Buzzsprout review: $15 a month and an upload-hour meter
Buzzsprout is the easiest podcast host to start on and the one whose meter you have to keep an eye on. Our check of buzzsprout.com on 1 October 2026 recorded Audio at $15 a month, Audio + Video at $25 and Multi-Podcast at $30, with the tiers metered by upload hours rather than by downloads.
The short answer
Buy Buzzsprout if you publish one audio show on a predictable schedule and want the setup done for you. Audio was $15 a month on our check of buzzsprout.com on 1 October 2026, and the free plan deletes episodes after 90 days, so $15 is the price of keeping your back catalogue online.
Skip it if you publish long or frequent episodes, because the tiers are metered in upload hours and our snapshot does not record how many hours each tier buys. Skip it too if you run several shows on one bill without wanting the $30 Multi-Podcast tier.
Where Buzzsprout fits
Buzzsprout fits the first-time podcaster who wants hosting, a feed, directory submission and a listener-facing page handed over as one finished thing. The dashboard explains itself, the submission step is one click per directory, and the included show page means you do not have to build a website before episode one. That is the job it does better than the hosts that give you more knobs.
Our 1 October 2026 check recorded three paid tiers: Audio at $15 a month, Audio + Video at $25 a month and Multi-Podcast at $30 a month. The names tell you what separates them. Audio hosts an audio show, Audio + Video adds video episodes for $10 a month more, and Multi-Podcast is the tier that puts several shows on one account and one bill.
The meter is upload hours, which is the single most important thing to understand before you pick a tier. Buzzsprout does not charge by downloads, so a popular episode costs no more to serve than an unpopular one. What costs you money is publishing more minutes of new audio each month, which means a show that runs long or publishes twice a week meets the ceiling before a show that does not.
Our snapshot records the pricing model as upload-hour based tiers without recording how many hours each tier includes, so this page states no hour figure rather than guessing one. Read the included hours and the overage rate off buzzsprout.com before you commit, because that number, not the $15, is what decides whether Buzzsprout is cheap for your show.
The free plan is real and it is time limited in an unusual way. Our check recorded episodes being removed after 90 days, so it works as a trial with a published feed attached and does not work as a permanent home. Anyone who wants episode one still available next year is on a paid tier from the start.
Against the dated alternatives in this category, $15 is at the cheap end of paid hosting without being the cheapest. Podbean recorded Unlimited Audio at $14 a month, or $9 a month billed annually, when we checked it on 13 June 2026, with unlimited storage attached. Transistor recorded Starter at $19 a month on 1 October 2026 and prices by monthly downloads rather than upload hours.
This pricing was verified on 1 October 2026, which makes it some of the more recent evidence on this site, and it is still a figure with a date rather than a promise. If Buzzsprout's current rate card differs, the rate card is right and this page is behind. The podcast hosting platforms category holds the rest of the field with their own check dates.
Buzzsprout pricing
Buzzsprout sells a monthly subscription and meters the tiers by how many hours of new audio you upload. The figures below come from our check of buzzsprout.com on 1 October 2026. The Buzzsprout pricing breakdown carries the longer version.
| Plan | Price | What it adds |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/mo | Episodes removed after 90 days, so not a permanent home |
| Audio | $15/mo | Audio hosting. Tier allowance is metered in upload hours |
| Audio + Video | $25/mo | Adds video episodes for $10 a month more than Audio |
| Multi-Podcast | $30/mo | Several shows on one account and one bill |
The subscription is the whole cost and four things decide which one you pay:
- Hours of new audio a month, which is the meter. Our snapshot does not record the included hours, so read them off the pricing page and compare them with your own publishing schedule.
- Whether you publish video. Audio + Video was $25 a month against $15 for Audio on our 1 October 2026 check, so video costs $10 a month more, which is $120 across a year.
- How many shows you run. Multi-Podcast was $30 a month, which is $15 a month more than Audio, or $360 across a year against $180.
- Whether you need episodes to stay online. The free plan removed them after 90 days on our check, so permanence is what the first $15 buys.
