At minimum you need a microphone, a recording/editing tool (Audacity or GarageBand are free), a podcast hosting platform (Buzzsprout, RSS.com, or Spotify for Podcasters have free tiers), and cover artwork (use Canva's free tier). Submit your RSS feed to Apple Podcasts and Spotify for distribution. Total cost to start: $0.
Free podcast tools · Updated June 2026
Free Podcast Tools
Solve concrete podcast tasks before you switch apps or publish a show: validate RSS, clean OPML, check artwork, plan speed, estimate download storage, and understand AI eligibility with clear links into The Podcast App.
Built by The Podcast App
Free tools for podcasters
No login required. Use them whether or not you use our app.
RSS Feed Validator
Validate your podcast feed against Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Podcasting 2.0 specs. Get actionable fixes for every issue.
Podcast Episode Search
Search every episode title and description in any podcast feed, without scrolling the archive.
Podcast Charts by Country
Browse live Apple Podcasts top shows for any country and category, updated continuously.
Podcast Health Checker
Check whether a podcast is still publishing — last episode date, cadence, and an active or dormant verdict.
Episode Speed Calculator
Calculate how much time you save listening at faster speeds. See hours saved per week, month, and year.
Download Storage Calculator
Estimate how much phone storage offline podcast downloads need by episode count, length, and audio quality.
Cover Art Checker
Check your podcast artwork against Apple and Spotify size, format, and quality requirements.
OPML Viewer & Editor
View, search, and edit your podcast subscriptions. Export a cleaned OPML file or see subscription stats.
Podcast AI Feature Eligibility Checker
Check which AI features — transcripts, episode chat, Brain — apply to a show on the free plan versus Premium.
OPML Cleanup & Dedupe
Find duplicate subscriptions and flag feeds that are missing a URL, then export a cleaned OPML file.
OPML Generator
Build a podcast subscription list from scratch, import an OPML file, and export a ready-to-import bundle for any podcast app.
Podcast Launch Checklist
Interactive step-by-step checklist to go from idea to published. 30 items across 7 phases with progress tracking.
Podcast Website Generator
Generate a free embeddable podcast player from your RSS feed. Customize colors and layout, copy the HTML.
Podcast Health Report
Monthly data: how many podcasts go quiet, by genre — Apple-verified, with a free CSV. The dataset behind the health checker.
Podcast Name Generator
Generate name ideas by topic and style, then check instantly whether each name is already taken on Apple Podcasts.
Record & edit
Recording and editing tools
From free open-source editors to professional remote recording platforms.
Audacity
Free, open-source audio editor. The most popular free tool for podcast editing.
GarageBand
Free audio editor for Mac and iOS. Great starting point for Apple users.
Descript
AI-powered editor: edit audio by editing text. Includes transcription and filler-word removal.
Riverside
Remote recording with local-quality audio and video capture for each participant.
Zencastr
Browser-based remote recording with separate audio tracks for each guest.
Hindenburg
Professional podcast editor for spoken-word audio. Automatic leveling and voice profiling.
Adobe Podcast
AI-powered audio enhancement from Adobe. Free "Enhance Speech" feature cleans up recordings.
Reaper
Affordable professional DAW. Extremely customizable with a large podcast producer community.
Host your show
Podcast hosting platforms
Your host stores your audio files and generates the RSS feed that distributes your show everywhere.
Buzzsprout
Beginner-friendly hosting with excellent analytics and directory submission tools.
Transistor
Professional hosting with unlimited shows on every plan. Private podcast support.
Podbean
All-in-one hosting with built-in monetization, live streaming, and a podcast app.
Libsyn
One of the oldest and most reliable podcast hosts. Advanced distribution and monetization.
RSS.com
Simple hosting with a free tier. Includes AI transcription and a website builder.
Spotify for Podcasters
Free hosting and distribution owned by Spotify. Easy setup, basic analytics.
Captivate
Growth-focused hosting with advanced analytics, one-click distribution, and podcast websites.
Castos
WordPress-integrated hosting with private podcasting and YouTube republishing.
Get listed everywhere
Directories and distribution
Submit your RSS feed to reach listeners wherever they listen.
Apple Podcasts
The largest podcast directory. Required for discoverability.
Spotify
Second-largest listening platform. Submit via Spotify for Podcasters.
Amazon Music
Growing podcast platform. Submit through Amazon's podcast portal.
YouTube Music
Google's podcast destination. RSS ingestion available via YouTube Studio.
Podcast Index
Open podcast directory powering Podcasting 2.0 apps. Index your show for free.
Listen Notes
Podcast search engine. Index your show for SEO and discovery.
Goodpods
Social podcast app with community ratings and recommendations.
The Podcast App
Claim your show and get weekly listener intelligence reports powered by Brain AI.
Look professional
Cover art and branding
Your artwork is the first thing potential listeners see. Make it count.
Canva
Drag-and-drop design tool with podcast cover templates. Most popular choice for podcasters.
Adobe Express
Quick design tool with templates, brand kits, and AI background removal.
Headliner
Create audiogram videos and transcription clips for social media from your episodes.
Artwork Requirements Checklist
Validate your artwork against Apple and Spotify requirements with the cover art checker before uploading your feed.
Apple Podcasts Artwork Requirements
- Minimum 1400 × 1400 px, recommended 3000 × 3000 px
- Square aspect ratio (1:1)
- JPEG or PNG format, RGB color space
- Under 512 KB recommended
Grow your audience
Promotion and growth
Cross-promotion, social sharing, SEO, and discoverability tools.
Podchaser
Podcast database and review platform. Claim your show and collect listener reviews.
