Podcasting is big business. Everyone and their uncle and their uncle’s uncle has a podcast. The best way to succeed is for the right person at the right time to notice you. For a lot of people, that can mean showcasing your podcast on your website in a simple, non-intrusive way that invites and entices your audience to press that Play button. With these WordPress podcast plugins, we think you will have the best chance of that happening while enhancing your users’ experience all around.
1. Blubrry PowerPress
Blubrry PowerPress is probably the number one podcasting plugin for WordPress based on name recognition alone. On top of that, it is also one of the best WordPress podcasting plugins in terms of reliability and feature sets. So in every way possible, PowerPress earns its spot in our list. Whether you’re a Blubrry paid member or just use their free membership, you can make use of this plugin, so don’t worry if your podcasting budget is either nonexistent or if you’re using a different host.
A major benefit to using PowerPress is the built-in SEO settings, where it sets up your podcast posts in much the same way that plugins like RankMath and Yoast SEO do for your typical WordPress posts. Blubrry PowerPress will handle your schema and adjust your RSS feed prefixes and episode metadata, meaning that listeners will be able to come across your podcast episodes and posts more easily via search engine.
One of the major draws to PowerPress these days is its inclusion of multiple podcast players. Whether you use audio or video to deliver your podcast, this WordPress plugin has you covered. With their audio options, you can choose between a plain, no-frills player or a robust, rich player that lets users see your shownotes, download the episode, even subscribe by various services right on your WordPress site. In terms of video, PowerPress offers much, too. Whether you host the video locally on your server, on your Blubrry account, or even on YouTube, you can use their dedicated player to get your content out.
Key Features:
- Multiple player styles and options
- Simple media import
- Use with most podcast hosts, not just Blubrry
- Great podcast SEO settings
Price: FREE | More information
2. Fusebox Podcast Player
Formerly known as the Smart Podcast Player, Fusebox is the evolution of not only the player, but also the business model. This is absolutely a premium plugin that you’ll need to pay for to get the most features. You can use it for free in a limited capacity that is pretty perfect for smaller shows. The free version of the plugin allows for up to 10k listens for up to 3 different shows. So if you’re not averaging more than that per month, you can get a lot of mileage out of the free version.
The best feature about using the Fusebox podcast plugin on your WordPress site is the enormous amount of customization that you get, even in the free version. You can choose brand colors, the episode artwork, whether or not the listeners can download the episode, share it, or subscribe. You even get to choose if your listeners can speed up their listening (which the answer is always yes).
Key Features:
- up to 10k listens per month for up to 3 shows for free
- up to 100k listens per show with premium
- fully customizable player
- sticky, archive, or individual track players available
- fast-loading and visually striking
Price: FREE with Premium upgrade starting at $15 per month when billed annually | More information
3. Seriously Simple Podcasting
Absolutely deserving of its name, Seriously Simple Podcasting by Castos provides users with a no-nonsense way to post their podcasts to the public. Castos offers their own podcast hosting service. But this plugin is designed to make any podcaster’s life easier, hosting platform agnostic.
Part of this ease-of-use comes through its extensions and add-ons. Users can access transcripts and statistics for the service with just a few clicks. Plus you can set up different hosts for different posts (or guests), and while the podcast plugin works with any WordPress theme, Castos does have a Genesis extension to ease StudioPress users into usage.
We also have a full rundown of the Seriously Simple Podcasting plugin if you’re interested in seeing a more in-depth look at how it works.
Key Features:
- Complete control over podcast post categorization and descriptions
- Can be used to podcast from your WordPress dashboard or simply let users listen there
- Manage multiple podcast series and create multiple feeds using the plugin
- Individual selection of where your podcast is distributed
Price: FREE | More information
4. Podlove
Podlove deserves all the pod love it can get. A delightfully simple plugin (or rather, plugins), Podlove can be used to publish your content or simply use their player to listen. The Podlove Publisher plugin is what you use to get your audio into your users’ feeds. You can also use it to get your video there, too. The Publisher plugin comes bundled with the Web Player plugin, which is a clean and lightweight HTML5 player that you can use to display any feed content you want, no matter where it’s hosted.
Podlove offers a great deal of customization options. In the backend, you can go with any default options or you can head into Expert Settings and configure items like combining your blog and podcast feeds (on your site, that is). You can set podcast landing pages and decide on a permalink structure for your episodes. (And it can be different from your blogs!)
On top of that, the web player is compatible with the Gutenberg block editor, so no matter how you build your site, your podcast can be displayed anywhere.
Key Features:
- Gutenberg block editor integration
- Use the web player separately from publishing plugin
- Player supports WebM, MP3, MP4, AAC, H.264 and more file formats for audio and video
- Publish in multiple formats so your listeners and viewers get the content delivered in the way that works best for them
Price: FREE | More information
Wrapping Up with WordPress Podcasting Plugins
The podcasting industry is only going to continue to grow. If you have your own show (or shows), these podcasting plugins are definitely the top ways to integrate that content with your WordPress website. Whether you host and publish externally or right within your WP dashboard, we have an option for you.
What is your favorite WordPress podcasting plugin?
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