When it comes to podcasting software, SquadCast consistently ranks at the top, and for good reason. Focusing on enhancing user experience, this platform offers a suite of features designed to meet the needs of both novice and seasoned podcasters.
For those new to podcasting, finding a reliable tool can be challenging. Many podcasters encounter unreliable software that disrupts their recording sessions, leading to frustration and lost content. SquadCast addresses these issues head-on with its robust, user-friendly platform.
Are you looking for a dependable podcasting tool with top-notch features? Or are you an experienced podcaster in search of a game-changing platform? This SquadCast review will dive deep into what makes SquadCast a standout choice for podcasters and why it might be the right fit for you.
Read on to discover how SquadCast can elevate your podcasting experience.
What is SquadCast?
The platform was created to make it extremely easy and efficient for podcast hosts, co-hosts, and guests to connectand share their voice with the world without downloading and installing additional software, plugins, or extensions.
Podcasters can produce multiple shows at the same time with SquadCast, thanks to its post-production collaboration services. This is also made possible with the platform’s patent-pending cloud-based technology.
Interviewing guests with this software is a breeze as there is no technical process to walk them through. In other words, both hosts and guests don’t have to worry about glitches or complex setups that may interrupt the interviews.
Considering the simplicity and reliability of the platform, it is not difficult to see why SquadCast is trusted by many big names in the podcasting world, such as The Jordan Harbinger Show, The New York Times, Google, Microsoft, Women In Tech, ESPN, and more.
This podcasting recording software is nothing short of a creator-friendly platform because the user interface is extremely easy to use. Plus, you can manage every detail before recording a video interview with guests in a built-in outlay known as the Green Room.
Who Is It For?
SquadCast is best for independent podcasts looking to record content remotely. The simple recording and editing features make it easy to edit or separate audio tracks recorded remotely.
Professional podcasts will also find this podcast recording and hosting platform very apt as it is designed to create high-quality content to give podcast brands the pro-level touch they need.
Moreover, collaborating with this tool is a lot easier and seamless – another reason it is highly recommended podcasters who want the best software for remote recording.
Regardless of your experience, creating stellar quality podcasts should be difficult with SquadCast.
| 🎙️ Podcaster Type | Description |
|---|---|
| 🎧 Independent Podcasters | Perfect for individuals recording remotely, offering simple tools for seamless recording and editing. |
| 🎤 Professional Podcasts | Provides high-quality content creation, giving professional podcasts the polished, pro-level touch they require. |
| 👥 Collaborative Teams | Facilitates smooth collaboration with easy-to-use features, making it an excellent choice for teams working together remotely. |
| 🗣️ Interview-Based Shows | Ideal for podcasters who frequently interview guests, thanks to its hassle-free guest experience and superior audio quality. |
| 📹 Video Podcasters | Supports high-quality video recording, making it suitable for those who create video podcasts or require video interviews. |
Pros and Cons
It’s time to look at the pluses and minus of the software. These are the make-or-break features and considerations, so it is crucial to pay closer attention to this part of the SquadCast review.
Pros
- ✅ User-Friendly Platform: Easy to use for novices and professionals alike, with straightforward guest invitation features.
- ✅ No Additional Software Needed: Operates entirely within your web browser, ensuring a seamless experience for all participants.
- ✅ Cloud Backup: All recordings are securely backed up in the cloud, preventing data loss.
- ✅ Great UI: Intuitive design with a high-quality user interface.
- ✅ Quick Post-Production: Simplifies editing and post-production, reducing the time needed to publish episodes.
- ✅ High-Quality Recording: Supports studio-quality audio and video recording for up to 10 participants.
- ✅ Reliability: Known for its reliability with no echoes, delays, or connection drops.
- ✅ Green Room Feature: Allows hosts and guests to prepare before recording, enhancing the overall experience.
- ✅ Reasonable Pricing: Offers great value for the features provided, with pricing plans to suit various needs.
- ✅ Flexible Trial Period: Full-featured trial period to experience the service without limitations.
