Free Audio Editor Options for Podcasts

Once you’ve recorded your podcast, the next step is to use an audio editor to remove unnecessary content and fix poor sound quality. You may also want to add extra audio, whether it’s a song at the beginning or sound bites within the episode.

December 23, 2019

Once you’ve recorded your podcast, the next step is to use an audio editor to remove unnecessary content and fix poor sound quality. You may also want to add extra audio, whether it’s a song at the beginning or sound bites within the episode.

This part of the process can be time consuming. You’ll need to spend a few hours carefully listening to your recording and deciding what content will make it into the final episode.  

Using an audio editor can be the difference between an amateur sounding podcast episode and one that sounds professional.Poor audio quality can turn off listeners and cause them to stop tuning in to your show. However, that doesn’t mean you need to spend a lot of money on an audio editor. While some audio editors can be expensive, in this blog post we will be listing free audio editors that you can use to flex your creativity and edit your podcast to perfection:

Audacity

Audacity is a great option for beginners. The editor can be used on Windows, Mac and Linux. You can edit audio that has previously been recorded or that you are recording using a microphone through Audacity.

This open-source editing option is packed with features and while the interface looks complicated, beginners will definitely be able to learn it quickly with Audacity’s manuals and online tutorials. It’s also has a suite of audio-processing effects that will remove unwanted sound that the microphone may pick up.

There’s a variety of third-party plugins that can level up your audio editing further. Additionally, a wide range of audio formats are supported for importing and exporting.

GarageBand

GarageBand may already be pre-installed on your computer if you’re a Mac user. If you’re running Widows, unfortunately this won’t be an option for you, as Apple created GarageBand exclusively for Mac users.

This recording and editing application has long been a go-to for musicians and creators alike. However, since GarageBand was originally created for musicians, and not necessarily intended for podcast recording, you probably won’t need to use some of the features on its interface. One nice feature of this application is that it includes a complete library of sound effects to add to your show.

Overall, GarageBand is an easy-to-use and popular application amongst Mac owning podcasters.

ProTools | First

ProTools comes in a few different versions and is used by sound engineers on some of Hollywood’s biggest movies. ProTools |First is the free version of the software, but has everything you need to compose, record, edit, and mix audio. This version has about 23 mixing plugins to improve your audio. Another benefit of this software is that it offers a Cloud synching option which makes collaborating with others on audio editing a breeze.

Conclusion

We’ve listed a number of free audio edit or options suitable for podcasts, so you can start editing your podcast recordings and turn them into a high-quality show.

However, if you find audio editing to be tedious and time consuming, perhaps consider hiring a freelancer to edit your podcast’s audio. We have audio engineers that can edit your show quickly and cost effectively while ensuring a high-quality output, allowing you to have free rein to make your episodes as creative as you like without having to worry about doing the editing work yourself.

Platform
Price
Pro’s
Con's
Anchor

Free

  • Easy to use
  • Automatically distributes your podcast to major platforms.
  • Embed media player.
  • Great if podcasting is a
    side hobby
  • Very basic editing
  • Since it’s a free tool, you don’t have full control over the monetization of your podcast.
  • Not the right platform for people taking podcasting seriously
Buzzsprout

Free for 2 hours of content per month

$12 for 3 hours per month

$18+ for 6 hours and up

  • Very user-friendly
  • Caters to both long term and beginner podcasters
  • Advanced analytics
  • Easy distribution of your episodes
  • They measure their size requirements to hours not megabytes
  • Bonus: get a free $20 Amazon gift card when you sign up for any paid hosting plan!
  • Advanced features like dynamic ad insertion need some work
Libsyn

$5/month for Monthly Storage 50mb

  • Oldest podcast hosting site.
  • Easy distribution to major platforms and great for scaling once your podcast gets bigger.
  • Hosted over 35,000 podcasts.
  • An iTunes Podcast partner.
  • Allows you to publish your podcast to specific directories.
  • Embed media player.
  • Price is based on storage
  • 50mb storage for $5 won’t be enough if you are publishing weekly so you’ll end up with a higher price point
Podbean

Unlimited audio package: $9/month

Storage space:

Unlimited

  • Great support & customer service features
  • Unlimited audio.
  • Pages are easy to customize
  • Can schedule podcast release dates.
  • Easy to use.
  • Uploads and changes to podcast titles and/or descriptions are automatic to Spotify.
  • Embed media player.
  • Simple Analytics
  • Analytics aren’t as advanced as other platforms
  • Upload and changes to podcast titles and/or descriptions take a day to change on iTunes.
  • Not an iTunes podcast partner.
  • The process to send a podcast to iTunes is more tedious. But, you will still be able to get on the platform.
Blubrry

Classic

$5/month

Monthly Storage

50mb

  • Podcast Wordpress plugin and management.
  • If you want to record a new introduction or conclusion, add in a sponsored ad or upload a new version of a podcast, it doesn't count towards your storage usage per month.
  • Blubrry allows a 25% storage overage each month
  • Prices are based on storage.
  • Usability is okay.
SimpleCast

Starting: $15/month

Recommendation: $35/month

Monthly Storage: Unlimited

  • Hosts your audio files no matter what the size!
  • Dynamic insertion for podcast ads or edits.
  • Incredibly detailed analytics including number of episodes completed and listener location tracking.
  • Embed media player.
  • Easy to use.
  • Great distribution! Easy access to all major podcast platforms.
  • Customizable podcast
    website.
  • Prices are slightly higher than other platforms, but well worth it especially if you have a branded company podcast!
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