Publish podcasts

Spotify for Creators hosts audio and video podcasts at no cost and gives you an RSS feed for Apple Podcasts and other apps. Podbean's free basic plan has no upload limits. Buzzsprout's free plan keeps each episode online for only 90 days, so treat it as a trial. If you want your back catalogue to stay up, check that limit before you commit.

Spotify for Creators publishes straight to Spotify and shows Spotify listener stats in the same dashboard. Its RSS feed also gets you into Apple Podcasts, so you are not locked in. A paid host makes sense when you want a podcast website, private feeds or tools to earn money from the show. Captivate includes all three on every plan.

You export your episodes to the new host and set a redirect on your old RSS feed, so the apps follow the show to its new address. Listeners keep their subscriptions and you keep your reviews. Keep the old account active for a few weeks until every directory has picked up the change.

Transistor publishes private feeds for members or staff and lets you add several team seats. One plan covers as many shows as you like and charges by downloads, so a new show adds nothing to the bill. Captivate also includes private podcasts on every plan. Both start under $20 or £20 a month.

Podbean lets you earn from ads and from listeners through patron subscriptions, and you can stream live. Captivate has built-in monetisation on every plan. Sponsors usually look for a steady audience, so listener support often comes first for small shows. Whatever you pick, publishing on a regular schedule matters more than the host.