RedCircle review: free unlimited hosting, paid tiers from $19.99
RedCircle gives away unlimited hosting for one show and makes its money on the monetisation it sells you. Our check of redcircle.com on 13 June 2026 recorded a free Core plan with unlimited storage and bandwidth, Growth at $19.99 a month or $180 a year, and Pro at $34.99 a month or $360 a year. That evidence is several months old.
The short answer
Buy RedCircle Buy nothing at first. The free Core plan carried unlimited storage, bandwidth, episodes and downloads for one podcast when we checked redcircle.com on 13 June 2026, so the paid tiers are an upgrade you grow into rather than a price of entry.
Skip it Skip RedCircle if you want video episodes, a podcast website you would show a sponsor, or a host that takes no share of what you earn. The revenue share is how the free plan is paid for, and our snapshot does not record the rates, so get them from RedCircle before building on them.
Where RedCircle fits
RedCircle fits the podcaster who has no budget and wants to start earning early. Our 13 June 2026 check recorded a free Core plan with unlimited storage, bandwidth, episodes and downloads for one show, which is a real free tier rather than a trial with a countdown attached. That alone puts it in a short list.
The money changes hands later instead. RedCircle sells monetisation: an ad marketplace, listener donations and paid subscriptions, and it takes a share of what those produce. Our snapshot records the pricing model as freemium with tiered upgrades without recording the revenue share rates, so this page states no percentages and you should read them off RedCircle's own terms.
Growth at $19.99 a month, or $180 for the year, is the first paid step. Our check recorded paid plans as adding multi-show hosting, transcriptions, team seats and premium analytics, which is a feature upgrade rather than a bigger allowance, because the allowance was already unlimited on the free tier.
The annual rates are the better deal in both directions. Growth at $180 for the year works out at $15 a month against $19.99 paid monthly, which is $239.88 across a year, a saving of about $59.88. Pro at $360 for the year is $30 a month against $34.99 monthly, which is $419.88 a year, a saving of about $59.88 again.
Pro at $34.99 a month is where team access sits, and Enterprise is quoted rather than listed. Our 13 June 2026 check recorded Enterprise as custom pricing with a contact-sales route, so this page gives no figure for it. A network or an agency is in that conversation rather than on the rate card.
Against the dated alternatives, the free plan is the thing to weigh. Spotify for Podcasters recorded a single free plan on 11 June 2026 and is the other genuinely free host here. Podbean recorded a free plan capped at 5 hours of storage for the whole account on 13 June 2026, which is a trial by comparison, and paid hosting with no revenue share at $14 a month, or $9 billed annually.
This pricing was last verified on 13 June 2026 and has not been re-checked since, so read every figure as several months old. The free plan is the part most worth re-confirming, because a free tier that generous is a commercial decision rather than a fact of nature. The podcast hosting platforms category covers the paid alternatives.
RedCircle pricing
RedCircle gives hosting away and charges for features and for a share of monetisation revenue. The figures below come from our check of redcircle.com on 13 June 2026 and have not been re-verified since, so confirm them before you commit. The RedCircle pricing breakdown carries the longer version.
| Plan | Price | What it adds |
|---|---|---|
| Core | $0/mo | Unlimited hosting for 1 podcast: storage, bandwidth, episodes and downloads |
| Growth | $19.99/mo | $180 a year, which is $15 a month. Multi-show hosting and transcriptions |
| Pro | $34.99/mo | $360 a year, which is $30 a month. Team seats and premium analytics |
| Enterprise | Custom | Quoted. Contact sales, no published figure on our check |
Hosting was free on our check, so your cost is features plus a share of revenue. Four things decide it:
- Whether you need more than one show, which was the first thing the free Core plan did not cover.
- Whether you need team seats, which our check put on Pro at $34.99 a month, or $360 for the year.
- Billing period. Growth at $180 for the year against $239.88 paid monthly saved about $59.88, and Pro at $360 against $419.88 saved about the same.
- How much you earn through RedCircle's own ad, donation and subscription tools, because the share it takes scales with that and our snapshot does not record the rates.
RedCircle pricing against the other podcast hosts
RedCircle and one other host in this category gave hosting away on our checks. Spotify for Podcasters recorded a single free plan, its only plan, on 11 June 2026. Podbean recorded a free plan limited to 5 hours of storage for the life of the account on 13 June 2026, with Unlimited Audio at $14 a month, or $9 billed annually. Buzzsprout recorded a free plan that removed episodes after 90 days on 1 October 2026, with Audio at $15 a month. Read those dates alongside the figures.
