PowerPress Podcasting by Blubrry
Free Blubrry plugin that builds Apple/Spotify-ready podcast feeds from WordPress posts, with players, Podcasting 2.0 tags and optional hosting.
84
Podlove Podcast Publisher
Open-source WordPress podcast publisher with precise feed control, chapters, transcripts, contributors, built-in download stats and the Podlove Web Player.
Free installs3K+WordPress.org, active
Est. Pro installs~180Likely 90–360
Rating4.3/545 reviews
Price from€99/yrFreemium
Last updated14 Oct 2026Version 4.5.8
Overview
Podlove Podcast Publisher is an MIT-licensed, community-funded podcasting plugin that grew out of the German podcasting scene. It is built for podcasters who care about metadata: you define file naming conventions and media formats once, and Podlove checks your files and builds highly compatible feeds for each format, including video codecs.
How it works
Episodes are a dedicated post type. Each episode can carry chapter marks, WebVTT transcripts linked to speakers, shownotes imported from HTML or Slack, contributors with avatars and roles, and soundbites. Features are switched on as modules, including Shows (several shows from one podcast), Seasons, Related Episodes, Protected Feeds (HTTP auth or WordPress logins), Social & Donations (PayPal, Patreon, Liberapay, Steady and others), Open Graph metadata, External Analytics prefixes and an Onboarding assistant that imports an existing podcast from its RSS feed.
- Built-in, privacy-minded download analytics: listeners, apps, formats and episode comparisons without storing personal data.
- Podlove Web Player with chapters, synced searchable transcripts, download tab, speed control and theme colours (version 5 is a separate free plugin).
- Podlove Subscribe Button and a Twig-based templating system with shortcodes for episode lists, contributor lists and feed lists.
Free vs paid
The plugin is entirely free. The developer now offers an optional service, Publisher PLUS, priced in euros from about EUR 99/year (5,000 downloads/month), that adds cloud file hosting and a feed proxy with subscriber statistics, integrated directly into the plugin.
Limitations
Podlove has a steeper learning curve than mainstream options, the English documentation is thin, and the WP.org user base is small (3,000+ installs). There is no sticky player, no schema markup for episode pages and no guest booking. Without PLUS you host and upload media yourself.
Who should pick it: technically minded podcasters who want rich, standards-based metadata, chapters and transcripts, and self-hosted statistics, and who don’t mind a more involved setup.
Best for: Detail-oriented podcasters who want standards-rich feeds, chapters, transcripts and self-hosted stats in a free open-source tool.
Podlove offers the richest metadata handling of the free podcast publishers, with contributors, transcripts, chapters and analytics all built in. It asks more of you during setup and has a smaller community, so it suits enthusiasts better than first-time podcasters.
Pros
- Free, open source and actively maintained
- Excellent chapter, transcript and contributor metadata
- Built-in privacy-friendly download statistics
- Multiple media formats and feeds, including video
- Protected feeds and donation links without paid add-ons
- Flexible templating for custom episode and guest pages
Cons
- Steeper learning curve and limited English documentation
- Small user base compared with PowerPress or SSP
- No sticky player or episode schema markup
- Media hosting only through the newer paid PLUS service
- Latest web player is a separate plugin
Key features
What Podlove Podcast Publisher highlights on its WordPress.org page and its own website, split by version.
Free version WordPress.org
- Multi-format, highly compatible feeds
- Chapter marks per episode
- WebVTT transcripts linked to speakers
- Contributors with avatars and roles
- Built-in download statistics
- Podlove Web Player and Subscribe Button
- Shows and seasons modules
- Password-protected feeds
- Donation and social links
- Import existing podcast by RSS
- Templates and episode list shortcodes
- Open source under MIT licence
Pro / paid adds From €99/yr
- PLUS cloud file hosting
- Feed proxy for reliable delivery
- Subscriber statistics
- Unlimited podcasts per account
- Download-based plan tiers
- Support from the plugin developer
- Lighter load on your WordPress host
- One account across Publisher sites
Feature checklist
18 of 21 features we track in Podcast Plugins, feature score 85/100
Publishing 7/7
Podcast RSS feed Key
Generates a podcast RSS feed from your episodes.
Builds podcast feeds per media format with fine control over client behaviour.
Included
Apple Podcasts & Spotify ready Key
Feed tags and settings needed for Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other directories.
Feeds designed for broad podcast client compatibility, including Apple Podcasts tags.
Included
Multiple podcasts
Run more than one show or feed from one site.
Shows module releases selected episodes as separate shows.
Included
Episode scheduling
Schedule episodes to publish later.
Episodes support WordPress scheduled (future) status.
Included
Transcripts Key
Add transcripts to episodes, in the feed and on the page.
WebVTT transcripts imported per episode, linked to speakers and referenced in the feed.
Included
Chapters
Chapter markers for episodes.
Chapter marks per episode, shown in the web player and feed.
Included
Video podcasts
Publish video episodes as well as audio.
Supports video formats such as MP4 H.264 and WebM in feeds and player.
Included
Player 3/4
Built-in podcast player Key
Embeds a podcast player on episode pages.
Integrated Podlove Web Player for episode pages.
Included
Sticky player
Player that keeps playing while visitors browse other pages.
No persistent player across page loads.
Not included
Player customisation
Colours, layouts and download or speed controls.
Web Player themes, colours and fonts with speed control and download tab.
Included
Episode lists & archives
Grids or lists of episodes from a feed or show.
Episode list shortcode and Twig templates for archives.
Included
Hosting & importing 2/3
Podcast media hosting Key
Vendor-hosted audio files with fast delivery, so files are not served from your web host.
Publisher PLUS adds cloud file storage, from about EUR 99/year.
