CoHost vs Podbean
A side-by-side look at CoHost and Podbean for podcasters: pricing, features, and where each one wins.
At a glance
| CoHost | Podbean | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $89/mo | $17/mo |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Free trial | No | No |
| Best for | Brand and corporate podcast teams that need to show ROI and prove audience quality to stakeholders | Podcasters at any level who want hosting plus built-in monetization without stitching multiple tools together |
Key features
CoHost
- B2B company identification of anonymous listeners
- Audience demographics by seniority, department, industry, and income
- Salesforce CRM integration with auto-sync
- Consumption data across Apple Podcasts and Spotify
- Tracking link attribution for campaigns
- IAB Tech Lab certified analytics
- AI-powered episode transcriptions
- PodPromote managed audience growth service (Enterprise)
Podbean
- Unlimited storage and unmetered bandwidth on paid plans
- Dynamic ad insertion and ad marketplace access
- AI audio optimization and content generation credits
- Apple Podcasts Subscriptions and listener patron integration
- Customizable podcast website with domain mapping
- IAB-certified analytics with geo and platform data
Pros and cons
CoHost
Pros
- Company-level listener identification is unique in the podcast analytics space
- Salesforce integration makes it viable as a genuine marketing attribution tool
- IAB certified analytics hold up to scrutiny from serious buyers
Cons
- Pricing starts at $89/mo - too expensive for independent or hobbyist podcasters
- No free tier and no free trial mentioned
- Annual billing required for base pricing; month-to-month likely costs more
Podbean
Pros
- Over a decade of reliability with 600,000+ podcasters
- Reasonable pricing - $17/mo for the base paid plan
- Built-in monetization without third-party integrations
Cons
- Monthly upload caps (1GB on base plan) are tight for frequent or video publishers
- Interface feels less modern compared to newer entrants
- Free plan cannot be restored once you upgrade to paid
The verdict
Choose CoHost if
Brand and corporate podcast teams that need to show ROI and prove audience quality to stakeholders.
CoHost is solving a real problem: most podcast analytics tell you how many people listened, not who they were. For a B2B company running a podcast as a demand-gen channel, that company-level identification capability is genuinely valuable - and the…
Choose Podbean if
Podcasters at any level who want hosting plus built-in monetization without stitching multiple tools together.
Podbean is a solid, well-established workhorse - it does not have the flashiest interface or the most cutting-edge AI tools, but it has been reliably shipping product for over a decade and the pricing is reasonable. The Unlimited Audio plan…