- ✅ Separate Track Saves: Stores audio tracks separately, enabling detailed editing and sound design.
- ✅ First-Time User Walkthrough: Simple setup process for new users, minimizing technical hurdles.
Cons
As great as SquadCast is, it also has a few downsides. Fortunately, the creators behind the in-browser software are working to overcome many of the challenges the platform currently has.
Here’s a rundown of the few major negatives of SquadCast:
- ❌ No Mobile App: Lack of mobile app support limits access for on-the-go users.
- ❌ Limited Browser and Device Support: Does not support iOS, iPadOS, Safari, or Internet Explorer.
- ❌ No Screen-Sharing: Lacks a screen-sharing feature, which is available on some competing platforms.
- ❌ No Free Version: Absence of a free version might deter hobbyists and beginners.
- ❌ Cost: Higher subscription plans are relatively expensive compared to similar services, though they offer extensive features.
Key Features
This part of the SquadCast review sheds light on the standout features that make the podcast hosting service unique.
Every first-rate audio and video podcasting product should come with certain key features, and SquadCast checks nearly all of these, including:
Excellent Audio Quality
SquadCast is revered for having excellent sound quality without skipping on any of the features. Typically, you’ll find one major service that either doesn’t have enough accessibility features but has great sound or vice versa.
The entire point of SoundCast is to make it as close to a studio experience as possible while clearly not being in the same room as the person you’re interviewing on your podcast. Not losing sound quality across all these channels is truly impressive.
Video Recording
In addition to audio recording, SquadCast can record video podcasts or interviews, giving hosts more value for their money.
Also, remote video recording is done using a patented recording engine that not only records in 720p but also offers lightning-fast video rendering.
Auto Backup
All recordings are automatically and continuously saved and backed up to the cloud. This allows podcasters to record confidently, knowing that if anything should go wrong, they can easily access both audio and video files from the cloud.
But that’s not all. SquadCast is equipped with the progressive uploads feature that ensures all your recordings are captured at the source. This means even when there is a total blackout or power loss, you won’t have to worry about a recording catastrophe.
Green Room
Remote video interviews come out best with the Green Room feature – a built-in outlay that allows hosts to micromanage guests and every important detail before video recording starts.
The Green Room is perhaps one of the best selling points for SquadCast because it’s not the most outrageous concept, but it’s something they were able to implement flawlessly.
Do you know how you get nervous waiting to click “Join” on a Zoom or Skype call? That’s because you don’t feel ready. When you hop into the Green Room, the entire point is to be there earlier than the podcast/show starts.
It’s so much more useful than a sitting room. It helps reduce anxiety, reduces microphone and video problems before you realize them mid-show or during post-production, and is easily one of SquadCast’s best features.
SquadCast has plenty of features. In fact, if you look at their pricing page, they have at least 23 (not all of them are in-app features, but still). You are only limited by a few of those 23 features when you pay for their lowest plan.
Hassle-free Guest Experience
From all the podcasting services we’ve tried, we can see why SquadCast has become the one-stop-shop, the ultimate go-to for serious podcasters. The service is always up. Sure, any server goes down from time to time, but the uptime on this service is incredible.
The only ones you would even face would be on your own end (bad internet connection), because this service lives up to its credibility.
We aim to be as critical as possible, but when the service just doesn’t go down, it’s hard to find something wrong with it. SquadCast takes its integral role in other podcasting businesses very seriously, as we’ve experienced ourselves.
Progressive Upload
We tested progressive uploads in a pretty applicable way. This is essentially how one user’s data is stored during the middle of an interview.
If you’re 30 minutes into a podcast and your teammate’s internet connection dies, wouldn’t it suck to restart the entire process over again?
You don’t have to. Progressive uploads mean that you’re constantly uploading information to the cloud, so if the internet cuts out, it’s still completely safe (you might lose a second or two at the cutoff depending on your upload speeds, but hey, that’s not too bad).
You can pick up from where you left off and just continue. The time that you save is amazing. When we tested it, we let the interview phase run, and then just unplugged our router, plugged it back in, and saw the recording files.