Buzzsprout pricing against the other podcast hosts
Buzzsprout sits mid-table on price with the simplest onboarding. Libsyn recorded Basic Audio at $5 a month for 162 MB of new uploads when we checked it on 10 June 2026, which is cheaper and metered in megabytes. RedCircle recorded a free Core plan with unlimited hosting for one show on 13 June 2026 and takes a share of monetisation revenue instead. RSS.com recorded Plus at $20 a month on 6 October 2026. Those check dates differ from Buzzsprout's, so read the comparison with that in mind.
Buzzsprout billing terms worth knowing
Two facts settle most Buzzsprout pricing questions: the meter is upload hours, and the free plan does not keep your episodes.
- Free plan
- $0 a month with episodes removed after 90 days, on our 1 October 2026 check.
- Audio
- $15 per month, which is $180 across a year.
- Audio + Video
- $25 per month, which is $300 across a year.
- Multi-Podcast
- $30 per month, which is $360 across a year.
- Cost of video
- $10 a month more than Audio, or $120 across a year.
- What the meter counts
- Upload hours, not downloads. Our snapshot does not record the hours per tier.
- Check date
- 1 October 2026, against buzzsprout.com.
Buzzsprout plans: Audio $15/mo; Audio + Video $25/mo; Multi-Podcast $30/mo.
A Buzzsprout bill higher than $15 a month is a tier choice or an upload-hour overage rather than an audience that grew, because downloads are not what the meter counts. Our creator tool cost calculators will total a year of hosting once you have the current hour allowance in front of you.
What Buzzsprout gives up
The upload-hour meter is the trade, and it is the opposite of how most of this category prices. A show that publishes two hours a week is a heavy user here and a light user on a host that counts downloads, so Buzzsprout is cheap for short weekly shows and expensive for long or frequent ones.
Our snapshot does not record the hour allowance per tier, which is the one number this page cannot give you. That is a gap in our evidence rather than a secret, and it means the $15 figure on its own is not enough to decide with. Read the allowance off the pricing page first.
Video costs more rather than being included. Audio + Video was $25 a month against $15 on our 1 October 2026 check, so a show that films as well as records pays $120 more across a year than one that does not.
Multiple shows mean the $30 Multi-Podcast tier. That is reasonable against running two separate $15 accounts, which would cost the same $30, but it is a tier step rather than something the entry plan stretches to.
There is no recording or editing built in, so the stack does not end here. You record elsewhere, edit elsewhere, and upload a finished file, which means Buzzsprout is a host rather than a studio. Our guide to podcast recording software covers the other half.
The free plan removes episodes after 90 days, so it is a trial wearing a plan's clothes. Nobody should launch a show on it expecting to stay, because the archive quietly empties behind you.
Team working is thin for a platform this polished. Our evidence here is the product rather than the rate card, and Captivate at $19 a month on our 15 June 2026 check is the host in this category that sells role-based access as a feature on every plan.
How Buzzsprout compares
The four hosts below are the ones weighed against Buzzsprout, and the axis is what the meter counts: upload hours, storage, downloads or nothing at all. Prices are each vendor's published rates with the date we checked them, and those dates differ. The wider field sits in the podcast hosting platforms category.
| Tool | Best for | Price | Where it breaks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buzzsprout | A first audio show with the setup handled for you | Free, $15/mo Audio (Oct 2026) | Upload-hour meter; free plan drops episodes after 90 days |
| Podbean | Unlimited storage at the lowest paid rate | Free, $14/mo Unlimited Audio ($9 annually, June 2026) | Free plan caps at 5 hours of storage for the life of the account |
| Libsyn | The cheapest paid hosting, if you can do megabyte maths | $5/mo Basic Audio, 162 MB (June 2026) | Storage-based tiers and a dated dashboard |
| Transistor | Several shows on one subscription | $19/mo Starter (Oct 2026) | Priced by monthly downloads, so growth moves the bill |
What to test on the Buzzsprout free plan
The free plan published a real feed and removed episodes after 90 days on our 1 October 2026 check, so treat it as a 90-day trial rather than a home. Use it to settle the upload-hour question before you pay.
- Read the included upload hours and the overage rate off buzzsprout.com. Our 1 October 2026 snapshot records the tiers as upload-hour based without recording the hours, so this is the one step you should not take on trust.
