PodMatch or Talks.co alternative? Keep them, and add CastGhost

If you're searching for a PodMatch alternative, you probably already have a PodMatch or Talks.co profile and want more bookings than it brings in. Our answer: don't switch; supplement.

PodMatch and Talks.co are marketplaces. They introduce you to podcast hosts who have signed up to hear from guests who have also signed up. CastGhost does a different job: it searches podcast directories for the shows that never signed up anywhere, and helps you pitch them yourself. The two reach different shows, so they work best together.

The short version

• PodMatch and Talks.co match you with hosts who are members. Every host has opted in, so the introduction is warm, but you can only reach shows whose hosts joined.
• CastGhost searches Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and other directories live, checks each show's recent episodes, finds how to reach the host and drafts a pitch from your own material. You reach shows that aren't on any marketplace, but it's a cold pitch, so it has to fit.
• Running both is affordable, because CastGhost has no subscription. You pay $2 when a pitch is drafted, and your credit never expires.

What PodMatch and Talks.co do well

Both are two-sided platforms. Guests and hosts each create a profile, and the platform suggests matches between them.

PodMatch matches guests and hosts with AI and keeps everything inside the platform: messaging, scheduling and a release form for the interview. Hosts pay for their own membership, and PodMatch pays hosts up to $32 for each interview they book through it, so a host has every reason to answer. Its home page counts 205,676 interviews among 18,741 active members.

Talks.co launched in 2024. Its AI suggests matches, you mark each one Interested or Pass, and when both sides are interested you can message each other. Hosts and producers can also find your profile and come to you, so some bookings arrive without you pitching at all. There's a free plan, though limited, to start on.

The great strength of a marketplace is that it's warm. A host there has already raised their hand to hear from guests, and no cold email can match that. If your field is well covered on one of these platforms, you should definitely check them out.

Where a marketplace stops

A marketplace can only introduce you to its members. A show whose host never joined won't appear, however good the matching is, and that includes many new and niche shows: often the ones most likely to say yes to a guest without a big audience. Neither platform says how many shows it holds. PodMatch's member count covers guests and hosts together, and Talks.co's covers experts and hosts.

For scale: the Podcast Index counts about 4.7 million podcast feeds, and roughly 466,000 of them published an episode in the last 90 days. Add PodMatch's 18,741 active members to Talks.co's 10,000-plus and you get under 29,000, guests included. So even if every one of them hosted an active show, about 94% of active podcasts still aren't on either platform.

There are limits on pace, too. PodMatch sends matches in batches of three to six, with the next batch a few hours later. Talks.co's Pro plan allows 30 connection requests a month, and its free plan allows one every 30 days.

And both charge by the month. For a guest, PodMatch is $32 a month (Standard) or $64 (Professional). Talks.co Pro is $32 a month, or $224 a year. You pay in the months you're pitching hard and in the months you aren't.

What CastGhost does differently

• A live search, not a membership. Every time you search, CastGhost queries the podcast directories themselves, merges a show listed on several platforms into one, and keeps going until it has ten shows that fit you.
• Fit judged from real episodes. It reads each show's recent episodes to check that your subject comes up, that the show really interviews guests and that it's still publishing. Each show gets a score and a plain explanation of it.
• The host's contact, found for you. CastGhost looks where hosts publish their details (the show's feed, its listings, its website) and checks that an address accepts mail before your pitch goes to it. How it finds contacts.
• A pitch in your own words. Each pitch is drafted for one show from your bio, talking points and published work, with nothing invented. You edit it and send it from your own Gmail, and CastGhost drafts a follow-up if the host goes quiet for a week.
• Pay per pitch. Setting up your profile and finding shows are free. A pitch costs $2, including a redraft and its follow-ups. See Pricing.

What CastGhost can't do is make a cold pitch warm. The host hasn't asked to hear from you, so expect fewer replies per pitch than from a marketplace match. That's why it only pitches shows that fit you, with a pitch written for that show.

Side by side

Running both costs less than you'd think

Say you keep PodMatch Standard and send ten CastGhost pitches in a month. That's $32 plus $20. In a month when you're too busy to pitch, CastGhost costs nothing, and the credit you added waits until you're ready.

How to use them together

1. Keep your marketplace profile up to date. Answer your matches and pitch them the way the platform asks. Those are your warmest leads.
2. Use CastGhost for the shows a marketplace can't show you. Search your niche, and pitch the shows that fit.
3. Don't pitch a host twice. If a show turns up in both places, take the marketplace route and skip it in CastGhost.
4. Follow up on the cold pitches. Most replies come after a follow-up, and CastGhost drafts them for you. Once you set up reply tracking, a reply stops them.

What about PodPitch?

PodPitch is closer to CastGhost than to a marketplace. It's software that searches a large podcast database, drafts pitches with AI in your voice and sends them from your own email, with follow-ups. It also offers free seats for team members, which suits agencies pitching many clients.

PodPitch doesn't publish its prices: its pricing link leads to a demo booking, and quotes are given on the call. Review sites put its standard plan at around $299 a month per guest profile (for example Rephonic, September 2026), which we couldn't confirm with PodPitch.

If you pitch steadily for a team, a monthly plan may suit you. If you pitch in bursts, paying per pitch costs less in the months you don't.

PodMatch, Talks.co and PodPitch are trademarks of their owners, who have no connection with CastGhost. What we say about them comes from their own public pages on 29 October 2026, except where we name another source. Prices change, so check PodMatch's and Talks.co's before you decide.