloud offers detailed real-time statistics.
- Customer Support: 📞 Podbean supports via live chat and email, whereas SoundCloud provides community-based support but lacks dedicated customer service.
- Storage: 📦 Podbean offers unlimited storage on its paid plans, whereas SoundCloud’s free plan includes 3 hours of storage and the Pro Unlimited plan offers unlimited storage.
Our Criteria for Choosing The Best Service
| Best for Podcasts  | Best for Music Integration  |
| 4.7 | 4.2 |
| Starting at $5/month | Free Plan Available |
Before diving into a podcast hosting service, it’s essential to establish a set of criteria tailored to your needs. Begin by dividing your list into two categories: where your podcast stands currently and where you envision it in the future.
Current Needs
- Identify the immediate features crucial for you and your listeners.
- Consider compatibility with your existing website.
- Evaluate the ease of content sharing for your audience.
Future Goals
- Outline how you aim to grow and expand your podcast.
- Determine the tools and functionalities required for future development.
Key Considerations
- 🌐 Compatibility: Does the platform integrate seamlessly with your current website?
- 🧑💻 Ease of Use: Is the service user-friendly, especially for beginners?
- 📤 Sharing Capabilities: Can listeners easily share your content?
- 📰 RSS Feed: Does the platform offer a reliable RSS feed for audience growth?
- 🗄️ Storage: What is the storage capacity, and does it support high-quality audio?
- 📲 Embedding Functionality: Can you embed the podcast player on your site effortlessly?
- 💳 Subscription Fees: What are the costs involved, and do they fit your budget?
- 📊 Metrics: Does the platform provide useful analytics to track your progress?
Organize these factors based on their importance to you. Create a priority list, starring the features most crucial to your podcast’s success. While evaluating Podbean and SoundCloud, keep two columns handy to jot down the pros and cons of each.
Use these lists to guide your decision-making process. By comparing the unique features of Podbean and SoundCloud, you’ll be able to determine which platform best aligns with your podcasting goals.
Accessibility
What is your podcast schedule? If you have eager listeners who want to dive into your content as soon as possible, your timeline will look different from someone who is just starting. The best podcast websites will be easily accessible, even if you don’t have a degree in computer science.
Ease of use is often overlooked but is crucial for getting your podcasts up and running smoothly. Consider how much time you have to learn the platform—more complex systems might be suitable for those with longer timeframes, while simpler, easy-to-use hosts are better for tighter deadlines.
Storage Space
Another critical consideration is storage space. Assess how much storage you need for your podcast files. Look for a host that allows you to export and save your files at a 64kbps bit rate for optimal audio quality.
Check if Podbean or SoundCloud offers archival capabilities and how far back these archives go. Unlimited storage can be particularly important if you have a large backlog of episodes to upload.
Embedding Functionality
If you want to embed a podcast player directly into your website, ensure that the hosting service supports this feature. Evaluate the ease of use for embedding functions.
Both Podbean and SoundCloud offer embedding options, but their ease of integration can vary. Make sure the embedding process aligns with your website management capabilities.
Subscription Fees
Budget is a significant factor when choosing a podcast hosting service. Determine whether you prefer a free plan or are willing to pay a monthly fee for additional features.
Both Podbean and SoundCloud offer free accounts with the option to upgrade as your podcast grows. Consider whether you want your listeners to pay a fee to access your content—this decision can impact your audience growth, especially if you are just starting out.
RSS Feed
An RSS feed is vital for expanding your podcast’s reach. A reliable podcast hosting site should allow you to use the RSS feed to share your podcast across various platforms, potentially reaching a wider audience. Ensure that the hosting service supports RSS feed functionality and can sync with multiple platforms.
Metrics
Understanding your audience through metrics is essential. While basic metrics such as download counts and subscriber numbers are available, more detailed analytics like listener duration and drop-off points are often missing.
This is a common limitation across most podcast hosting platforms, including Podbean and SoundCloud. Assess the metrics provided to see if they meet your needs for tracking and improving your podcast.
With the criteria squared away and explained, let’s analyze the two competitors in today’s article: Podbean and SoundCloud.
What Is PodBean?
If you’re looking for a podcast hosting site tailored for uploading your episodes, Podbean will be the best podcast program for you.
The Podbean website offers features that allow for almost total control of your podcasts, from aesthetic to distribution, making them easily accessible.
