How to start a podcast: the tools and the method
Seven tools compared for hosting, recording and editing, a nine-step launch plan and the costs nobody puts on the first page.
Short answer: you need four things. A topic you can talk about for 50 episodes, a decent microphone, an editor, and a host that turns your MP3 files into an RSS feed for Apple Podcasts and Spotify. For a first show, Buzzsprout is the simplest paid host ($15 a month on yearly billing), Spotify for Creators the free one, Riverside the tool for remote guests, and Audacity the free editor.
You can launch for $0, or for well under $300 in your first year with a paid host and a USB microphone. We compared the hosts, the recording tools and the editors, read their pricing pages line by line and went through what podcasters report in forums and public reviews. Here is what to pick, in what order to do things, and the traps that cost money later.
Some links are affiliate links. They never change our scores or the order of the ranking.
7 tools to start a podcast, side by side
A podcast runs on three kinds of tools. A host stores your audio files and publishes the RSS feed that Apple Podcasts, Spotify and the other apps read. A recording tool captures your voice and your guests'. An editor cleans the file before you upload it. You need one of each, and some tools cover two jobs. The prices below are the entry price of the plan a beginner actually needs, in US dollars, before tax.
Your real first-year budget. A solo show on Spotify for Creators and Audacity costs $0 in software. The same show on Buzzsprout Audio costs $180 for the year. An interview show on Buzzsprout plus Riverside Pro on yearly billing comes to $528. Add a USB microphone once, and that is the whole bill. For a wider list of recording and editing software, see our ranking of the best podcast software.
| Best for | Free plan | Team size | Visit | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buzzsprout | Best host for a first show | 4.3/5 | $15/mo (yearly) | ✓ | Solo hosts, first shows | Visit → |
| 2 | Riverside | Best for recording remote guests | 4.2/5 | $29/mo (yearly) | — | Interview and video shows | Visit → |
| 3 | Spotify for Creators | Best free host | 4.0/5 | Free | ✓ | Zero-budget shows, video on Spotify | Visit → |
| 4 | Transistor | Best for several shows | 3.9/5 | $19/mo | — | Brands, creators with 2+ shows | Visit → |
| 5 | Audacity | Best free editor | 3.8/5 | Free | ✓ | Solo hosts on a $0 budget | Visit → |
| 6 | Podbean | Best all-in-one budget host | 3.7/5 | $12/mo (yearly) | ✓ | Budget shows, podcast networks | Visit → |
| 7 | Descript | Best for editing by text | 3.4/5 | $16/mo (yearly) | ✓ | Interview shows, video podcasts | Visit → |
Prices marked yearly are monthly rates billed annually. On monthly billing, Buzzsprout Audio costs $18 a month for 6 upload hours a month. Transcripts for show notes can also come from a dedicated tool: our AI transcription software ranking compares them.
Is your tool missing from this page? Email us: hello@hackceleration.com
Buzzsprout
Buzzsprout is a host designed around a first show. You upload an MP3, fill in a title and show notes, and it builds the RSS feed that every podcast app reads. Its directory tools then get the show listed in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and the other apps. Paid plans add automatic transcripts for new episodes at no extra cost, which saves you a transcription tool on day one.
The pricing is built on upload hours, not downloads. The Audio plan costs $15 a month billed annually for 72 upload hours a year, or $18 a month on monthly billing for 6 hours a month. Audio + Video is $25 a month billed annually for the same 72 hours, and Multi-Podcast $30 a month billed annually for up to 5 shows sharing 180 hours a year. Unused hours do not roll over. The free plan is a trial in disguise: 2 hours of uploads a month, and episodes stay online for 90 days only. If you pause the show, an Archive plan at $5 a month keeps it live without new uploads. Its public reviews average 4.7 out of 5 over more than 4,000 reviews. Recent ones, in 2026, praise a patient, fast support desk, and one reports automatic transcripts that skipped whole sections, so read the transcript before you publish it.
- Directory listing help for Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube
- Automatic transcripts on every current paid plan
- Archive plan at $5 a month for a paused show
- Chapter markers and transcripts in the RSS feed
- ✓Clearest onboarding for a first show
- ✓Hours-based pricing is easy to forecast
- ✓Support praised by long-time users
- ✗Free episodes vanish after 90 days
- ✗Unused upload hours are lost
- ✗Overage billed at your plan's hourly rate
The safest first host if you plan to publish weekly. Start free to learn, switch to Audio before episode four.
