Today in this post, we are reviewing Podbean vs Spreaker.

Podbean is an affordable podcast hosting platform that offers excellent monetization strategies for your podcast. It integrates with Alexa, and Google Analytics, and has several free plugins to increase the functionality.

Also, compared to Podbean, Spreaker costs high.

If you are looking for a mobile app to record the episodes on the go, both have this.

Let’s get started with the review on Podbean vs Spreaker.

Features	Podbean	Spreaker
Free plan available	Yes. ➡ Limited to 5 hours each month.	Yes. It supports only 10 episodes
Premium price starts at 💰	$9/mo	$6.67/mo
Monetization strategies 💲	➡ Ad marketplace ➡ Premium podcasts ➡ Integration with Patron	➡ Programmatic ads ➡ Selling the merchandise, products, and services
Integrations	Integrates with Canva, Otter.ai, and Temi.	Patron
Mobile app 📲	➡ Studio app for podcasters ➡ Mobile apps for listeners (both iOS and Android)	➡ Studio app for podcasters ➡ Mobile apps for listeners (both iOS and Android)
Explore	Explore more	Explore more

What do we like about Spreaker over Podbean👍?

• Spreaker on its highest plan comes with a dedicated ad campaign manager where you can set up, manage, and track the performance of ads all from a single dashboard.
• Spreaker comes with a built-in programmatic ad monetization feature that helps you dynamically insert the relevant ads in your podcasts at the right place and at the right time.

What do we like about Podbean over Spreaker👍?

• Podbean has native integration with Alexa. If you share any episode on Alexa, it automatically gets distributed on all Alexa devices.
• To extend the functionality of the platform, Podbean offers several free plugins like Google Analytics, SEO Meta Tags, MailChimp, DropBox, etc.
• There is a built-in live streaming feature in Podbean. In this way, you can create, record, and publish podcasts in real time. Co-hosts or guests from outside can also join your show.

Common downsides👎

• Podbean and Spreaker don’t come with tools like magic mastering that you will get with Buzzsprout.
• These platforms don’t offer native integration with image editing tools like Canva. You need to design your artwork with third-party tools and upload it manually. This is not a big downside though.

Upfront bottomline✨:

Both Podbean and Spreaker come with the ability to monetize your podcasts. Podbean has PodAds, premium podcasts, ad marketplace, Patron pages, etc. Whereas Spreaker mainly comes with ad campaigns and product selling with Patreon integration.

If you need various monetization features I recommend you choose Podbean. If you are mainly interested in running ads for your podcasts, Spreaker would be the best choice. If you want to know more on Spreaker, you can consider reading my review post on Spreaker.

User interface and ease of use

Both Spreaker and Podbean have a user-friendly interface.

When you login to Podbean, the dashboard provides you tips to help you get started with podcast creation.

Podbean’s tools are logically arranged and you can access them in the right sidebar.

On the other hand, in Spreaker the tools are not logically arranged. You need a few seconds to recognize them at first glance.

With both tools, you can access all their tools within 3 clicks.

Winner: Tie.

Podcast creation and editing

Getting started with podcast creation is very easy with both these platforms. You can create podcasts from scratch or import your existing podcast if hosted somewhere.

While adding an episode, you need to enter the title, and description, choose the episode type, and season number, add tags & categories, set the permalink, etc.

Adding tags to episodes helps you in creating custom playlists and categorize the podcasts (or episodes) for easier analysis. For example – If you only want to display the episodes related to WordPress, select the episodes that have the tag “WordPress”.

For adding the podcast artwork, Buzzsprout integrates with Canva. Right from the dashboard, you can design the image with Canva and upload the file. This eliminates the friction associated with switching between the tools. This feature is not there in Podbean or Spreaker.

You can use Podbean and Spreaker apps (both desktop and mobile apps) for editing the episodes. Both apps provide voice-mixing tools with music and sound effects to edit the file. Also, you can edit, trim, and replace the audio files after publishing.

Chapter markers:

In case of Spreaker, you can add chapter markers in the episodes helping listeners easily consume the content. By looking at these markers, listeners can get to know what to expect in the entire episode.

Podbean lacks this feature as of now.

Adding transcriptions:

With both Spreaker and Podbean, you can add episode transcriptions to maximize content consumption and it also helps to maximize your podcast’s SEO on search engines and podcast directories.

These transcriptions will display on the podcast website, on embedded players, and in the apps.

