RSS.com Review 2023: Is This Podcast Hosting Reliable?

Searching for the best podcast hosting that is affordable and sets you up for success? In this post, we’ll share why RSS.com is the best podcast host!

Best Podcast Hosting With RSS.com

RSS.com has rapidly become one of the top podcast hosting platforms for both individuals and businesses. 

Podcasters choose RSS.com for how easy it is to use, its low monthly subscription rates, and a long list of useful features that podcasters need to start, grow and monetize their shows.

In this review, we’ll show you why we think RSS.com is the best overall choice for podcasting.

RSS.com Is Affordable

For many new podcasters, costs can be a big factor. Equipment, logos, editing software, hosting, etc. can all add up. 

Hosting for your show is a must and prices for podcast hosting can range from free to $150 per month. So what’s the difference? 

To start, while free platforms may seem appealing at first, they all have strict limitations that many podcasters quickly outgrow. 

As their shows gain popularity, many podcasters that started out on free platforms like Anchor are eventually forced to move to a podcast host without limitations and the features they need to grow. 

Also, other paid podcast hosting companies can charge you more for features like storage, premium analytics, etc. that RSS.com includes in their monthly or annual plans. 

For podcasters needing unlimited storage and monetization features like sponsorships for a low monthly price, RSS.com plans will perfectly meet their needs.

RSS.com Plans:

RSS.com has three attractive pricing plans which meet the requirements of any podcaster.

1. All in One Podcast – $8.25 /month if paid annually

The All in One Podcast plan is perfect for both new and established podcasters and includes everything you need to start and grow a successful podcast. 

Features Include:

RSS.com Coupon Code

We found a useful coupon code you can use that gets you a full free month of hosting so you can check out all the features that RSS.com has to offer: RSSFREEMONTH

Student & NGO – $4.99 Per month

If you’re a student, educator or non-profit organization, RSS.com has a special, discounted rate you can take advantage of. 

This plan has all the features you need to start and grow a successful podcast, and for $4.99/month, is one of the most cost-effective options available.

Features include:

Podcast Networks 

RSS.com also has special plans for established podcasters who have multiple podcasts and who want to monetize their shows via Dynamic Ad Insertion (DAI).

This plan is for all podcasters – from hobbyists to pros, and its features include everything you get in the Student and NGO plan along with:

• Monetization via sponsors
• Fast 24/7 customer support

How The Plans Compare to Other Hosts in Terms of Pricing

Prices for other podcast hosts range from $0-$150 per month. You might be thinking that $0 sounds good, but here’s the thing – that “free hosting” comes with a price. For some hosts, the $0 price tag means you can only load a certain number of hours, and your episodes won’t be up forever.

While you will retain your ownership rights, one host we know of, states in their terms and conditions that in exchange for hosting your podcast for free, you agree to give them the ability to use your show in their advertising materials.

So what about the other companies that charge fees for hosting? How do they stack up against RSS.com?

While some hosts do offer more features than RSS.com at the time of this review, they charge you more for them. 

RSS.com includes all of the features in their two plans for one low cost that won’t change based on your number of listeners or how many episodes you have released.

Let’s break down some of these features further so you can see everything you’ll get. 

RSS.com Features

RSS.com is one of the easiest-to-use platforms available. With RSS.com you can launch your podcast from a desktop, smartphone, or mobile device in less than five minutes!

Also, RSS.com is easy to use on mobile devices and doesn’t require you to download an app to access your podcast dashboard.

Unlimited Episodes and Unlimited Duration

Whether you want to release 10 episodes or 100 episodes, your price stays the same – you won’t get charged extra for being productive! 

RSS.com wants podcasters to have the flexibility and freedom to share as many episodes as  they want.

They also don’t limit how many hours of content you can load. Some hosts will limit you to two, four, or even twenty hours a month. And, they’ll limit your episodes to under two hours. 

Monetization Opportunities

Being able to make money doing something you love is incredible. 

RSS.com understands this and offers its podcasters three ways to make money podcasting that include:

1. Sponsorships via Partners

2. Donation Button

3. Website Button

1. Sponsorships via Partners

RSS.com has partnered with Podcorn to help small, medium, and large podcasters find the perfect sponsors for their shows. The types of sponsorships you could land include:

• Host-read ads
• Sponsored guests
• Pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll-ads

And, unlike some podcast hosts that take as much as 30% of your sponsorship revenue, RSS.com only takes 10% keeping more of your ad money in your pocket.

2. Donation Button

RSS.com has a donation button feature that you can link to your favorite cash app, Patreon, a crowdfunding platform, or a membership website to receive money directly from your listeners.

3. Website Button

With RSS.com, you have the ability to add a button that links directly to your website – perfect if you’re running a business selling products or services!

