You’re probably here because you want to create multiple podcasts. That’s great! I am a huge fan of podcasts myself.
BEWARE: Most podcast hosting companies will use clever marketing techniques to make you believe that you are signing up for unlimited podcast hosting; however, when you look behind the curtain, you’ll find out that there are indeed limitations.
In this blog post, I’ll explain what these hidden limitations of unlimited podcast hosting are and also give you my recommendation for the best platform for hosting multiple podcasts.
Can You Have Multiple Podcasts?
Yes, absolutely! In fact, many podcast hosting providers allow you to create multiple podcasts (with some limitations). What are those limitations? Let’s find out.
What Is Unlimited Podcast Hosting?
By definition, unlimited podcast hosting is just that: the ability to create multiple podcast shows or series and publish as many episodes as you desire. Additionally, unlimited podcast hosting should not limit the size or duration of your episodes, nor should should there be restrictions on how much storage you use. Finally, in my opinion, unlimited podcast hosting platforms shall not charge you based on the number of episode listens or downloads.
Unfortunately, as I alluded to above, many podcasts hosting platforms claim to offer unlimited podcast hosting; however, they have some type of restriction that limits you in some way.
Comparing Unlimited Podcast Hosting
In an attempt to help you understand the difference between what some of the major podcast hosting providers offer in terms of unlimited podcast hosting, I put together this table.
| Shows | Episodes | Storage | Bandwidth | Downloads | Episode Size | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pinecast | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | 80MB | $10/mo |
| Libsyn | Unlimited | Unlimited | 800 MB/mo | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | $40/mo |
| Buzzsprout | Unlimited | Unlimited | 12 hrs/mo | 250 GB/mo | Unlimited | Unlimited | $24/mo |
| PodBean | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | $99/mo |
| Simplecast | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | 50,000/mo | Unlimited | $35/mo |
| Captivate | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | 60,000/mo | Unlimited | $49/mo |
| Transistor | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | 50,000/mo | Unlimited | $49/mo |
| Castos | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | $19/mo |
| Podiant | 3 show max | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | $35/mo |
| Anchor | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | 1 hr max | $0/mo |
Let’s dive into each of these podcasting limits and find a bit more about each one of them.
1) Listen-based Pricing
Podcasts hosts like Captivate, Transistor, and Simplecast charge you based on the number of downloads your podcast gets each month.
This means if your podcast explodes in popularity, so does your monthly bill. For example, with Captivate, if your podcast get 150,000 downloads/month, your bill will be $90 for that month.
2) Episode Size Limits
Pinecast and Anchor both limit the size of individual podcast episodes that you can upload.
With Pinecast, each episode can be at most 80 MB in size. In my experience with hosting my own podcast on Pinecast, this equates to a 1 hour compressed MP3 file at standard quality of 170 – 210 kpbs. Bump up to high audio quality at 320 kpbs and you will hit the 80 MB episode limit after a 30 minute episode.
Similarly, Anchor limits individual episodes to 1 hour duration when using their app. Apparently you can bypass this limit if you record your podcast with other software or hardware.
3) Podcast Hosting Storage Limits
While they don’t limit individual episode sizes, podcast hosts like Libsyn and Buzzsprout limit the amount of storage you can upload each month.
The Libsyn plan with the most amount of storage is their $40/month plan that gives you 800 MB of monthly storage.
On the other hand, with Buzzsprout’s best plan for $40/month, you’re limited to uploading at most 12 hours of audio per month.
4) Bandwidth Limits
Some podcasting hosts will limit the amount of bandwidth your podcast can consume each month. In addition to their storage limit, Buzzsprout also limits the amount of bandwidth each month to 250 GB.
According to their website, 250 GB is equal to between 20,000 and 40,000 episode downloads per month. If you hit these numbers, there’s the Buzzsprout Pro Plan at $49/month which includes up to 1 TB bandwidth/month (~80,000 – 160,000 downloads/month).
What if you need more podcast bandwidth than that? You’re looking at $50/TB extra for each terabyte in excess.
5) Show/Series Limits
One last limitation to unlimited podcast hosting is a limit on the number of actual podcasts you can have. Podiant has multiple plans that allow you to host one podcast, but with their Network plan, you can host up to 3 different podcasts for $35.97/month or up to 20 shows for a whopping $238.80/month.
Best Unlimited Podcast Hosting for Multiple Podcasts
As far as I know, the best unlimited podcast hosting provider that truly allows you to create as many podcasts as you want without any limitations is Castos.
I have to admit that Castos isn’t the only truly unlimited podcast hosting provider, but it’s definitely the most affordable. From just $19/month (or $15.83/month when you sign up annually), Castos is the cheapest unlimited podcast hosting company. Another podcast hosting company without restrictions is PodBean, but you’ll pay $129/month.
Castos has a ton of other features which I won’t go into here, but I will point out that they have one of the best WordPress integrations for podcasts that I’ve come across.
So if you’re looking to create multiple podcasts with a truly unlimited podcast hosting platform that’s affordable, check out Castos and use my affiliate link for a 14 day free trial.
