If you’re searching for the best podcast database, you’re likely past the point of manual research. You need software that consolidates the work of finding, vetting, and reaching podcasts at scale. The right database saves hours each week. The wrong one creates workflow friction you don’t need.
Here’s the truth. There’s no single best database for everyone. What works depends on your specific use case. Whether you’re pitching guests for clients, researching competitive positioning, building targeted media lists, or tracking conversations in your industry, this guide provides the best options, along with clear verdicts on what each database excels at and where it falls short.
What Qualifies as a Podcast Database?
A podcast database is software built specifically to organize and surface podcast information based on criteria beyond popularity. Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube are distribution platforms with discovery features. They recommend content to listeners. Podcast databases exist to help researchers, marketers, PR teams, and creators identify shows that match specific strategic needs.
The key distinction is intent. Listener-facing platforms optimize for engagement. Podcast databases optimize for relevance, context, and actionability. Most include search filters, categorization systems, contact information, and metadata that wouldn’t matter to a casual listener but are essential for someone building a target list or analysing competitive positioning.
Some databases stop at discovery. They help you find shows, but you take it from there. Others integrate outreach capabilities with contact information, email workflows, and CRM features. A few blend podcast databases with broader media databases that include blogs, newsletters, and journalists.
The Criteria That Actually Matter
Show-Level vs Episode-Level Search
This is the most significant technical distinction between databases. Show-level search finds podcasts by title, description, and metadata. Episode-level search finds specific episodes by topics discussed or guests featured. Most databases only offer show-level searching like “supply chain management” returns shows claiming to cover it, without knowing if they discussed it recently or two years ago. Episode-level search solves this by finding episodes where topics were actually discussed, requiring transcript processing. Episode-level matters for targeting shows covering specific topics recently. Show-level works for mapping categories broadly or researching competitors.
Contact Data Quality and Accessibility
Contact information determines outreach success. RSS feed emails are often generic (info@, hello@) and filtered by assistants. The best databases provide verified producer emails, booking contacts, and direct host emails. Some manually verify contacts, others aggregate from multiple sources, and a few integrate booking links and social profiles. The difference shows up in response rates. Verified producer emails get responses, generic addresses get filtered.
Data Freshness and Update Frequency
Podcast data goes stale quickly. Shows rebrand, hosts change, RSS feeds break, contact emails bounce. Databases that scrape once and never update become liabilities within months. The best databases update continuously—daily for high-traffic shows, weekly for others. This covers new episodes, accurate contact information, correct hosting details, and reliable metadata that won’t embarrass you during outreach.
Relevance Over Volume
Generic category tags (“Business,” “Technology”) fail when you need shows covering SaaS marketing to mid-market companies specifically. Effective databases offer detailed niche filtering beyond broad categories, enabling precise targeting that saves hours of manual research and qualification work.
Workflow Integration
Solo consultants and agencies have different needs. A solopreneur pitching five podcasts monthly tolerates manual workflows. An agency running outreach for ten clients simultaneously cannot. Evaluate whether databases support list building, export functionality, team collaboration, and tool integration. Some optimize for quick individual searches, others for campaign management at scale.
Podcast Database Comparisons: What Each Does Best
(a) MillionPodcasts: Best for Verified Contacts, Deep Niche Filtering & Affordable Pricing
Best for: PR professionals running outreach campaigns. Marketers who need accurate contact information at scale. Agencies managing podcast pitches for multiple clients. Solopreneurs and freelancers who need professional-grade tools at accessible prices. Anyone who needs contacts more than they need to search episode content.
What it does differently: MillionPodcasts focuses on contact quality and niche categorization at a price point that makes it accessible to freelancers and small agencies, not just enterprises. Their research team manually categorizes podcasts into over 11,000 detailed niche topics across 180+ languages. Contact information goes through a three-step verification process: automated checks, manual verification, and user feedback loops. In the last 90 days, the platform updated over 32,500 contact records.