- Add up the minutes of audio you would publish in a normal month, then double it for a month with a bonus episode. That total, against the allowance, is the whole pricing decision.
- Upload a full-length episode rather than a clip. File size is what the meter sees, so a test with a two-minute file tells you nothing.
- Submit to one directory and time how long approval takes. The guided submission is the main reason to pay $15 a month here rather than less elsewhere.
- Decide about video before you pick a tier. Audio + Video was $25 a month against $15 for Audio on our check, which is $120 more across a year.
- If you run or plan more than one show, price Multi-Podcast at $30 a month against two separate Audio plans at $15 each, which comes to the same $30, and pick on whether one dashboard is worth the switch.
- Set your 90-day deadline in a calendar on day one. Episodes went away at that point on our check, and the cost calculators will have totalled the year by then.
Buzzsprout questions buyers ask
How much does Buzzsprout cost per month?
Our check of buzzsprout.com on 1 October 2026 recorded three paid plans: Audio at $15 a month, Audio + Video at $25 a month and Multi-Podcast at $30 a month, which is $180, $300 and $360 across a year. There is also a free plan that removes episodes after 90 days. The tiers are metered by upload hours rather than downloads, and our snapshot does not record how many hours each one includes, so read that allowance off the pricing page before choosing. Our snapshot records no annual discount, so no annual rate is quoted here.
Does Buzzsprout have a free plan?
Yes. Our 1 October 2026 check recorded a free plan with no credit card required, and the catch is that episodes are removed after 90 days. That makes it useful for testing the platform and publishing your first few episodes, and useless as a permanent home. Keeping your back catalogue online means a paid plan, which started at $15 a month on that check. Our snapshot does not record the free plan's upload allowance, so read it off buzzsprout.com.
Who is Buzzsprout best for?
Buzzsprout is best for first-time podcasters and solo creators who want an easy, guided hosting experience without technical complexity. It is ideal for weekly shows under an hour that are audio-only. It is not the best fit for video podcasters, high-volume publishers, or creators running multiple shows who need a unified dashboard.
Buzzsprout vs Podbean: which is better?
Buzzsprout is easier to set up and has a cleaner interface. Choose Buzzsprout if simplicity is your top priority. Choose Podbean if you need video support, unlimited uploads, or built-in recording tools at a lower price point.
What integrations does Buzzsprout offer?
Buzzsprout distributes to all major podcast directories including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, and more via one-click submission. It integrates with WordPress via an embeddable player, supports dynamic ad insertion, and offers an affiliate marketplace. It does not have native integrations with recording tools. You need to record and edit separately, then upload the finished audio file.
Is Buzzsprout good for interview podcasts?
Buzzsprout hosts interview podcasts well once the episodes are recorded and edited. However, it has no built-in recording tools for remote interviews. You will need a separate recording platform like Riverside or Squadcast, then upload the finished audio to Buzzsprout. If you want an unified platform for recording and hosting interviews, look at Spotify for Podcasters or pair Buzzsprout with a dedicated recording tool.
What does Buzzsprout's Cohost AI do?
It automates the post-production tasks most podcasters skip or rush through. The output is solid but needs manual review: especially for proper nouns and technical terms.
Can teams collaborate in Buzzsprout?
Buzzsprout's collaboration features are limited. There are no multi-user team dashboards, role-based permissions, or shared editing workflows. If you work with a producer or editor, you will need to share your login credentials. For team-based podcast production, Transistor and Captivate offer built-in team member access with separate logins and permission levels.
Is Buzzsprout worth the money compared to free hosts?
Buzzsprout is worth paying for if you value a polished interface, guided onboarding, IAB-certified analytics, and dynamic ad insertion. Spotify for Podcasters is free with unlimited uploads but gives you less control over distribution and analytics. For podcasters serious about growing and monetizing, the paid features earn their cost back.
Can I cancel Buzzsprout anytime?
Yes. Monthly plans can be canceled at any time with no cancellation fee. Your episodes remain available through the end of your billing period. Annual plans are non-refundable but also cancel at renewal. If you cancel and move to another host, you can redirect your RSS feed to maintain your subscriber base. Buzzsprout does not lock you in.