Is Transistor Good? (Transistor VS Podbean VS Simplecast)

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So, is transistor podcast hosting good?

Should you host your podcast with them?

Are there any better alternatives than transistor?

These are very valid questions that you should ask before you commit to a podcast hosting platform.

So, how do you choose the right podcast hosting for your podcast?

First, you need to know what’s your objective with your podcast.

Are you planning to grow a huge audience and monetize it?

Or are you just doing it for fun and as a hobby?

Secondly, what’s your plan for your podcast?

Do you want to create just one podcast and work by yourself?

Or do you intend to hire a team of people to help you manage it?

Also, do you have plans to create multiple podcasts?

These questions are quite important.

Because it will help you determine which podcast hosting can best help you achieve your goals.

For example, if you have plans to create multiple podcast, then you should look for a podcast hosting that allows you to do that, ideally without costing extra (e.g. Transistor)

If you think you want to bring on more people to work together with you on the podcast, then you should look for a podcast that allows multiple collaborators.

Because you don’t want to get yourself in a situation where you have to transfer to another podcast hosting later on.

Next, how do you tell if a podcast hosting is actually good?

Below are the 8 main criteria that you can use to determine if it is a good podcast hosting:

• Large storage capabilities (preferably unlimited)
• Distribution to all podcast directories
• Embeddable players
• Customizable Podcast website with custom domain
• Podcast analytics
• Monetization tools
• Security & 99.9% uptime guarantee
• Great customer support

Transistor Podcast Hosting

Unlike most of its competitors, Transistor offers two unique benefits:

• Transistor allows you to host unlimited shows on the same account, for one monthly price
• Transistor allows you to invite collaborators for each podcast

So, how does this work?

Host Unlimited Shows (or Podcasts)

So, what’s the benefit of hosting multiple podcasts?

• Increase the number of listeners you get each month by creating more shows
• Test out new concepts, and choose the podcast theme (or format) that resonates the most
• Create multiple formats for different listeners! (e.g. 2-hours interviews or 30-minute commuter shows)

If you have a lot of ideas for multiple podcasts, then Transistor can help you with that at no extra cost.

For other podcast hosting companies, you will be charged much more for hosting multiple podcasts.

For example, PodBean is a very good podcast hosting with paid plans starting from $9/ month, but only its Business Plan ($99/month) allows multiple podcasts.

With Transistor, you can create multiple podcasts at one monthly price of $19 (or about $15 if billed annually), as long as you stay under your download limit (10,000 downloads/month).

Invite Collaborators

Each podcast you host on Transistor can have its own team of users. 

There are three types of users on Transistor:

1. Owner: They control the billing and subscription settings, credit card information, and can cancel an account.
2. Admins: They can edit show settings, manage episodes, view analytics, and manage team members.
3. Members: They can add or edit episodes, and view analytics, but are not allowed to delete episodes or manage team members.

If you are collaborating with friends to launch a podcast, you should always look for a podcast that allows multiple users ideally at no extra cost.

For example, PodBean is a very good podcast hosting with paid plans starting from $9/ month, but only its Business Plan ($99/month) allows multiple admins.

With Transistor, you can create multiple podcasts and invite multiple users to work on each show all at one monthly price of $19 (or about $15 if billed annually)

Is Transistor Podcast Hosting Good?

Now, let’s see if transistor podcast hosting meets all the criteria mentioned above.

#1. Transistor Storage Capabilities

So, what is storage capability?

It refers to the amount of audio content you can upload to your podcast.

For most podcast hosting plans, they have a fixed monthly limit either based on file sizes or total time. 

For example, some podcast hosting plans only allow you to upload 3 hours of audio content every month.

If you exceed your monthly allowance, you will be charged extra. 

Of course, there are also podcast hosting plans that offer unlimited storage (e.g. PodBean). 

For Transistor, it uses a different metric called monthly downloads.

What that means is that you can create as many podcasts you want and upload as much audio content as you want as long as the number of downloads stay below 10,000 per month (that’s for the cheapest plan).

If you are just starting out, it’s unlikely you will go over this limit.

As your audience grow, you can always upgrade your plan to increase your monthly download limits.

#2. Distribution to all podcast directories

Once you upload your podcast, Transistor will help you distribute it to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, and others.

Also, to prevent your submission from getting rejected for non-compliance reasons, Transistor offers RSS feeds that are compliant with the requirements of all the podcast directories.

This way, you can be assured that your podcast will get distributed everywhere without delay.

#3. Embeddable Players

Transistor offers customizable players to embed your podcast on your websites and blogs.

You will find this tool very useful if you already have an existing website or blog.

Because it allows you to offer audio content to your website or blog audience and also helps grow your listenership.

#4. Podcast Analytics

So, Transistor is actually one of the best podcast hosting companies when it comes to customer support.

It offers live customer support for all its users, regardless of which plan you are on.

For some podcast hosting companies, only the business plan customers enjoy live chat support.

#7 Pricing

Lastly, it’s pricing. 