Complete feature set includes:
- Verified contact database: 2.6M active podcasts with verified producer emails, booking contacts, host emails, and social media handles verified through automated and manual processes
- Deep niche categorization: 11,000+ unique categories covering everything from SaaS marketing to urban homesteading to cryptocurrency law
- Geographic precision: City-level filtering (not just country-level), including metro area targeting like “New York Metro” that automatically includes NY, NJ, CT, and parts of PA
- Language filtering: 180+ languages supported for international outreach
- Host gender filtering: Filter podcasts by host gender for targeted campaigns
- Guest-friendly indicators: Identify shows that actively interview guests
- Sponsorship presence tracking: See which shows accept sponsors
- Audience engagement metrics: Filter by estimated monthly listeners, Apple ratings, Twitter followers, total followers
- Activity filters: Last episode date, publishing frequency to ensure shows are active
- Multiple list management: Create unlimited campaign-specific lists
- Customizable exports: Choose exactly which data columns to export (host name, email, social handles, follower counts, etc.)
- CSV and Excel export: Integrate directly into CRM or outreach tools
- Search quota system: Only counts when you view or export contact info, not browsing
- Rollover credits: Unused search credits roll over month to month
Why it wins for outreach: The contact verification matters. This reduces bounce rates and wasted time chasing dead emails. The niche categorization runs deep. You can find Spanish-speaking cryptocurrency podcasts in Texas that accept sponsors. That level of filtering precision saves hours of manual research. The host gender filter enables PR teams to target specific demographics for relevant campaigns.
List building and export features support campaign workflows. You can save multiple lists for different campaigns, customize export columns, and integrate with existing outreach tools. The pricing structure makes professional-grade features accessible without enterprise minimums.
Pricing advantage: Starting at $16/month, which is significantly lower than competitors, with a 7-day free trial (no credit card required). Credits roll over month to month, and searches only count when you actually view contact information—not when you’re browsing. This makes it dramatically more cost-efficient than competitors charging 10-20x more annually.
The limitation: No episode-level search capability. You’re searching at the show level based on categorization and metadata. The platform optimizes for finding the right shows to pitch, not researching what shows are talking about.
Verdict: Best choice if your primary bottleneck is finding verified contacts for podcast outreach at a reasonable price. The combination of detailed niche filtering, geographic precision, host gender filters, and verified contact data solves the workflow gap between discovery and outreach. Not ideal if you need episode-level content research. Particularly strong for freelancers, small agencies, and in-house teams who need professional capabilities without paying enterprise prices.
(b) Listen Notes: Best for Episode-Level Search
Best for: Researchers who need to search actual episode content. Content strategists analysing topics across the podcast landscape. Anyone who needs to find specific episodes about particular subjects rather than just shows that claim to cover those subjects.
What it does differently: Listen Notes offers true episode-level search across over 3.68 million podcasts and 188 million episodes. You can search episode titles, descriptions, and, where available, transcripts. This means you can find episodes where specific topics were discussed, not just shows that mention those topics in their description.
The database is massive and continuously updated. Filters include language, episode length, category, and publication date. The interface is clean, searches are fast, and you can create “Listen Later” playlists to organize findings.
Why it wins for content research: If you need to know which podcasts discussed AI regulation in December 2024, Listen Notes can find those specific episodes. If you’re researching how a topic is being covered across the podcast landscape, episode-level search is essential. The platform also provides APIs for developers who need programmatic access.
The limitation: Contact information is limited to what appears in RSS feeds, which is often generic or outdated. No verified contact database or outreach integration. You’ll spend time manually verifying emails and finding booking contacts after discovery. No host demographic filters. Best for research and discovery, not outreach execution.
Verdict: The most powerful search engine for finding podcast content at the episode level. If your primary need is discovering what’s being discussed and where, this is the strongest tool available. For outreach campaigns, you’ll need to combine it with other tools or manual research for contact verification.
