The podcast hosting platform that grows your community
Substack is the only podcast hosting platform with a subscriber community, a companion newsletter, an independent website, and complete ownership of your audience, all in one place, with no monthly platform fees. Host for free, distribute to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube, earn directly from listeners through private and paid feeds, and keep 90% of what you earn.
Diabolical Lies
Smart. Sane. Unbearable. Diabolical Lies is Caro Claire Burke and Katie Gatti Tassin's long-form culture and politics podcast. It's independent, listener-supported, and unafraid of an opinion.
Prof G Markets
Hosted by Scott Galloway and Ed Elson, Prof G Markets breaks down the news moving the capital markets, from earnings and Big Tech to geopolitics, to help you build financial literacy.
Projections from Sean Fennessey
Projections is Sean Fennessey's companion community and newsletter to The Big Picture, his twice-weekly podcast about movies, Hollywood, filmmaking, and how we see what we're seeing.
The Fifth Column
Kmele Foster, Michael Moynihan, and Matt Welch host "America's smartest, funniest, and intermittently most offensive podcast," a weekly rhetorical assault on the news cycle and the people who make it.
The Martyr Made Podcast
Darryl Cooper's MartyrMade is a deep, narrative history podcast diving into the most tragic and epic stories of the past.
Newcomer Pod
The Newcomer podcast is Eric Newcomer's deeply reported show on the inner workings of the startup and venture capital industry, where technology and venture capital intersect.
The Dishcast with Andrew Sullivan
On the Dishcast, Andrew Sullivan hosts long, civil conversations with a wide range of writers, thinkers, and newsmakers, built around debate, dissent, and the big questions.
The Glenn Show
The Glenn Show brings weekly conversations on race, inequality, and economics with writers, social scientists, and activists, the kind of discussions that have no place in mainstream outlets.
Expense Account
Expense Account from Emily Sundberg’s Feed Me is a food podcast for everyone. Anyone who enjoys eating food. It’s even for people who hate food.
House of Strauss
Ethan Strauss's House of Strauss podcast delivers the real criticism on the sports industry you can't find anywhere else, across sports, business, politics, and culture.
Volts
Volts is David Roberts's podcast about clean energy and politics, going deep with the engineers, policymakers, and researchers driving the transition to a carbon-free world.
The Jim Acosta Show
The Jim Acosta Show is independent journalist Jim Acosta's daily politics podcast, covering the news unvarnished and free from the pressures of corporate media.
Split Zone Duo
Split Zone Duo is a college football podcast that "eats the whole hog," obsessing over the nuts and bolts of the entire sport, from the biggest programs to the teams nobody else covers.
What's the best podcast hosting platform?
Substack, if you want to earn from listeners and own your audience. It's the only podcast hosting platform with a subscriber community, a companion newsletter, an independent website, and complete ownership of your audience, all in one place, with no monthly platform fees. Hosting is free, analytics are IAB certified, and episodes go to Apple Podcasts (including video), Spotify, and YouTube. You keep 90% of paid subscriptions. A standalone host only makes sense if your show will run on ads alone and never sell subscriptions.
The platform built for growth
Substack doesn't just host your podcast — it helps people find it. More than half of new subscribers come from inside the platform itself, through the app, Notes, and cross-publication recommendations. And once they find you, turning free listeners into paying subscribers happens in the same place. Keep 90% of what you earn. No monthly fees, no platform tiers. You only pay when you earn.
Podcast hosting built for communities
Podcast hosting on Substack starts with free RSS feed and video hosting, IAB-certified download analytics, and distribution to Apple Podcasts (including video), Spotify, and YouTube, but your listeners don't just hit play and move on. Every listener can become an email subscriber, which means your episodes land directly in inboxes, not buried in an algorithmic feed you don't control. And the relationship goes deeper than the inbox: comments, chat threads, and direct messaging turn passive listeners into active participants. On Substack, your audience doesn't just listen — they build with you.
You own everything. You always will
Your subscriber list. Your payment stream. Your content. Substack never holds any of it hostage. You can export your audience and take it with you at any time.
Build a sustainable podcast business
Ad revenue is unpredictable. Sponsorship deals come and go. Substack gives you a more durable foundation — one where your most devoted listeners pay you directly, and your existing monetization still has a place.