Opus Clip
AI-powered tool that turns long episodes into short viral clips for social media.
Podmatch
AI-powered platform matching podcast hosts with guests for cross-promotion.
Podcast SEO Checklist
Use the launch checklist to confirm your RSS feed, directories, website, artwork, and launch copy before promotion.
Earn from your show
Monetization tools
From sponsorships to listener support, multiple ways to earn.
Podcorn
Marketplace connecting podcasters with brands for sponsorships. Open to shows of all sizes.
AdvertiseCast
Podcast advertising marketplace. Connect with advertisers based on your audience.
Patreon
Membership platform for listener-supported shows. Offer bonus content for paying subscribers.
Buy Me a Coffee
Simple tip-jar style support from listeners. Lower friction than subscription platforms.
podcast:funding Tag
Add a <podcast:funding> tag to your RSS feed and compatible apps will display a "Support this show" link to your listeners. View the spec →
Measure what matters
Podcast analytics
Understand who's listening, where, and how your show is growing.
Podtrac
Industry-standard podcast measurement. IAB-certified analytics.
OP3
Open-source, transparent podcast analytics prefix. Free and privacy-respecting.
Megaphone by Spotify
Enterprise podcast platform for publishing, monetization, audience growth, and analytics at larger publisher scale.
The future of podcasting
Podcasting 2.0
An open standard extending podcast RSS with new features. Powered by Podcast Index and supported by a growing number of apps, including The Podcast App.
Chapters
Time-stamped sections with titles, images, and links inside episodes for easy navigation.
Transcripts
Attach SRT/VTT transcript files to episodes for accessibility and search indexing.
Value for Value
Let listeners send payments directly to creators while listening, including via Bitcoin Lightning.
Podping
Real-time notification when you publish. Apps get your new episode instantly instead of polling.
Person Tag
Credit hosts and guests per episode so apps can display who's on the show.
Soundbite
Mark recommended clips inside an episode for apps to surface as previews.
Connect with podcasters
Communities and events
Learn from other podcasters, find guests, get feedback, and stay current.
r/podcasting
500K+ member subreddit for podcast creators. Gear advice, promotion threads, feedback.
Podcast Movement
The largest annual podcasting conference and community. In-person and virtual events.
The Podcast Host
Educational resource with courses, articles, and a community forum for creators.
Podcasting 2.0 Community
Engage with devs and creators building the next generation of podcasting.
Tools guidance
Podcaster tools: validate art and RSS before you ship
On /tools, run cover-art and RSS validators against production assets, not only drafts. Use OPML tools when migrating listener libraries. English tools hub: fix enclosure/namespace errors before cosmetic warnings.
Open: RSS validator · cover art · OPML viewer · OPML generator.
Further reading
- RSS 2.0Feed baseline
- Apple requirementsDirectory rules
- OPML 2.0Subscription portability
- podstandardsPodcasting 2.0
- Podcast IndexOpen directory
Editorial depth
Which tool to open first
This index is for makers and power listeners, not another SEO doorway. Start with the job: validate cover art before a directory submission; clean OPML before a migration; estimate download size before a trip.
Recommended path: cover art checker → OPML cleanup/viewer → speed/storage calculators if you batch offline. Keep publisher specs bookmarked so tool output is checked against Apple/Spotify rules, not only our heuristics.
Specs: Apple cover template, Spotify art requirements, OPML 2.0, Podcast Standards.
Jump: cover art checker · OPML cleanup · open podcasting.
In your language
The Podcast App, running in this language.
These are real screens from the app, not mockups. Every menu, button, and label is translated, so the app looks like this as soon as you install it.
The audio player screen 
The home screen 
The downloaded episodes screen 
The AI assistant screen
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
An RSS feed is an XML file containing your podcast's metadata and a list of your published episodes with their audio file URLs. Podcast apps and directories read this feed to display and play your show. Your hosting platform generates it automatically. Use our free RSS Feed Validator to check yours.
You can start for free using GarageBand or Audacity for editing, Spotify for Podcasters for hosting, and Canva for artwork. A quality USB microphone like the Audio-Technica ATR2100x costs $50-70 and significantly improves audio quality. Professional hosting with better analytics costs $12-25/month.
Both require you to submit your RSS feed URL. For Apple Podcasts, use Podcasts Connect. For Spotify, use Spotify for Podcasters. Most hosting platforms offer one-click submission to all major directories.
Podcasting 2.0 is an open initiative that adds new features to the podcast RSS standard, including chapters, transcripts, and direct listener payments (Value for Value). If your hosting platform supports these tags, enabling them is free and makes your show more discoverable in compatible apps like The Podcast App.
App connection
Use the free tools with a real podcast player.
These tools support the same open podcast workflow as The Podcast App: RSS feeds, OPML portability, listener-ready artwork, and free core listening before optional Premium AI.
Want this workflow built into your podcast player?
Download The Podcast AppDownload The Podcast App for free core listening, queue tools, speed controls, sleep timer, OPML, limited downloads, and optional Premium AI.
For listeners
Use OPML tools to move followed shows, then listen with queue tools, speed controls, sleep timer, limited downloads, and no account required to start.
For podcasters
Validate the feed, check artwork, prepare launch basics, and claim the show so listeners can find cleaner metadata in the app.
For deeper workflows
Premium features such as Podcast Brain and Synthesis Radio stay separate from the free tools, with clear limits and source-backed eligibility.
For listeners and creators
Use the tools, then keep the workflow in the app
Validate feeds, clean OPML, estimate downloads, and open The Podcast App for free core listening with optional Premium AI when the workflow needs it.