Budget planning
How much does it cost to start a podcast?
Plan your first-year budget with your own prices, then compare three starting points built only from official vendor pricing.
The honest answer is that a podcast can start at zero in subscriptions, or cost several hundred dollars in its first year, depending on the tools you choose. The planner below adds your one-time costs to your monthly costs over the period you choose, then divides by the number of episodes. It runs in your browser and sends nothing anywhere.
Interactive planner
Podcast launch budget planner
Enter your own prices in US dollars, or start from one of the sourced examples below. Upfront costs are paid once; monthly costs repeat for every month you plan. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
Total for the period
Add your prices to see the total.
- Upfront
- Recurring
- Upfront
- Per month
- Per episode
Three starting points built from official prices
These examples use only prices published on the vendors' pages on November 11, 2026. They exclude hardware, taxes and add-ons, and they are examples to adapt, not recommendations.
| Host | Tools | Monthly cost | 12-month total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zero subscriptions | Audacity (free) + Spotify for Creators (free hosting) | $0 | $0 |
| Upload-capped host | Audacity (free) + Buzzsprout Audio ($15/month when billed annually) | $15 | $180 |
| Download-capped host and text-based editor | Transistor Starter ($19/month, billed monthly) + Descript Hobbyist ($24/month, monthly billing) | $43 | $516 |
Zero subscriptions
- Tools
- Audacity (free) + Spotify for Creators (free hosting)
- Monthly cost
- $0
- 12-month total
- $0
Upload-capped host
- Tools
- Audacity (free) + Buzzsprout Audio ($15/month when billed annually)
- Monthly cost
- $15
- 12-month total
- $180
Download-capped host and text-based editor
- Tools
- Transistor Starter ($19/month, billed monthly) + Descript Hobbyist ($24/month, monthly billing)
- Monthly cost
- $43
- 12-month total
- $516
Totals are simple arithmetic on the listed prices: monthly cost multiplied by 12. Annual billing changes the totals; for example Descript lists Hobbyist at $16 per month on annual billing, and Castos lists Essentials at $190 per year.
In the first scenario, the free host is funded by a share of ad revenue on monetized shows. In the second, Buzzsprout's price applies when billed annually and covers up to 72 upload hours per year. In the third, Transistor's Starter plan is billed monthly with 20,000 monthly downloads, and Descript's Hobbyist plan is $24 per month on monthly billing or $16 per month on annual billing. Castos is another unlimited-download option at $19 per month or $190 per year for Essentials.[2][1][3][4][5][6]
What we leave to you: hardware
We do not quote microphone or headphone prices. Street prices change daily and we have not handled the products, so any number we gave would be a guess. Enter what you actually pay in the one-time fields above. If you already own a usable headset, your upfront cost can stay at zero.
Costs people forget
- Overage on upload-capped plans, billed at the plan's hourly rate on some hosts.
- Add-ons such as AI assistants or extra private subscribers, sold separately on some plans.
- Music licensing if you use commercial tracks; see our audio preparation guide.
- A custom domain for the show website, if your host does not include one.
- Software you pay for twice because two tools do the same job; our tools guide helps you spot overlaps.
If you plan to edit in a digital audio workstation rather than a free editor, REAPER's vendor lists a 60-day full evaluation followed by a $60 discounted license, a one-time cost you can enter in the planner.[7]
Sources
Official pages read for this guide. Prices change: always confirm on the vendor page before paying.