17 Podcast Software Options for Professional Production
You could record your podcast on the fly, upload it to a platform, and move on to the next one. Or you can take the time to edit and really sound like a pro using podcast software.
In case you didn’t know, there are a lot of steps that go into producing an ear-catching podcast. From recording and editing to hosting your podcast, distributing it across platforms, monetizing, measuring analytics, and more, you’ll want some powerful tools by your side to help you with each piece of the podcast puzzle.
Luckily for the intrepid podcast producer, there are plenty of options out there. In this article, we’ll cover some of the best podcast software options to get your voice out into the world.
Best Podcast Software
So, what software do the pros use to create their podcasts? Read on for some great options for each stage of production, along with a few podcast powerhouses that handle almost everything in one place.
1. Best Do-It-All Software for Beginners: Anchor by Spotify
Price: Free
If you’re just dipping your toes into the world of podcasting and have no background in audio engineering, it can feel overwhelming, to say the least. Spotify’s podcast production app, Anchor, makes it unbelievably easy by stripping things down to the basics of what you really need to get a quality podcast off the ground.
It’s among the most popular podcast software for a reason. Within one free app, you can record audio directly on your phone (and even add friends to record remotely), trim and paste clips together to shape your story, add sounds and transitions, publish your podcast across major platforms, track analytics, and even start monetizing your podcast by including ads for Anchor. Best of all, the Spotify team has made these tools easy for anyone to learn.
Ultimately, as your podcast audience grows, you may find that Anchor’s tools aren’t sophisticated enough for your needs. But if you’re looking to get started quickly and without a lot of technical know-how, there’s no easier way.
2. Best Do-It-All Software for Pros: Hindenburg PRO
Price: $12/month, $120/year, or $399 one-time fee
Ready to step up your production quality but still want pretty much everything in one place? Hindenburg PRO is an industry standard with professional-grade tools that allow you to get a little more technical with your audio engineering while remaining accessible.
You can record directly into the software either in-studio or remotely using Zoom, Skype, or similar apps, while still keeping every guest on a separate audio track. Then, you immediately have access to a suite of editing tools specifically tailored for podcasts, like easy noise reduction and magic levels and voice profiles to perfect the sound of each speaker. Although Hindenburg doesn’t host your podcast, you can publish to popular hosting platforms with one click straight from the app.
There is a bit of a learning curve with Hindenburg, but if you’re willing to learn, it can take your podcast sound to the next level (and the company provides plenty of tutorials to help along the way).
Learn All the Podcast Basics!
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3. Best for Remote Recording: Zencastr
Price: Free for core features, $20/month for additional features
Most podcasters simply can’t gather all their guests in a professional studio to record these days. But if you're looking to remotely capture audio from guests all around the world, recording a Zoom call doesn’t always cut it—the audio quality won’t be its best, plus you won’t have separate tracks for each guest for fine-tuned editing.
So what app should you use to record a podcast? Try Zencastr, which lets you hop on a video call with your guests, but record everyone separately (and capture studio-quality sound while you’re at it). You can even record high-quality video if you’re interested in publishing a video podcast. Plus, it has some nifty features like the ability to add footnote reminders as you’re recording (for example, if a guest mentions a resource that you want to make sure to link to in the show notes), and automatic basic post production with enhancements like volume normalization and background noise reduction.
Your guests get an easy experience: all they have to do is click the invite link, no software download needed. And you get some incredible podcast audio.
4. Best Podcast Editing Software: Descript
Price: Free for 3 hours of audio, $12+/month for additional time and features
Looking for the best podcast editor out there? So much podcast editing software is built similar to music editing software and with audio engineers in mind, focusing on editing directly on the audio waveform. This can be frustrating for podcasters who are more focused on arranging their content than making each moment of audio sound incredible.
Descript has flipped this on its head. Instead of having to search within the audio clip to find sections of content you want to rearrange or each little mistake you want to cut out, Descript uses AI to create transcripts of your audio, which you can then edit directly like you would a text document. Descript will then do the hard work of updating the audio to match. You can also remove all filler words with a single click, and fix mistakes by changing words entirely—Descript will create an AI clone of your voice to make the swap in the audio. And the tool has more advanced audio enhancement features if you want to get technical.
Like the above tools, Descript also lets you record directly within the app and publish to popular hosting platforms with one click, making it a powerful tool if you’re looking for a different way to think about podcast editing.
5. Best Podcast Hosting Platform: Buzzsprout
Price: Free for limited uploads, $12+ per month based on how many hours you need to upload
Every podcast needs a platform to host it—i.e., store the audio and distribute it to the various apps your listeners may use to tune into your podcast.
The best hosting platforms, like Buzzsprout, go far beyond the basics and provide all the tools to market, analyze, and even monetize your podcast. In addition to publishing your work on all the major platforms, Buzzsprout includes in-depth listener analytics, marketing tools like a custom podcast website, the ability to publish new ads across all your episodes, and more tools to make your podcast a success.
Other Podcast Software Options
If none of the above work for your needs, you may need to mix and match programs for different stages of the podcast production process. Some good options to explore for each step include:
Do-It-All Software
Podcast Recording Software
Podcast Editing Software
Podcast Distribution Software
How to Start Your Podcast Today
Of course, software isn’t all you’ll need to start a podcast. But with a great idea, an at-home podcast studio, and some choice tools from above, you’ll be well on your way to sharing your voice with the world—without a massive investment.
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Podcasting Secrets: How to Start Your Own Podcast
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