Castos review: $19 a month and a WordPress plugin
Castos is worth its price for two specific jobs, publishing a podcast through WordPress and running private feeds, and is ordinary hosting otherwise. Our check of castos.com on 14 June 2026 recorded Essentials at $19 a month, Growth at $49, Pro at $99 and Premium at $499, all metered by download caps. That evidence is several months old.
The short answer
Buy Castos if your site runs on WordPress or you need private podcast feeds for a course, a membership or a team. Essentials was $19 a month, or $190 for the year at about $15.83 a month, when we checked castos.com on 14 June 2026, which is now several months ago.
Skip it if you want plain public hosting, because the two things worth paying for here are the WordPress plugin and private feeds. Skip it too if you need native video hosting on a budget, since our June check put that on Pro at $99 a month.
Where Castos fits
Castos fits the podcaster whose website is already WordPress. Its plugin publishes an episode into the site as a post with the player, the title, the description and the metadata attached, so the feed and the website stay in step without a second upload. That is the job it does better than hosts that hand you an embed code and leave the rest to you.
The second job is private feeds. A private podcast is a feed that only paying or named subscribers can load in a normal podcast app, which is how course audio, paid member content and internal briefings get delivered. Our 14 June 2026 snapshot records private subscriber limits rising with each tier without recording the numbers, so read the current cap before you build a product on it.
Our check recorded four plans: Essentials at $19 a month, Growth at $49, Pro at $99 and Premium at $499 for large organisations. Unlimited podcasts and unlimited episodes were on every plan, so what you are buying up the ladder is a higher download cap, a higher private subscriber cap and, at Pro, video hosting.
Annual billing was priced as ten months for twelve. Our check put Essentials at $190 for the year against $228 paid monthly, a saving of $38, which is about $15.83 a month. Growth was $490 against $588, a saving of $98, and Pro was $990 against $1,188, a saving of $198. Those monthly equivalents are approximate because they are a yearly total divided by twelve.
Video is the tier step most likely to catch you out. Native video hosting was on Pro at $99 a month on our June check, which is $80 a month more than Essentials, or $960 more across a year. Growth at $49 a month included republishing audio to YouTube, which is a different thing: it makes a video out of an audio file rather than hosting video you shot.
Against the dated alternatives, $19 is the same entry price as Captivate, recorded at $19 a month on 15 June 2026, and $4 a month more than Buzzsprout at $15 a month on 1 October 2026. Neither of those does WordPress publishing or private feeds the way Castos does, which is the whole case for paying the same or more.
This pricing was last verified on 14 June 2026 and has not been re-checked since, so treat every figure here as several months old. The numbers are what Castos published then. Read the live rate card before committing, especially the download and subscriber caps, which our snapshot does not record. The podcast hosting platforms category covers the rest of the field.
Castos pricing
Castos sells four subscriptions and meters them by download caps and private subscriber limits. The figures below come from our check of castos.com on 14 June 2026 and have not been re-verified since, so confirm them before you buy. The Castos pricing breakdown carries the longer version.
| Plan | Price | What it adds |
|---|---|---|
| Essentials | $19/mo | $190 a year, about $15.83 a month. Unlimited podcasts and episodes |
| Growth | $49/mo | $490 a year, about $40.83 a month. Higher caps and YouTube republishing |
| Pro | $99/mo | $990 a year, about $82.50 a month. Native video hosting |
| Premium | $499/mo | Custom contracts available. For large organisations |
The subscription is the whole cost, and four things decide which one you pay:
- Monthly downloads, the main meter. Our 14 June 2026 snapshot records that the caps rise with each tier without recording them, so read the current figure off castos.com.
- Private podcast subscribers, the second meter, and the one that moves if you sell a course or a paid feed.
- Whether you need native video. That was Pro at $99 a month on our check, $80 a month more than Essentials, or $960 across a year.
- Billing period. Annual billing saved $38 on Essentials, $98 on Growth and $198 on Pro across a year, which is about two months in each case.
