You can make own podcasts now, with these 5 free podcasting apps

To begin with, Podcast is a collection of the episode of a digital audio file, which a user can download to listen. The word “Podcast” specifically refers to a single episode in a series of episodes. Users can opt for a subscription model to download the new episodes as soon as they are released to listen later. Generally, these episodes are related to the specific topic in which the user is interested like, Yoga, health, cooking, etc.

A podcast is an audio alternative to video marketing. Many small & medium businesses don’t opt for video marketing because it requires more financial resources in the form of a variety of technical equipment & a team of highly skilled professionals responsible for different aspects of video making like sound, lighting, background, costumes, direction, etc

On the other hand, Podcasts are a comparatively more appropriate medium for SME’s. Firstly, they are relatively less difficult & expensive to create. Secondly, podcasts enable the business to add a personal touch to the customer’s relations. Listeners get a feeling that they are familiar with the speaker & can relate themselves with the speaker & the brand he is representing. It creates a sort of one to one relation between the listener & the business. As a result, it promotes customer engagement & loyalty. Thirdly, in an age where ample written information is easily available on the internet, audio information is a pleasant change for the listeners & a great opportunity for the business to engage their customers.

Making a podcast is a process that involves activities of recording, editing & hosting. Earlier, a podcast was a complex task. There were no free applications that provided a ready to use kind of platform where the user can just start with the recording. The user was required to do all the activities separately. But the below-mentioned application provides an integrated, self-explanatory solution wherein users can record, edit & upload, all at one place. These applications are automated & ask for the user’s input. No prior professional experience is required to use these apps. These free apps bridge the gap for the users/business who wish to create a podcast for their brand by providing the solutions for the problems faced earlier.

5 Free Podcasting apps

1. Buzzsprout

This podcast hosting service was launched in 2009. It is one of the oldest in the market. Being one of the oldest in the crowded podcast hosting space, the aim of the buzz sprout is very clear. It clearly focuses on the new podcasters. The main strength of Buzz sprout is its simplicity. To keep it simple, it a limited feature list. It has its pros & cons. Due to its simple & easy interface, it encourages new podcasters to use it to create & host the podcast. Though it has everything to give best experience to new podcasters, it is not suitable for professional podcasters because it lacks powerful & advanced features that rivals offer. Though it gives unlimited storage in the free plan but there is a cap on how much can be uploaded each month (maximum 2 hours) & a limited hosting period of 90 days before an episode is removed.

2. Podbean

It is an easy, powerful & one of the most popular podcast applications to create, host, promote, track & manage podcasts. It is compatible with both IOS & Android operating systems. It comes with free & paid plans. Its unlimited & flat-rate bandwidth, storage & hosting plan provides affordability to the users. Due to its wide variety of plans, there is a plan for everyone which makes it one of the largest podcast hosting platforms available. Its share & embed feature allows the user to integrate podcasts into their own websites, blogs etc. This application provides earning opportunities to its users. This includes a patron loyalty program to establish an income source from the supporters & chance to earn through sponsorship. It connects you to the advertisers who may wish you advertise on your podcast. Under its free plan, it provides 100 GB bandwidth &upto 5 hours storage per month.

3. Anchor

It is a 100% free application to make & store the contents & host the podcast. It is founded with an aim to democratize audio. To make podcast available to everyone. Anchor believes that charges to make & host your podcast shouldn’t be the reason you do not have a podcast. It is very simple & easy too se application. User can download the app, record audio clips on the phone & just publish the podcast. Anchor allows users to record audio with multiple participants across the world. User needs to send an invitation to the participants. Anyone who has the kink & accepts it can participate in the audio recording. Anchor also allows its users to receive the calls from its listeners. It also provides its users with limited analytical support. Users can use analytical tools to understand how the listeners react to your show. What is not working & what can be improved can be easily understood.  Though it is completely free, it has some limitations. It has a limited scope for scalability as you grow. The long term future is also not clear after its acquisition by Spotify.

4. Spreaker

It is a complete solution for making, editing & hosting a podcast. It provides a comprehensive solution to the podcasters. It allows under to record audio on the go & they can broadcast it, if they wish to. It also provides editing tools to add music or sound effects to already recorded audio clips. User adds the details like, title, tag, description etc to the audio. It is the best recording studio. Under free plan there is no opportunity to earn from the podcast user needs to pay to remove advertisements. Spreaker provide limited analytical tools under its free plan. Upto 5 hours of storage & unlimited bandwidth is provided under free plan.

5. Podiant

This application was launched in 2016. This application was built on MVP (Minimum Viable Product). Only the most important features existed in the initial version but as Podiant grew, new & advanced features got added to its list. It provides its users with a dashboard that shows various statistics, all at one place. It provides intuitive & feature-rich interface & upload experience to the users. It is compatible with other social media platforms. It provides a very powerful planning & scheduling feature. Users can save time by creating templates for episodes & its notes, title, description. Users can also set schedule time for future recording & send an invite to the various participants to join-in. The free plan of Podient is only available for eligible users only. New users are required to submit their new recording & if they are considered eligible they receive free hosting services. No analytical support is provided under the free plan.

Conclusion

Many of the podcast application offers a free trial period to test their capabilities before committing. There are so many applications. Some applications are suitable for the needs of new users & some are more suitable for professional podcasters. One needs to clearly assess the requirement & carefully select the most suitable application.