Podcast Distribution: Max Your Reach With These 9 Apps!
When you publish a podcast episode, you’re not just giving your listeners valuable content; you’re offering them a choice, too.
Most people already have a preferred app or platform to get their podcast fix. These are sometimes referred to as “Podcatchers”.
One of your jobs as a creator is to make sure you meet your audience where they are. So, you might be asking, “Where should I submit my podcast?”
The good news is… you’ve come to the right place. With a couple of clicks, I’ll help you list your show in podcast directories and apps you didn’t even know existed. Let’s get into it.
Quick-Start Podcast Distribution
If you’re short on time and just looking to get started as quickly as possible, here’s the thing. Submitting your show to Apple (which I cover in more depth below) means you’ll automatically appear in most other places podcasts are consumed.
Then, take another moment to submit your podcast to Spotify. Hosting giant Buzzsprout shows Spotify as the number-two place where podcasts are consumed.
Having your podcast on Apple and Spotify will cover around 58% of the listening market, and remember, your Apple listing gets you into a load of smaller apps, too.
That’s the bulk of the work done already. Easy, eh?
So, in summary, do a soft launch of your podcast by publishing a trailer or Episode Zero. This gives you the “one published episode” podcast directories require before you can submit to them. Then, tell Apple and Spotify about it.
Bookmark this Best Podcast Directory List guide to come back to once the dust has settled. There are still a few gaps to fill in where you can list your podcast.
Of course, if you’re ready to learn more about them right now, then read on…
Podcast Distribution Must-Knows
Just in case this isn’t quite clear yet, let’s make sure we understand how it all ties together. There are two stages to podcast distribution, and some clarity might be needed if you’re totally new to it all:
- YOU upload your episode files to a podcast hosting platform. That’s where they’re stored on the web.
- YOU, with the help of your hosting platform, register your podcast with the directories, apps, and platforms where podcasts are found.
- Those apps and directories handle distribution, while your host handles delivery.
Think of your hosting platform as the central hub where you upload your content, and the following apps and directories as the places where it can be discovered and consumed.
And the good news is that submitting your podcast to directories or apps is a one-time process. Once it’s done, all of your episodes will appear in them automatically, so you only ever need to upload content to your hosting provider.
Best Podcast Directory, App, & Podcatcher List for Maximum Distribution
So now that we’ve cleared that up, let’s get that podcast distributed far and wide…
1. Apple Podcasts
Apple Podcasts (formerly iTunes) is and has always been one of the top podcasting platforms. Most podcasters see the bulk of their downloads coming via Apple.
To submit to Apple Podcasts, you need to go through the Apple Podcast Connect system and navigate to My Podcasts.
You can find a full guide on how to get into Apple Podcasts / iTunes here.
Being listed in Apple Podcasts also gets you into Overcast, Podcast Addict, Castbox, and many, many more by default. If you’re serious about your podcast, submitting to Apple is ESSENTIAL.
2. Spotify
Spotify are another major player in podcasting, accounting for around 24% of overall consumption.
One of Spotify’s strengths is that you can use it to host your podcast. They also offer their podcast hosting service for free, which makes it appealing to zero-budget and dabbling hobbyist podcasters.
Spotify for Podcasters was recently rebranded as Spotify for Creators. You can log in here to submit podcasts hosted elsewhere or upload content directly to Spotify via its hosting and distribution tools.
Spotify is really pushing video podcasting right now, and if you have a visual component to your podcast, then it’s a good place to publish those, alongside YouTube.
Here’s our full guide on how to get your podcast on Spotify
3. YouTube
Video streaming giant YouTube supports podcasting, even if you don’t record a video element for your show.
Assuming you already have a YouTube/Google account, go to YouTube Studio and click the ‘create’ button in the top right corner. Then, select ‘New Podcast’. You’ll see three options:
- Create a new podcast
- Set an existing playlist as a podcast
- Submit RSS feed
Submitting the RSS feed of your audio-only podcast means new episodes will be published to YouTube with static image backgrounds of your cover art as the “video”. Some hosting providers (Transistor, RedCircle, Libsyn) also have dedicated tools for publishing episodes to YouTube in this manner.
