Once you’ve started building an audience for your podcast, the next question is usually the same: what’s the best podcast platform for monetization? Here’s the problem: “platform” can mean three different things, and the right choice depends on which part of the business needs to be owned.
- A listening app (like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music): best for reach, but the customer relationship often stays inside the app.
- A 3rd party membership platform: good for recurring support, but branding and flexibility are limited by the platform.
- A website-based podcast monetization platform with memberships (like Beamly): best for ownership and long-term compounding, because pricing, email capture, and upsells live on a domain the creator controls.
This comparison breaks down five popular options and focuses on what actually changes the outcome: how you get paid, what you own, what lock-in looks like, and what it costs (in fees and flexibility).
If a step-by-step “how to monetize a podcast” guide is needed first, start here: Podcast monetization.
Quick comparison: best podcast platform for monetization
Here’s the high-level view before getting into the details:
- Beamly
- Best for: Owning subscriptions, paywalls, and product sales on a custom domain
- Primary monetization: Memberships + private feeds + digital products + podcast hosting
- Audience ownership: High
- Biggest tradeoff: You’ll have to potentially manage your website too, but it’s worth it.
- Apple Podcasts
- Best for: Apple-first listeners willing to pay
- Primary monetization: Subscriptions
- Audience ownership: Low
- Biggest tradeoff: Audience and payments stay inside Apple. High fees.
- Spotify
- Best for: Spotify-first audiences and Spotify monetization programs
- Primary monetization: Subscriptions + Spotify Partner Program (availability varies)
- Audience ownership: Low
- Biggest tradeoff: Monetization is mostly Spotify-bound and eligibility can vary
- Patreon
- Best for: Community-driven memberships
- Primary monetization: Subscriptions + community perks
- Audience ownership: Medium
- Biggest tradeoff: High platform fees and limited brand control
- Amazon Music
- Best for: Amazon listeners plus optional influencer-style affiliate payouts (when eligible)
- Primary monetization: Distribution + influencer-style affiliate program (when eligible)
- Audience ownership: Low
- Biggest tradeoff: Limited exposure, no direct relationship with listeners
One simple rule tends to hold up: use directories for reach, but use your own platform for full control.
How to choose a podcast monetization platform (5 questions)
Choosing the “best” platform depends on how the podcast plans to grow and what the business needs to own long term – not what’s most popular.
Ask these five questions first:
- Where do listeners actually listen? Apple-first and Spotify-first audiences monetize differently because the available programs (and prompts in-app) are different.
- Is an owned website part of the plan? A website layer is where SEO, email capture, and upsells can compound over time. Don’t overlook this one.
- Do you need private delivery? Look for private RSS feeds or subscriber-only episodes that support bonus content, early access, and flexible access rules.
- What needs to be owned and portable? Subscriber list, pricing, branding, and checkout are hard to change later if they’re locked inside one ecosystem.
- How much lock-in is acceptable? Some platforms make it difficult to move paying members or keep the relationship if terms change.
For many creators, the most sustainable setup is a hybrid:
– Distribute everywhere (Apple, Spotify, Amazon, etc.) for reach
– Monetize on a website for control (memberships, products, private feeds, email capture)
1. Beamly
Beamly is an all-in-one, no-code platform built for creators who want to publish and monetize content on a platform they own and control. With Beamly you can import a public podcast from any RSS feed (and sync videos from a YouTube channel), then add premium content on top of it into an owned monetization funnel.
The main advantage is simple: instead of monetizing inside one app, Beamly lets you build a podcast monetization platform on your own domain – with memberships, paywalls, private feeds, and digital product sales under one brand. Building on your own brand is the only way to go if you’re serious about growing a sustainable business.
Best for
- Podcasters who want to make money with memberships while keeping control of pricing, branding, and audience access.
- Creators who want a hub for podcasts, videos, blog posts, and even courses on one site.
You can create free and paid membership tiers directly on your website, with 0% platform fees (Stripe payment processing fees still apply). Plans can gate podcast episodes, blog posts, video channels, courses, and custom pages – so only signed-in members or paying subscribers can access them.