RedCircle billing terms worth knowing
Two facts settle most RedCircle pricing questions: the free plan is unlimited for one show, and the revenue share is the real price.
- Core
- $0 a month, unlimited hosting for one podcast, on our 13 June 2026 check.
- Growth
- $19.99 per month, or $180 for the year, which is $15 a month.
- Pro
- $34.99 per month, or $360 for the year, which is $30 a month.
- Enterprise
- Custom pricing, quoted on request. No figure on our check.
- Annual saving
- About $59.88 on Growth and about $59.88 on Pro, against the monthly rates across a year.
- Revenue share
- Charged on RedCircle's own monetisation tools. Our snapshot does not record the rates.
- Check date
- 13 June 2026. Not re-verified since, so confirm before committing.
RedCircle offers a free Core plan with unlimited hosting and monetization features, a Growth plan at $19.99/month ($180/year), a Pro plan at $34.99/month ($360/year), and an Enterprise plan with custom pricing. All plans include unlimited storage, bandwidth, and distribution.
The number that decides whether RedCircle is cheap for you is not on this page, because it is the share of your own earnings. Get the current rates from RedCircle, put your real monthly revenue next to a flat $19.99 or $34.99 elsewhere, and let our creator tool cost calculators do the comparison once you have both.
What RedCircle gives up
The revenue share is the cost, and this page cannot quote it. Our 13 June 2026 snapshot records the model without recording the rates, so anyone whose plan depends on ad or subscription income needs those numbers from RedCircle before choosing. A host that charges nothing monthly is not a host that charges nothing.
The free Core plan covers one podcast. A second show was a paid step on our check, at Growth for $19.99 a month or $180 for the year, which is a reasonable price and still a change from free.
There is no video podcasting. Generating a video from an audio file is not the same as hosting video you shot, and a show that films needs somewhere else for it. Podbean recorded video hosting on Unlimited Plus at $39 a month, or $29 billed annually, on 13 June 2026.
There is no podcast website builder, so the show's public home is your problem. That is a real gap against hosts that include a page, and it means a landing page or site is another line in the budget.
Directory distribution is manual, which costs you time at launch rather than money. It is a one-off annoyance rather than a recurring one, and it is the kind of thing a first-time podcaster finds harder than the price suggests.
Team seats are a Pro feature at $34.99 a month, or $360 for the year, so a co-host who needs dashboard access moves you two steps up from free. Our snapshot does not record how many seats that includes, so read the current figure before promising anyone a login.
Our pricing evidence is from 13 June 2026 and the free tier is the part most worth re-checking. Unlimited free hosting is a strategy rather than a cost structure, and strategies change, so confirm the Core plan still looks like this before you move a back catalogue onto it.
How RedCircle compares
The four hosts below are the ones weighed against RedCircle, and the axis is how the host gets paid: a share of your revenue, a flat subscription, or an ecosystem. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| RedCircle | Free unlimited hosting for one show with monetisation built in | Free Core, $19.99/mo Growth ($180/yr, June 2026) | Takes a share of monetisation revenue; no video and no website builder |
| Spotify for Podcasters | Publishing at no cost at all | Free, the only plan (June 2026) | One company's ecosystem and no paid tier to grow into |
| Podbean | Unlimited storage on a paid plan with no hosting revenue share | Free, $14/mo Unlimited Audio ($9 annually, June 2026) | Free plan caps at 5 hours of storage for the account |
| Buzzsprout | A first show with guided setup and a website included | Free, $15/mo Audio (Oct 2026) | Upload-hour meter; free tier drops episodes after 90 days |
What to test on the RedCircle free plan
There is no trial to run out, because the Core plan was free and unlimited for one show on our 13 June 2026 check. That check is several months old, so start by confirming it, then test the thing that costs money.
- Confirm the Core plan is still free and still unlimited for one podcast. Our evidence is from 13 June 2026 and this is the claim the whole page rests on.
- Get the current revenue share rates for ads, donations and subscriptions in writing from RedCircle. Our snapshot does not record them, and they are the real price of free hosting.
- Put those rates against your realistic monthly earnings and compare the result with a flat $19.99 a month on Growth, or $180 for the year, which works out at $15 a month.
- Publish two episodes and submit them to the directories yourself. Distribution is manual here, so find out how much of your time that costs before the launch week.