Keep your ad business. Add subscriptions on top
Already running a sponsorship-supported show? Substack doesn't ask you to choose. Publish your ad-supported episodes freely via RSS to Apple, Spotify, and every major player. Then offer paying subscribers an ad-free version, bonus episodes, extended cuts, or early access.
Build with subscriptions from day one
No ad network to pitch. No rates to negotiate. Just subscribers who value your work enough to pay for it directly. A few hundred paid subscribers at $5/month can replace a meaningful income stream — and a few thousand makes it a real business.
Your business partner for growth
Substack's business model is simple: we make money when you make money. Substack takes 10% from paid subscription revenue, incentivizing us to drive new paid subscribers to your podcast. No monthly fees, no tiers.
90%
How Substack Compares
Substack is the only podcast hosting platform with a subscriber community, a companion newsletter, an independent website, and complete ownership of your audience, with no monthly platform fees. Substack only makes money when you make money, and you keep 90% of your paid subscription revenue.
Scroll to see the full table
Everything in one place
Feature | Substack | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Community tools (chat, comments) | On Spotify, creators can reply once to each comment, and fans can't reply back. | No | Podbean offers episode comments only. It shut down livestreaming in June 2026. | No | ||||||
Companion newsletter | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | |||
Independent podcast website | No | No | No | No Acast sites live on shows.acast.com, and the free plan site cannot be customized. | No Supercast offers a branded landing page only. | No | ||||
Own your subscriber list | No YouTube's member exports don't include email addresses. | No Spotify shares a member's contact details only if the member chooses to. | No | Paying subscribers only. Buzzsprout lets you export their names and emails, but it runs checkout and free listeners never join a list. | No | No | ||||
No monthly platform fee | No | Podbean's free plan allows 5 hours of uploads in total, keeps only your latest 20 episodes in the feed, and lets Podbean run its own ads on your show without paying you. | Acast's free Starter plan is limited to 5 episodes. | No | No beehiiv's free plan allows 1 show and 5,000 downloads a month, and can't sell subscriptions. | No | ||||
Platform fee on paid subscriptions | 10% | 30% | 10% | 10% | 15% | Via Apple Podbean sells subscriptions through Apple Podcasts Subscriptions. Apple keeps 30% the first year (15% after). | Via Supercast Acast closed its own subscriptions product, Acast+, and points creators to Supercast. | $0.59 per subscriber | 0% beehiiv requires a paid plan to sell subscriptions. | Not published Supporting Cast shares pricing only after a sales demo. |
Growth network | Limited Patreon's built-in discovery is limited, so most growth comes from audiences you build elsewhere. | No | No | No | No | No | No | |||
Who owns the payment relationship | You Payments run through your own Stripe account. | YouTube YouTube memberships end 120 days after a channel loses monetization. | Spotify | Patreon | Buzzsprout Buzzsprout pays subscription earnings into its Wallet, which you cash out through PayPal. | Apple or Podbean Podbean's older Premium and Patron programs keep paying listeners inside Podbean's own app. | Acast partners Acast's terms allow a paywall only through Acast or its designated partners. | You Payments run through your own Stripe account. | You Payments run through your own Stripe account. | You Payments run through your own Stripe account. |
Podcast hosting and distribution
Feature | Substack | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Free podcast hosting | No | No Buzzsprout's free plan removes episodes after 90 days. | Podbean's free plan allows 5 hours of uploads in total, keeps only your latest 20 episodes in the feed, and lets Podbean run its own ads on your show without paying you. | Acast's free Starter plan is limited to 5 episodes. | No | beehiiv's free plan allows 1 show and 5,000 downloads a month, and can't sell subscriptions. | No | |||
Free & paid episodes | No | beehiiv Lite plan and up, from $59/month. | No | |||||||
Powerful discovery network | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | |||
Native podcast hosting | No | No Hosts paid, private feeds only. Your public show needs a separate host. | No Hosts paid, private feeds only. Your public show needs a separate host. | |||||||
Distribute to Apple Podcasts & Spotify | No | |||||||||
Video on Apple Podcasts | No | No Spotify for Creators video plays only in Spotify. Other apps get audio only. | No | Buzzsprout Audio + Video plans only, from $25/month billed annually. | Podbean Unlimited Plus plan and up, from $29/month. | Acast Video plan only, from $50/month. | No | No | No | |
Episodes delivered by email | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | |||
Auto-publish video to YouTube | No | No | No | Buzzsprout Audio + Video plans only, from $25/month billed annually. | No | No | No | No | ||
Paid episodes playable in Spotify | No | No | No | No | No | |||||
IAB-certified download analytics | No | No | No | No | No | No | ||||
Browser and mobile recording studio | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | |
Import your show and paying subscribers | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | ||
Collaboration tools | No | Podbean Network plan and up, from $79/month. | Acast Pro plan and up. | No | beehiiv Lite plan and up, from $59/month. | No | ||||
Live video | No | No | No | No | No | No | ||||
Themes and visual customization | No | No | No | No | ||||||
Mobile app for listeners | No | No | No | No | No |
How we compared: we checked each platform's own pricing pages, help docs, and terms. A feature is marked as supported only when the platform documents it.
