Podbean vs Transistor
Podbean and Transistor are both podcast & audio tools aimed at creators and small businesses. Podbean costs less, from $17/mo versus $19/mo for Transistor. Only Podbean has a free plan.
Podcast hosting with ads, fan support and private business podcasts
Podcast hosting for businesses and creators
| Pricing | Freemium · $17 | Paid · $19 |
| Starting price | $17/mo | $19/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Free trial | 14 days | 14 days |
| Built for | Creators, Small businesses, Enterprise | Creators, Small businesses |
| Platforms | web, ios, android | web |
| Country | US · 2006 | US · 2018 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose Podbean if
Independent podcasters and small networks that want hosting, distribution and several monetization paths in one plan.
- Many monetization options under one hosting fee
- Unlimited storage removes worry about back catalog size
- Free plan lets you test publishing before paying
Look elsewhere if: Brands that want the cleanest analytics and multi-show management or free Spotify-native hosting (Transistor, Captivate, Spotify for Creators).
Choose Transistor if
Businesses and pros hosting multiple or private podcasts.
- Unlimited shows
- Private podcasts for teams
- Clean analytics
Look elsewhere if: Hobbyists wanting free hosting (Spotify for Creators).
Podbean vs Transistor pricing
Podbean
- Basic$05 hours total storage, 100 GB bandwidth per month
- Unlimited Audio$17/mo$12/mo billed annually; 1 audio show, 1 GB uploads/mo
- Unlimited Plus$39/mo$29/mo billed annually; 2 shows incl. video, 10 GB/mo
- Network$99/mo$79/mo billed annually; unlimited shows, 50 team members
- Business$129/mo$99/mo billed annually; unlimited private podcasts
Transistor
- Starter$19/mo20k downloads/mo, unlimited shows; 2 months free yearly
- Professional$49/mo100k downloads, dynamic ads, YouTube auto-post
- Business$99/mo250k downloads, removes Transistor branding
- Enterprisefrom $199/mo250k+ downloads, 3k+ private subscribers
Podbean · Key features
- Unlimited storage and unmetered bandwidth on most paid plans
- Distribution to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and more
- PodAds dynamic ad insertion and a sponsorship ads marketplace
- Patron fan support, premium episodes and Apple Podcasts Subscriptions
- AI audio cleanup, transcripts, show notes and chapter markers
- Mobile app for recording, remote guests and live streaming
Cons
- Dashboard and editor feel dated next to newer hosts
- Monthly upload caps still limit long or frequent episodes
- Free plan's 5 hours of total storage fill quickly
Transistor · Key features
- Unlimited shows on every plan
- Distribution to all major directories
- Analytics by episode and app
- Private podcasts with subscriber management
- Podcast websites and embeddable players
- Transcripts and dynamic ads
Cons
- Download-based pricing
- No free tier
- Fewer monetization tools than Acast
Podbean vs Transistor: FAQ
Which is cheaper, Podbean or Transistor?
Podbean starts at $17/mo and Transistor at $19/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.
Do Podbean and Transistor have a free plan?
Podbean has a free plan. Transistor has no free plan, a 14-day free trial.