Best Podcast Tools: At-a-glance
Podcasting has become accessible to folks who consider themselves “non-techy”
You don’t need to become an audio engineer to record pro-sounding content
Website and hosting-related stuff has never been easier, too
Our favourite podcast tools will save you time, frustration, headaches, and confusion
They’ll let you spend more time doing the things you’re good at, as well as the things you enjoy
Read on to find out more…
Have you ever noticed those typical stock photographs of podcasters? The ones that always show someone sitting at a mixing desk the size of a small country?
It’s true that some folks in the podcast medium love the tech side of it – spending hours cabling together Lovecraftian recording rigs, building websites from scratch, hand-coding RSS feeds, or reading a copy of Psychoacoustics for Dummies whilst staring at a spectral waveform in Pro Tools.
But the vast majority of podcasters have little to no interest in tech. We live in an app-centric culture where people like to enjoy the benefits of stuff working without wanting (or needing) to know how they work.
If you want to start a podcast (or grow your existing one), you don’t need to be an audio engineer, a web designer, or a specialised sound editor. You only need to figure out what you’d like to say, and who you’d like to say it to. As for the rest, plenty of great podcast tools out there can help you sound good, look good, and just give off that general aura of “I really know what I’m doing” – even if you absolutely don’t.
Best Podcast Tools to Make Your Life Simpler
Here’s a list of podcast tools that can improve your workflow and save you time. They make podcasting easier and more sustainable, which, in turn, means you’ll stick with it and give yourself a decent chance of having an impact in your topic or niche.
A quick heads up before we dive in. We use affiliate links for products and services we think might be interesting or useful to you. We may earn a small commission should you choose to sign up via any of them, at no extra cost to yourself!
1. The Alitu Showplanner – Generate a Full Podcast Plan in Minutes
AI has taken the world by storm recently, and it’s already making its mark in this medium with a number of new cool, interesting, and useful podcast tools. One such tool is the Alitu Showplanner.
This is an incredible piece of tech for aspiring podcasters who have an idea floating around for a potential series. No matter how vague that idea might be, the Showplanner will set to work, generating a list of potential names, episode ideas, an audience profile, a trailer script, and more.
One of the best things about this podcast tool is that it’s absolutely free. You don’t even need to sign up or log in to use it. Give it a shot right away, punch in your most outlandish show idea, and watch on in amazement as the resulting output makes you think “That could actually work!”.
Alitu Showplanner Cost: Free
See Also: New AI Tool Generates Entire Podcast Launch Kits in Minutes
2. Samson Q2U – The Best Quality-to-Value Podcast Mic
One of the most overthought questions aspiring podcasters have, is “What mic should I buy?”. It doesn’t help that there are hundreds of options out there. Hundreds of great options at that!
With any technology, there’s rarely a “best” solution for everyone – but I think the Samson Q2U comes close. It’s one of the most affordable mics on the market, can sound decent even in sub-optimal environments, and is a pretty durable piece of gear. One of its biggest selling points is that you can use it either as a USB mic or as an XLR mic, so whether you want to record solo shows, online interviews, or into a recorder or mixer (see the PodTrak P4, below), the Q2U will be compatible.
Samson Q2U Cost: $80
See Also: Samson Q2U Review
3. Zoom PodTrak P4 – The Ultimate Podcast Recorder Tool
If there’s such a thing as an “all-in-one podcast recorder”, then the Zoom PodTrak P4 is it. It’s a multi-purpose little device that lets you plug in four mics and record them all on separate tracks. You can connect your phone or laptop to record calls, too. You even have the ability to play music and sound effects during your recording sessions. This can be great if you’re running a live show, or even just to save you time having to edit them in later on. Granted, the PodTrak P4 is overkill for most new podcasters, but for others, it’s the Holy Grail.
Zoom PodTrak P4 Cost: $170
See Also: Zoom PodTrak P4 Review
4. Alitu – The Simplest Way to Record, Edit, & Publish Your Podcast
Full disclosure – Alitu is our own ‘podcast maker’ web app tool. It was built off the back of thousands of podcasters telling us that editing was the biggest barrier they faced when it came to getting episodes out there.
Alitu may have started as podcast editing software, but these days, it does so much more. It’s a fully-fledged all-in-one ‘podcast maker’ tool.
You can record your episodes directly within Alitu, either solo segments or remote calls. Afterwards, Alitu’s editing tools make chopping out mistakes fast and easy. It even has a text-based editing option, so you can edit a podcast as simply as composing a text to your best pal. Alitu auto-generates episode transcripts for you, too.
Then, it cleans up your raw recordings automatically with its noise reduction, volume levelling, and EQ tools. The episode builder is a drag-and-drop interface where you can add in things like music, CTAs, ad-reads, or any other features. Finally, you can publish directly to Apple, Spotify, and all other podcasting apps from directly within the Alitu interface.
Alitu Cost: $38 a month with annual savings available
See Also: How to Make a Podcast With Alitu
5. Podpage – Create a First-Class Podcast Website in Minutes
Once you’ve signed up with a hosting platform like Alitu, you can use Podpage to build a great-looking website. The good news is that you don’t need to know the slightest thing about web design, either.
Podpage makes it simple to find your podcast on their platform and then preview how your site will look. After signing up, you can experiment with their various templates, tools, and other features. You can spend as little or as much time tinkering and tweaking your site as you like, but the end result will always look like you hired a pro web designer to make it for you.
Podpage Cost: $12 a month with annual savings available
See Also: Podpage Review
6. EditPoint – A Tool to Turn Podcast Editing Into Exercise
This one’s a novel little iOS app you can stick on your iPhone. EditPoint comes in handy if you’ve recorded lengthy conversations and need to listen back through them for edits and any other anomalies. Rather than sitting at your computer staring at a waveform, you can load the file into EditPoint, head out for a walk, and get some fresh air. Each time you hear something that needs attention, the app makes it easy to quickly add a marker and timecode it. Once you’re back sitting at the computer, ready to edit, you’ll know everything you need to do. It’s one of my favourite podcast tools.
EditPoint Cost: $1.99 a month or $14.99 a year
See Also: EditPoint Review
7. The Podcast Host Planner – A Physical Journal for Organisation & Growth
If you’re a fan of journaling, then The Podcast Host Planner might be for you. A physical planner is an excellent prompt for motivation, inspiration, and productivity. In here, you’ll find a whirlwind “how to start” guide and templates to help you plan and grow your show for an entire year and beyond!
The Podcast Host Planner Cost: $9.99
See Also: The Podcast Host Planner
Buy The Podcast Host Planner Today
Best Podcast Tools to Make Your Life Simpler
So, do you need to buy or use all of these podcast tools? Absolutely not. There are very few things you need to use in podcasting. But depending on your own unique needs and wants, this roundup has hopefully solved a problem or two for you.
If you’ve used any of the above and have some feedback on them, or, if you swear by any other podcast tool and want to spread the word, be sure to tell us about it in the IndiePod Community. That’s where you’ll find 2000+ like-minded creators, all on a similar journey to yourself. It’s a great place to get and give help, as well as stay accountable and motivated!
Originally posted on October 9, 2023 @ 3:25 am