Riverside
Riverside solves the problem that kills most interview podcasts: a guest who sounds like a phone call. Guests on a computer join from a browser link, and Riverside records each of them locally, then uploads the file. A bad connection makes the call choppy, but the recording stays clean. You get one track per person, which is what any editor needs to fix someone talking over someone else. Text-based editing, transcripts and short clips for social are built in, and Pro now includes podcast hosting with analytics.
Paid plans start with a 14-day free trial. Pro costs $35 a month, or $29 a month on yearly billing, and removes the watermark, records up to 4K and 48kHz audio, and includes 15 hours of separate track downloads a month. That last number is the real limit. Recording is unlimited, but once you hit 15 hours of downloads you wait for the next billing cycle or upgrade. Grow costs $45 a month, or $36 billed yearly, for 20 hours. Read our guide to switching from Riverside if those limits bite later.
- Local recording on each guest's side
- One audio and video track per participant
- Text-based editing and transcripts on Pro
- Clips for social media from the same recording
- ✓Studio sound from remote guests
- ✓Guests on a computer join from a browser link
- ✓Recording and first edit in one tool
- ✗15 hrs of separate track downloads on Pro
- ✗Free for 14 days, then $29 a month billed yearly
- ✗Overkill for a solo audio show
Worth paying for the day your show has guests. Solo hosts can skip it and record locally.
Spotify for Creators
Spotify for Creators (formerly Anchor, then Spotify for Podcasters) hosts and distributes your podcast for free. A show hosted there is published to Spotify automatically, and you can upload video episodes that play inside the Spotify app. It is a fast route from zero to a live show, from a phone or a browser.
The catch is everything outside Spotify. To reach Apple Podcasts or other apps you must enable your RSS feed and submit it to each app yourself. Enabling the feed makes your account's email address public to anyone with the feed link. Video episodes play on Spotify only: other apps get the audio. Monetization through the Spotify Partner Program asks for hosting on Spotify for Creators, at least 3 episodes, 1,000 audience members and 2,000 consumption hours on Spotify in the last 30 days, plus a legal address in an eligible market.
- Free hosting and RSS distribution
- Video episodes playable in the Spotify app
- Automatic publishing to Spotify
- Route to the Spotify Partner Program
- ✓$0, forever, for audio and video
- ✓Publish from a phone or a browser
- ✓Partner Program for shows that grow
- ✗Video stays on Spotify
- ✗Your email goes public in the RSS feed
- ✗You submit to Apple and other apps yourself
Perfect to find out if you enjoy podcasting. Move to a paid host once the show is a real project.
Transistor
Transistor prices on downloads, not uploads, and lets you start as many podcasts as you like on any plan, with no limit on the number of episodes. That makes it the natural host for a brand that will launch a second show, or a creator who wants a public feed and a private one. Every plan includes a built-in podcast website and API access, so you can plug it into automations such as the Transistor integration for Make.
Starter costs $19 a month for 20,000 monthly audio downloads and 50 private podcast subscribers. Professional, at $49, raises that to 100,000 downloads and adds video publishing and dynamic ads (pre-roll, mid-roll, post-roll). Business costs $99 for 250,000 downloads. Yearly billing gives two months free: $190, $490 and $990. If you go over your downloads month after month, the team contacts you to move up a plan. A first show will sit far below 20,000 downloads for a long time, so Starter covers it.
- Unlimited shows and episodes on every plan
- Private podcasts from Starter
- Built-in website and API access
- Dynamic ads from Professional
- ✓Room to grow a network of shows
- ✓Downloads limit is generous for beginners
- ✓Two months free on yearly billing
- ✗No free plan, only a 14-day trial
- ✗Video needs the $49 plan
- ✗50 private subscribers on Starter
Pick it if a second show or a private feed is in your plans. For one hobby show, Buzzsprout is simpler.
Audacity
Audacity is the free audio editor most podcast guides send beginners to, and it still earns that place. It is open source, licensed under the GNU General Public License, and runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. You can record straight into it from a USB microphone, cut mistakes, level the volume, reduce background noise and export an MP3 ready for your host.
Its limits are the ones of a general audio editor. Editing happens on waveforms, not on a transcript, so cutting "ums" in a one-hour interview takes real time. It records the microphones plugged into your computer, so remote guests need another tool, like Riverside or Zencastr. Cloud saving and sharing go through Audio.com, a separate service with paid storage for more projects. Mac users who already own GarageBand can start there instead, and those ready to pay for a multitrack editor often move to Adobe Audition.
