AkaVoice – AI Article to Podcast vs Seriously Simple Podcasting

AkaVoice turns the articles you already publish on WordPress into audio podcast episodes, and uploads them to your Spreaker show — which in turn distributes them to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and other podcast platforms. Each conversion runs two steps with OpenAI: the article text is first rewritten into a natural spoken-word script (GPT-4o-mini), then synthesized into a studio-quality MP3 voice track (TTS-1-HD). The finished episode is uploaded to Spreaker and a listenable player is embedded back into the post. You use your own OpenAI and Spreaker API keys (this is a “bring your own keys” plugin). AkaVoice never charges for conversions and never acts as a middleman for your keys or your billing — you pay OpenAI and Spreaker directly, at their own rates. Free and unlimited This plugin is completely free and has no usage limit. There is no monthly quota, no per-conversion fee, no subscription and no account to create with AkaVoice. You can convert as many articles as you like; the only cost is your own OpenAI API usage (typically a few cents per podcast). How it works Create a free Spreaker account and a show, and get an OpenAI API key. In AkaVoice → Settings, paste your Spreaker access token and show ID, and your OpenAI API key. Run the built-in connection tests. Pick the narration language and a default voice (Alloy, Echo, Fable, Onyx, Nova or Shimmer). From the Dashboard, fill the queue with your published posts and start the conversion — or let the background processor work through the queue automatically. Each converted post gets a podcast player embedded automatically, and the episode appears on Spreaker and the connected platforms. What you need An OpenAI API account (https://platform.openai.com). You pay OpenAI directly for the AI usage — usually only a few cents per podcast. A free Spreaker account (https://www.spreaker.com) with a show already created. AkaVoice Pro AkaVoice Pro is a separate, optional paid plugin for publishers who want more. It is not required — this free plugin is fully functional on its own. Pro adds podcasts narrated with your own cloned voice, extra text-to-speech engines (Microsoft Azure and Google Gemini), Google Search Console integration, an SEO-optimised lazy-loaded player, and priority support. Learn more at https://akavoice.ai. Your API keys stay yours Your OpenAI key and Spreaker token are encrypted with AES-256-CBC before being stored in the WordPress database, using a key derived from your site’s own AUTH_KEY and SECURE_AUTH_KEY salts. They are decrypted only at the moment a request is made to OpenAI or Spreaker. The plugin does not register your site, does not send usage statistics, and does not phone home. External Services This plugin connects to two third-party services in order to produce and publish podcasts. It connects only when you actively use it, and only with the API credentials you enter yourself. No data is sent to the plugin author, and the plugin does not track your site. OpenAI When you convert an article, the article’s title and text are sent to the OpenAI API. OpenAI is used for two steps: rewriting the article into a spoken-word script (GPT-4o-mini model) and synthesizing that script into an MP3 audio file (TTS-1-HD model). The request is authenticated with the OpenAI API key you enter in the plugin settings, and usage is billed to your own OpenAI account. Data sent: the article title and body text, the chosen narration voice, and the target language. When: each time an article is converted, either manually or by the background queue. OpenAI is a service provided by OpenAI, L.L.C. — Terms: https://openai.com/policies/ — Privacy policy: https://openai.com/policies/privacy-policy/ Spreaker The generated MP3 file is uploaded to the Spreaker API as a new episode of your Spreaker show. Spreaker hosts the audio file and distributes the podcast to platforms such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music. The request is authenticated with the Spreaker access token and show ID you enter in the plugin settings, and the episode is created under your own Spreaker account. Data sent: the generated audio file, the episode title and description, and (if you enable it) the auto-share settings. When: each time an article is converted. The plugin also embeds Spreaker’s public episode player — an iframe loaded from widget.spreaker.com — into converted posts so visitors can listen. This loads only on posts that have an associated episode. Spreaker is a service provided by Spreaker Inc. (an iHeartMedia company) — Terms: https://www.spreaker.com/terms — Privacy policy: https://www.spreaker.com/privacy

