Anchor began its life in a way not dissimilar to Clubhouse: an audio sharing tool frequented by Silicon Valley investors and growth hackers. In 2018 it pivoted to providing free podcast hosting, and has remained a popular choice for beginners and those wanting to save money.

Anchor has a well-considered mobile app that makes content production easy, however it’s geared more towards a style of podcasting that doesn’t really offer value or sustainability: a sort of call-in talk show with added music, thanks to Spotify. This offering adds confusion into the market, as it leads people to think that commercial music can be used in podcasts, and that the “podcasts” produced through the Anchor app can be heard on any app (which they can’t).

Anchor is simply a low-friction way to upload content that can be serialised via RSS. Onboarding is simple, and every podcast gets a cute single webpage. In that way, it’s a solid choice for those who use a podcast as a highlights package of a live Zoom call, Crowdcast show, or who are repurposing audio from a YouTube channel, since its lack of features or useful analytics essentially make it a hard-drive with an RSS attachment.

Spotify bought the product in early 2019, and it’s now IAB compliant, so although the metrics are fairly high-level, the numbers themselves should be accurate. It’s important to them since Anchor relies on DAI to make money.

Founded in 2018, Transistor is a relative newcomer to the hosting space, and has since leant its services to some big names including VH-1, Basecamp, and Kickstarter.

Although not as full-featured as others, lacking an adequate podcast website or IAB-compliant metrics, for professionals looking for affordable hosting for a podcast whose website is handled elsewhere – or where the podcast forms part of a larger offering – Transistor is easy-to-use and lightning-fast to launch with.

The service was born out of one of the founders’ work projects, so it carries the DNA of a service meant for companies that are using a podcast as part of a wider media strategy. In that respect, it’s not a good fit for hobbyists and beginners, but its no-nonsense interface makes it a good pick for busy show runners.

The Podcode podcast, the audio version of the Podcode.tv channel, is hosted with Transistor.