Seriously Simple Podcasting
Free podcast plugin by Castos that publishes episodes and feeds from WordPress, with players, blocks and optional Castos hosting and analytics.
84
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.
Free installs20K+WordPress.org, active
Est. Pro installs~1.5KLikely 750–3K
Vendor claims100K+Vendor's own figure
Rating4.6/5231 reviews
Price from$7/moFreemium
Last updated27 Oct 2026Version 11.18.0
Overview
PowerPress is Blubrry’s long-running podcasting plugin. It turns ordinary WordPress posts into podcast episodes: you attach a media URL (or upload to Blubrry), fill in the episode box, and PowerPress adds the enclosure and Apple Podcasts tags to your feed. The plugin itself is free with no paid edition; Blubrry earns its money from optional media hosting and statistics plans that plug into the same settings screens.
How it works
You can enhance your main feed or create dedicated feeds through Podcast Channels, Category Podcasting, taxonomy podcasting or post-type podcasting, which is how one site runs several shows. Episodes are normal posts, so WordPress scheduling, categories and editors all apply. On the front end PowerPress adds an audio or video player, download and play-in-new-window links, a subscribe button, a subscribe page generator and a playlist shortcode.
- Broad Podcasting 2.0 support: transcripts (SRT/VTT upload or link), JSON chapters, person credits, funding, Value4Value, soundbites, live items, alternate enclosures and Podping.
- Podcasting SEO options for feed episode titles plus AudioObject and VideoObject schema on episode pages.
- Password-protected Podcast Channels for premium feeds using a Premium Subscriber role, with optional membership plugins for payments.
- Import tools for moving shows from Libsyn, Podbean, SoundCloud, Spotify for Podcasters and other hosts.
Free vs paid
Everything above is in the free plugin. Blubrry hosting (from $7/month for 1.5 hours of new audio per month) adds media storage with unlimited downloads, publishing from the WordPress editor, the branded Blubrry player with captions and chapter display, automated transcripts and IAB-certified statistics. Advanced and Pro hosting add monetisation tools such as programmatic and dynamic ad insertion. Free basic Blubrry stats can also be connected without hosting.
Limitations
The admin is dense, with a lot of feed options that newcomers may not need. There is no sticky player that keeps playing across page loads, player styling is limited unless you use the hosted Blubrry player, and there are no guest profile pages beyond feed credits. Private feeds only work on custom channels, not the main feed.
Who should pick it: podcasters who want their WordPress site to be the source of truth for the feed, especially those who value Podcasting 2.0 tags or plan to use Blubrry hosting and stats.
Best for: Podcasters who want WordPress to generate their feed for free, with deep Podcasting 2.0 support and an optional path to Blubrry hosting.
PowerPress remains the most complete free feed-publishing plugin, with standout Podcasting 2.0 coverage and multi-show options. Its interface feels dated and the polished player and stats sit with Blubrry's paid services, but nothing important is locked inside the plugin itself.
Pros
- Completely free plugin with no feature paywall inside WordPress
- One of the widest sets of Podcasting 2.0 tags, including transcripts, chapters, Value4Value and Podping
- Several ways to run multiple shows: channels, categories, taxonomies and post types
- Password-protected premium channels without a paid add-on
- Import and migration tools for the major podcast hosts
- AudioObject/VideoObject schema and feed title SEO options built in
Cons
- Settings screens are crowded and can overwhelm first-time podcasters
- No sticky or persistent player across page loads
- Best player styling, captions and stats depend on Blubrry hosting or stats plans
- Protected feeds only work on custom channels, not the main feed
- No on-site guest or host profile pages
Key features
What PowerPress Podcasting by Blubrry highlights on its WordPress.org page and its own website, split by version.
Free version WordPress.org
- Podcast feeds from WordPress posts
- Apple Podcasts and Spotify ready tags
- Multiple shows via channels and categories
- Audio, video and YouTube players
- Playlist player shortcode
- Subscribe page and sidebar widget
- Podcasting 2.0 transcripts and chapters
- Value4Value and funding tags
- Import from Libsyn, Podbean, SoundCloud
- Episode schema and feed title SEO
- Password-protected premium channels
- Guided onboarding to first episode
Pro / paid adds From $7/mo
- Blubrry media hosting, unlimited downloads
- Publish media straight from WordPress
- Branded Blubrry player with captions
- Automated transcripts and audio mastering
- IAB-certified download statistics
- Advanced stats on Advanced plans
- Programmatic and dynamic ad insertion
- Free managed Podpage website
- AI tools for show notes and titles
- Multiple shows and users on Pro Unlimited
Feature checklist
18 of 21 features we track in Podcast Plugins, feature score 84/100
Publishing 7/7
Podcast RSS feed Key
Generates a podcast RSS feed from your episodes.
