Blubrry vs Simplecast Comparison 2026
Blubrry hosts a podcast inside a WordPress site through its PowerPress plugin, so episodes publish from the same admin as the blog and the archive earns search traffic under your own name. Hosting runs from $7 a month, and the statistics product is sold separately with its own free tier. Simplecast hosts shows that answer to a sponsor or a network, with downloads broken out by episode and market, from $15 a month with a 14-day trial. The question is whether the show needs to live on your own domain or needs analytics built for a rate card.
Hosting that lives inside your WordPress site
Podcast hosting with analytics worth reading
At a glance
- Blubrry starts cheaper, at $7.
- Only Blubrry has a free tier.
Side by side
Blubrry | Simplecast | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $7 | From $15 |
| Pricing model (they differ) | Free plan, paid tiers | Free trial, then paid |
| Free tier (they differ) | Yes | No |
| Billing | Not stated | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial | Not stated | 14 days |
| API |
Blubrry
Hosting that lives inside your WordPress site
Blubrry is podcast hosting for people who already run a WordPress site and want the show to live on it rather than on somebody else's domain. The PowerPress plugin publishes episodes from the same admin that runs the blog, so the archive earns search traffic under your own name. Statistics are IAB certified and sold separately from hosting, which is worth knowing if you only need one of the two. Plans are set by monthly upload allowance.
Simplecast
Podcast hosting with analytics worth reading
Simplecast is hosting for shows that answer to somebody, whether that is a network, a sponsor or a client. Downloads are measured to the IAB standard, listener numbers are broken out by episode and market, and the embeddable player is one of the few that does not look borrowed. Distribution to the directories is handled once at setup. Plans are sold by monthly download allowance rather than by episode count, so a show that publishes often is not penalised for it.
Why people weigh these two
- Simplecast instead of Blubrry
- Hosting with analytics worth reading from $15; stats come with the plan where Blubrry sells its IAB-certified statistics separately from hosting.
- Blubrry instead of Simplecast
- Blubrry hosts from inside a WordPress site you already run, with a free tier before a $7 plan, for a show that would rather not add a separate dashboard.
Which one should you pick
Choose Blubrry if the podcast already lives on a WordPress site, or will. Hosting starts at $7 a month by upload allowance, with a managed WordPress site included, and the statistics product has a free tier of its own if hosting is not what you need yet.
Choose Simplecast if a sponsor or a network expects a report. Basic is $15 a month, or $13.50 prepaid annually, for 20,000 downloads with listener numbers broken out by episode, device and market, an embeddable player, and distribution set up once at launch. The 14-day trial is enough to test a few episodes before committing.
Common questions
- Which is cheaper, Blubrry or Simplecast?
- Blubrry hosting starts at $7 a month, and its statistics product alone is free. Simplecast has no free tier and starts at $15 a month, or $13.50 a month if prepaid annually, with analytics bundled into that price rather than sold separately.
- Does either work with an existing WordPress site?
- Blubrry does directly, through the PowerPress plugin, which publishes episodes from the WordPress admin so the archive lives on your own domain. Simplecast's listing does not mention WordPress integration.
- Which gives better analytics for a sponsored show?
- Simplecast breaks listener numbers out by episode, device and market, built for reporting to a sponsor or network. Blubrry's statistics are IAB certified too, sold as a separate product from hosting with its own free tier.
- Is there a free trial?
- Simplecast gives 14 days on every plan, described by the vendor as commitment free. Blubrry does not offer a trial on its listing, though its statistics product has a permanent free tier instead.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.