(c) Podseeker: Best for Integrated Pitching & AI-Powered Outreach
Best for: PR professionals who want an all-in-one solution. Teams that need to manage the entire outreach workflow from discovery through tracking. Agencies running multiple campaigns simultaneously.
What it does differently: Podseeker positions itself as a complete podcast outreach platform, not just a database. It combines podcast discovery with direct email integration, AI-powered pitch drafting, and campaign tracking—all in one dashboard.
Key features:
- Active podcast focus: 177,000+ currently active, bookable podcasts (vs millions of dormant shows)
- Booking Intelligence: Shows how each podcast books guests, typical credentials, recent guests, common topics
- Direct email integration: Connect your mailbox and send pitches directly from the platform
- AI Co-pilot: Learns your voice and style to draft personalized pitches (user approves before sending)
- Automated follow-ups: Schedule follow-ups that auto-cancel if recipients reply
- Reply detection: Can distinguish real replies from auto-acknowledgments
- 200+ filters: Audience size, recency, YouTube subscribers, Instagram followers, gender, activity level
- Recent guests tracking: Click on any guest name to find other podcasts they’ve appeared on
- Team collaboration: Shared workspaces, unified pipeline view filtered by client
- Campaign tracking: Track opens, replies, bookings across all clients in real-time
Why it works for end-to-end campaigns: Podseeker eliminates tool-switching. You discover, pitch, track, and manage everything in one platform. The AI pitch tool speeds up drafting while maintaining your voice. The automated follow-up system saves time without losing the personal touch.
Pricing: Starts at $49/month (significantly lower than enterprise competitors). 3-day free trial available.
The limitation: Episode-level search is not the primary focus. The platform optimizes for active, bookable shows rather than deep content analysis. The database size (177,000 active podcasts) is smaller than competitors who include millions of inactive shows, but this is intentional, it focuses on shows actually booking guests.
Verdict: Best for PR teams who want unified workflow management from discovery to booking. The all-in-one approach with AI-powered pitching and tracking makes it ideal for agencies managing multiple campaigns. The significantly lower pricing compared to enterprise alternatives makes it accessible. Less suitable if you need the largest possible database or deep episode-level content research.
(d) Rephonic: Best for Listener Data & Demographic Insight
Best for: Media buyers planning podcast advertising. PR teams that need audience demographic data to justify pitches. Marketers who want to understand listener profiles before reaching out. Anyone making data-driven decisions about podcast selection.
What it does differently: Rephonic provides estimated reach data, demographic breakdowns (age, gender, interests, location), and cross-platform popularity metrics. The platform focuses heavily on audience intelligence alongside contact information.
Key features:
- 3+ million podcasts in database
- Listener numbers: Estimated per-episode listener counts
- Audience demographics: Age distribution, gender breakdown, geographic location, engagement rates
- Guest history: Previous guests to identify relevance and pitching angles
- Pipeline manager: Tag shows as “pitched,” “follow-up,” share with clients
- Contact concierge service: If you can’t find contacts, their research team sources them
- Topic and keyword search: Uses titles, show notes, and episode transcripts
- Advanced filters: Guest format, listener numbers, audience demographics
- 7-day free trial with full access
Why it’s useful: The demographic data helps qualify opportunities before outreach. If you need podcasts with audiences that skew 25-34, located in specific metros, Rephonic surfaces that information. The guest history provides context for pitching angles. The listener estimates help set expectations and justify campaign decisions to clients or stakeholders.
Pricing: Light plan starts at $99/month for solo users. Team plan at $149/month for up to 5 users. Pro plan at $299/month for up to 10 users with priority support. Significantly more affordable than enterprise alternatives like Podchaser Pro ($2,500-$5,000+ annually).
The limitation: Episode-level search capability is present but not as robust as Listen Notes. The platform primarily operates at the show level. No host gender filtering specifically mentioned. Contact information is comprehensive but the concierge service adds a step for hard-to-find contacts.