- Free and open source (GPL)
- Windows, macOS and Linux
- Noise reduction and loudness tools
- Direct MP3 export
- ✓$0, with no watermark or time limit
- ✓Official manual for every effect
- ✓Free sounds and effects through MuseHub
- ✗Waveform editing is slow for interviews
- ✗Remote guests need a second tool
- ✗Desktop only, no phone or tablet app
The right editor for a solo show on a zero budget. Swap it for Descript when editing eats your evenings.
Podbean
Podbean has been hosting podcasts for years and bundles a lot for its price: hosting, a podcast website, its own listening app and monetization options. You can sign up for a free account and upgrade at any time.
Unlimited Audio costs $12 a month billed annually, or $17 on monthly billing, a 29% saving. Read the line under the name, though: the plan comes with 1GB of uploads a month. Podbean counts 1GB as about 16 hours of audio, which is plenty for a weekly show. Unlimited Plus, at $29 a month billed annually, adds video and two shows with 10GB of uploads. Network costs $79 and Business $99 a month, both billed annually. Every account comes with a podcast website, and an Ads Marketplace and Apple Podcasts Subscriptions integration cover monetization.
- Hosting, website and listening app together
- Free account to start
- Ads Marketplace and Apple Podcasts Subscriptions
- Video from Unlimited Plus
- ✓Low price on yearly billing
- ✓Free tier usable for a test
- ✓Scales to networks
- ✗"Unlimited Audio" still caps uploads at 1GB a month
- ✗Video starts at $29 a month
- ✗Dashboard busier than Buzzsprout's
A solid budget host on yearly billing. Check the upload cap against your episode length first.
Descript
Descript transcribes your recording and lets you edit the audio by editing the text. Delete a sentence and it disappears from the audio. Remove every filler word in one click. For a talk show, that turns a three-hour edit into an hour. It also handles video podcasts, captions and clips.
The pricing is where people get stuck. The free plan gives 60 minutes of media a month, 100 AI credits one time only and 720p exports with a watermark. Hobbyist costs $24 a month, or $16 on yearly billing, for 10 media hours and 400 AI credits a month with 1080p exports. Creator costs $35, or $24 yearly, for 30 hours and 4K. Prices are per person. A weekly show with 90 minutes of raw audio uses about 6 media hours a month, inside Hobbyist's 10. Media hours count every file you upload, so one track per speaker doubles that for a two-person interview. Our full Descript review explains the 3.4 score, the Descript pricing breakdown details the credits, and Descript vs Castmagic helps if you mainly want show notes and clips.
- Edit audio and video by editing the transcript
- One-click filler word removal
- Captions and clips for social
- Studio Sound voice cleanup
- ✓Fastest way to edit a conversation
- ✓Video and audio in one editor
- ✓Hobbyist covers a weekly solo show; a two-track interview needs Creator (30 h)
- ✗Free plan: 1 hour a month, watermark
- ✗AI credits run out quickly
- ✗Credit system is hard to forecast
Worth it once editing becomes your bottleneck. Compare it with Descript alternatives before you commit to a yearly plan.
How to start a podcast in 9 steps
The order matters more than the gear. Most podcasts stop before episode ten because the host picked a topic too thin or a rhythm too ambitious, not because the microphone was cheap. Here is the order we recommend, from idea to the first stats.
1. Pick a topic you can sustain for 50 episodes
Before any gear, write down 20 episode ideas. If you run dry at eight, the topic is too narrow or you are not that into it. The best first shows sit at the crossing of something you know well and a specific listener: "bookkeeping for freelance designers" beats "business tips".
Search the topic in Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Ten active shows is good news: there is an audience. Zero shows usually means zero listeners, not a gap in the market.
- Time
- 1 evening
- Output
- 20 episode ideas
2. Choose a format, a length and a rhythm
Solo, co-hosted, interview, narrative: each format sets your workload. Interviews need guest booking but little scripting. Solo shows need tight outlines. Narrative shows take the most editing by far.
Pick a length that fits the material. As a benchmark, 20 to 40 minutes is the most common episode length, used by 31% of shows on Buzzsprout; 40 to 60 minutes comes next, at 22%. Then pick a rhythm you can hold for six months, weekly or every other week, and stick to the same day. Listeners subscribe to a habit.
- Decision
- Format + day of release
3. Name the show, write the description, design the cover
A clear name beats a clever one: people search podcast apps with plain words. Write a two-sentence description that says who the show is for and what they get. Then the cover: Apple Podcasts treats it as the required art of the show, and Canva's free templates help if you work without a designer; our Canva training covers the basics.