If you are just starting out and have a tight budget, then you should always go with the cheapest plan first.

And annual plans are always much cheaper than monthly plans.

Transistors’ plans start from $19 per month.

But if you choose the annual plan, you get two months for FREE.

Right now, it offers a 14-day FREE trial which lets you test drive the podcast host platform with zero risks. 

Try out Transistor and get a 14-day FREE trial.

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Transistor vs Podbean

So, what is the difference between Transistor and Podbean?

And which one is better?

Both Transistor and Podbean offer all the essential features you need to host your podcast:

• Unlimited storage capabilities
• Distribution to all podcast directories
• Embeddable players
• Customizable Podcast website with custom domain
• Podcast analytics
• Security & 99.9% uptime guarantee

But, here are some key differences.

Transistor allows you to host multiple podcasts and invite multiple collaborators for each show for all its users, while Podbean only offers this for users who bought its most expensive plan.

Also, Transistor provides live customer support for all its users while Podbean only offers this for users who bought its most expensive plan

In terms of monetization options, Podbean does much better than Transistor by making it very easy for you to get paid through Podcast Advertising (i.e. either connect you with potential advertisers or allow you to place ads in your podcast), charging premium podcast content with subscriptions or single-episode sales and getting recurring donation from fans.

In terms of functionality, Podbean has some pretty cool features that Transistor does not offer.

For example, Podbean has a live streaming function and allows you to engage your audience in new and exciting ways such as taking listener calls, getting real-time comments and earning virtual currency from ticket sales and gifts.

Also, it has a Podbean app audio recorder that allows you to record, edit and publish podcasts right from your phone with the free, easy-to-use Podbean app.

Lastly, Podbean offers video podcasting which Transistor does not have currently. 

In terms of pricing, Podbean has a FREE plan which allows you to upload a total of 5 hours’ audio content.

For Transistor, there is no Free plan but it offers a 14-day trial.

For the paid plans, both offer annual plans which give you greater savings of at least 20%.

Podbean’s plans start from $14/month (or $9/month if billed annually) while Transistor’s plans start from $19/month (or $15/month if billed annually).

So which one is right for you?

If you are planning to host multiple podcasts or have multiple collaborators, then Transistor is definitely the better choice here because you can get this just by buying Transistor’s cheapest plan while Podbean only offer this for its most expensive plan.

Try out Transistor and get a free 14-day trial now

But, if you are only planning to host one show by yourself and you want to monetize your podcast eventually, then it is better to go with Podbean because it makes easy to monetize your podcast and offers a lot of options for podcast monetization.

Also, Podbean offers you a lot of cool features such as Live Streaming, Audio Recorder and even Video Podcasting which Transistor does not offer currently.

Also, Podbean’s cheapest plan is 40% cheaper than Transistor’s.

Try out PodBean and get a free 30-day trial now

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Transistor vs Simplecast

So, what about Transistor vs Simplecast?

These are more very similar in the sense that they both offer multiple shows and multiple collaborators for all their podcast hosting plans.

In terms of podcast hosting features, they also provide all the essential functionality you need to host, distribute, and promote your podcast shows:

• Unlimited storage capabilities
• Distribution to all podcast directories
• Embeddable players
• Customizable Podcast website with a custom domain

So, is there any difference between Transistor and Simplecast?

Yes, there are a few key differences.

In terms of customer support, Transistor offers live customer support for ALL its users, regardless of which plan they are on.

But, Simplecastonly offers live chat support for its more expensive plans which start from $35/month.

In terms of functionality, Simplecast got this very unique tool called “Recast” which is a podcast sharing and discovery tool.

That allows you and your listeners to share custom clips of your episodes, optimized for social media.

In terms of pricing, Transistor’s cheapest plan starts from $19/month (or $15/month if billed annually) while Simplecast‘s cheapest plan starts from $15/month (or $13.5 if billed annually).

So, there isn’t really a very big difference, but with Transistor, you get live customer support even with the cheapest plan. 

For Simplecast, you will only get email support for the cheapest plan.

Here’s another big difference.

For Simplecast, you won’t get access to your podcast analytics unless you buy its essential plan which is $35/month, while for Transistor, you get access to your podcast analytics even if you are on its cheapest plan.

Podcast analytics is important because it gives you insight into your audience and how your audience is interacting with your show.

It should be made available, regardless of which plan you are on. 

In fact, most of the podcast hosting companies (e.g. PodBean) make Podcast analytics available for all the hosting plans.

So, if you are planning to host multiple podcasts or have multiple collaborators for your show, I highly recommend Transistor because it gives you the most value for your money.

Try out Transistor and get a free 14-day trial now

But, if you are only planning to host one podcast by yourself, then I recommend PodBean because it gives you a lot of powerful podcasting tools as well as monetization options even for the cheapest annual plan.

Also, PodBean‘s cheapest annual plan is much cheaper than both Transistor and Simplecast.

Try out PodBean and get a free 30-day trial now