Adds podcast enclosures and tags to WordPress feeds or dedicated podcast feeds.
Included
Apple Podcasts & Spotify ready Key
Feed tags and settings needed for Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other directories.
Apple Podcasts fields, artwork checks and a Destinations tab for submitting to directories.
Included
Multiple podcasts
Run more than one show or feed from one site.
Podcast Channels plus category, taxonomy and post-type podcasting for several shows.
Included
Episode scheduling
Schedule episodes to publish later.
Episodes are WordPress posts, so they can be scheduled to publish at a future date.
Included
Transcripts Key
Add transcripts to episodes, in the feed and on the page.
Upload or link SRT/VTT transcripts in the feed; automatic transcripts with Blubrry hosting.
Included
Chapters
Chapter markers for episodes.
JSON chapter files or placeholders added via the Podcasting 2.0 chapters tag.
Included
Video podcasts
Publish video episodes as well as audio.
Video players (MediaElement.js, VideoJS, HTML5) and YouTube embeds for video episodes.
Included
Player 3/4
Built-in podcast player Key
Embeds a podcast player on episode pages.
Automatic or shortcode player above or below episode content.
Included
Sticky player
Player that keeps playing while visitors browse other pages.
No persistent player across page loads is offered.
Not included
Player customisation
Colours, layouts and download or speed controls.
Choice of players with download/new-window links; brand colours need the hosted Blubrry player.
Partial
Episode lists & archives
Grids or lists of episodes from a feed or show.
Playlist player shortcode lists episodes, filterable by channel, category or IDs.
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.
Blubrry hosting stores media with unlimited downloads; plans start at $7/month.
Paid version Standard 1.5 hosting
Import an existing podcast Key
Import episodes from another host or RSS feed.
Import Podcast tool brings in episodes from Libsyn, Podbean, SoundCloud and others.
Included
Auto-sync new episodes
New episodes from your host appear on your site automatically.
Episodes are published from WordPress; imports are one-off rather than ongoing sync.
Not included
Growth & analytics 5/5
Download analytics Key
Downloads and listener stats per episode.
Free basic Blubrry stats in the dashboard; IAB-certified advanced stats on paid plans.
Included
Subscribe buttons
Links to Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other apps.
Subscribe button, generated subscribe page and mobile-friendly sidebar widget.
Included
Podcast SEO & schema
Episode schema and SEO settings for episode pages.
Podcasting SEO settings: feed episode titles plus AudioObject/VideoObject schema.
Included
Private & premium feeds
Members-only or paid podcast feeds.
Password-protect custom channels for users with the Premium Subscriber role.
Included
Monetisation
Ads, sponsorships or listener support built in or integrated.
Funding and Value4Value tags free; programmatic ads via Blubrry Advanced/Pro hosting.
Included
Guests & booking 1/2
Guest booking & applications Key
Guest application or booking forms, or integration with a scheduling tool.
No guest application or scheduling tool integration.
Not included
Guest & host profiles
Profiles for guests and hosts linked to episodes.
Person/credits tags for hosts and guests in the feed only, not on-site profile pages.
Partial
Pricing
Free
$0On WordPress.org
Free plugin
Freeper yearUnlimited
Full plugin is free; host media anywhere. Free basic Blubrry stats available; Standard stats $5/month.
Standard 1.5 hosting
$7per month1 site
Up to 1.5 hours of new media per month, unlimited downloads, one RSS feed, AI tools, Podpage website.
Standard 3 hosting
$15per month1 site
Up to 3 hours per month; standard stats.
Advanced 6 hosting
$25per month1 site
Up to 6 hours per month; advanced statistics and monetisation features.
Advanced 12 hosting
$50per month1 site
Aimed at frequent or mixed audio/video publishing. Advanced 25 is $90/month.
