Podcast Production Cost Calculator
Estimate the true monthly and annual cost of producing a podcast, including recording tools, editing time, hosting, and promotion.
Podcast RecordingProduction economics7 inputs
Adjust the assumptions
Weekly interview podcast. A creator publishing 4 episodes per month using Riverside for recording, Descript for editing, and Buzzsprout for hosting. Each episode takes about 2.5 hours to edit.
Why this calculator matters
Most creators underestimate podcast costs because they only count the hosting fee. Editing time, recording software, and promotion add up fast.
This calculator shows the full picture so you can set realistic budgets and decide whether to DIY, hire an editor, or invest in better tools that save time.
Use it to compare the true cost of different production workflows before locking into annual subscriptions.
Context and practical use
Use this when planning a new podcast or evaluating whether your current production workflow is cost-efficient.
The model includes both hard costs (tools, hosting, editing services) and soft costs (your time) to give a realistic per-episode figure.
Formula and assumptions
- 1. Monthly tool costs = recording software + editing software + hosting platform
- 2. Monthly editing cost = episodes per month x hours per episode x your hourly rate (or editor rate)
- 3. Monthly promotion cost = social scheduling tool + audiogram tool + ad spend
- 4. Total monthly cost = tool costs + editing cost + promotion cost
- 5. Cost per episode = total monthly cost / episodes per month
How this is calculated
The model runs in two halves. Cash out the door is recording software plus editing software plus hosting, added up as one flat monthly figure. Labour is episodes per month x editing hours per episode x your hourly rate, which is the half most podcasters leave off the invoice entirely. Promotion goes in as a single monthly line. Divide the combined total by episodes per month and you have cost per episode; multiply the monthly total by twelve for the annual number.
It deliberately ignores anything that is not recurring. Microphones, interfaces, acoustic foam and the laptop you cut on are one-time purchases, so folding them into a monthly model would distort the per-episode figure. It also ignores booking and prepping guests, writing show notes, and the discount most platforms give for annual billing. And it is silent on quality: a cheap episode nobody finishes still costs you what it cost you.
A worked example
Twice-weekly interview show
Six episodes a month, cut by the host, with a small clip budget for promotion.
- 1. Tools: $22 recording + $24 editing + $19 hosting = $65 per month
- 2. Labour: 6 episodes x 3 hours x $45 per hour = $810 per month
- 3. Promotion: $40 per month on clips and boosted posts
- 4. Total monthly cost: $65 + $810 + $40 = $915
- 5. Cost per episode: $915 / 6 = $152.50
Result
$152.50 per episode, or roughly $10,980 across a year.
Editing labour is 88% of the bill, so an hour shaved off each cut is worth more to this show than cancelling every subscription it pays for.
Inputs this model expects
The inputs stay practical so the calculator is usable early, before the assumptions are firm. If an input label is unfamiliar, the glossary defines it.
| Input | What it means | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Episodes per month | How many episodes you publish each month. | 4 |
| Recording tool (monthly) | Monthly cost of your recording software (Riverside, Squadcast, Zencastr, etc.). | 24 $ |
| Editing tool (monthly) | Monthly cost of your editing software (Descript, Adobe Audition, Hindenburg, etc.). | 24 $ |
| Hosting platform (monthly) | Monthly cost of podcast hosting (Buzzsprout, Transistor, Podbean, etc.). | 18 $ |
| Editing hours per episode | Hours spent editing, mixing, and mastering each episode. | 2.5 hrs |
| Your hourly rate (or editor rate) | What your time is worth, or what you pay an editor per hour. | 35 $ |
| Monthly promotion cost | Social scheduling tools, audiogram generators, ad spend for episodes. | 30 $ |
Where to go from the number
Descript
If editing hours are driving your per-episode cost, this is the category of tool that attacks them directly.
Riverside
Recording quality decides how much cleanup you pay for later, which is why the recording line and the editing line are connected.
Podcast hosting platforms
Hosting is the one fixed line in this model, so compare what each host charges at your download volume.
Podcast episode checklist
Most of the editing hours in the labour line are rework. A fixed per-episode checklist is the cheapest way to cut them.
Frequently asked questions
What counts as podcast production cost?
Everything you spend turning a recorded conversation into a published episode: recording software, editing software, hosting, and the hours spent cutting it. This calculator charges your own editing time even when no money changes hands, because that is the line that decides whether hiring an editor makes sense.
Why is my cost per episode higher than the figures people quote online?
Most published figures count subscriptions only and leave labour out. Add three hours of editing at any sensible rate and the per-episode number usually triples. If yours looks high, check the editing hours input before you blame the tools.
Is it cheaper to hire an editor or keep editing myself?
Put the editor's hourly rate into the rate field and compare the two totals. Outsourcing wins whenever their rate sits below what you earn with the hours it gives back, which for most shows happens well before the rate feels comfortable.
Should one-time gear purchases go in here?
No. A microphone is capital, not monthly cost, and including it inflates the per-episode figure in month one and understates it forever after. Track gear separately and spread it over a year if you want the fuller picture.