Castos pricing against the other podcast hosts
Castos is priced like the middle of this category and sold on two features at the edge of it. Captivate recorded Personal at $19 a month on 15 June 2026, the same entry price with unlimited shows instead of WordPress publishing. Buzzsprout recorded Audio at $15 a month on 1 October 2026. RSS.com recorded a free plan and Plus at $20 a month on 6 October 2026. Those check dates differ from Castos's by months, so compare them with that in mind.
Castos billing terms worth knowing
Two facts settle most Castos pricing questions: there is no free plan, and the download cap applies on every tier including Pro.
- Free plan
- None. Our 14 June 2026 check recorded a 14-day free trial on all tiers.
- Essentials
- $19 per month, or $190 for the year. $228 or $190 across a year.
- Growth
- $49 per month, or $490 for the year. $588 or $490 across a year.
- Pro
- $99 per month, or $990 for the year. $1,188 or $990 across a year.
- Premium
- $499 per month, with custom contracts available.
- Annual saving
- $38 on Essentials, $98 on Growth, $198 on Pro. Roughly two months each.
- Check date
- 14 June 2026. Not re-verified since, so confirm before buying.
Castos offers three self-serve plans: Essentials at $19/month, Growth at $49/month, and Pro at $99/month. Annual billing saves roughly two months. All plans include unlimited podcasts and episodes. Download caps and private subscriber limits increase with each tier.
If a Castos bill is higher than $19 a month, the cause is a download cap, a subscriber cap or the video step to Pro rather than anything you did wrong. Our figures are from 14 June 2026, so take the current caps from Castos's own page and let our creator tool cost calculators total the year against the alternatives.
What Castos gives up
Download caps apply on every tier, Pro included, so there is no plan here that stops you thinking about audience size. A show that grows well will move up the ladder, and the steps were $30 and $50 a month on our 14 June 2026 check.
Native video means the $99 Pro plan. That is $80 a month more than Essentials, or $960 across a year, which is a large bill for a feature that cheaper hosts in this category include lower down. Growth's YouTube republishing is not the same thing and should not be mistaken for it.
Private subscriber overages are the hidden end of the private-feed story. Our snapshot records the limits rising by tier without recording them, so a course that sells better than expected can move your bill without a word of warning. Read the cap and the overage rate before you launch the course.
There is no free plan, only a 14-day trial on our check, so Castos is a paid decision from the first episode. RSS.com recorded a free plan on 6 October 2026 and RedCircle a free Core plan on 13 June 2026 if a free start is what you need.
If you do not use WordPress and do not need private feeds, you are paying for the two things that make Castos worth its price and using neither. At that point the $19 is buying ordinary hosting, and ordinary hosting is cheaper elsewhere.
Our pricing evidence is from 14 June 2026, which is several months old and the weakest part of this page. Caps move, tiers get renamed and the two-months annual discount is the kind of thing that changes quietly, so confirm all of it before you prepay $190.
Team permissions are coarse on the self-serve plans. Several people can reach the dashboard, but role-based control is not what you are buying here, and the WordPress side is where an editor or producer does their work instead.
How Castos compares
The four hosts below are the ones weighed against Castos, and the axis is whether you are paying for WordPress publishing and private feeds or for plain hosting. Prices are each vendor's published rates with the date we checked them, and those dates differ by months. The wider field sits in the podcast hosting platforms category.
| Tool | Best for | Price | Where it breaks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Castos | WordPress publishing and private podcast feeds | $19/mo Essentials ($190/yr, June 2026) | Download caps on every tier, native video only on Pro at $99 |
| Captivate | Several shows with the full feature set from the first tier | $19/mo Personal (June 2026) | No free plan and no video support |
| Buzzsprout | A first show with guided setup | Free, $15/mo Audio (Oct 2026) | Upload-hour meter; free tier drops episodes after 90 days |
| RSS.com | A free start with a cheap paid step | Free, $20/mo Plus (Oct 2026) | No WordPress plugin and no private feed tooling |
What to test in the Castos trial
The trial was 14 days with access to your chosen plan's features on our 14 June 2026 check, and that check is several months old, so confirm the length first. Two weeks is enough to test both of the features you would be paying for.
- Install the WordPress plugin on your real site, not a staging copy, and publish one episode through it. If that flow does not fit how you work, the main reason to choose Castos has gone.
