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Seriously Simple Podcasting
What Seriously Simple Podcasting is
Seriously Simple Podcasting is a WordPress plugin for publishing podcast episodes from WordPress when paired with Castos hosting. From the WordPress editor, users can publish episodes to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and major podcast directories, while controlling the podcast RSS feed. One WordPress site can manage multiple separate podcasts, each with its own feed. Episode-level statistics show which episodes perform well. The product lists free add-ons for Genesis support, embedded transcripts, media player customization, and featured speaker boxes. It is open source, and its page invites issue reports and pull requests. The plugin is free, while Castos hosting is a separate paid service. Castos plans include Essentials at $19 a month, Growth at $49 a month, Pro at $99 a month, and Castos Premium from $499 a month. A 14-day hosting trial does not require a credit card; the account is frozen if the customer does not upgrade after the trial. Castos says its hosting stores audio and video on a CDN-powered platform, and every plan includes triple-redundant data backup with cross-site retention and a global content delivery network.
Who it suits
It suits WordPress publishers who want to manage podcast feeds and episodes from their site, including more than one show. Users who need hosting should account for Castos as a separate paid service.
What it does well
- Publishes from WordPress to major podcast directories.
- One site can manage multiple podcasts and feeds.
- Includes episode-level statistics.
- Plugin is open source and free.
What to know first
- Castos hosting is a separate paid service.
- The 14-day trial account is frozen without an upgrade.
- Paid hosting plans start at $19 a month.
Limits
The free Seriously Simple Podcasting plan is the WordPress plugin; Castos hosting is a separate paid service. Castos Essentials, the least expensive listed paid plan, costs $19 a month and includes 10 transcripts per month and up to 100 private subscribers.
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Seriously Simple Podcasting plugin | free forever · WordPress plugin; hosting optional; all plugin features functional with any podcast host | Free |
| Seriously Simple Podcasting | Download for free · WordPress podcast plugin; Castos hosting is a separate paid service | Free |
| Castos Essentials | $19 / month; $190 / year when billed annually · Unlimited podcasts, downloads and episodes · automatic distribution · 10 transcripts/month · 100 private subscribers · listener analytics | $19 a month |
| Essentials | $19 / month · 10 transcripts per month · up to 100 private subscribers | $19 a month |
| Essentials | $190 / year · 10 transcripts per month · up to 100 private subscribers | $190 a year |
| Growth | $49 / month · 25 transcripts per month · up to 250 private subscribers · up to 5 team members | $49 a month |
| Castos Growth | $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 | $49 a month |
| Growth | $490 / year · 25 transcripts per month · up to 250 private subscribers · up to 5 team members | $490 a year |
The first 8 of 12 plans, as castos.com lists them, read 21 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word. Every plan
Getting started
- Open the Seriously Simple Podcasting website.
- Download the free WordPress podcast plugin.
- Use Castos hosting if you need hosted audio and video; hosting is a separate paid service.
- Choose a Castos plan or start its 14-day trial without a credit card.
- Publish podcast episodes from the WordPress editor.
Verdict
The free plugin provides WordPress-based podcast publishing and feed control, with support for multiple shows. Hosting is separate, with a 14-day trial and paid plans starting at $19 a month.
Questions
Is Seriously Simple Podcasting free?
Yes. The WordPress plugin has a free plan. Castos hosting is a separate paid service.
How much does Castos hosting cost?
Listed plans start with Essentials at $19 a month. Other listed plans are Growth at $49 a month, Pro at $99 a month, and Castos Premium from $499 a month.
Is there a free 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.
Where can I use the plugin?
The listed platforms are self-hosted and web. The product is a WordPress plugin.
Is Seriously Simple Podcasting open source?
Yes. The product is open source, and its page invites issue reports and pull requests.
Which services does Castos integrate with?
Castos lists Zapier, MemberSpace, Shopify, Elementor, Descript, Kit, Paid Memberships Pro, Stripe, PayPal, and MemberPress.
Facts from Seriously Simple Podcasting's own pages
- Add-ons
- The product page lists Genesis support, embedded transcripts, media player customization, and featured speaker boxes as free add-ons. · castos.com, 5 Oct 2026
- 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. · wordpress.org, 21 Oct 2026
- API connection support
- Castos documentation includes connecting a WordPress site with a Castos API token and troubleshooting WordPress REST API connectivity. · support.castos.com, 21 Oct 2026
- 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. · wordpress.org, 21 Oct 2026
- Backups and delivery
- Castos pricing lists triple-redundant data backup with cross-site retention and a global content delivery network on every plan. · castos.com, 5 Oct 2026
- Castos synchronization
- Connecting a Castos account synchronizes podcast information and uploaded episode files from WordPress to Castos automatically. · wordpress.org, 21 Oct 2026
- Company
- Castos identifies itself as a fully remote team and names Craig Hewitt as founder and CEO. · castos.com, 5 Oct 2026
- Company description
- LinkedIn describes Castos as a podcast hosting, analytics and production platform serving thousands of creators. · linkedin.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Company founding
- Crunchbase states that Castos was founded in 2017. · crunchbase.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Company headquarters
- LinkedIn lists Castos headquarters in Winter Garden, United States. · linkedin.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Company legal name
- Crunchbase identifies the maker as Castos Inc., founded by Craig Hewitt. · crunchbase.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Company size
- LinkedIn lists Castos as a privately held software-development company with 11–50 employees. · linkedin.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Distribution
- The WordPress editor can publish episodes to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and major podcast directories. · castos.com, 5 Oct 2026
- Documentation
- The project repository directs users and developers to documentation containing guides, snippets and FAQs, with support handled through the WordPress support forum. · github.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Headquarters
- Castos lists its address as 1209 North Orange St., Wilmington, Delaware 19801. · castos.com, 5 Oct 2026
- Hosting security
- Castos says its hosting for Seriously Simple Podcasting users stores audio and video securely on a CDN-powered platform. · castos.com, 5 Oct 2026
- Import and migration
- The plugin documents imports from Libsyn, Buzzsprout, Podbean, SoundCloud and Simplecast plus migration from other WordPress podcast plugins. · wordpress.org, 21 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- Castos lists Zapier, MemberSpace, Shopify, Elementor, Descript, Kit, Paid Memberships Pro, Stripe, PayPal and MemberPress integrations. · castos.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Licence
- The public repository identifies the plugin as GPL-2.0 licensed open-source software. · github.com, 21 Oct 2026
- 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. · wordpress.org, 21 Oct 2026
- Limit: customization
- A Trustpilot reviewer says Castos is easy to use but offers too little freedom to customize the podcast home-page design. · trustpilot.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Limit: missing features
- A Trustpilot reviewer says some features still needed to be built for the company to compete fully. · trustpilot.com, 21 Oct 2026
- 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. · trustpilot.com, 21 Oct 2026
- Multiple shows
- One WordPress installation can run several podcasts, each with its own feed, artwork and settings. · castos.com, 21 Oct 2026
Where Seriously Simple Podcasting stands on Freedom251
- Podcast Website Builders#1 of 28