Paid version PLUS Kitchen Table
Import an existing podcast Key
Import episodes from another host or RSS feed.
Onboarding assistant imports an existing podcast from its RSS feed.
Included
Auto-sync new episodes
New episodes from your host appear on your site automatically.
Publishing happens in WordPress; no ongoing pull from an external host.
Not included
Growth & analytics 5/5
Download analytics Key
Downloads and listener stats per episode.
Built-in download stats by episode, app and format, without personal data.
Included
Subscribe buttons
Links to Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other apps.
Podlove Subscribe Button lists podcast apps for listeners.
Included
Podcast SEO & schema
Episode schema and SEO settings for episode pages.
Open Graph metadata module; no episode schema markup.
Partial
Private & premium feeds
Members-only or paid podcast feeds.
Protected Feeds module uses HTTP auth or WordPress login credentials.
Included
Monetisation
Ads, sponsorships or listener support built in or integrated.
Social & Donations module (PayPal, Patreon, Liberapay, Steady) and funding tag.
Included
Guests & booking 1/2
Guest booking & applications Key
Guest application or booking forms, or integration with a scheduling tool.
No guest application or booking integration.
Not included
Guest & host profiles
Profiles for guests and hosts linked to episodes.
Contributors with names, avatars, URLs and roles linked to episodes.
Included
Pricing
Free
$0On WordPress.org
Free (open source)
Freeper yearUnlimited
Full plugin is free under the MIT licence.
PLUS Kitchen Table
€99per yearUnlimited
Optional hosting service: 5,000 downloads/month, file storage, feed proxy with subscriber stats, unlimited podcasts. Monthly billing also offered (shown as EUR 9).
PLUS Garage
€199per yearUnlimited
30,000 downloads/month; monthly billing shown as EUR 19.
PLUS Podcast Studio
€399per yearUnlimited
120,000 downloads/month; monthly billing shown as EUR 39. Custom plans on request.
Prices are list prices from the vendor's site, checked 14 Oct 2026. Many vendors discount the first year.
How many sites use Podlove Podcast Publisher?
Free installs from WordPress.org, the vendor's own claim, and our estimate of paid installs.
Free version (WordPress.org)
3K+
Active installations reported by WordPress.org.
Vendor claim
—
The vendor does not publish a total.
Estimated Pro / paid installs
~180
Our estimate, see method below.
How we estimated this: About 3.5K free installs x 5% (the usual share of free sites that also run the paid version when a hosted service whose free tier is generous) gives 180. Likely range: 90 to 360. This counts sites running the paid version, including sites whose licence has lapsed. Estimates are rough and based on public figures as of 14 Oct 2026.
Stats & health
Weekly downloads
748 downloads last week, 606.9K all time
Rating breakdown
| Version | 4.5.8 |
|---|---|
| Last updated | 14 Oct 2026 (19 days ago) |
| Tested up to | WordPress 7.1.4 |
| Requires | WordPress 5.7.0+, PHP 8.0+ |
| Support threads (2 months) | 0 of 1 resolved |
| On WordPress.org since | 26 Jun 2012 |
Company & policy
| Founded | 2012 (source, 13 Oct 2026) PLUS site says the developer has helped podcasters with Podlove Publisher since 2012. |
|---|
Podlove Podcast Publisher compared
Podlove Podcast Publisher/show.fm
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Podlove Podcast Publisher/Seriously Simple Podcasting
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FAQ
Is Podlove Podcast Publisher free?
Yes. Podlove Podcast Publisher has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at €99/yr.
How many sites use Podlove Podcast Publisher?
WordPress.org reports 3K+ active installations of the free version. We estimate around 180 sites run the paid version.
Does Podlove Podcast Publisher have podcast rss feed?
Yes: included. Builds podcast feeds per media format with fine control over client behaviour.
Does Podlove Podcast Publisher have apple podcasts & spotify ready?
Yes: included. Feeds designed for broad podcast client compatibility, including Apple Podcasts tags.
Does Podlove Podcast Publisher have transcripts?
Yes: included. WebVTT transcripts imported per episode, linked to speakers and referenced in the feed.
Does Podlove Podcast Publisher have built-in podcast player?
Yes: included. Integrated Podlove Web Player for episode pages.
Does Podlove Podcast Publisher have podcast media hosting?
Yes: paid version (PLUS Kitchen Table). Publisher PLUS adds cloud file storage, from about EUR 99/year.
Does Podlove Podcast Publisher have import an existing podcast?
Yes: included. Onboarding assistant imports an existing podcast from its RSS feed.
Does Podlove Podcast Publisher have download analytics?
Yes: included. Built-in download stats by episode, app and format, without personal data.
Does Podlove Podcast Publisher have guest booking & applications?
No: not included. No guest application or booking integration.
Is Podlove Podcast Publisher free?
Yes, it is open source under the MIT licence. An optional Publisher PLUS service (from about EUR 99/year) adds cloud file hosting and a feed proxy.
Does Podlove host my audio files?
Not by default; you upload files to your own server or storage and Podlove checks them. Publisher PLUS adds cloud file storage that plugs into the plugin.
Can Podlove show transcripts and chapters?
Yes. Import WebVTT transcripts and assign speakers, add chapter marks, and the Podlove Web Player displays both, with transcript search and click-to-seek.
Can I migrate an existing podcast into Podlove?
Yes. The onboarding assistant can import an existing podcast from its RSS feed.
Does it include statistics?
Yes. Download tracking shows listener numbers, episode popularity, apps and formats without storing personal data, and you can add external prefixes such as OP3 or Podtrac.
Last updated 13 Oct 2026. Spotted something wrong? Suggest an edit.