WordPress is a huge CMS platform that is widely used as it is easy to use and flexible to create any kind of website. With these free WordPress podcast plugins, you can create your podcast website quickly and with very little investment.
Since the last few years, podcasting has been a steadily growing trend. Statistics from Infinite Dial 2019 indicate that only in the US, 70% of Americans aged 12 or older are familiar with the term ‘podcasting’. Moreover, above 51% of Americans (12 or older) have been listening to podcasts.
Have you tried multi-tasking while reading a blog post or watching a youtube video? You may do that, but chances are you won’t do all the tasks properly. Yet podcasting is the ultimate multi-tasking content type. You can listen to this while cooking, jogging, relaxing, etc. It’s going to fit well with the same spot as other activities. Data shows that people prefer podcasts while doing housework, driving, cooking, relaxing, walking, and also doing nothing.
Another great thing about podcasts is that there are a lot of content types accessible to everyone. You could enjoy stories, blog posts, entertainment, sports, learn new skills, humor, education, etc.
WordPress is used by a larger number of advertisers, bloggers, e-commerce managers, gurus, business owners, influencers, etc. And you should know that podcasts are one of the best ways to engage your audience. This may help reduce the bounce rate of your website.
In this post, we’re going to discuss a variety of the 5 best free WordPress podcast plugins. Such plugins can help you
- Create and publish podcasts
- Share them using a user-friendly player
- Allows you to monitor the results
Best Free WordPress Podcast Plugins
1. Seriously Simple Podcasting
First in our list of WordPress podcast plugins is Serious Simple Podcasting, It is a popular WordPress plugin. As the name suggests this plugin focuses on providing a simple interface for organizing and sharing podcasts. It’s got really good reviews and installs.
After you have installed and activated the plugin, you will find it in the sidebar of your WordPress dashboard. Where you will find all the options like Episodes, Add new, Tags, Settings, Extensions and other options.
You can upload and share your podcasts in a very easy way. You can also add tags, featured images, order podcasts, make a series, allow or disallow comments, etc.
Key Features:
- Simple interface
- Many free and paid extensions available
- Comes with an integrated podcast hosting platform
- Supports both audio and video podcasting
- Podcast Series options
- Shortcodes & widgets for displaying podcast episode lists
Price:
The plugin is available free of charge. But you will have to pay if you’re using the Castos Podcast Hosting extension whose package starts at $190.
2. PowerPress Podcasting plugin by Blubrry
PowerPress Podcasting is the most popular WordPress plugin. It currently has the highest number of active installs and the reviews are also great. Like the Seriously Simple Podcasting plugin, this one is also 100% free. The dashboard and settings panels of the plugin are simple.
There are so many setting options that come with a plugin that gives you great control. You can quickly start uploading podcast files, add information, and get ready to go.
A screenshot of the PowerPress Podcasting player
You can easily create a subscription page with shortcode and add sidebar widget optimized for responsive websites. Another useful feature of this plugin is that it comes with Podcasting SEO that helps improve the discovery of your podcast on search engines such as Google and the Apple Podcasts directory.
Key Features:
- Simple interface
- Importing media from SoundCloud, LibSyn, PodBean, Squarespace, Anchor.fm
- Podcasting SEO: helps improve discovery of your podcast
- Built-in tools for subscription and social sharing
- Can change the playback speed, forward and backward
- Large community as thousands of podcasters use it
Price:
The PowerPress Podcasting plugin by Blubrry plugin is free to install but it charges for Blubrry Podcast Hosting or Blubrry Podcast Statistics services.
3. WP Podcast- Easiest Podcasting system
WP Podcast is a new WordPress podcast plugin. As the name suggests, this is the easiest and lightest podcast plugin available.
After you have installed and activated this plugin, you can start by clicking it on your WordPress dashboard. And then click on the ‘Add new program’. You will be able to enable or disable different podcast player settings and social sharing options.
Screenshot of WP Podcast- player
You can add new Speakers, add description and slug in the Speakers settings.
The plugin lacks series, hosting, extensions, stats, and other features. Nevertheless, if you just want a podcast player, it’s the ideal one.
Key Features:
- Easy and lightweight
- You can quickly start podcasting
- Easy to share on your posts using shortcodes
- Beautiful Player
- Control Player Playback Speed
- Many social sharing options
Price:
The plugin is 100% free to install and use.
4. Buzzsprout Podcasting
Buzzsprout Podcasting is another simple solution for podcasting in WordPress. Like any other plugin in our list, this one also makes it very easy to integrate podcasts to WordPress website. You can also share your podcasts over the Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, iHeart Radio, TuneIn, Alexa, etc platforms.
You can quickly create or integrate your podcasts into your website using shortcodes.
Buzzsprout Podcasting Player
The Buzzsprout player looks very modern and clean. It comes with options such as fast forward or backward, changing the speed of playback. Playlist, share, etc.
Migrate, Schedule, Optimize, Transcriptions, Episodes, unlimited users, stats
Key Features:
- Beautiful Player
- Schedule and Optimize your podcast episodes
- Supports transcriptions to make podcasts more accessible
- Statistics to see the monitor each podcast
- Unlimited team members
- RSS feeds compliant
Price:
Buzzsprout Podcasting comes with a free plan where you can upload 2 hours a month. The paid plan starts at $12 per month.
5. Podlove Podcast Publisher
Podlove Podcast Publisher is another popular free WordPress podcast plugin. The plugin looks very simple and makes it very easy to add podcasts to your WordPress site.
After the plugin has been installed and activated. You’ll find two sections of the plugin in your WordPress dashboard. One for making podcast episodes and the other for configuring the plugin, tools, analytics tests.
The plugin comes with templates, where you can customize the look of podcasts using codes.
Podlove Podcast Publisher player
The player looks very beautiful and well organized, you can easily find playback controls, share, download, volume controls, etc.
You can share podcasts from any external or internal directory servers by pointing to the plugin. Also, the plugin is compatible and allows you to share your podcasts with a number of services.
Additionally, In the Analytics section, you’ll find many important details about your users, such as the course they’re taking, the device or browser or operating system they’re using, their location, and more.
Key Features:
- Optimized web player
- Supports audio and video formats
- Powerful analytics
- Active community support
- flexible templates
Price:
The plugin is free to use. However, you can opt for paid support if you need any help.
Conclusion
We’ve come to the end of this blog about the best free WordPress podcast plugins. As the blog name suggests, I’ve compiled the list of the best WordPress plugins for podcasting. I tried all these plugins and shared my experience with them. All of the plugins have good players, comes with useful features. Some have better and some have less.
My favorite plugin from this list of podcast plugins is Blubrry’s PowerPress Podcasting plugin. It comes with beautiful players, setting options, and more of the features someone might need.
Now, it’s your turn, please let me know which plugin you think has a lovely player and comes with more features than any other on the list.
If the blog helps you, please share it with your friends or family members.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel for videos related to WordPress plugins and themes. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates related to WordPress.
You may also like:
Leave A Comment