Verdict: Strong middle option if you need both demographic intelligence and contact data. The audience insights differentiate it from pure discovery tools. Best for teams that need to justify podcast selection with data, not just intuition. The pricing is more accessible than enterprise competitors while providing similar data depth. Less useful if you’re prioritizing episode-level content discovery or need the absolute lowest price point.
(e) Podchaser Pro: Best for Power Score Metrics & Sponsor History
Best for: Media buyers who need influence metrics. PR teams researching sponsor history and competitive positioning. Organizations that need detailed credit tracking (guests, producers, networks by role).
What it does differently: Podchaser Pro provides its proprietary “Power Score” metric (0-100) that ranks overall influence based on cross-platform popularity. The platform emphasizes sponsor history and detailed role-based contact organization.
Key features:
- 5.5+ million podcasts in database
- Power Score™: 0-100 influence ranking based on cross-platform data
- Sponsor history: Shows which brands have advertised on each podcast
- Role-based contacts: Contacts organized by role (hosts, producers, booking agents, network representatives)
- Episode transcripts: Available for some shows
- Demographic data: Age, gender, interests, location breakdowns
- Reach estimates: Monthly downloads, per-episode estimates
- Community features: Ratings, reviews, social engagement metrics
Why it stands out: The Power Score provides quick influence assessment beyond just download numbers. Sponsor history gives competitive context. You can see which brands are already advertising. The role-based contact organization is detailed, though this can be overwhelming without clear indication of who handles what.
Pricing: Starts around $2,500/year for solo users, approximately $5,000/year for up to 3 users. Significantly higher than podcast-specific competitors but lower than multi-channel enterprise platforms. Pricing requires demo call—not publicly listed.
The limitation: Episode-level search is limited. Primarily show-level with category-based discovery. Contact information can be overwhelming with multiple contacts per show and unclear responsibility delineation. Some users report accuracy issues requiring outside verification. The pricing is 5-10x higher than competitors like MillionPodcasts or Podseeker for similar core functionality.
Verdict: Good for teams that need influence metrics (Power Score) and sponsor competitive intelligence. The demographic data is comprehensive. However, the pricing is difficult to justify unless you specifically need the Power Score metric or sponsor history features. For pure outreach and contact discovery, more affordable alternatives provide better value.
Database Comparison at a Glance
| Feature | MillionPodcasts | Listen Notes | Podseeker | Rephonic | Podchaser Pro |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Episode Search | ✗ Show-level only | ✓ Episode-level with transcript search | ~ Limited episode search | ~ Uses transcripts but show-focused | ~ Limited episode search |
| Contact Data | ✓ Verified contacts (hosts, producers, booking agents) updated every 90 days | ✗ RSS feed only (generic emails) | ✓ Verified, with Booking Intelligence | ✓ Verified with concierge service | ✓ Contact info by role (can be overwhelming) |
| Niche Filtering | ✓ 11,000+ unique categories with deep niche filtering | ~ Basic categories | ✓ 200+ filters including Booking Intelligence | ✓ Advanced filters with demographics | ~ Standard categories |
| Geographic Targeting | ✓ City-level precision, metro areas, 180+ languages | ✗ No | ✓ Location filtering | ✓ Location data in demographics | ~ Basic location filters |
| Host Gender Filter | ✓ Yes | ✗ No | ✓ Yes | ✗ Not specified | ✗ Not specified |
| Integrated Pitching | ✗ No (export for external tools) | ✗ No | ✓ Yes (AI-powered with tracking) | ✗ No (export for external tools) | ✗ No |
| List Management | ✓ Unlimited lists, customizable exports, CRM integration | ✓ Listen Later playlists | ✓ Team lists, pipeline tracking | ✓ Pipeline manager, team sharing | ✓ Save shows, basic lists |