Seriously Simple Podcasting is a top-rated podcasting plugin for WordPress, built by Castos. Using the onboarding wizard to start a podcast, multiple player options to display your podcast on your site, and multiple free extension modules to supercharge your content, Seriously Simple Podcasting powers over 30K+ podcasts. The plugin is, and will always remain, free to use. The only costs associated with using Seriously Simple Podcasting is if you choose to host your audio and video files with a dedicated podcast hosting provider, such as Castos. Similar to using a website hosting provider to keep your WordPress site fast and running smoothly, we recommend hosting podcast files with a dedicated provider. But remember, this isn’t required! Every plugin feature is fully functional, no matter who you choose as your podcast hosting provider. Seriously Simple Podcasting gives you maximum control over your content so you can start podcasting without limits. However, Castos is specifically designed to sync with Seriously Simple Podcasting to save you time in your publishing workflow. This means anytime you update your podcast’s information or upload a new episode file, the changes automatically sync with your Castos hosting account. You only have to do the action once, saving hours each week. Read more about how Castos and Seriously Simple Podcasting work together. With other podcast providers, you’ll need to make updates to your podcast’s RSS feed via your hosting provider account and again on WordPress to manually sync the information. HOW TO SET UP SERIOUSLY SIMPLE PODCASTING Getting started with Seriously Simple Podcasting is a seriously simple process. In just four steps, you’ll go from installing the plugin to your WordPress site to submitting a functioning RSS feed to every podcast directory. Install the Seriously Simple Podcasting plugin to your WordPress site. Begin the onboarding wizard, and create your first podcast. Here you’ll give details like the Podcast Title, Description, and upload your cover image. Then you can connect Seriously Simple Podcasting to your Castos account, if you’re hosting with Castos. This offloads all of the file storage and delivery from your WordPress site and host. Last, it’s time to create your first podcast episode. You can do this either in the dedicated Podcasting section of your WordPress site, or in the regular Post area. Once your podcast is live it’s time to distribute it to podcasting directories like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other destinations. SERIOUSLY SIMPLE PODCASTING KEY FEATURES Seriously Simple Podcasting offers all of our advanced features through our free plugin. You’re not required to pay for additional add-ons or use a specific podcast hosting provider. MANAGE YOUR RSS FEED FROM WORDPRESS Seriously Simple Podcasting generates an RSS feed that’s fully compliant with Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and every other listening platform. Set your podcast’s title, subtitle, description, category, cover art, explicit rating, and copyright information from WordPress. Manage all updates to your podcast’s RSS feed from WordPress and changes automatically sync with your podcast hosting provider. Turbo-charge RSS feeds to increase the number of episodes displayed on podcasting apps and speed up the feed’s load time. Utilize one of several private podcasting integrations to enable private podcast functionality on your WordPress site. With Castos, use the one-click submission feature to easily submit your podcast to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and more. MANAGE MULTIPLE PODCASTS FROM THE SAME SITE Create unique RSS feeds for multiple podcasts and feature them on the same website. Save unique settings per podcast for easy management. Create custom subscribe buttons for each podcast you create Optional “catch-all” feed for podcast networks that want to aggregate all of their shows into a single feed. With Castos, pay one price to host multiple podcasts under one account. Each plan features unlimited uploads and bandwidth so you’ll never hit a limit when managing more than one show. CUSTOMIZE THE EMBEDDED MEDIA PLAYERS WITH BLOCKS Choose between a standard compact player or feature-rich HTML5 media player that displays your cover art or episode-specific images. Change the settings to display your podcast exactly how you want it. Display customizable subscribe links to Apple Podcast, Spotify, Stitcher, Overcast, and Pocketcasts. Also include links to download the content or play it in a new window. Display episode meta data like episode durations and date