Podcast Hosting Platforms Compared: Buzzsprout vs Spotify vs RSS.com - 2026 Guide

Written By Mark Hunter

Choosing a podcast host shouldn't feel like decoding contract law. Free sounds great until your episodes vanish after 90 days. Premium plans promise unlimited storage but charge £79/month for features you'll never use. And then there's Spotify taking 50% of your ad revenue while you do all the work.

The truth? Most podcasters overpay or settle for limitations they don't understand until it's too late.

Let's compare three of the most popular platforms - Buzzsprout, Spotify for Creators, and RSS.com - and figure out which one actually suits your needs. And we’ve included a handy comparison table for easy reference.

A 1950s cartoon-style illustration of a frustrated woman in a cluttered office, evoking workplace stress.

The Three-Platform Breakdown

Buzzsprout: Beginner-Friendly, But Watch the Clock

Buzzsprout built its reputation on being dead simple for first-time podcasters. Clean dashboard, guided setup, one-click distribution to major platforms. If you've never hosted a podcast before, Buzzsprout holds your hand through the entire process.

What you get:

  • Free plan: 2 hours upload/month, episodes deleted after 90 days

  • Paid plans: £19/month (4 hours), £39/month (12 hours), £79/month (35 hours)

  • Features: Auto-distribution, basic analytics, Magic Mastering (audio enhancement), transcription (£0.25/minute extra)

  • Website: Free public podcast page on Buzzsprout's domain

  • Monetisation: Integration with Patreon, PayPal, Cash App (but button is hidden in player interface)

The catch: That 90-day deletion on the free plan isn't a soft limit. Buzzsprout actually removes your episodes. Build a back catalogue of 20 episodes over five months and episodes 1-12 will be gone. You're forced onto a paid plan to keep your content alive.

The upload hour caps also bite harder than they look. Record a weekly 90-minute interview show? You'll burn through 6 hours/month, which will push you to the £39 tier immediately.

Best for: Complete beginners who want a guided setup and don't mind paying £19-39/month after the trial.

Spotify for Creators: Free Forever, But You Pay in Other Ways

Formerly Anchor, Spotify for Creators is genuinely free with unlimited storage and no episode caps. Upload 500 episodes tomorrow if you want. No deletion policies, no monthly fees.

What you get:

  • Pricing: Completely free, forever

  • Storage: Unlimited episodes, unlimited audio/video

  • Distribution: Automatic to Spotify, manual RSS feed for Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, etc.

  • Recording: Built-in browser recording via Riverside (requires separate £19/month Riverside subscription)

  • Video: Full video podcast support, hosted on Spotify

  • Monetisation: Spotify Partner Program (if eligible)

The Partner Program (Updated January 2026): Spotify dramatically lowered the bar for monetisation:

  • Requirements: 1,000 engaged listeners, 2,000 hours consumed (last 30 days), 3 published episodes

  • Earnings: 50% of ad revenue + Premium video revenue (when Premium subscribers watch uninterrupted)

  • Geographic limits: US, UK, Canada, Australia, plus Nordic/European markets

The real cost: Spotify keeps 50% of your ad revenue. Every pound your podcast earns through their system, half goes to Spotify. Compare that to RSS.com (you keep 100% of sponsor deals) or Buzzsprout (you control your own monetisation).

Customer support is also minimal. Spotify shut down its Listener Support program in January 2025, so response times can drag.

Best for: Video podcasters, creators building audiences within Spotify's ecosystem, and hobbyists who won't monetise for years.

RSS.com: Unlimited Everything, Transparent Pricing

RSS.com's pitch is straightforward: no games, no hidden caps, no revenue-sharing schemes. You pay a flat rate, they host unlimited content.

What you get:

  • Free plan: Unlimited episodes/storage (for local/niche podcasts), 90 days analytics, basic monetisation

  • All-in-One Podcasting: £11.99/month (annual), unlimited episodes/storage, 180 days analytics, AI transcripts, programmatic ad insertion (DAI)

  • Podcast Networks: £18.75/month (annual), multiple shows under one account

  • Student/NGO discount: £4.99/month

  • Distribution: Automatic one-click to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and YouTube

  • Monetisation: Keep 100% of sponsor revenue, donation/funding tags, programmatic ads (paid plans)

No catches: Upload 100-minute episodes weekly? Fine. Batch-record 20 episodes in January? Also fine. RSS.com doesn't charge extra for "overage" or cap your upload hours.

Analytics run 180 days on paid plans (vs Buzzsprout's basic stats), and AI transcripts come included (vs Buzzsprout's £0.25/minute charge).

Migration offer: Switch from another host, and RSS.com gives you 6 months free to make the move painless.

Best for: Weekly/bi-weekly podcasters who want predictable costs, business podcasts, and anyone prioritising control over monetisation.