| Demographic Data | ~ Engagement metrics, no detailed listener demographics | ✗ No | ~ Audience size, social reach | ✓ Detailed listener demographics | ✓ Detailed demographics + Power Score |
| Database Size | 2.6M active podcasts with verified contacts | 3.68M podcasts, 188M episodes | 177K active, bookable podcasts | 3M+ podcasts | 5.5M podcasts |
| Pricing | Affordable monthly plans, 7-day free trial (no credit card) | Monthly plans, API access | $49/month, 3-day free trial | $99-$299/month, 7-day free trial | ~$2,500-$5,000+/year (requires demo) |
| Best For | PR outreach, verified contacts, niche targeting, multi-client agencies, budget-conscious teams | Content research, topic discovery, finding specific episode discussions | End-to-end campaign management with AI pitching and tracking | Demographic-driven decisions, listener insights, data justification | Influence metrics (Power Score), sponsor history research |
How to Choose the Right Database
Start with your primary need:
Choose MillionPodcasts if: Verified contact information and deep niche filtering are your priorities at an accessible price point. You’re running outreach campaigns at scale and need accurate producer emails, booking contacts, host gender filters, and city-level geographic targeting. Best for PR teams, marketers, freelancers, small agencies, and anyone managing systematic outreach without enterprise budgets.
Choose Listen Notes if: Episode-level content search is your priority. You need to find podcasts that discuss specific topics, feature certain guests, or cover particular subjects—not just shows that claim to cover them generally. Best for research, competitive analysis, and content discovery.
Choose Podseeker if: You want an all-in-one solution that handles discovery, pitching, and tracking in a single platform. The AI-powered pitch drafting, direct email integration, and campaign tracking eliminate tool-switching. Best for PR agencies managing multiple clients who need unified workflow management.
Choose Rephonic if: You need demographic data and audience insights to qualify opportunities and justify selections. The listener demographics, guest history, and pipeline management provide comprehensive intelligence. Best when data-driven justification matters and you can afford the mid-tier pricing.
Choose Podchaser Pro if: You need the Power Score influence metric or detailed sponsor history for competitive analysis. Best when these specific features justify the significantly higher annual cost compared to alternatives.
Bottom Line
The right choice depends on which part of your workflow creates the most friction. Most teams eventually use multiple databases, one for discovery or research, another for contact verification and outreach. That combination often works better than expecting one database to excel at everything.
If podcast outreach is a recurring need, the right database pays for itself in saved time within the first month. Test options with free trials where available. Your specific workflow will reveal which tool reduces the most friction for your particular use case.
References
Listen Notes. (2025). Listen Notes: The best podcast search engine. Retrieved from https://www.listennotes.com
MillionPodcasts. (2025). MillionPodcasts: Podcast Database for PR. Retrieved from https://www.millionpodcasts.com
Podseeker. (2025). Podcast Database & Outreach Platform. Retrieved from https://www.podseeker.co
Rephonic. (2025). Rephonic: Podcast Database. Retrieved from https://rephonic.com
Podchaser. (2025). Podchaser Pro – Podcast Database and Discovery. Retrieved from https://features.podchaser.com/pro/
Listen Notes. (2025, December 19). Podcast Stats: How many podcasts are there? Retrieved from https://www.listennotes.com/podcast-stats/
MillionPodcasts. (2025). About – MillionPodcasts. Retrieved from https://www.millionpodcasts.com/about
MillionPodcasts. (2025). Plans & Pricing – MillionPodcasts. Retrieved from https://www.millionpodcasts.com/pricing
Podseeker. (2025). How Much Does a Podcast Booking Agency Cost? Retrieved from https://www.podseeker.co/blog/podcast-booking-agency-cost
Rephonic. (2025). Pricing – Rephonic. Retrieved from https://rephonic.com/pricing
Rephonic. (2025). Podchaser Pro Pricing: How Much Does It Cost? Retrieved from https://rephonic.com/blog/podchaser-pro-pricing/