Monetization features that matter
- Memberships and subscriptions (monthly and yearly billing)
- Podcast paywalls and gated content rules across episodes, posts, pages, and videos
- Private podcasts with per-member RSS feeds
- Digital downloads and one-time products (sell templates, guides, bonus packs)
- Built-in SEO features to grow long-term traffic over time
When you offer memberships directly on your own website, you control the layout, the user experience, and the subscriber relationship. Beamly also doesn’t lock you in – at any point you can take your content and memberships elsewhere if you’d like. (this is not the case with many publishing platforms these days)
For more info on pricing and limits, read more here: Beamly pricing.
2. Apple Podcasts
Apple Podcasts is one of the most popular apps to access and listen to podcasts and audio content.
It’s probably where you get a large chunk of your existing listeners (along with Spotify). They also offer a paid access and membership functionality, but that only works for people who use Apple Podcasts so you might miss on a large audience.
How Apple Podcasts monetization works
Apple Podcasts monetization is mostly about subscriptions, since podcasters can charge for premium content using Apple’s subscription system (and still run sponsorships independently).
With Apple Subscriptions, it’s possible to charge a monthly fee in exchange for premium podcast content, ad-free listening, and early access to new episodes.
Subscriptions can be a stable way to generate income because they are recurring. The paid tier should feel like a clear upgrade, not a penalty for free listeners.
Tradeoffs to know
Apple-native subscriptions limit your reach to Apple listeners, and the customer relationship largely stays inside Apple.
That’s why many creators treat Apple as a distribution channel, and use a dedicated membership platform for the “owned” layer of the business (email capture, member list, pricing control, product sales).
3. Spotify
Spotify is the most popular podcast platform, preferred especially by younger audiences. It’s also a super established podcast directory, with over 205 million premium subscribers worldwide.
How Spotify monetization works
Spotify monetization is program-based and varies by country, audience size, and hosting setup. At a high level, Spotify for Creators highlights three paths:
- Subscriptions: Offer subscriber-only episodes for a monthly fee.
- Spotify Partner Program: Earn from multiple revenue streams depending on the types of content you publish and who streams it.
- Spotify Open Access: Manage subscriptions through a partner platform (like Patreon) and let subscribers listen to your paid podcast on Spotify.
The official overview and eligibility requirements are here: Monetizing your show with Spotify for Creators.
If ads and sponsors are a core part of the plan, it’s also useful to build a sponsor hub and media kit on a website. More on that here: Podcast Advertising.
Tradeoffs to know
Spotify monetization is program-driven. Eligibility and availability can vary by region, show category, and account status, so it’s safest to treat Spotify as a channel – not the entire monetization stack.
4. Patreon
Patreon is a popular creator platform that lets you build a membership business on top of your content. It’s suitable for podcasters, video creators, artists and more.
Tradeoffs to know
Patreon works best when the audience relationship is community-first and perks-driven. The main tradeoff is that Patreon charges a platform fee (often ~10%, plus payment processing!), and it does not function as a full platform you own and control – you can’t use your own domain or customize much of the layout. You’re essentially “leaking” your hard-earned marketing efforts to Patreon and lose a chunk in Patreon fees.
For creators who want more ownership, a common approach is to run Patreon as the community layer, while using a dedicated monetization platform (like Beamly) for SEO, email capture, and primary monetization.
5. Amazon Music
Although Amazon Music launched in 2007 (before Spotify), its growth has been more gradual than some of its competitors. Amazon Prime members also get access to a large catalog of ad-free songs. Plus, Amazon Music acquired Art19 (a major podcast hosting and monetization platform).
Amazon Music is primarily a listening app, so many podcasters treat it as a distribution channel.
If eligible, the Amazon Music Influencer Program can let creators earn affiliate income when followers try Amazon Music (for example, first-time listeners or free trial signups, depending on program terms).
A practical recommendation: use your own platform as the monetization hub
Podcast apps are great for listening. Websites are great for converting.