Feature Comparison Table

Feature Buzzsprout Spotify for Creators RSS.com
Free Plan 2hr/month, 90-day deletion Unlimited, forever free Unlimited (local/niche)
Paid Plans £19-79/month Free (always) £11.99/month (annual)
Storage Limits 4-35 hours upload/month Unlimited Unlimited
Video Support No Yes (native hosting) Yes (audio-to-video)
Distribution Auto to major platforms Auto Spotify, manual RSS Auto to major platforms
Analytics Basic (paid plans) Spotify-only data 180 days cross-platform
Transcripts £0.25/minute (add-on) Not included AI transcripts included
Monetisation External links only 50% revenue split 100% sponsor revenue
Customer Support Email, Facebook group Limited (no dedicated support) 24/7 (English/Spanish/Italian)
Best For Total beginners Video, Spotify-first creators Regular podcasters, business

Which Platform Should You Choose?

Choose Buzzsprout if:

  • You've never hosted a podcast and want maximum hand-holding

  • You're willing to pay £19-39/month for simplicity

  • You're recording short episodes (30-40 minutes) weekly

  • You don't plan to monetise aggressively

Choose Spotify for Creators if:

  • Free is non-negotiable (genuinely £0 forever)

  • You're creating video podcasts for Spotify's audience

  • Your listeners primarily use Spotify

  • You're okay with 50% revenue split if you eventually monetise

  • Customer support doesn't matter much

Choose RSS.com if:

  • You're recording weekly/bi-weekly and want unlimited uploads

  • You want transparent pricing (no hidden caps)

  • You plan to monetise through sponsors or ads

  • You need cross-platform analytics (not just Spotify data)

  • AI transcripts and programmatic ads appeal to you

  • You're running a business or professional podcast

The Bottom Line

If you're testing podcasting casually, Spotify for Creators gives you free unlimited hosting with no strings attached — just accept you're building inside Spotify's ecosystem, and they'll take half your future earnings.

If you're brand new and want training wheels, Buzzsprout is worth £19/month for simplicity — but watch those upload hour caps.

If you're serious about podcasting as content marketing, revenue generation, or professional output, RSS.com's £12/month gives you everything without the games. Unlimited uploads, no deletion policies, full control over monetisation, and transparent costs.

Your podcast host shouldn't be the complicated part of podcasting. Pick the one that matches your goals, not the one with the flashiest landing page.

Footnote: Apple Podcasts HLS Video Changes Everything (Spring 2026)

Apple just announced a massive shift that could change your hosting decision; native video support in Apple Podcasts launching spring 2026 using HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) technology Apple.

Here's why this matters: Previously, offering both audio and video versions of your podcast on Apple Podcasts required two separate show listings. Audio went to one feed, video to another. Your audience was split, analytics were fragmented, and managing it was a nightmare.

Apple's new HLS system unifies audio and video into a single feed Applepodnews. Users can switch seamlessly between watching and listening without losing their place. Video integrates with Apple's existing features — personalised recommendations, editorial curation, offline downloads, picture-in-picture playback.

Why HLS matters: HLS breaks video into short segments (about 10 seconds each) with adaptive quality adjustment based on network conditions Gadget Hacks. Smooth playback whether you're on Wi-Fi or cellular. For creators, it enables dynamic video ad insertion—something traditional RSS feeds couldn't support.

The catch for podcast hosts: Apple Podcasts HLS video isn't distributed through RSS feeds like normal podcast episodes podnews. Instead, your hosting provider needs to send HLS playlist URLs to Apple separately via a dedicated API. This means not every hosting platform will support Apple's video system.

Launch partners confirmed so far: Acast, ART19 (Amazon), Triton's Omny Studio, and SiriusXM (including AdsWizz and Simplecast) Apple.

Noticeably absent at launch: Buzzsprout, RSS.com, Spotify for Creators.

This doesn't mean they won't add support — Apple says "additional providers to join in the future" — but if video on Apple Podcasts is critical to your strategy, you'll need to either wait for your current host to implement HLS support or consider switching to a confirmed launch partner.

Our Take at the Podcast Studio Glasgow

For creators starting out in 2026: Don't let Apple's HLS announcement paralyse you. The feature launches in spring, hosting partners are still rolling out support, and 37% of people aged 12+ now consume video podcasts monthly TechCrunch

But audio podcasting still dominates total listening hours. Pick your host based on what you need today, not what Apple might offer six months from now.

Sources:

Mark Hunter

Mark is the founder of Postable Limited and the co-founder of the Podcast Studio Glasgow. He became a pioneer of podcasting in 2005 and has worked extensively as a podcast producer, digital marketing consultant and content creator.

https://podcaststudioglasgow.com
Next

Podcast Episode Length: What Performs Best in 2026?