PodBean Features
PodBean is designed to provide podcasters with a comprehensive set of tools to create, manage, and grow their podcasts. Its features cater to both beginners and experienced podcasters, ensuring ease of use and robust functionality.
- 📝 Webpage and Blog Creation: Support your podcast with a dedicated webpage and blog.
- 🔗 Custom Domain Usage: Podbean allows you to use your domain for a more personalized touch.
- 📬 Subscription Packages: Users can create and manage subscription packages for their audience.
- 🏷️ Affordable Plans: Offers flexible and affordable pay-per-month plans to suit different budgets.
- 📂 Unlimited Storage: Enjoy unlimited storage space with the Podbean premium plan.
- 🌱 WordPress Embedding: Seamlessly embed your podcast player into your WordPress site.
- 🎧 Accessible RSS Feed: Easily set up and manage an RSS feed to distribute your podcast across multiple platforms.
- Easily start your own podcast today!
- There is a reason why Podbean is used by 600,000+ Podcasters!
Podbean Pricing
Podbean offers a variety of pricing plans to accommodate podcasters at different stages of their journey. While there is an unlisted feeless plan option, most users will find value in Podbean’s premium plans.
| Plan | Cost | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Feeless Plan | Free | Basic functionalities, unlisted |
| Basic Plan | $5/month or $3 if paid annually | Ideal for beginners, basic podcasting features |
| Unlimited Audio Plan | $14/month | Full access to all functionalities, unlimited storage |
| Unlimited Plus Plan | $39/month | Tailored for video podcasts, advanced features, unlimited storage |
Advantages
Podbean offers several benefits that make it a popular choice among podcasters:
- ✅ Affordable Premium Plans: A range of budget-friendly plans to suit different podcasters.
- ✅ Ample Storage: Ability to store a large number of podcasts, especially with the premium plan.
- ✅ Free Plan Option: Available for those just starting out.
- ✅ User-Friendly Website: Designed to be easily accessible, even for beginners.
- ✅ High-Quality RSS Feed: Provides a reliable and efficient RSS feed to distribute your podcast.
- ✅ Decent Metrics: Access to useful metrics and analytics to track podcast performance.
- ✅ Regular Updates: Frequently updates its platform to enhance user experience and support.
Disadvantages
Despite its many benefits, Podbean has some drawbacks that may affect your decision:
- ❌ Simplistic Features: This may be too basic for advanced users.
- ❌ Limited Technical Background Required: Tailored more for individuals without extensive technical skills.
- ❌ No Phone Support: The Podbean app does not offer phone support, which might be a drawback for some users.
What Is SoundCloud?
SoundCloud is the king of music sharing, but unlike PodBean, its creators were not developing it exclusively for podcasts. The platform has most of the features necessary to upload new episodes of your podcast, but some features you’ll appreciate on PodBean are missing from SoundCloud.
For those interested in SoundCloud, the podcast host software has been on the verge of shutting down multiple times.
SoundCloud Features
SoundCloud is a versatile platform that caters to both podcasters and musicians, offering a range of features designed to enhance content creation, distribution, and audience engagement.
- Accessibility: Easily accessible to the average podcast listener with a user-friendly interface.
- Embedding Functionality: Embedding functionality works seamlessly with any website host, making it easy to integrate your podcast into your site.
- RSS Feed: SoundCloud provides an integrated RSS feed feature, simplifying the distribution of your podcast across multiple channels.
- Podcast Plans: Offers three unique podcast plans to suit different needs and budgets.
- Content Sharing: Allows users to save and share podcasts, promoting greater reach and interaction with the audience.
- Listenership Statistics: Provides detailed analytics and real-time statistics to help track podcast performance and audience engagement.
- Ad Integration: Offers the option to integrate ads into podcasts, providing monetization opportunities.
- Social Media Integration: Facilitates social media integration, allowing easy promotion and sharing of content across various platforms
- Discover a Global Audience.
- Perfect for Musicians & Podcasters.
