Researching your podcast hosting options? Do you want to see exactly how Castos and Libsyn stack up? We’re giving you a straight-forward look at how Castos’ features compare to what Libsyn has to offer.
Looking For A Libsyn Alternative? Meet Castos.
On the surface, it appears Castos and Libsyn offer similar podcast hosting plans. But if you dig a little deeper, you’ll notice a few crucial differences in our services. If you’re on the fence about whether Libsyn is the best podcast host, keep reading. We’ll show you how our features and costs compare to help you make a decision.
Castos Features Compared To Libsyn
Castos is the best alternative to Libsyn for your podcast hosting needs. We offer additional features, straight-forward pricing, and the peace of mind that we’re committed to podcasters in the long run.
Here’s exactly how Libsyn and Castos compare.
Upload & Storage Limits
Castos
Unlimited uploads and file storage.
Libsyn
Unlimited bandwidth but all plans include a monthly upload limit.
Predictable Pricing
Castos
Core features included within our Essentials Plan for $19/month.
Earn 2 months free with our annual plans.
Libsyn
Additional costs for going over upload limits, additional statistics, and using your own domain name.
No annual cost savings offered.
WordPress Plugin
Castos
Use Seriously Simple Podcasting to manage your podcast directly from WordPress.
Publish episodes, customize the embeddable player, and view analytics from one dashboard.
Libsyn
Plugin only creates an embeddable player. Required to manage your podcast within the Libsyn’s dashboard, then replicate the workflow on WordPress.
Automatically Convert & Publish Podcast To YouTube
Castos
Use Automatic YouTube Republishing to convert episodes into video files and publish them to YouTube.
Host both your audio and video files with Castos.
Libsyn
Feature not currently supported by Libsyn.
Use Your Own Domain Name For RSS Feed Link
Castos
RSS feed URL can be based on your current domain name for free.
Libsyn
RSS feed URL can be based on your current domain name for $2/month.
Episode Transcriptions
Castos
$0.10/minute, pay-as-you-go.
Libsyn
Feature not offered by Libsyn.
Manage Multiple Podcasts From One Account
Castos
Unique RSS feeds created for every new podcast series. Manage multiple podcasts from one account for a fixed price.
Libsyn
Unique RSS feeds created for every new podcast series. But you’re required to purchase a separate plan for each show.
Advanced Analytics For Every Plan
Castos
View listens by episode, geographic breakdowns, and listens by device and platform on every plan.
Libsyn
Advanced analytics only offered in top tier plans, starting at $20/month.
We don’t have upload or file storage limits for any plan so you can podcast until your heart’s content. Libsyn doesn’t let you do that.
Every Libsyn plan includes limits on the number of MBs you can upload per month. Their most expensive plan at $40/month only allows you to upload 800 MBs per month. Want to experiment with longer episodes or a publishing more frequently? That may require purchasing additional upload hours or bumping up a more expensive plan.
Libsyn allows you to purchase additional 200MBs at $10/month but it’s only available for their top tier plans.
Tip
Calculate the amount of bandwidth you need using Podtopia’s Bandwidth Calculator. Grab your average episode file size in MBs, how often you publish new episodes, and estimated subscriber count to figure out your bandwidth needs.
Castos doesn’t believe in limiting your creative process so all of our plans include unlimited uploads, podcasts, and episodes, period. Upload as many hours as you want and let your creative juices flow!
You’ll have the freedom to experiment with new concepts, host multiple shows, and podcast until your heart’s content with Castos. We prefer that you grow your podcast without worrying about limitations and unexpected costs.
Our plans feature fixed prices or save more with an annual plan. Libsyn doesn’t offer annual cost-savings and you’ll have to pay more for additional features.
You’ll find similarities between Castos’ and Libsyn’s plans. Each include:
- Advanced podcast analytics
- A customizable podcast page that features your episodes in one place
- Automatically distribute episodes to every podcast directory
- Easy, one-click imports of any existing content
But we differ in one key aspect: price predictability. Libsyn Classic 50 Plan starts at $5/month, compared to Castos’ $19/month Essentials Plan. But here’s how you may incur additional costs using Libsyn:
Podcasting Needs:
Publish 4x 60 minute episodes per month
Use your own domain name for RSS feed link
Castos Essentials Plan
$19/month or $190/year
Libsyn Classic 250 Plan + Domain Name Fee
$17/month or $240/year
Podcasting Needs:
Manage two podcasts
Publish 2x 60 minute episodes per month per podcast
Castos Essentials Plan
$19/month or $190/year
2x Libsyn Classic 250 Plan
$30/month or $360/year
Podcasting Needs:
Publish 2x 60 minutes episodes per month
Republish podcast to YouTube automatically and host video files
Castos Growth Plan
Automatically republish your podcast to YouTube using a static background image.