- Decide where the show's website will live, because RedCircle does not build one. That cost belongs in the comparison even though it appears on nobody's rate card.
- If you need a co-host in the dashboard, price Pro at $34.99 a month, or $360 for the year, and check how many seats it includes before you promise one.
- If the revenue share looks worse than a subscription once you have the numbers, price Podbean at $14 a month, or $9 billed annually, recorded 13 June 2026, and let the cost calculators settle it.
RedCircle questions buyers ask
How much does RedCircle cost per month?
Our check of redcircle.com on 13 June 2026 recorded the Core plan as free, with unlimited hosting for one podcast. Growth was $19.99 a month, or $180 for the year, which works out at $15 a month. Pro was $34.99 a month, or $360 for the year, which is $30 a month. Enterprise is quoted rather than listed. RedCircle also takes a share of revenue earned through its own monetisation tools, and our pricing snapshot does not record those rates, so read them off RedCircle's own terms rather than relying on a figure quoted elsewhere.
Is RedCircle really free?
Yes, the Core plan is genuinely free with unlimited storage, bandwidth, episodes, and downloads for one podcast. There is no trial period or credit card required. The trade-off is that RedCircle takes a cut of any revenue you earn through its monetization tools. If you only use RedCircle for hosting without monetization, it is completely free with no hidden costs.
Who is RedCircle best for?
RedCircle is best for podcasters who want to start monetizing as early as possible without paying hosting fees. The built-in ad marketplace, donation tools, and subscription features make it ideal for creators focused on building revenue. It is less suited for podcasters who want a polished website, video support, or prefer to keep 100% of their earnings.
RedCircle vs Buzzsprout: which is better?
RedCircle offers free hosting with monetisation built in and takes a share of the revenue those tools produce. Our check of Buzzsprout on 1 October 2026 recorded Audio at $15 a month with no revenue share, plus a podcast website and automatic directory distribution, and our check of RedCircle on 13 June 2026 recorded the free Core plan and Growth at $19.99 a month. Choose RedCircle if you cannot pay a monthly fee. Choose Buzzsprout if you want the website and distribution handled and prefer to keep all of your revenue.
How much does RedCircle take from your earnings?
RedCircle takes a share of listener donations, of exclusive content subscription revenue and of ad revenue sold through its marketplace, in addition to standard payment processing fees. Our 13 June 2026 pricing snapshot does not record those rates, so this page does not quote them: get the current figures from RedCircle's own terms before you plan around them. Direct sponsorships you negotiate outside RedCircle are not subject to its cut, which is worth knowing if most of your income comes that way.
Is RedCircle good for beginner podcasters?
RedCircle is good for beginners from a cost perspective since the Core plan is free. However, the manual directory distribution, lack of a podcast website, and moderately complex monetization setup make it less beginner-friendly than Buzzsprout or RSS.com. If you are comfortable with a bit more setup work, the free hosting and monetization tools make it worth the effort.
Does RedCircle support video podcasts?
No. RedCircle is audio-only. The Growth plan can generate YouTube videos from your audio episodes (static image with audio), but this is not true video podcasting. If you need to host and distribute video episodes, look at Podbean, Castos, or Spotify for Podcasters.
Can teams collaborate on RedCircle?
Team seats sit on the Pro plan, which our 13 June 2026 check recorded at $34.99 a month, or $360 for the year. The free Core plan and the Growth plan did not include team collaboration on that check. Our snapshot does not record how many seats Pro includes, so read that number off RedCircle's own page before promising anyone a login. If you have a co-host or producer who needs dashboard access, the alternative on the lower plans is sharing a single login.
Is RedCircle worth it compared to paying for a host?
It depends on how much you earn through RedCircle's own monetisation tools, because that is what it charges a share of, and our 13 June 2026 snapshot does not record those rates. Get them from RedCircle, apply them to your real monthly earnings, and compare the result with a flat subscription elsewhere: our checks recorded Buzzsprout at $15 a month on 1 October 2026, Transistor at $19 a month on Starter on 1 October 2026, and Captivate at $19 a month on 15 June 2026. Below a certain level of earnings the free plan wins, and above it a flat fee does.
Can I leave RedCircle and take my podcast with me?
Yes. You can export your RSS feed from RedCircle and import it into any other podcast host. Your episodes and subscriber base move with your RSS feed. RedCircle does not lock you in. If you decide the revenue cuts are too high or you want features RedCircle does not offer, migration is straightforward.