Cross-Platform Analytics

Where other hosts are charging users a premium for analytics access, RSS.com is sharing more data and insights to help you grow.

All of their stats are pulled from the large podcast directories and allow you to get insights on:

• Which episodes are getting the most traction (i.e. which episodes are being downloaded the most)
• Where in the world your listeners are tuning in by city and country all across the globe
• Your estimated number of total followers
• The time and date your show is being listened to most frequently
• And even what device was used to download your episodes!

With RSS.com, you can also export your analytics into CSV/Excel format which allows you to create your own charts and graphs which is important if you’re looking to land sponsorships brand deals, and network offers.

The thorough analytics RSS.com offers can also be beneficial in showing you where you’re doing well, and where you need to put a little more effort into your show.

For example, seeing your most popular episodes tells you the content your audience craves, and seeing when they are listening to the most lets you know when you should start releasing episodes if you’re not already doing so.

Bottom line – RSS.com’s cross-platform analytics give you the insights you need to be a better podcaster.

RSS Feed for Your Podcast with Podcasting 2.0 Tags – Soundbites and Chapters and Transcripts.

While most podcast hosting companies give you an RSS feed for your podcast, RSS.com ups the ante by adding Podcasting 2.0 tags. This allows you to add soundbites, chapters, and transcripts to your show as well as better SEO tags.

Combined, these features will give your show maximum visibility by making it easier for new listeners to find your podcast when they are looking for specific topics in their favorite search engine.

As an added benefit, the ability to add transcripts helps your show to be more ADA compliant because people who are hard of hearing or hearing disabled will still be able to consume your content.

The chapter feature gives visual flair to your podcast and helps potentially give new listeners more insights into what your episodes are about.

Free Website for Your Show

Not everyone who starts a podcast has a website with their own domain. The good news is that RSS.com has you covered in the sense that every podcast they host gets a free public website they can direct listeners to.

The public website also enables you to write show notes and descriptions for each of your episodes and hyperlink to products/services you discuss, your guest’s social media profiles and website, or anything else you want your listeners to know about related to the episode. 

And, your listeners can tune into your episodes on this website without the need of downloading an app. The website has a podcast player right on the page!

However, if your listeners would prefer tuning in from their favorite podcatcher, you can also add the links to your show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts. By the way, RSS.com offers guided distribution to each of these major directories too!

Easy Sharing

Every podcaster knows they need to promote their podcast if they want to get the word out about their amazing content. RSS.com makes this easy too with one-click social media share buttons and embeddable players.

From your dashboard or your podcast’s public website, you can go to any episode and click the share button to share to Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, or Pinterest.

This button also gives you access to the embed code so you can easily share the podcast player for each of your episodes on your own website.

Episodic or Serial Podcasting Options

One lesser-known feature that RSS.com offers is the ability to share your podcast in an episodic or serial format. What this means is it will change how your episodes are displayed on directories like Apple Podcast or Spotify.

By default, these directories display your episodes from newest to oldest by publish date – this is called Episodic. You may decide you want them organized by season, not publish date – and this is known as Serial ordering. It’s great for creators who have seasons of their podcasts or want to keep specific themes grouped together.

Community Page

Another way that RSS.com helps podcasters gain maximum exposure is through their community page which is their very own podcast directory.

Rss.com Review: Pros & Cons

Here we have mentioned the pros and cons of Rss.com.

Pros

• The interface of this platform is easy to navigate, and all the tools are available in one single dashboard.
• Analytics of your podcasts from the major podcast directories.
• Find sponsors for your podcast, add a donation button and run dynamic ads on your podcast website.
• Add chapters and transcripts to your podcasts.
• Schedule your podcast to get published in advance.

Cons

• There is no Rss.com WordPress plugin available.
• It does not offer a mobile app.

Is RSS.com Right For You?

We’ve covered a lot in this post, and you might be wondering if RSS.com is right for you. Here’s our final thoughts on the matter.

If you want to make money podcasting or are looking to use your podcast as a marketing tool for your business, RSS.com is a steal for all the features you get for the price.

If you’re just dipping your toes in the water of podcasting, and don’t really care about unlimited duration or unlimited episodes or all of the other perks that come with their paid plans, RSS.com might not be a good fit for you.

Want to try RSS.com for yourself and kick their tires to see if it’s as good as we’re saying it is? 

You can get started with your podcast for free if you sign up at RSS.com. 

Related Read:

Already Hosting on Another Podcast Hosting Platform and Want to Switch In 2023?

If you’re already hosting your show on another platform like Anchor, Transistor, Pobean or Buzzsprout and want to move to RSS.com, they make it easy with their podcast switch tool. 

Plus, if you move your podcast to RSS.com, you’ll get 6 months for free! Simply head over to https://rss.com/switch-to-rss/ to get started!