Is Podbean free? everything you need to know about Podbean’s pricing
Wondering if Podbean is free? Find out everything about Podbean’s free plan, features, and limitations in our detailed guide.
The podcasting space is growing at a rapid clip and shows no signs of slowing down. Today, podcasts have become one of the most popular forms of digital content; as of April 2021, there were more than 2 million podcasters with a total of 48 million episodes.
By leveraging end-to-end podcast hosting platforms like Podbean, anyone can start producing and publishing audio shows. Podbean helps save time but also supports podcasters who seek to easily monetize their content. To get a better understanding of the app, here are six things marketers should know about Podbean.
What is Podbean?
Podbean is a platform that lets users create, publish, and monetize audio-video podcasts. With Podbean, users can distribute content to other platforms like Apple Podcast, Spotify, and Google Podcast. They can also transfer material to a website, blog, and social media feed.
In addition to publishing pre-recorded content, Podbean allows creators to hold live-streamed podcasts. This feature comes with interactive elements, such as live calls and real-time comments. It also lets creators invite co-hosts so as to potentially attract more listeners.
There are three ways to monetize a podcast on Podbean. The first is through the app's built-in ad system, where the platform lets podcasters meet with potential advertisers to stike deals. The second is through its premium podcast service, in which creators can charge listeners for premium content. The third is through the app's 'Patron Program,' which lets creators collect donations or rewards from listeners.
How much does it cost?
- Basic – Podbean offers a forever-free plan that comes with the platform’s basic features, but has a limited quota.
What’s included?
- Support audio podcast
- Upload 5 hours total
- 5 hours total storage space
- 100GB monthly bandwidth
- Basic podcast stats
- Customizable podcast site and embed player
- Free import from previous host
- iPhone/Android app
- Auto-share to social media
- Unlimited Audio – Starts from US$14/month (billed monthly) or US$9/month (billed annually) and is only available for audio podcasters.
What’s included?
- All the features in Basic
- Upload 10GB (100 hours)/month
- Unlimited storage space
- Unmetered bandwidth
- Advanced podcast stats and site customization
- Podbean AI (2 hours free trial or billed at US$6/month billed annually or US$8/month billed monthly for 3 hours per month additional usage)
- Blog to Podcast with 15 credits/month
- Ads marketplace
- Apple podcasts subscriptions integration
- Dynamic ads insertion
- Map your own domain
- Episode trends and comparison
- Youtube to podcast
- Unlimited Plus – Starts from US$39/month (billed monthly) or US$29/month (billed annually) and supports audio and video podcasting.
What’s included?
- All the features in Unlimited Audio
- Upload 20GB (200 hours)/month
- Full podcast stats and site customization
- Extra blog to podcast credits at 50/month
- Multiple podcast channels (limited)
- Network – Starts from US$99/month (billed monthly) or US$79/month (billed annually) and supports unlimited audio and video podcasting.
What’s included?
- All the features in Unlimited Plus
- Upload 40GB (400 hours)/month
- 3TB monthly bandwidth
- Advanced stats and full customization on own branding
- Extra blog to podcast credits at 100/month
- 50 admin users
- Network station page
- All monetization features
- Live chat support
- Unlimited multiple podcast channels
Depending on your requirements, you can select different pricing plans to suit your needs. For new users who are interested, definitely try out Podbean for free!
What’s the company’s traction?
Having operated for more than ten years, Podbean has onboarded over half a million podcasters. The company claims to have helped creators produce more than 10.8 million episodes with a total of 8.7 billion downloads. Currently, there are more than 1 million monthly active users on Podbean’s app for both IOS and Android.
Podbean’s revenue and funding history has not been disclosed to the public.
Who owns Podbean?
CEO David Xu (pictured above) and Henry Zhang are the two co-founders of Podbean. They launched the company way back in 2006. At that time, the co-founders had a simple vision of helping podcasters create content with an easy blog-like platform.
Podbean alternatives
Anchor, Captivate, and Podcastle are key alternatives to Podbean for podcast hosting, each offering unique features that cater to different needs.
Anchor, acquired in 2019 for around US$140 million by Spotify, is popular for its user-friendly interface and seamless integration with Spotify. Within just a year after its acquisition, Anchor helped add over 1 million shows to Spotify’s catalog. It stands out with AI-powered features that assist in podcast creation, like automatic transcription and easy monetization options.
Captivate is designed for growth-focused podcasters, offering advanced analytics, built-in marketing tools, and audience engagement features. Though it lacks specific AI-powered tools, it provides detailed insights to help users optimize their content strategy.
Podcastle, on the other hand, emphasizes AI-driven tools like noise cancellation, voice cloning, and text-to-speech conversion, making it an appealing choice for creators looking to automate and enhance their production process.
Podbean remains competitive with its comprehensive hosting options and monetization features, but those looking for more AI-powered enhancements may find Podcastle a compelling option.
Podbean's rating and reviews
G2 rating: 4.3/5.0 (23 reviews)
“I find the user interface, reporting, and customer support to be exceptional. The price point is also extremely competitive in the space. I've been using Podbean for over 6 months and have been completely satisfied.” - Ben S.
“Podbean is a straightforward podcast hosting provider. I use it for video format podcasts on Apple and syndicate the audio-only version to the other podcast platforms. So far, I have experienced no downtime and fast uploads/downloads.” - Louis A.
“Changing web hosts, domain registration services, etc. is a real hassle. When I decided to enter into the world of podcasting, I did as much research as I could before choosing a host. Podbean was at the top of the list, so I went for it. The experience has been wonderful. The process to upload video and audio podcasts is intuitive and hassle-free. Podbean has been reliable in pushing my podcast out to the major players such as Apple Podcasts.” - Brad H.
What was the company’s most notable move recently?
In 2020, Podbean added an “unlisted mode” to its live audio streaming platform. An unlisted livestream will not be shown in the Podbean app and requires the host to share a link to invite guests, co-hosts, and listeners. Podcasters can use unlisted live streams as an engaging, exclusive experience for their most dedicated audience members.
Podbean has also added a remote recording function to let podcasters record, save, and publish live streamed content.
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