RSS.com

Free-tier hosting

RSS.com is one of the few hosts whose free tier is actually usable as a permanent home — unlimited episodes and no time limit beats Buzzsprout's 90-day window outright. The monetization isn't as developed as Acast's and the platform is less polished than Transistor. Fine for hobbyists; serious creators will still want a paid host.

RSS.com positions itself as the easiest way to start a podcast for free, and unlike most 'free' plans in the hosting space, it genuinely is — unlimited episodes, unlimited storage, no time limit. That alone is meaningful in a category where competitors typically cap free tiers or use them as 90-day trials. Episodes auto-distribute to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and Amazon Music, real-time analytics are available, AI-powered transcription is included for accessibility, the platform has a basic website builder for custom landing pages, and there are monetization options including programmatic ads, Apple Podcasts subscriptions, donation buttons, and Value 4 Value support. The pitch lands strongest for new creators who want to publish without committing to a paid subscription before they know if their show will stick. The trade-offs become clearer over time. The ad marketplace is shallower than Acast's, the analytics are less detailed than Buzzsprout's or Transistor's, and the platform makes its money through premium upgrades that the interface keeps gently pushing. Serious creators tend to migrate off RSS.com once they have a few thousand listeners per episode, either because they need more sophisticated monetization or because the tooling feels constraining at scale. Best for hobbyist and early-stage podcasters who want to ship their first dozen episodes without a credit card.