- Create a private feed and subscribe to it in a normal podcast app yourself. Private feeds are the second reason to be here and they are easy to assume rather than test.
- Read the current download cap and private subscriber cap off castos.com. Our June 2026 snapshot does not record either, and they are what decide whether $19 a month holds.
- If you shoot video, confirm that native video hosting is still on Pro and price it honestly: $99 a month against $19 is $80 a month more, or $960 across a year.
- Do not confuse Growth's YouTube republishing with video hosting. Republish one audio episode and look at what comes out before you decide which tier you need.
- Total Essentials at $228 paid monthly against $190 for the year, a difference of $38, and decide whether you have seen enough in 14 days to prepay.
- Set the same job up on a cheaper host for comparison if WordPress and private feeds turn out not to matter to you. Buzzsprout was $15 a month on 1 October 2026, and the cost calculators will total both years.
Castos questions buyers ask
How much does Castos cost per month?
Castos offers Essentials at $19/month ($190/year), Growth at $49/month ($490/year), Pro at $99/month ($990/year), and Premium at $499/month for large organizations. All plans include unlimited podcasts and episodes. Download caps and feature access increase with each tier. Annual billing saves roughly two months.
Does Castos have a free plan or free trial?
There is no permanent free plan, but Castos offers a 14-day free trial on all tiers. The trial gives you full access to your chosen plan's features, including the WordPress plugin and private podcast tools. After 14 days, you must subscribe to continue hosting.
Who is Castos best for?
Castos is best for WordPress users who want seamless podcast publishing, educators and membership creators who need private podcast feeds, and podcasters who want video hosting on a single platform. It is less ideal for podcasters on a tight budget, those who do not use WordPress, or those who just need straightforward public hosting.
Castos vs Buzzsprout: which is better?
Castos is better if you use WordPress, need private podcast feeds, or want native video hosting. Buzzsprout is better if you want a lower starting price, a free tier and a more beginner-friendly setup without WordPress. Our check of Castos on 14 June 2026 recorded Essentials at $19 a month, and our check of Buzzsprout on 1 October 2026 recorded Audio at $15 a month. Choose on whether WordPress publishing and private feeds matter to your workflow, because that is what the extra buys.
Does Castos integrate with WordPress?
Yes, and it is Castos's standout feature. The Seriously Simple Podcasting plugin syncs your Castos account with WordPress. When you upload an episode in Castos, the plugin automatically creates a podcast post in WordPress with the embedded player, title, description, and metadata. You can manage publishing from either platform.
Is Castos good for private podcasts and courses?
Yes. Castos supports private podcast feeds with subscriber management, which makes it one of the better options for gated audio. You can create private feeds for courses, paid memberships, employee training or client communications, and subscribers get a unique RSS feed that works in standard podcast apps. Our 14 June 2026 snapshot records that private subscriber limits rise with each tier without recording the numbers, so read the cap and any overage rate off castos.com before you build a paid product on it.
Does Castos support video podcasting?
Yes, but only on the Pro plan ($99/month). Video file hosting lets you upload and distribute video episodes. The Growth plan ($49/month) includes YouTube republishing, which converts audio episodes into video format for YouTube, but this is not the same as native video hosting. If video is important, budget for the Pro plan.
Can teams collaborate on Castos?
Yes. Multiple team members can access the Castos dashboard, and the WordPress integration means editors and producers can work within WordPress. On Growth and above, Castos assists with migration from other hosts. The Premium plan adds dedicated account management. There are no granular role-based permissions on the self-serve plans.
Is Castos worth the money compared to cheaper hosts?
Castos is worth it if you specifically need WordPress integration, private podcast feeds or native video hosting, because those are the features it does better than most of this category. If you do not need them, cheaper hosting exists: our check of Buzzsprout on 1 October 2026 recorded Audio at $15 a month, and our check of RSS.com on 6 October 2026 recorded a free plan alongside Plus at $20 a month. Pay for Castos's specific strengths rather than for general hosting.
Can I cancel Castos and keep my podcast?
If you cancel, your podcast episodes are not immediately deleted. You can export your RSS feed and migrate to another host before your account is fully closed. Castos does not lock you into long-term contracts on the self-serve plans. The 14-day free trial lets you test the platform risk-free before paying.