Pro Unlimited hosting
$100per monthMultiple shows
Unlimited audio and video, dynamic advertising, network tools, multiple shows and users.
Prices are list prices from the vendor's site, checked 14 Oct 2026. Many vendors discount the first year.
How many sites use PowerPress Podcasting by Blubrry?
Free installs from WordPress.org, the vendor's own claim, and our estimate of paid installs.
Free version (WordPress.org)
20K+
Active installations reported by WordPress.org.
Vendor claim
100K+
Sites/users claimed on the vendor's website. source
Estimated Pro / paid installs
~1.5K
Our estimate, see method below.
How we estimated this: About 25K 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 1.3K. The vendor claims 100K+ sites in total. Taking away about 25K free installs leaves 75K, and 80% of that is 60K. Vendor totals are loose, so we only move our figure part of the way toward it, from 1.2K to 1.5K. Likely range: 750 to 3K. 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
16,265 downloads last week, 6.5M all time
Rating breakdown
| Version | 11.18.0 |
|---|---|
| Last updated | 27 Oct 2026 (7 days ago) |
| Tested up to | WordPress 7.1.4 |
| Requires | WordPress 3.6+, PHP 5.2+ |
| Support threads (2 months) | 0 of 2 resolved |
| On WordPress.org since | 8 Aug 2008 |
Company & policy
| Founded | 2008 (source, 13 Oct 2026) PowerPress has been offered since 2008; Blubrry itself dates from 2005. |
|---|
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FAQ
Is PowerPress Podcasting by Blubrry free?
Yes. PowerPress Podcasting by Blubrry has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at $7/mo.
How many sites use PowerPress Podcasting by Blubrry?
WordPress.org reports 20K+ active installations of the free version. The vendor claims 100K+ sites in total. We estimate around 1.5K sites run the paid version.
Does PowerPress Podcasting by Blubrry have podcast rss feed?
Yes: included. Adds podcast enclosures and tags to WordPress feeds or dedicated podcast feeds.
Does PowerPress Podcasting by Blubrry have apple podcasts & spotify ready?
Yes: included. Apple Podcasts fields, artwork checks and a Destinations tab for submitting to directories.
Does PowerPress Podcasting by Blubrry have transcripts?
Yes: included. Upload or link SRT/VTT transcripts in the feed; automatic transcripts with Blubrry hosting.
Does PowerPress Podcasting by Blubrry have built-in podcast player?
Yes: included. Automatic or shortcode player above or below episode content.
Does PowerPress Podcasting by Blubrry have podcast media hosting?
Yes: paid version (Standard 1.5 hosting). Blubrry hosting stores media with unlimited downloads; plans start at $7/month.
Does PowerPress Podcasting by Blubrry have import an existing podcast?
Yes: included. Import Podcast tool brings in episodes from Libsyn, Podbean, SoundCloud and others.
Does PowerPress Podcasting by Blubrry have download analytics?
Yes: included. Free basic Blubrry stats in the dashboard; IAB-certified advanced stats on paid plans.
Does PowerPress Podcasting by Blubrry have guest booking & applications?
No: not included. No guest application or scheduling tool integration.
Is PowerPress free?
Yes. The plugin has no paid edition. Blubrry sells optional media hosting (from $7/month) and statistics plans that integrate with it, but you can host files anywhere.
Can I run more than one podcast with PowerPress?
Yes. Podcast Channels, Category Podcasting, taxonomy podcasting and post-type podcasting each let you publish separate feeds from one site. A single Blubrry hosting subscription covers one feed; Pro Unlimited supports multiple shows.
Does PowerPress support transcripts and chapters?
Yes. You can upload or link SRT/VTT transcripts and JSON chapter files, which are added to the feed as Podcasting 2.0 tags. Blubrry hosting can create transcripts automatically and show captions in its player.
Can I make a private or paid podcast feed?
Yes, on a custom Podcast Channel you can require a WordPress login with the Premium Subscriber role. Membership plugins such as MemberPress or Paid Memberships Pro can handle payments, but Blubrry does not support their setup.
Can I move my existing podcast to PowerPress?
Yes. The Import Podcast tool pulls in episodes from hosts such as Libsyn, Podbean, SoundCloud and Spotify for Podcasters, and Migrate Media can move files to Blubrry hosting.
Last updated 13 Oct 2026. Spotted something wrong? Suggest an edit.