Spreaker integrates with Temi, Descript, and YouTube Studio. If you are using Temi or Descript, first you need to create the accounts, transcribe the episodes, and then import the file into Spreaker.

If you are repurposing the podcasts as YouTube videos, you can add transcripts with YouTube Studio.

In the Podbean, you can either use the built-in feature that transcribes at $0.20/minute. Or else use external tools and upload the SRT files.

Note: For adding transcripts in Podbean, first you need to install the “Closed Caption” plugin, which is free. Then only you will get this option to add the files.

Podcast website:

Similar to Buzzsprout, Podbean also comes with a free website. Spreaker lacks this and you need to create your own website on platforms like WordPress. Having a dedicated podcast website helps in improving the podcasts’ SEO. Thus there are high chances of your podcast appearing on SERPs.

Winner: Spreaker. Both tools have similar podcast creation and editing features. With Spreaker, you can add chapter markers helping listeners know what they can expect in the content and consume it easily.

Podcast player

Podbean comes with an embeddable podcast player where you can embed the iframe code to share the podcast on your own websites.

There are options available to customize the colors of the player, buttons, and font. Customize the fonts, share links, player height, logo, and much more.

On the other hand, Spreaker allows you to embed either the Javascript code or the iframe code. It also gives you the WordPress embed code. Unlike Podbean, in case of Spreaker, you have dark and light themes.

Also, you can customize the player size, add the elements like the share & download button, display the comments, and likes, download in the widget player. You can even display the chapter images during playback.

To embed the podcasts on websites you can decide in what way they should be published.

For example – With both these tools, you can specify the number of episodes to display or filter the episodes by specifying the tags. If you have multiple shows in various niches like eLearning, marketing, and SaaS you can only display the episodes which are relevant to your niche. Cool isn’t it?

Let’s discuss the front-end experience of podcast players.

The Spreaker interface is very neat and minimal. You can like, share, comment, pause/play, as well as forward and rewind.

In case of Podbean also you have rewind/forward, speed controller, download, and share buttons.

With both, you cannot create a customized CTA such as Sign up for our newsletter or Join our community. You should include any CTAs or links to your resources in the episode description only.

Winner: Spreaker. With Spreaker, you have light and dark themes. Also, you have the flexibility to display or hide player elements (like likes, comments, shares, download buttons), embed either the iframe or Javascript code, etc.

Storage and hosting

Podbean provides unlimited hosting and storage for all its paid plans. Spreaker’s all premium plans support unlimited storage but not unlimited hosting. Both tools offer unlimited bandwidth, which means there are no restrictions on the number of traffic your podcasts will get.

Spreaker’s pricing plans vary depending on the hosting. On the basic plan at $12/mo, it gives you 3 hours of hosting. If you need more upload time, you need to go with higher plans. There is also an extra top-up available if you need more upload time, but it increases the cost.

Winner: Podbean. It provides unlimited hosting and storage on all its paid plans.

Monetization

Podbean and Spreaker offer various monetization strategies like sponsors, podcast ads, selling premium content, etc.

With Podbean you can sell premium content, collect donations with Patron programs, and run ad campaigns.

On the other hand, Spreaker has a programmatic ad monetization feature that helps you automate the ads on your podcasts and earn money.

Let’s discuss these in detail.

Selling premium content

In Podbean, you can create a premium channel that allows you to sell audio or video podcasts for a one-time fee. You can create the premium channel by logging in to your profile page.

In the channel, you can post regular content, or publish an archive of several episodes, or even a single episode. To purchase premium podcast content, listeners must download and use the Podbean App which is available for both iOS and Android.

Earn donations

Buzzsprout provides “Support show links” which you can share with your listeners and collect donations for supporting your show.

Similar to this, Podbean has a Patron program where you will be setting the goals for letting listeners know where the money will be used and you can also set the rewards for your Patrons.

For handling the payments, Podbean integrates with the Stripe payment gateway and the money will be paid to you instantly without any delay.

Podcast advertising

With both Spreaker and Podbean, you can find the sponsors and run the ad campaigns within your podcasts. Podbean has a free ad marketplace for you to find the top sponsors.

With both you can set the slots for ads in your podcast, it may be pre-roll, post-roll, or mid-roll.

If you are on the Spreaker’s Publisher plan (costing $120/mo), you will get access to the ad manager. It lets you build, configure, and track ad campaigns.

Winner: Podbean. Podbean has an edge here with its premium podcast and Patron program to collect donations. Spreaker has given more weightage to ad campaigns.

