The Best Alternative to Spotify for Creators (formerly Anchor) for Podcast Hosting
Have you outgrown Spotify for Creators and are ready to move to a podcast hosting platform where you have more control of your show?
Here are just a few reasons podcasters choose RSS.com over Spotify for Creators.
- They have created a podcast for their brand or business and want more control over monetization.
- They plan on turning their podcast into a business at some point.
- They plan on actively podcasting, gaining a fan base, and then monetizing their show to make money.
- Customer support and service matter to them.
Starting and growing a podcast takes work and many podcasters eventually want to monetize their shows and make money.
It makes sense that many newer podcasters start out using Spotify for Creators because it’s 100% free. So how does Spotify for Creators make money giving away free service?
If you decide to use Sponsorships to monetize your podcast, they take a 30% cut of your earnings plus an additional processing fee. Ouch! 💵
If you monetize and your show gets popular, you’ll be paying significantly more to use their “free” service than you would with another host like RSS.com where you have more control, options, and features.
With the no-cost offer Spotify for Creators provides, you get limited analytics, preventing you from gaining all the insights you need to grow your show.
If you choose to allow Spotify for Creators to distribute your show to the major podcast directories, it will block access to additional stats in your Apple Podcasts dashboard. Not cool! 😩
At RSS.com, we understand how tracking your podcast’s analytics is critical to the growth and monetization of your show which is why we provide our users with these key metrics:
- Total number of subscribers for the month
- Number of all-time downloads (including how many downloads there were today, yesterday, this month and the previous month)
- Your top five episodes
- Where people are listening from geographically
- The type of device used to download your show
- The app used to listen
Because they are a free service, customer support is not as robust as you’d receive with a paid hosting provider, and additionally, user issues can go unresolved for periods of time.
Anchor has been a far larger cost to the podcast ecosystem than the value it has provided.
The vast majority of podcast or host problems I have to deal with are from @Anchor.
Between shitty tech and the widespread enabling of copyright infringement, nobody should use them.
— Marco Arment (@marcoarment) January 18, 2022
Features Comparison Chart
Ownership | You own your episodes, ensuring flexibility and autonomy. | Your content could be used to promote/advertise Anchor without consent or compensation. |
Flexible Monetization | You decide how to monetize – sponsorships, donations, without restrictions. | Free often means you’re the product; they take a 30% cut of ad revenue. |
Seamless Distribution | Simplified distribution with built-in tools. | Users report difficulty accessing analytics on other platforms due to automatic distribution. |
Dedicated Customer Support | Our dedicated customer support team is here to assist you every step of the way. | Customer support is not as robust as you’d receive with another podcast host, and technical issues can go unresolved for long periods of time. |
We’re proud to offer the best podcast hosting for the absolute best price.
Transfer your show and episodes to RSS.com and see why a worldwide community of podcasters love hosting their shows with us.
Moving your podcast and episodes is easy and only requires a few simple steps:
1. Provide a link to your show or your Podcast RSS feed. We’ll send you an email to verify ownership of your account. Not sure how to do that? Click here for easy, step-by-step instructions.
2. We’ll import data from your show and episodes.
3. We’ll send an email for your final approval and confirmation.
4. That’s it! Your podcast will be available during the entire process and your followers won’t notice a thing.
You’ll keep all your subscribers, plus, you’ll get 6 full free months! 🙌🏽
“Starting anything these days is nerve wrecking. So when I made up my mind to start a podcast for my PR company, I knew I had to do the research. When I found RSS.com, I was surprised at how easy it was to set up my podcast. We were up and running the same day!”
Mika Stambaugh
TMI Mic’d Up Podcast
So what makes us different? Check out the table below to compare features and see why more and more podcasters are choosing RSS.com.
Feature | RSS.com | Spotify for Creators |
---|---|---|
Unlimited Episodes | Yes | Yes |
Unlimited Duration | Yes | Yes |
Cross-Platform Analytics | Yes. Learn more about our podcast analytics here. | Limited |
Podcast RSS Feed | Yes | No. Spotify for Creators limits your ability to easily distribute it to podcast directories yourself |
Monetization Options | Yes | Yes, but they take 30% plus processing fees. |
Free Podcasting Website | Yes | Yes |
Embedded Player for Your Website | Yes | Yes |
Podcast Soundbites to Promote Your Show | Yes | No |
Chapters for Episodes | Yes | No |
Customer Spport | Our dedicated support team will provide you with word-class customer service. | Yes |
Storage | Unlimited | There is a 250 MB limit to your uploads. |
Annual & Monthly Plans | Podcasters can save up to 35% off using our annual plans. | No |
Free Trial | Yes. Get your first episode free with no credit card required | N/A |
How to Redirect Your Podcast from Spotify for Creators
We know how important it is to maintain control of your Podcast RSS feed and keep all of your subscribers when switching podcast hosts.
Here are the steps to activate a redirect from your Anchor RSS feed to your new RSS feed at RSS.com
1. Log into your Spotify account here
2. Go to Settings > Podcast Availability
3. Scroll down and find the “RSS Distribution” section and select the “Enable” button to enable your RSS feed
4. Directly below RSS Feed, you’ll also want to select “Add email to RSS feed” which will allow you to verify your feed on other platforms.
5. Next, copy your RSS.com Podcast RSS Feed into the “Redirect URL” field.
✨ If you need help creating a podcast RSS Feed, check out this post.
6. Click the “Yes, redirect my podcast” button.
Congrats, you’re done! 🙌
If you have any questions or need any assistance, our dedicated support team is here to help.