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Seriously Simple Podcasting

castos.com

From $15.83/mo Free plan Open source WebAPISelf-hosted
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Spec score 8.5 #5 of 28 in Podcast Website Builders

What it is

Seriously Simple Podcasting is a WordPress plugin for publishing podcast episodes from WordPress when paired with Castos hosting. Publishers can send episodes to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and major podcast directories from the WordPress editor, while controlling the podcast RSS feed. A single WordPress site can manage multiple podcasts, each with its own feed. Episode-level statistics show how individual episodes perform. Listed free add-ons include Genesis support, embedded transcripts, player customization, and featured speaker boxes. The plugin is open source, and its page invites issue reports and pull requests. The plugin itself is free; Castos hosting is a separate paid service. Castos plans start at $19 / month, and it offers a 14-day free trial without a credit card. Castos says its hosting stores audio and video on a CDN-powered platform; all plans include triple-redundant backups with cross-site retention and a global content delivery network. Integrations listed by Castos include Zapier, MemberSpace, Shopify, Elementor, Descript, Kit, Paid Memberships Pro, Stripe, PayPal, and MemberPress.

Spec sheet

What it does
Seriously Simple Podcasting is a WordPress plugin for publishing podcast episodes from a WordPress site and distributing them to listening platforms.Read 21 Oct 2026 · castos.com
Product
Seriously Simple Podcasting is a WordPress plugin for hosting and publishing podcast episodes from WordPress when paired with Castos.Read 5 Oct 2026 · castos.com
Trial
Castos offers a 14-day free trial without a credit card; its pricing FAQ says the account is frozen if the customer does not upgrade afterward.Read 5 Oct 2026 · castos.com
Integrations
Castos lists Zapier, MemberSpace, Shopify, Elementor, Descript, Kit, Paid Memberships Pro, Stripe, PayPal and MemberPress integrations.Read 21 Oct 2026 · castos.com
Support
Castos says it holds a weekly video call to help users set up its dashboard or Seriously Simple Podcasting.Read 5 Oct 2026 · castos.com
Headquarters
Castos lists its address as 1209 North Orange St., Wilmington, Delaware 19801.Read 5 Oct 2026 · castos.com
Company
Castos identifies itself as a fully remote team and names Craig Hewitt as founder and CEO.Read 5 Oct 2026 · castos.com
Add-ons
The product page lists Genesis support, embedded transcripts, media player customization, and featured speaker boxes as free add-ons.Read 5 Oct 2026 · castos.com
Analytics
The free Seriously Simple Stats add-on tracks listens by episode, date range and listening source, while Castos adds geographic, device, platform and subscriber analytics.Read 21 Oct 2026 · wordpress.org
API connection support
Castos documentation includes connecting a WordPress site with a Castos API token and troubleshooting WordPress REST API connectivity.Read 21 Oct 2026 · support.castos.com
API extensibility
The 3.14.3 changelog says podmotor_episode_id is exposed in SSP REST API responses and a legacy podcast update endpoint was deprecated.Read 21 Oct 2026 · wordpress.org
Backups and delivery
Castos pricing lists triple-redundant data backup with cross-site retention and a global content delivery network on every plan.Read 5 Oct 2026 · castos.com
Castos synchronization
Connecting a Castos account synchronizes podcast information and uploaded episode files from WordPress to Castos automatically.Read 21 Oct 2026 · wordpress.org
Company description
LinkedIn describes Castos as a podcast hosting, analytics and production platform serving thousands of creators.Read 21 Oct 2026 · linkedin.com
Company founding
Crunchbase states that Castos was founded in 2017.Read 21 Oct 2026 · crunchbase.com
Company headquarters
LinkedIn lists Castos headquarters in Winter Garden, United States.Read 21 Oct 2026 · linkedin.com
Company legal name
Crunchbase identifies the maker as Castos Inc., founded by Craig Hewitt.Read 21 Oct 2026 · crunchbase.com
Company size
LinkedIn lists Castos as a privately held software-development company with 11–50 employees.Read 21 Oct 2026 · linkedin.com
Distribution
The WordPress editor can publish episodes to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and major podcast directories.Read 5 Oct 2026 · castos.com
Documentation
The project repository directs users and developers to documentation containing guides, snippets and FAQs, with support handled through the WordPress support forum.Read 21 Oct 2026 · github.com
Hosting security
Castos says its hosting for Seriously Simple Podcasting users stores audio and video securely on a CDN-powered platform.Read 5 Oct 2026 · castos.com
Import and migration
The plugin documents imports from Libsyn, Buzzsprout, Podbean, SoundCloud and Simplecast plus migration from other WordPress podcast plugins.Read 21 Oct 2026 · wordpress.org
Licence
The public repository identifies the plugin as GPL-2.0 licensed open-source software.Read 21 Oct 2026 · github.com
Limit: current support issues
The WordPress support forum lists recent reports of indefinite spinning when creating a podcast, 404 enclosure URLs, excessive PHP-FPM usage, feed errors and editor conflicts.Read 21 Oct 2026 · wordpress.org
Limit: customization
A Trustpilot reviewer says Castos is easy to use but offers too little freedom to customize the podcast home-page design.Read 21 Oct 2026 · trustpilot.com
Limit: missing features
A Trustpilot reviewer says some features still needed to be built for the company to compete fully.Read 21 Oct 2026 · trustpilot.com
Limit: publishing workflow
A Trustpilot reviewer reports needing to repeatedly delete and recreate a podcast to add a new episode and seeing only self-generated downloads.Read 21 Oct 2026 · trustpilot.com
Multiple shows
One WordPress installation can run several podcasts, each with its own feed, artwork and settings.Read 21 Oct 2026 · castos.com
Open source
Seriously Simple Podcasting is open source, and the page invites issue reports and pull requests.Read 5 Oct 2026 · castos.com
Players and blocks
The plugin provides six blocks: Castos HTML Player, Castos Player, Audio Player, Playlist Player, Podcast List and SSP Podcasts.Read 21 Oct 2026 · wordpress.org
Praise: documentation
A WordPress reviewer says the documentation includes guidance for common feed errors and enough information for non-developers to get started.Read 21 Oct 2026 · wordpress.org
Praise: ease of use
WordPress reviewers repeatedly describe setup and episode management as easy, intuitive and useful for beginners.Read 21 Oct 2026 · wordpress.org
Praise: support
Trustpilot reviewers repeatedly praise responsive, helpful technical support and personalized assistance.Read 21 Oct 2026 · trustpilot.com
Private podcasting
Private subscriber synchronization is offered through MemberPress, Paid Memberships Pro, WooCommerce Memberships and LifterLMS integrations when used with Castos Private Podcasting.Read 21 Oct 2026 · castos.com
Publishing workflow
Episodes can be created in the plugin’s podcasting area or as regular WordPress posts.Read 21 Oct 2026 · wordpress.org
Rating on Trustpilot
4.0 out of 5 from 23 reviewsRead 21 Oct 2026 · trustpilot.com
Rating on WordPress.org
4.7 out of 5 stars from 329 reviewsRead 21 Oct 2026 · wordpress.org
RSS control
The plugin provides control of the podcast RSS feed from WordPress.Read 5 Oct 2026 · castos.com
RSS controls
WordPress settings cover podcast title, subtitle, description, category, artwork, explicit rating and copyright information.Read 21 Oct 2026 · wordpress.org
RSS feeds
It generates RSS feeds described as compliant with Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and other listening platforms.Read 21 Oct 2026 · wordpress.org
Security update
Version 3.17.1, dated 2026-10-19, records security improvements and a fix for private episodes missing from Castos synchronization.Read 21 Oct 2026 · wordpress.org
Self-hosting
The plugin can be installed by downloading a ZIP from WordPress.org, uploading it through Plugins > Add New, activating it and configuring Podcast > Settings.Read 21 Oct 2026 · wordpress.org
System requirements
The WordPress directory lists WordPress 5.3 or higher, PHP 7.4 or higher and testing through WordPress 7.1.3.Read 21 Oct 2026 · wordpress.org
Video support
Podcast posts can embed video players from Vimeo, VideoPress or the WordPress video block.Read 21 Oct 2026 · wordpress.org
WordPress adoption
The plugin lists more than 30,000 active installations on WordPress.org.Read 21 Oct 2026 · wordpress.org

