Castos: A Simplecast Alternative

Researching your podcast hosting options? Do you want to see exactly how Castos and Simplecast stack up? We’re giving you a straightforward look at how Castos may be the Simplecast alternative you’ve been looking for.

You’ll also find similarities between Castos and Simplecast’s plans. Each include:

• 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

For a better look at how our features and costs compare, here are a few scenarios showing what you can expect to pay with Castos versus Simplecast:

Scenario 1: Publish 4x 60-minute episodes per month, access basic analytics

• Castos Essentials Plan: $19/month or $190/year
• Simplecast Essential Plan: starting around $35/month

Scenario 2: Manage two podcasts, publish 2x 60-minute episodes per month per podcast, access advanced analytics

• Castos Essentials Plan: $19/month or $190/year
• Simplecast Growth Plan: starting around $85/month

Scenario 3: Publish 2x 60-minute episodes per month and republish podcast to YouTube automatically

• Castos Growth Plan — automatically republish your podcast to YouTube using a static background image
• Castos Pro Plan — host your video and audio files and republish to YouTube and WordPress
• These features are not supported by Simplecast

Automatically Republish Your Podcast to YouTube

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. That’s not possible with Simplecast.

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 Simplecast, requiring you to do everything manually. For those repurposing a podcast into video content, Castos’ automatic YouTube Republishing tool saves you time and headaches.

WordPress Plugin

Castos makes podcasting with WordPress seamless with our Seriously Simple Podcasting plugin. With Simplecast, that option doesn’t exist.

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

Simplecast doesn’t have a WordPress plugin so you’ll have to find a workaround and spend more time managing your show.

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.

Advanced Analytics

With Castos, gain deeper insights about your podcast with our advanced analytics. They come standard with every plan. At Simplecast, you’ll have to pay more for the same stats.

One part of growing a podcast is understanding what’s working, and what’s not. The only way to know which episodes your audience is consuming is by analyzing the data.

We believe in providing every podcaster the tools they need to build a successful show. That’s why we include detailed analytics within every plan. Each episode includes total listens, geographic breakdowns, and device and platform details right in your dashboard.

To access advanced analytics with Simplecast, you’ll need to upgrade to a higher-tier plan — meaning you’ll spend significantly more per month compared to our Essentials Plan that offers the same features.

Episode Transcriptions

Use Castos’ built-in transcription feature to get a word-for-word transcript of every episode — included free with your plan. With Simplecast, you’ll have to pay for a third-party service.

Making podcasts accessible is a priority for our team. Easily transcribe each episode, download the PDF, and publish 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 are included free with every Castos plan — 10 episodes per month on Essentials, 25 on Growth, and 100 on Pro. There are no per-minute charges or surprise line items.

Simplecast doesn’t offer transcription services directly from your dashboard so you’ll need to pay for a third-party service or freelancer.

FAQ

Compare Castos With Other Podcast Hosting Providers

Libsyn — Buzzsprout — Podbean — Soundcloud — Blubrry — PowerPress — Migrate Your Podcast to Castos Now