If the goal is long-term, reliable monetization, it’s hard to beat an owned website funnel that sits underneath distribution:
- Publish the free show everywhere for reach (Apple, Spotify, Amazon, etc.)
- Convert the most engaged listeners on your website (email capture, memberships, private feeds, products)
This is where a platform like Beamly fits: it turns podcast and video content into an owned site with built-in monetization, so revenue and audience data are not trapped inside a single app.
Podcast monetization platform FAQ
What is the best podcast monetization platform?
The best podcast monetization platform is the one that matches how the show plans to earn:
- For owned recurring revenue (memberships, private feeds, products), a website platform like Beamly is usually the best long-term option.
- For in-app subscriptions, Apple Podcasts can work well when the audience is Apple-heavy.
- For Spotify-first audiences, Spotify programs can be a fit, but eligibility and availability vary.
Can a podcast be monetized on Spotify?
Yes. Spotify supports multiple monetization options depending on country, audience size, and eligibility, including subscriptions and the Spotify Partner Program. Spotify also supports Open Access, which lets listeners who paid through a partner platform (like Patreon) listen to paid episodes inside Spotify. Many creators still monetize primarily through sponsorships and a website membership layer for more control.
Can a podcast be monetized on Apple Podcasts?
Yes. Apple Podcasts offers subscriptions through Apple Subscriptions. It’s a good fit when listeners are already Apple-first and there is a clear premium offer (ad-free, bonus episodes, early access). The tradeoff is ecosystem lock-in.
Is Patreon a good platform for podcast subscriptions?
Patreon can work well for podcasters with a strong community vibe and clear perks. The main downsides are platform fees and limited control over the full website experience, which is why some creators use Patreon for community while running the core monetization and SEO funnel on their own site.
What is the best podcast hosting platform for monetization?
“Best podcast hosting platform for monetization” usually means one of two things:
- The podcast needs a host that supports an ads-first setup
- The podcast needs a monetization layer (memberships, paywalls, private feeds, products) to convert listeners into paying supporters
Many creators do not need to switch hosting to monetize. It’s common to keep an existing RSS host for delivery, and build monetization on a website you control. For example, Beamly can import any public podcast RSS feed and then handle memberships, paywalls, and product sales on your own domain.
What’s the difference between podcast hosting and a podcast monetization platform?
Podcast hosting is what generates and serves the RSS feed and audio files. A podcast monetization platform helps convert listeners into paying supporters through subscriptions, paywalls, private feeds, and product sales. One tool can do both, but the distinction matters when comparing options.
Which podcast platform pays the most?
Maybe “pays the most” is not the right metric, since most of the payouts depend on the actual traffic, audience or sales you have. What platforms actually pay podcasters really depend on the monetization strategy (ads, memberships, sales etc.).
Earning more is often enabled by developing multiple revenue channels. Don’t solely rely on ads and call it a day – try to mix memberships, sponsors, digital downloads and more to maximize your payout potential. It’s also good to be reminded about platform fees, some creators platforms take 30% (or sometimes even more!) while platforms like Beamly are at 0% platform fees.
Conclusion
The best podcast monetization platform depends on how the show plans to earn money.
If recurring revenue and ownership matter, using a website platform that supports memberships and paywalls tends to be the strongest long-term move. If the priority is to monetize inside a single ecosystem, Apple and Spotify subscription programs can work, but they come with platform lock-in.
To recap, here are five of the best podcast platforms for monetization:
- Beamly.com: Build a full membership website for your podcast and other content on a custom domain.
- Apple Podcasts: Monetize via Apple-native subscriptions.
- Spotify: Monetize via subscriptions and Spotify programs (availability varies by region and eligibility).
- Patreon: Sell subscriptions and perks with a community-first model.
- Amazon Music: Access Amazon’s ecosystem and creator programs (including influencer-style affiliate payouts, when eligible).
For the most control (and the cleanest path to recurring revenue), it’s easier to monetize with a podcast website that supports memberships, private feeds, and products. Beamly combines podcast publishing, SEO tools, paywalls, and 0% platform-fee memberships in one place. Get started today!