Check the cover at thumbnail size on a phone. If you cannot read the title at that size, nobody browsing will.
- Tool
- Canva (free plan)
4. Buy one good microphone, not a studio
A laptop's built-in microphone picks up the room, the keyboard and the fan. A USB dynamic microphone fixes most of that, because it captures the voice close to it and little of the room. A good first pick is the Samson Q2U ($99.99 on Samson's store, with its accessories), a dynamic microphone with USB and XLR outputs; if you upgrade later, the Shure MV7+ lists at $299. Add any pair of wired headphones so you hear what you record.
Skip the mixer, the audio interface and the acoustic foam for now. A carpet, curtains and a closed door do more for your sound than a second piece of gear.
- Budget
- One USB mic
5. Record a pilot nobody will hear
Write a one-page outline first: the hook in one sentence, three points, and what you want the listener to do at the end. Then record a full episode with the gear and that outline, then listen back the next day. You will hear the echo, the ums, the long intro. Fix them now, when it costs nothing.
For remote guests, use a tool that records each side locally, like Riverside or Zencastr, rather than a video call recording. The difference is audible from the first minute.
- Tool
- Audacity, GarageBand or Riverside
6. Edit, level and export
Cut mistakes and long pauses, add a short intro, then level the loudness so your voice and your guest's sit at the same volume. Export as MP3: it is the format every host and podcast app reads.
Time it. Editing usually takes longer than recording, and if one episode takes you four hours, a text-based editor like Descript pays for itself fast.
- Format
- MP3
7. Open your host and create the RSS feed
Sign up with a host, fill in the show details, upload the cover and your first episode. The host generates your RSS feed: a single address that lists every episode. Apple Podcasts accepts a feed you host yourself, but it must be public and support byte-range requests, which is why almost everybody uses a host.
Publish three episodes at launch rather than one. A new listener who likes the first wants a second right away.
- Tool
- Buzzsprout, Transistor or Spotify for Creators
8. Submit the feed to Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube
Submit your RSS feed once to each directory: Apple Podcasts Connect, Spotify, Amazon Music and the others your host lists. On Spotify for Creators, Spotify is automatic but the other apps need your feed turned on first. Then decide on YouTube: video podcasts are discovered there, but filming adds real work, and an editor from our video editing software for content creators ranking helps.
Approval can take a few days on Apple Podcasts. Plan the launch date after it, not before.
- Output
- Live on 3+ apps
9. Promote every episode, then read the numbers
Post one short clip per episode, ask every guest to share it, and appear on other podcasts in your niche. Those three habits bring more listeners than ads at this stage. Each episode can also feed a newsletter, and our podcast to newsletter automation drafts it for you.
After ten episodes, read your host's stats: downloads per episode at 30 days and where listeners drop off. A drop in the first two minutes means the intro is too long.
- Review
- After 10 episodes
10 tips that save you money and episodes
These are the traps that show up after launch, priced. Each one comes from the vendors' own pricing pages or from podcasters who hit it.
Free episodes on Buzzsprout expire
HostingOn Buzzsprout's free plan, each episode stays online for 90 days, then disappears from the feed. Listeners who find you in month four see an empty back catalog. Use the free plan to learn the dashboard, then switch to Audio ($15 a month on yearly billing) before you promote anything.
Count your upload hours before you pay
HostingBuzzsprout Audio includes 72 upload hours a year, and unused hours do not roll over. A weekly one-hour show uses 52 hours: it fits. Two one-hour episodes a week use 104 hours, and the extra 32 are billed at your plan's hourly rate, about $2.50 an hour on yearly Audio ($180 for 72 hours): roughly $80, or about $260 for the year. Stay on Audio and pay the overage: Multi-Podcast, at $30 a month billed annually ($360 a year), is the plan for several shows sharing 180 hours.
Pausing the show? Pay $5, not $15
HostingIf you stop publishing for a season, do not cancel: canceling takes the feed down and your subscribers lose the show. Buzzsprout's Archive plan keeps the podcast live without new uploads for $5 a month, and you can switch back when you record again.
Watch Riverside's download hours, not its recording hours
RecordingRecording on Riverside Pro is unlimited, but separate track downloads stop at 15 hours a month, and Riverside counts the length of the session, not the number of tracks: a one-hour session with three guests uses 1 hour of the 15. A weekly one-hour show uses 4 to 5 hours a month, well inside Pro. Unused hours do not roll over to the next month.
