First podcast
How much should you budget to host your first podcast?
Free or paid, monthly or annual: what to check before launching a podcast without an unnecessary subscription.
Start with your publishing schedule
Four 45-minute episodes represent three hours of new content a month. This figure matters to hosts that charge by the volume uploaded. Downloads measure something else: how many times listeners retrieve your episodes. A short show with a large audience can therefore have a different profile from a long podcast with a small audience.
The monthly price and the annual payment
With annual billing, the advertised price is often the year’s total divided by twelve. You still pay for the whole year at once. For a project that is still experimental, monthly flexibility may be worth more than a discount. Our comparator displays both amounts to make that choice clear.
Need help? Watch the tutorial (in French), on YouTube, new tabWhen a free plan is enough
A free service can be useful for validating your idea. Check how long episodes are kept, feed distribution and migration features. Buzzsprout’s free plan keeps episodes available for 90 days: that is an important limit if you want to build a lasting archive. The paid plans in our selection are not the only options on the market.
Leave room in the budget for add-ons
Transcription, audio processing, video or marketing tools can change the bill. The comparator only calculates base audio hosting. Before subscribing, consult the official price, check taxes and remove add-ons you do not need. Hosting alone does not guarantee new listeners.
Official sources
Guide updated on 7 October 2026. Check the sources below: plans and interfaces may change.