Are you looking to start a new podcast or switch podcast hosting platforms? Then you’ve come to the right place.
As the home of over 120,000 podcasts with almost 140 million monthly downloads (that’s almost 1,200 average monthly downloads per podcast!) Buzzsprout has become one of the most popular podcast hosting platforms in the market.
Jam-packed with useful features, a user-friendly interface, reasonable pricing, solid analytics and smooth integration with popular podcast directories, Buzzsprout has become an attractive choice for beginners with its one-stop-shop approach to podcasting.
In this article, we'll dive into the details of Buzzsprout and what makes it stand out among other podcast hosting platforms.
We'll review its features, pros and cons and pricing so you have all the information you need to decide if this is the right choice for your needs.
Disclosure: Although I receive affiliate compensation at no additional cost to you to support this site that compensation in no way influences my recommendations, which are strictly informed by my 10+ years of online business experience consulting for clients large and small. My aim is to always recommend tools that offer the best return for your investment (for more details, read my Affiliate Disclosure).
What is Buzzsprout?
Buzzsprout is a user-friendly podcast hosting platform that allows you to upload, host, and distribute your shows.
It also provides you with the tools you need to create and customize your very own podcast website, track your analytics, and monetize your content.
Having been around for almost 15 years, this platform has become an industry veteran, delivering quality streaming audio for over 120,000 podcasters who call Buzzsprout home.
How is Buzzsprout Different from Other Podcasting Platforms?
Let now break down Buzzsprout’s specs so you can get an idea of what they bring to the table:
Buzzsprout’s Key Features
Buzzsprout is packed with useful features that make podcasting easier for both beginners and experienced users. Here are some of its key features:
Advanced podcast analytics: Buzzsprout provides detailed analytics about your podcast so you can drill in your user data to find the number of downloads, plays, and subscribers for each episode you publish.
This helps you track your podcast’s success and identify opportunities for additional topics.
Automatic episode optimization: One of Buzzsprout’s key features is the way they automatically optimize your podcast’s audio file for fast and reliable streaming, so you don’t have to worry about technicalities.
All you have to do is to upload your high-quality audio and the platform will automatically convert it to MP3, encode at 96K mono and add the required ID3 tags based on the episode information you supply.
Automatic podcast distribution: Another great feature is the automatic distribution of your podcast to all major podcast directories, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.
This saves you the hassle of having to create and set up individual directory accounts on each listening app and then wasting time rinsing and repeating.
Customizable podcast website: Buzzsprout provides you with an editor to customize your podcast website to fit your unique brand.
This includes color and background image selection, customizing your URL, adding host information, and adding social media links.
Monetization options: Buzzsprout allows you to monetize your podcast by placing mid-roll ads on your episodes. This YouTube-style monetization even gives you full control over what ads play in your podcast.
And Some Drawbacks…
Like any podcast hosting platform, Buzzsprout has its pros and cons. Here are some of its main limitations:
- Metered storage: Although Buzzsprout's paid plans technically allow unlimited storage, this comes at a cost. Once you exceed your allotted monthly cap (which varies with each plan, as you’ll see later on) you’ll need to pony up extra $$ per additional hour of content. While this is not an issue early on, it could add up fast when you grow your podcast.
- No audio editing options: Unlike some of its competitors, Buzzsprout doesn’t have built-in audio editing features, so you’ll need to use an external tool to do so before you upload your files (this is not a big deal.)
- No live streaming: Buzzsprout does not support live streaming. You can only upload pre-recorded episodes.
Buzzsprout Pricing
Buzzsprout offers several pricing plans to fit your needs, including a free, although limited, free plan and three paid plans, as follows:.
Free Plan: This plan allows you to upload 2 hours of content per month for 90 days. After 90 days, your content will be removed. This plan does not include a customizable website, custom embed players and automatic submission to podcast directories.
$12/month: The basic paid plan allows you to upload up to 3 hours of content per month but unlike the free plan your content will stay on the platform indefinitely.
It also includes advanced analytics, custom branding, custom embed players and automatic podcast directory submission. If you need to upload more content, you’ll have to pay $4 per hour.
$18/month: The intermediate paid plan has the same features in the basic plan but it increases your monthly cap to 6 hours of content uploads per month. To upload additional hours beyond your cap, you’ll have to pay $3 per hour.
$24/month: The advanced plan allows you to upload up to 12 hours of content per month and includes all the features of the intermediate plan. To upload additional hours beyond your cap, you’ll have to pay $2 per hour.
Is Buzzsprout Worth It?
I’d say that if you’re a beginner then absolutely. Buzzsprout offers great features at an affordable cost, is super-easy to learn and use, and a lot of the functionality is already automated so you can focus on the creative side of things.
Also the platform has a great track record for sound quality and reliability (including industry-leading uptime stats) and although they just offer email support, they're very responsive.
As you grow your podcast, though, Buzzsprout might get a bit pricey, especially if you publish a lot of episodes per month or if you use a multi-hour format per episode.
But you don't have to cross that bridge until you get to it. It’s super easy to move your podcast out of the platform.
In Conclusion
Buzzsprout is a great option for beginners to the podcasting world who want a simple and user-friendly platform to host their shows.
With its affordable pricing plans and solid feature set, Buzzsprout gives you everything you need to get started and begin growing your podcast audience.
You could always get started with their free plan to kick the tires and then upgrade to a paid plan when you hit their upload limit.
