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Best Shoutcast Hosting Providers

Bluehost

Bluehost

Best overall hosting for Shoutcast

  • Free domain and SSL
  • WordPress partner
  • 30-day money-back guarantee
Why it’s best: Lots of support plus world-class technology

Bluehost Landing Page

Bluehost is our top pick for Shoutcast hosting. A well-known name in the web hosting space and synonymous with performance and support, Bluehost is a brilliant choice for almost anyone.

Some reasons why we like Bluehost:

  • Full of video and audio streaming features and support

  • World-class technology powers its servers, so you won’t have to worry about uptime performance issues while streaming your internet radio station

  • The best option if you want VPS or dedicated server hosting that gives you control over configuration and peace of mind regarding performance

Pros and Cons of Bluehost

Pros

  • Bluehost has over 2 million sites under its care
  • Lots of hosting options and simple upgrades
  • Free anti-spam solutions to keep your site safer (easy to configure in cPanel)
  • Integrated Cloudflare support
  • All accounts at Bluehost come with digital security tools, including SSL, SiteLock Protection, and options for unique IPs
  • A 30-day money-back guarantee
  • 99% uptime guarantee

Cons

  • No automatic daily backup
  • No monthly billing on shared hosting
  • Longer wait times for tech support
  • Fee for migrating from another host
  • No Windows hosting

What customers are saying about Bluehost

It is a reputable provider offering shared and VPS hosting. The company is easy to use, affordable, and has great uptime. It is geared toward entrepreneurs and small online startups. Billing might be confusing, but it has solid customer service for any issues.

Summary

  • Starting price
    • $2.75 per month
  • Why it’s best
    Lots of support plus world-class technology
Features
  • Free domain and SSL
  • WordPress partner
  • 30-day money-back guarantee
Hostwinds Logo

Hostwinds

Best streaming for Shoutcast hosting

  • No intermediary
  • Reasonable cost
  • Proprietary cloud panel
Why it’s best: Plans available specifically for streaming audio and video

Hostwinds Pricing Page

Hostwinds is another great choice for Shoutcast hosting, as plans are available for users specifically looking to stream audio and video from their website. Its Shoutcast hosting includes:

  • A fantastic server uptime guarantee

  • Easy setup

  • Reliable technical support

  • Affordable pricing options

  • Assistance with advertising and marketing


These plans would be ideal if your internet radio station or podcast is brand new and you want time (and room) to eventually scale your server to accommodate traffic growth.

Pros and Cons of Hostwinds

Pros

  • Offers a wide range of payment options and services, including Skrill and bitcoin
  • 24/7 support is available through live chat, email, and phone, plus a great knowledge base
  • It’s one of the few hosts to offer both Windows and Linux hosting, as well as managed and unmanaged options
  • SSDs and other features are available on many plans to speed up your website

Cons

  • Hostwinds only has 2 U.S.-based data centers, so your site will not be as fast for visitors internationally
  • You have to pay extra for SSL certificates, which many hosts provide for free
  • Refunds have strict conditions and the money-back guarantee only applies to specific plans and services

What customers are saying about Hostwinds

Hostwinds is a web hosting company that receives top marks for its customer service and fast loading speeds. It backs its affordable offerings with a 99.9999% uptime guarantee. The user interface (UI) is easy to use and the Hostwinds include free secure sockets layers with its webs hosting.

Summary

  • Starting price
    • $6.74 per month
  • Why it’s best
    Plans available specifically for streaming audio and video
Features
  • No intermediary
  • Reasonable cost
  • Proprietary cloud panel
A2 Hosting Logo

A2 Hosting

Best Shoutcast hosting for speed

  • Outstanding speed
  • Premium support
  • 30-day money-back guarantee
Why it’s best: Page load speeds up to 20x faster than standard drives

A2 Hosting Landing Page

Finally, we recommend A2 Hosting, one of our picks for the best streaming audio/video hosting. Like Hostwinds, A2 Hosting has plans dedicated to Shoutcast hosting. If security, bandwidth, and ease of use are a priority for your streaming audio site, then this would be a great web hosting option to consider.

As a bonus, since these plans fall under the category of managed server hosting, you won’t have to worry about configuring the server, managing upgrades, or handling other performance monitoring tasks often involved in traditional VPS and dedicated server hosting.

Pros and Cons of A2 Hosting

Pros

  • 24/7/year-round high-quality, English-speaking, expert support staff available via phone, email, and live chat
  • Choose a server location from Europe, the U.S., or Asia
  • Unmanaged and managed plans with plenty of options
  • Free SSDs included
  • Shopper Approved reviews reveal that 96% of the reviews posted on their site certainly would suggest friends and family use A2 Hosting

Cons

  • Mod_perl, Plexum, HTMLDoc, PDFLib, MS SQL, or ColdFusion are not supported
  • Only two data centers, so if your target audience is in neither North America nor Europe, choose another nearer service provider
  • Limited plans for Windows hosting
  • Slightly more expensive than other hosting plans (but prices are still competitive)

What customers are saying about A2 Hosting

A2 is a reliable, affordable hosting company that has fast speeds. The customer service is generally responsive but could use more updated tutorials and documentation.

Summary

  • Starting price
    • $2.99 per month
  • Why it’s best
    Page load speeds up to 20x faster than standard drives
Features
  • Outstanding speed
  • Premium support
  • 30-day money-back guarantee

Frequently Asked Questions About Shoutcast

What is Shoutcast?

Shoutcast is a software application that allows anyone to stream audio over the internet. It is commonly used for creating internet radio stations.

Is Shoutcast open source?

No. Shoutcast is proprietary software and uses some proprietary data formats.

How does Shoutcast work?

Shoutcast is installed on a server. It receives an audio source, such as input from an audio application, and converts the audio data into a streaming audio format consumable by anyone connected to the internet. Anyone who wants to listen simply opens the URL in a compatible software client, such as a media player.

Can I use Shoutcast with a shared hosting plan?

Shared hosting doesn’t normally support Shoutcast, mainly because of the bandwidth it uses.

Can I use Shoutcast on a VPS hosting plan?

Yes. Check what the bandwidth limitations are and if there are any fees for exceeding them.

What are the web hosting requirements for Shoutcast?

You can run Shoutcast on Linux, Mac, or Windows web hosting, provided your plan supports it.

How much bandwidth do I need to stream Shoutcast audio?

There is no set limit because it correlates with the bitrate, which will vary depending on whether you’re broadcasting audio or speech. It also depends on how many users are listening.

Do I need a dedicated server for Shoutcast?

A dedicated server is a good idea if you plan to broadcast high-quality audio or build a large audience. It will provide room to grow while giving you complete control over the software. As with a VPS server, check the bandwidth limits carefully.

What are some alternatives to Shoutcast?

Take a look at Icecast v2, or use a subscription service that offers a fully hosted radio platform.

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