$49/month or $490/year
Castos Pro Plan
Do you film while recording your podcast? Host your video and audio files with Castos and republish it to YouTube and WordPress.
$99/month or $990/year
Features not supported by Libsyn
At Castos, we don’t see the sense in penalizing you for creating more content or working across multiple podcasts. Launch your podcast with our Essentials Plan at $19/month or save $38 with an annual plan.
Castos makes podcasting with WordPress seamless with our Seriously Simple Podcasting plugin. With Libsyn, you’ll spend more time managing your podcast between two platforms.
Libsyn has a WordPress plugin but it has limited features, only allowing you to embed a player on your website. You have to toggle between the Libsyn dashboard and WordPress to publish a new episode to your website, adding unnecessary steps to your workflow.
With Seriously Simple Podcasting, you can manage your podcast directly from the WordPress dashboard you know and love. With robust features and an intuitive interface, there’s a reason over 20K+ podcasters trust Seriously Simple Podcasting.
Here’s everything you can do directly from your WordPress dashboard using Seriously Simple Podcasting:
- Upload audio and video podcast episodes directly to WordPress
- Files are automatically synced with your podcast hosting provider (like Castos)
- Display podcast episode lists, single episodes, or playlists anywhere on your site
- Change embedded player settings with customized colors and episode images
- Feature custom subscribe links to any podcast listening platform
- View episode analytics within WordPress dashboard
Tip
Learn how Castos and Seriously Simple Podcasting work together to make your workflow more efficient. No more toggling between multiple platforms so you can focus on the fun stuff.
Automatically republish your podcast to YouTube with Castos and be discovered by their 2 billion monthly users. And we’ll host both your audio and video files. With Libsyn, it’s more complicated.
Many podcasters choose to film video while recording new episodes to repurpose their podcast for YouTube. With Castos’ Pro Plan, you can host your video and audio files for one low price.
If you haven’t started filming videos alongside your episode recordings, try our Growth Plan. Each time you upload a new episode to Castos, we’ll convert the audio files into a video format and add a static background image. Then we’ll republish the episode to your YouTube channel automatically.
Neither of these features are available with Libsyn, requiring you to do everything manually. For those repurposing a podcasts into video content, Castos’ automatic YouTube Republishing tool saves you time and headaches.
Action
See how easy it is to set up Automatic YouTube Republishing with Castos’ Growth Plan.
Already have a domain name for your brand? Castos lets you use your domain name for free. Libsyn charges extra.
Using your own domain name for your podcast’s RSS feed allows you to keep your podcast under one cohesive brand name.
With Castos, that means your RSS feed will look like https://www.mybrandname.com/. Your branding stays consistent and all written, video, and podcast content is all in one place. This makes it easier for your fans to discover everything you have to offer.
With Libsyn, they’ll charge an extra $2/month for using your domain name. While the cost is nominal, why not enjoy this feature for free?
Tip
If you don’t have a website yet, don’t worry. Castos provides a customizable podcast webpage that houses all of your podcast episodes for free. Your audience can listen to your show and subscribe on their preferred listening platform from your podcast webpage. In this case, the URL will be yourpodcastname.castos.com.
Use Castos’ pay-as-you-go transcription feature and easily get a word-for-word transcript of your episodes at just $0.10/minute. With Libsyn, you’ll have to pay for a 3rd party service.
Making podcasts accessible is a priority for our team, leading us to integrate with Rev for our podcast transcriptions. Easily transcribe each episode, download the PDF, and publish the them to your podcast’s website for your hearing-impaired or ESL listeners. As an added bonus, you’ll unlock SEO benefits and have an easy way to repurpose episodes into written content.
Transcriptions cost $0.10 per minute so a 30-minute episode will cost you $3. We’ll add these additional costs to your monthly or annual billing notice so everything is in one place.
Libsyn doesn’t offer transcription services directly from your dashboard so you’ll need to pay for a 3rd party service or freelancer.
Action
See how easy it is to generate an episode transcription from your Castos dashboard.