You can mark any YouTube playlist to be categorised as “a podcast”, and you can set any YouTube-uploaded content to be marked as episodes within that podcast, too.
Check out our full guide on how to put a podcast on YouTube for more details.
4. Amazon/Audible
Amazon has its finger in every pie, and podcasts are no exception. Amazon, along with its audiobook wing Audible, is becoming an increasingly popular place to find and listen to podcasts.
The process here is pretty simple. In fact, if your podcast has been around for a while, it’s probably already in there.
Nevertheless, you can still ‘claim’ your show on Amazon to access analytics and verify ownership. To do this, head over to podcasters.amazon.com and click “Add or Claim Your Podcast”.
5. iHeartRadio
The iHeartRadio app has more than 188 million registered users and can be accessed across 500+ platforms and over 2,000 connected devices, including smartphones, smart speakers, tablets, gaming consoles, TVs, wearables, virtual assistants, and in-car systems.
If your podcast already exists in Apple Podcasts, it’s likely already showing on iHeartRadio, but there’s no harm in making sure. Here’s where you can check the directory, and if it isn’t there, here’s where to submit.
6. The Podcast Index
The Podcast Index is an open-source podcast directory. This means that anyone can add to it, much like Wikipedia. As of May 2026, it is well over four and a half million podcasts big. And it’s growing fast.
The good news is that your show is probably showing here already, but if, for some reason, it isn’t, you can email them at [email protected]
Here’s our full guide on how to submit your podcast to The Podcast Index.
7. Pandora
Pandora is one of the biggest audio streaming platforms in the US and has steadily expanded its podcast offering over the past few years. Though it isn’t as dominant in podcasting as Apple or Spotify, it still has a sizeable listener base and is worth submitting to, especially if you’re targeting a US audience.
Unlike many podcast apps, Pandora has historically been a bit more selective about the shows it accepts. Nowadays, though, the submission process is much more straightforward, and many hosting providers can distribute there automatically.
If your podcast isn’t already listed, you can submit it through Simplecast Creator Connect.
8. Deezer
Deezer is a music streaming platform with podcast support built-in. It’s particularly popular in parts of Europe, Latin America, and France, and while it probably won’t drive huge download numbers for most podcasters, it’s another useful place to have your show indexed.
Submitting to Deezer is simple. If your podcast is already listed in Apple Podcasts or other major directories, there’s a good chance Deezer has already picked it up automatically. If not, you can submit your RSS feed directly through Deezer Podcasters.
9. TuneIn
You can now get your podcast on TuneIn again, Podnews reported in April 2026. In the past, TuneIn maintained a rather archaic manual submission process and possibly buckled under the strain in mid-2024. But there’s now an ‘Add a Podcast’ option in their Broadcaster Portal, making it another worthwhile place to check your show is listed!
10. What About Stitcher & Google Podcasts?
Imagine podcast distribution as a High Street or shopping centre. Some places are busy, thriving hubs, but you’ll see the odd boarded-up store here and there.
Stitcher
The once-mighty Stitcher formerly occupied second place in this list, with a share of around 5% of total podcast downloads. Sadly, the platform faded in recent years and was closed for good in August 2023.
Google Podcasts
Google Podcasts was one of Google’s half-hearted forays into podcast distribution, but the platform was a damp squib and suffered a fairly drawn-out closure between mid-2023 and 2024. It’s safe to say Google’s podcasting eggs are now firmly in the YouTube basket.
Podcast Distribution Is a One-Off, Podcast Creation Isn’t
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It automatically cleans up your audio and balances levels, offers instant filler-word removal, and allows you to edit audio or video simply by editing the transcript text.
Sound like a fit? Try it free for seven days and see how it works for you.