Plans and prices

Seriously Simple Podcasting Free Download for free WordPress podcast plugin; Castos hosting is a separate paid service Read 5 Oct 2026 · castos.com
Seriously Simple Podcasting plugin Free free forever WordPress plugin; hosting optional; all plugin features functional with any podcast host Read 21 Oct 2026 · wordpress.org
Castos Essentials $19 a month $19 / month; $190 / year when billed annually Unlimited podcasts, downloads and episodes · automatic distribution · 10 transcripts/month · 100 private subscribers · listener analytics Read 21 Oct 2026 · castos.com
Essentials $19 a month $19 / month 10 transcripts per month · up to 100 private subscribers Read 5 Oct 2026 · castos.com
Castos Growth $49 a month $49 / month; $490 / year when billed annually Everything in Essentials · onboarding call · private podcast mobile app · YouTube republishing · advanced analytics · Headliner integration · 25 transcripts/month · 250 private subscribers Read 21 Oct 2026 · castos.com
Growth $49 a month $49 / month 25 transcripts per month · up to 250 private subscribers · up to 5 team members Read 5 Oct 2026 · castos.com
Castos Pro $99 a month $99 / month; $990 / year when billed annually Everything in Growth · video file hosting · 100 transcripts/month · 500 private subscribers · priority technical support Read 21 Oct 2026 · castos.com
Pro $99 a month $99 / month 100 transcripts per month · up to 500 private subscribers · up to 10 team members Read 5 Oct 2026 · castos.com
Essentials $190 a year $190 / year 10 transcripts per month · up to 100 private subscribers Read 5 Oct 2026 · castos.com
Growth $490 a year $490 / year 25 transcripts per month · up to 250 private subscribers · up to 5 team members Read 5 Oct 2026 · castos.com
Castos Premium $499 a month From $499 / month; from $4,990 / year Everything in Pro · custom contracts and invoices · SSO · increased limits · unlimited transcripts · dedicated account manager Read 21 Oct 2026 · castos.com
Pro $990 a year $990 / year 100 transcripts per month · up to 500 private subscribers · up to 10 team members Read 5 Oct 2026 · castos.com

Every Seriously Simple Podcasting plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Plugin is free and open source
  • Publish to Apple Podcasts and Spotify
  • One site can manage multiple podcast feeds
  • Includes episode-level statistics
  • Castos offers a 14-day free trial

Limits

  • Castos hosting is a separate paid service
  • Castos trial account freezes without an upgrade
  • Paid Castos plans start at $19 / month

Who it suits

The plugin suits podcasters publishing through a WordPress site, including those managing multiple shows. Castos hosting is relevant for users who need hosting alongside the free plugin.

Verdict

The plugin provides WordPress-based publishing and feed control, while hosting is a separate Castos service. Check the hosting plan and trial terms if you need more than the plugin itself.

Where Specifiction places it

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