Yearly billing only after episode 10
BudgetRiverside Pro costs $420 a year on monthly billing or $348 on yearly billing, Transistor Starter $228 or $190, Buzzsprout Audio $216 or $180. Yearly saves money, but most new shows stop before episode ten. Pay monthly for the first three months, then switch to yearly once the habit holds.
Check what "unlimited" means on Podbean
HostingPodbean Unlimited Audio has unlimited storage but a 1GB upload cap per month. A one-hour MP3 at 128 kbps weighs about 58 MB, and Podbean counts the cap as about 16 hours of audio a month. Export at 128 kbps mono for a voice show: it sounds the same and halves a 256 kbps file.
Descript's free plan is a demo
EditingThe free plan gives 60 minutes of media a month and exports at 720p with a watermark. A single interview with a 90-minute raw recording already goes over. If you want text-based editing for real, budget Hobbyist at $16 a month on yearly billing, or $24 monthly.
Your Spotify video stays on Spotify
DistributionOn Spotify for Creators, video episodes play in Spotify, but other apps receive the audio only, through your RSS feed. If YouTube matters to you, plan a separate upload there for every episode.
Moving host? Keep your GUIDs and export your stats
HostingA 301 redirect from your old host moves every follower to the new feed, including those outside Apple Podcasts. Two things can still go wrong. Each episode carries a unique ID (GUID): if the new host changes it, Apple Podcasts can show duplicate episodes or a sudden drop in your analytics, so check the GUIDs with an RSS viewer after the import. And your download history is not part of the feed: export it from the old host before the move, or you lose your growth curve.
Know what the Spotify Partner Program pays, and how you stay in
RevenueAccepted shows earn 50% of the revenue from ads Spotify places in their episodes, on and off Spotify, but only in episodes with at least one ad break you inserted. To stay in, the show must publish an episode and earn at least $10 in any six-month period. The direct route is hosting on Spotify for Creators; on another host, ask whether it supports access to the program before you count on it.
Starting a podcast, your questions
How long does it take to set up a podcast?
A weekend is enough for the technical part: one day to record and edit a first episode, one to open a host and submit the feed. Apple Podcasts then reviews every new show by hand, which can take up to 24 hours. Plan the topic and 20 episode ideas the week before.
What should a podcast cover image look like?
Square, readable at thumbnail size, with the show name in large letters. Apple Podcasts treats the show cover as the required art and the main visual of your podcast in its app. Apple's specification is 3000 × 3000 pixels (it accepts 1400 × 1400 to 3000 × 3000 through an RSS feed), exported as PNG or JPG, with no transparency. Avoid small text and busy photos: on a phone, the cover is smaller than a stamp.
Can I start a podcast from my phone?
Yes, for a simple show. The Spotify for Creators app hosts and distributes a podcast for free from your phone, and Podbean has a recording app that lets you make and publish episodes from it too. Editing a two-person interview on a small screen is slow, so plan to edit on a laptop once guests join.
Do I need to film my podcast for YouTube?
No, an audio feed is enough to be on every podcast app. YouTube rewards video, and many shows now film, but it roughly doubles the work per episode. Start with audio, then add video once the weekly rhythm holds.
How do podcasts make money?
Mostly through sponsors, listener support and selling something of your own. Hosts sell the tools for it: Buzzsprout Subscriptions puts bonus episodes and ad-free listening behind a paywall and integrates with Apple Podcasts Subscriptions, and Podbean runs an Ads Marketplace. Most small shows earn first from their own product or service, long before an ad network pays.
How much does it cost to start a podcast?
From $0 to about $280 for the first year. A solo show on Spotify for Creators, edited in Audacity and recorded on a microphone you own, costs nothing. A paid host and a first USB microphone, Buzzsprout Audio at $180 a year billed annually plus a Samson Q2U at $99.99, bring it to about $280. Headphones you already own are enough to start.
Can I use music in my podcast?
Only music you have the rights to. Commercial songs trigger takedowns and copyright claims on the apps that carry your show. Use royalty-free libraries like the YouTube Audio Library or the Free Music Archive for your intro and outro, and keep a copy of each license.
How do I put a video podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube?
Through a host that distributes video. Buzzsprout's Audio + Video plan, at $25 a month billed annually ($30 monthly), publishes video on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube from the same upload. Transistor sends video from its Professional plan at $49 a month. Budget it from day one: video files are far heavier than audio, and Buzzsprout's free plan has no video distribution.