SoundCloud Pricing
SoundCloud offers a variety of pricing plans to accommodate different podcasting needs and budgets. Each plan provides a range of features to help podcasters manage and grow their content effectively.
| Plan | Cost | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Plan | Free | Best for beginners with limited content |
| Next Plus Plan | $2.50/month (billed annually) | Suitable for growing podcasters needing promotion and monetization |
| Pro Unlimited Plan | $12/month (or $16/month when billed monthly) | Ideal for extensive content creators requiring unlimited uploads and advanced features |
Advantages
SoundCloud offers several benefits that make it appealing for podcasters:
- ✅ Audience Interaction: Built for audience interaction and podcast sharing, SoundCloud fosters a community atmosphere.
- ✅ Podcast App Compatibility: Compatible with podcast apps, making it easy for listeners to access content.
- ✅ Free Plan Option: Offers a free plan with basic features, ideal for beginners.
- ✅ User-Friendly Website: The website is easy to navigate, making it accessible for users with varying levels of technical expertise
Disadvantages
Despite its many benefits, SoundCloud has some drawbacks that might influence your decision:
- ❌ Music Streaming Focus: Originally designed for music streaming, some podcast-specific features may be lacking.
- ❌ Potential Stability Issues: The platform has faced financial instability, raising concerns about its long-term viability.
- ❌ Limited Advanced Features: Missing some advanced features seen in other dedicated podcast hosting sites, which could be a limitation for more experienced podcasters
Alternatives to Podbean and SoundCloud
While Podbean and SoundCloud are popular choices for podcast hosting, there are several alternatives available that might better suit your needs. Here are a few options to consider:
Captivate
- Every tool you need to start, manage, and monetize your podcast.
- Unlimited podcast hosting!
Captivate is a feature-rich podcast hosting platform designed to help podcasters grow their audience. It offers unlimited podcasts and episodes, advanced analytics, and a user-friendly interface.
Captivate also provides tools for marketing and monetization, such as private podcast feeds and custom calls-to-action. With its emphasis on growth and simplicity, Captivate is an excellent choice for both new and experienced podcasters looking to expand their reach.
Descript
- Edit podcasts as easily as docs.
- Transform audio with cutting-edge tools.
Descript is a versatile audio and video editing tool that goes beyond traditional podcast hosting. It offers features like automatic transcription, collaborative editing, and overdubbing, making it ideal for creating polished podcast episodes.
While Descript is primarily an editing tool, it integrates well with other hosting platforms, allowing podcasters to edit and refine their content before publishing. Its unique approach to editing makes it a valuable addition to any podcaster’s toolkit.
Riverside.fm
- Record podcasts and videos from anywhere!
- High-quality recording and editing tools optimized for remote collaboration.
Riverside.fm is a video and audio recording platform that offers high-quality remote recording capabilities. It includes multi-track recording, live streaming, and automatic transcription features.
Riverside.fm is designed to provide studio-quality recordings, making it perfect for podcasters who prioritize audio and video quality. Its user-friendly interface and robust recording features make it a strong alternative to traditional podcast hosting platforms.
Simplecast
- Powerful tools for podcasters.
- Reliable hosting, simplified analytics.
Simplecast is a powerful podcast hosting platform known for its advanced analytics and ease of use. It offers features like episode scheduling, listener insights, and distribution to major podcast platforms.
Simplecast’s data-driven approach provides podcasters with valuable insights into their audience, helping them to make informed decisions about their content.
With its streamlined publishing process and comprehensive analytics, Simplecast is ideal for podcasters looking to optimize their workflow and grow their audience.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can Podbean automatically share new podcast episodes on social media platforms?
Yes, Podbean can auto-share new episodes on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and more.
Does SoundCloud offer mastering services for podcasts?
Yes, SoundCloud includes three monthly free mastering credits for enhancing podcast audio quality.
How does Podbean support live streaming and audience engagement?
Podbean offers live audio streaming, interactive chat, remote guest invitations, and monetization through virtual ticket sales and gifts.
What are the limitations of SoundCloud’s free plan for podcasters?
SoundCloud’s free plan limits uploads to 180 minutes per month and does not support bulk episode imports.
Final Thoughts
So, do you feel ready to choose a victor in the Podbean vs Soundcloud podcast user debate? Whether you go with Podbean for the company’s exclusive care and dedication to podcasts or opt for Soundcloud for its general social nature, the decision depends on the needs of your podcast.
One thing you should keep in mind is the longevity of your podcast, and which service will help you the most. Ask yourself, will either of the two help you meet your 5-year goal? Take time to digest what you read before you make a decision.