Mobile app

Both Podbean and Spreaker have mobile apps for both iOS and Android, helping listeners consume the content on the go.

If you are in the training and education sector, Podbean has a separate app called Podbean Pro to help companies/organizations to access their private podcasts. This also helps you in setting up multiple content administrators, segmenting content into groups, and analyzing the podcast’s performance.

Spreaker also has its own studio app for podcasters which allows you to record, add voiceovers, edit the audio, and finally publish it. You can mix music and sound effects with the app’s voice-mixing tools.

It also has a live podcast recording feature with which you can broadcast the audio in real-time, from anywhere on the go. It includes a chat feature where you can connect and engage with your listeners.

What’s more?

The app also supports Skype podcast recording. With this, you can invite guests to your show.

Winner: Spreaker. It provides an app for both listeners and also for you (podcaster). The studio app is a game changer. Podbean has done a good job by offering the Podbean Pro app for training and educational purposes.

Analytics

Podbean provides detailed and more powerful statistics than Spreaker. The stats you will get include –

• Where your audience comes from
• Top 10 most downloaded episodes
• User retention graph
• Daily listeners

Retention graphs are really helpful to know how the listeners are engaging with your podcasts, and how much content they are consuming. With this, you can refine your strategies to maximize the users learning. This is lacking in Spreaker.

You can also analyze your podcast performance over a custom time range, and see the user interaction based on the followers and likes you gained.

Spreaker gives you stats on –

• Downloads
• Listeners
• Likes
• Followers
• Sources
• Geolocation
• Devices
• Evolution

Winner: Podbean. Podbean offers more detailed stats with powerful graphs.

Podcast distribution and integrations

With both these platforms, you can distribute your podcasts to the hosting platforms to get more traffic and listeners. This can be easily done through the RSS feed.

In Podbean, you can share the podcasts to over 15+ apps including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, etc.

Submitting to Apple Podcasts shares it automatically on –

• Overcast
• Pocket Cast
• Castro
• Castbox

On the other hand, with Spreaker you can distribute the podcast to 10+ apps.

Along with this, both also support social media auto-sharing feature. Whenever an episode is published, it is automatically shared on your connected social networks.

Podbean allows you to connect with Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, YouTube, and also to Tumblr, and WordPress. While Spreaker as of now only supports auto sharing with Facebook.

Winner: Podbean. Podbean allows you to share your podcasts to more platforms than Spreaker. Also, you can automatically share episodes on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, YouTube, and also to Tumblr, and WordPress, while with Spreaker you can share only to Facebook.

Integrations

Podbean integrates with

1. Alexa – helps you share your podcast to all Alexa devices.
2. Google Analytics – for tracking the conversions and the traffic
3. Podcorn – For finding the sponsors
4. Patreon – Selling premium content and collecting donations.
5. Etc.

On the other hand, Spreaker integrates with Descript, Temi, MailChimp, Skype, and Patreon.

Winner: Tie.

Pricing and support

Pricing

Both Podbean and Spreaker have free plans for you to get started and try the hands-on tool.

Podbean is an affordable tool with premium pricing starting at $9/mo. Podbean’s all paid plans support unlimited storage and unlimited bandwidth.

If you need the white-labeling option, access to Podbean apps, Patron program, and live chat features, you need to go with its Business plan at $99/mo.

On the other hand, Spreaker lowest pricing starts at $8/mo. If you need advanced stats, access to private podcasts, and need in- affiliate program support you need its Broadcaster plan that costs $20/mo.

Winner: Podbean. Podbean is very affordable and worth buying for the features it offers. If you are more dependent on running ads as a part of a podcast monetization strategy, Spreaker would be the best bet.

Support

Podbean has live chat (only available on its highest plan), email support, and also has knowledgebase articles.

While Spreaker also provides email support and knowledgebase articles, but it lacks live chat support, unlike Podbean.

Both these platforms have an active Facebook community.

Wrap up

Podbean and Spreaker are the best choices for advanced podcasters. Both tools need some learning curve and technical knowledge to get started.

Choose Podbean if –

• You have an organization and need access to a mobile app to consume private podcasts.
• You need to extend the functionality of the tool with various plugin integrations.
• You need integration with tools like Alexa.

Choose Spreaker if –

• You need a dedicated app to record and edit your audio files.
• You need built-in programmatic ad monetization feature to automate the ad campaigns.
• You need a dedicated ad manager to monitor and track your ads in one place.