Up and running in five minutes
Start fresh or bring your existing show over — either way, setup takes less time than recording an intro. For the full walkthrough, see how to start a podcast.
1
Create a free Substack account
No credit card required. Free to start, free to leave.
2
Enable the podcast feature
Turn it on from your publication settings in one click.
3
Import or record your first episode
Upload an existing file or record directly in the Substack Recording Studio — no equipment needed.
4
Publish
Your episode goes to subscribers via email and RSS, and appears automatically in the Substack app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.
Migrate an existing podcast
Import your full back catalog and RSS feed in a few clicks. Your history, your subscribers, your Stripe customers — all intact.
Free + paid tiers, side by side
Publish open episodes to grow your audience and gate bonus content, extended cuts, or ad-free versions for paying subscribers — all from one dashboard.
Substack Recording Studio
Record directly in your browser. No gear, no software, no editing required. Hit record, finish, publish.
Video podcasts, too
Publish video to Apple Podcasts and YouTube automatically, and add it to Spotify from your Spotify for Creators dashboard.
Common Questions
How much does it cost to host a podcast on Substack?
Free. Substack charges no monthly hosting fees. When you turn on paid subscriptions, Substack takes 10% and you keep 90%, before standard Stripe payment processing fees.
Is Substack good for podcasts?
Yes. Substack is the only podcast hosting platform with a subscriber community, a companion newsletter, an independent website, and complete ownership of your audience, all in one place, with no monthly platform fees. Hosting is free, download analytics are IAB certified, and episodes go to Apple Podcasts (including video), Spotify, and YouTube. More than half of new subscribers come from inside Substack's network, and Substack only makes money when you do: you keep 90% of your paid subscription revenue.
Can I distribute to Apple Podcasts and Spotify?
Yes — automatically. Every episode you publish gets an RSS feed that distributes to all major podcast players, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Learn more
Does my Substack podcast get an RSS feed?
Yes. Every Substack podcast gets a free public RSS feed that you can submit to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and any other podcast app. Every paid subscriber also gets their own private RSS feed for paid episodes, and each show on your publication can have its own feed. Learn more
If I publish a video podcast on Substack, does it show up on other platforms?
Yes. Substack delivers your video episodes to Apple Podcasts and can publish them to YouTube automatically. You can also add them to Spotify from your Spotify for Creators dashboard. Learn more
Can paid subscribers listen in Spotify and Apple Podcasts?
Yes. Substack is a Spotify Open Access partner, so paid subscribers can link their subscription and hear paid episodes right in Spotify. Every paid subscriber also gets a private RSS feed that works in Apple Podcasts and other podcast apps. Learn more
Are Substack podcast analytics IAB certified?
Yes. Substack's podcast download analytics are certified by IAB Tech Lab, the measurement standard advertisers rely on, so you can share your download numbers with sponsors with confidence.
Will I keep my listeners' email addresses?
Yes. You own your subscriber list and can export it at any time.
Can I offer some episodes for free and others for paid subscribers only?
Yes. You control which episodes are public and which are exclusive to paying subscribers. You can also use our flexible paywall tool to offer free previews of episodes to subscribers. Learn more
Do I need any special equipment to record?
No. The Substack Recording Studio works directly in your browser. You can record and publish without any external software, gear, or editing tools.
Can I import my existing podcast?
Yes. Substack's import tool brings over your previous episodes, RSS feed, and subscriber list in minutes. Learn more
Your voice. Your audience. Your income
Substack is where independent podcasters build sustainable businesses. It’s the only platform where you bring your community together, find new subscribers, and own 100% of your audience from day one.