published beneath the player. Customize the background and player progress bar colors to match your brand. Select the player’s position either above or below the post content. Media player is mobile-responsive so podcast posts look great across desktop browsers and mobile devices. Use the Castos Player block to feature the player anywhere on your website. USE CUSTOM WIDGETS AND BLOCKS TO CREATE PLAYLISTS & DISPLAY THEM ANYWHERE Curate custom playlists with embeddable widgets then display them anywhere on your website. Feature single episodes anywhere on your website with the Podcast Episode shortcode. Insert episode player anywhere with the Castos Player block. Create playlists featuring all episodes from specific podcast with the Episode List block. Curate custom playlists with specific episodes with the Playlist Player block. PUBLISH PODCAST EPISODES ON ANY POST TYPE You have full control over how podcast episodes appear on your website by picking which post type to apply the plugin settings. Choose which post type (from posts, the Podcast post type that SSP creates, or any other custom post type on your site) to enable podcast functions. This adds all podcast posts from the specific type to your feed. SUPPORTS VIDEO PODCASTING Feature embedded video players within any podcast post. Embed video players from Vimeo, VideoPress, or the common video block. Display the embedded video player anywhere within your podcast post. With Castos, host your audio and video podcast files with our Pro plan. FREE ANALYTICS ADD-ONS & INTEGRATIONS Understand how your podcast is performing with our free Seriously Simple Stats add-on. Install Seriously Simple Stats to access listener statistics for free. Track total listens per episode, by date range, and by listening sources. Connect 3rd party analytics platforms like Podtrac. With Castos, view advanced analytics by geographic location, device, and listening platform plus total unique subscribers. Also access your Spotify-specific data from your dashboard for a holistic view of your podcast’s performance. SIMPLIFIED IMPORTS, MIGRATIONS, AND REDIRECTS Seriously Simple Podcasting works with any podcast hosting provider. Easily import or migrate your podcast files to the plugin then start managing your show via WordPress. Easily import podcasts to Seriously Simple Podcasting from LibSyn, Buzzsprout, Podbean, Soundcloud, or Simplecast. Migrate existing podcasts from other WordPress podcasting plugins to Seriously Simple Podcasting. With Castos, connect Seriously Simple Podcasting to your Castos account in one click. Your podcast content will automatically sync with your Castos account as you make changes or upload new episodes from WordPress. Redirect RSS feedd to a new location by supplying the new feed’s URL. FULLY INTEGRATED WITH CASTOS PODCAST HOSTING You can host your podcast with any podcast hosting provider. If you choose to host your podcast with Castos, you’ll access these unique features from your Castos dashboard. Automatic syncing: Seriously Simple Podcasting automatically syncs with any Castos plan. Fully manage your podcast from WordPress while hosting your podcast files on our dedicated servers. Private Podcasting: Castos has several integrations with third-party membership site tools like Paid Memberships Pro, LMS providers like LifterLMS, and payment processors such as Stripe to empower you to offer paid podcasting to your audience. Free episode transcriptions: Pay nothing for on-demand episode transcriptions. Use these transcriptions on your website to make your podcast more accessible. Monetize Your Podcast: You can make money from your podcast either through Castos Commerce by receiving listener donations, or by using Castos Ads to enable programmatic ad insertion on your podcast to get paid from your podcast. Automatic YouTube republishing: Castos supports video file hosting and can automatically publish your podcast to YouTube. Unlimited storage and bandwidth: Every Castos plan includes unlimited uploads and bandwidth. You can also host multiple podcasts under one account for one price. Where to find help Seriously Simple Podcasting comes with complete documentation. Please read this documentation thoroughly before posting on the support forum. How to contribute If you want to contribute to Seriously Simple Podcasting, you can fork the GitLab repository – please read the contributor guidelines for more information on how you can do this. Help translate this plugin If you would like to contribute translations to this plugin you can do so through a simple web interface. Any and all translations (new languages or updates to existing ones) are always welcome.