We did this about five or six times before we realized that SquadCast’s progressive uploads aren’t just a good concept; it’s admittedly one of the most attractive and well-thought-out portions of their entire package.
File Formats
Both video and audio recordings in MP4 and WAV formats are available separately for each participant.
Pricing
SquadCast offers a variety of pricing plans with the flexibility to pay monthly or annually. You can cancel your subscription at any time without incurring any cancellation fees. They also provide a 7-day free trial to explore the platform’s features and functionality.
Pricing for Audio Plans
- Dabbler: $10 per month or $110 per year when billed annually. This plan includes two hours of audio recording with up to four participants and access to cloud backup for recordings.
- Indie: $20 per month or $220 per year when billed annually. Offers five hours of audio recording with up to four participants and the option to store unlimited recordings.
- Pro: $50 per month or $550 per year when billed annually. Provides 12 hours of audio recording with up to 10 participants, unlimited recording storage, recording time analytics, different audio format downloads, and calendar sync.
- Studio: $150 per month or $1,660 per year when billed annually. Includes 25 hours of audio recording with up to 10 participants, all Pro plan features, guest chat, and 24/7 support.
Pricing for Audio and Video Plans
- Indie: $40 per month or $440 per year when billed annually.
- Pro: $100 per month or $1,100 per year when billed annually.
- Studio: $300 per month or $3,300 per year when billed annually.
Keep in mind that even if you pay for video plans, you have the option to turn video recording off during your sessions.
There are a whopping 14 different prices for Squadcast. We know, that’s a bit much, but it’s dependent on how much you’ll be using it. There’s nothing worse than overpaying for something that you’re not going to get to use all that much.
While their pricing options may overwhelm some users, they’re definitely scaled to meet the different demands by podcasters. If you’re moving an entire team over and it’s become your job, you’ll benefit more from their higher plan, and so on.
This is a quick breakdown of their pricing structure.
For audio-only packages, it’s broken up by how many hours of recording you want. You have four packages: two hours, five hours, twelve hours, and twenty-five hours, scaling up in price as you go.
The latter options grant access to some premium features, but there isn’t a huge disparity in features between the two-hour and twenty-five-hour plans.
Similarly, the same structure carries over to their audio + video service. This has three different tiers which also scale up in cost. These come in blocks of five hours, twelve hours, and twenty-five hours.
Audio-Only Packages
- 2 Hour Package: $10.00/month or $110.00/year ($9.17/month annually)
- 5 Hour Package: $20.00/month or $220.00/year ($18.33/month annually)
- 12 Hour Package: $50.00/month or $550.00/year ($45.83/month annually)
- 25 Hour Package: $150.00/month or $1,650.00/year ($137.50/month annually)
Audio + Video Packages
- 5 Hour Package: $40.00/month or $440.00/year ($36.67/month annually)
- 12 Hour Package: $100.00/month or $1,100.00/year ($91.67/month annually)
- 25 Hour Package: $300.00/month or $3,300.00/year ($275.00/month annually)
SquadCast has streamlined their pricing structure to offer more value to creators, with options that cater to different needs and usage levels
Customer Support
Thanks to the SquadCast 24-hour Support Center, users can access active customer support round the clock. There is also an email service available.
SquadCast also has a knowledge base page where many of the common issues users might have are answered. The page includes quite a number of articles grouped into different categories, such as:
- Recording audio and video
- Account settings
- Audio and video equipment
- Task automation and app connections
- SquadCast tutorials
In addition to all of these, the SquadCast website has a ton of content creation ideas aimed at helping podcasters get plenty of value.
Final Thoughts
Let’s end this SquadCast review by stating the obvious: this is one of the best remote podcast, editing, and hosting platforms by a long shot! However, it might not be the right podcast production and hosting company for everyone, regardless of its superb features.
We strongly recommend SquadCast for both individuals and brands looking to take podcasting very seriously and don’t mind spending extra on an amazing software program. Of course, it does have its downsides, but the advantages make the tool a solid choice for pros and indie creators alike.
