Simplecast review: $15 a month for Basic, and a June price check
Simplecast is the analytics-led podcast host in this category, and its prices are the oldest evidence on this page. Our check of simplecast.com/pricing on 15 June 2026, four months before this review, recorded Basic at $15 a month, Essential at $35 and Growth at $85, with Professional and Enterprise quoted by sales.
The short answer
Buy Simplecast if listener data is how you run and sell the show. Basic was $15 a month, or $13.50 billed annually, when we checked simplecast.com/pricing on 15 June 2026, which is $180 or $162 across a year, and every plan on that check included unlimited storage and uploads.
Skip it if you want monetisation or video from the host itself. RSS.com recorded a Free plan at $0 and Plus at $20 a month on 6 October 2026, and Podbean recorded a free Basic plan and Unlimited Audio at $14 a month on 13 June 2026, both of which cost less for a show that is not yet selling ads.
Where Simplecast fits
Simplecast fits the show that already has an audience and needs to describe it accurately. The product is built around measurement rather than production, so what you get for the money is data, a clean publishing flow and the stability of a host owned by SiriusXM. Our check of simplecast.com/pricing on 15 June 2026 recorded Basic at $15 a month, Essential at $35 and Growth at $85.
That check is four months old, and this is the first of several times this page will say so. June pricing is honest evidence as long as it is dated, and it is not a substitute for the rate card. Two of the hosts compared further down were re-checked in October, so the gap is not uniform across this page.
Simplecast meters by downloads. Our snapshot recorded the pricing model as tiered by downloads and recorded that all plans carry unlimited storage and uploads, which is the unusual half of the arrangement: you can publish as much audio as you like, and what you pay for is how often it is fetched. The snapshot did not record the download ceiling attached to each tier, so that number has to come from the vendor.
The annual discount was a flat ten per cent on our June check, which makes the arithmetic simple. Basic at $15 a month is $180 across a year, and $13.50 a month billed annually is $162, a saving of $18. Essential at $35 a month is $420 a year against $378 at $31.50 a month, a saving of $42.
Growth at $85 a month is $1,020 across a year, and $76.50 a month billed annually is $918, a saving of $102. Ten per cent is a mild discount by the standards of this category, so prepaying is a smaller decision here than it is on hosts that take a quarter off for an annual commitment.
Above Growth the price stops being published. Professional and Enterprise were both recorded as custom on 15 June 2026, with SiriusXM sales as the route, and we have no figure for either. That is worth knowing before you plan a growth path, because the step above $85 a month is a conversation rather than a number.
Against its siblings Simplecast is mid-priced and narrow. Buzzsprout was $15 a month on Audio, verified 1 October 2026, and sells an easier first year. Transistor was $19 a month on Starter, verified 1 October 2026, and sells unlimited shows. RSS.com was free at $0 with Plus at $20 a month, verified 6 October 2026. The podcast hosting platforms category holds the rest.
Simplecast pricing
Simplecast publishes three self-serve tiers and quotes the two above them. Every figure below comes from our check of simplecast.com/pricing on 15 June 2026, which is four months old and has not been re-verified since, so confirm it before you buy.
| Plan | Price | What it adds |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $15/mo | $13.50/mo billed annually, which is $162 a year against $180 paid monthly. Unlimited storage and uploads |
| Essential | $35/mo | $31.50/mo billed annually, which is $378 a year against $420 paid monthly |
| Growth | $85/mo | $76.50/mo billed annually, which is $918 a year against $1,020 paid monthly |
| Professional | Custom | Quoted through SiriusXM sales. No figure recorded in our snapshot |
| Enterprise | Custom | Quoted through SiriusXM sales. No figure recorded in our snapshot |
Downloads are the meter and the two upper tiers are quoted rather than listed. Four things set your cost:
- Monthly downloads, which decide the tier. Our 15 June 2026 snapshot recorded the model as tiered by downloads without recording each tier's ceiling, so ask for that figure directly.
- Which of the three published tiers you need: $15, $35 or $85 a month on our June check.
- Billing period. Annual billing saved ten per cent on the same check, which is $18 a year on Basic, $42 on Essential and $102 on Growth.
- Whether you need Professional or Enterprise, both of which were custom on 15 June 2026 and both of which mean a sales conversation rather than a checkout page.
- What you add alongside the host, because monetisation and video are not part of the self-serve plans we verified.
Simplecast pricing against the other podcast hosts
At $15 a month Simplecast starts level with the cheapest paid hosts and climbs faster than most. Buzzsprout was $15 a month on Audio and $30 on Multi-Podcast, verified 1 October 2026. Transistor was $19 a month on Starter and $99 on Business, verified 1 October 2026. RSS.com recorded a free tier at $0 and Plus at $20 a month, verified 6 October 2026. Captivate was $19 a month on Personal, verified 15 June 2026. Libsyn started at $5 a month on Basic Audio, verified 10 June 2026. Those dates run from June to October, so this is a comparison of five snapshots rather than of five current rate cards.
Simplecast billing terms worth knowing
The published part of the ladder stops at $85 a month, and that is the most useful thing to know about it.
- Basic
- $15 a month, or $13.50 billed annually. $180 or $162 across a year.
- Essential
- $35 a month, or $31.50 billed annually. $420 or $378 across a year.
- Growth
- $85 a month, or $76.50 billed annually. $1,020 or $918 across a year.
- Annual discount
- Ten per cent on our 15 June 2026 check, which is $102 a year on Growth.
- Storage and uploads
- Recorded as unlimited on every plan on 15 June 2026.
- Free trial
- Fourteen days on all plans with no card required, as recorded on 15 June 2026.
- Check date
- 15 June 2026. Four months old and not re-verified since.
Simplecast offers three self-serve plans: Basic at $15/month, Essential at $35/month, and Growth at $85/month. All plans include unlimited storage and uploads. Annual billing saves 10%. Professional and Enterprise plans are available through sales with custom pricing. There is a 14-day free trial on all plans.
This is June evidence read in October, and we would rather date it than dress it up. If simplecast.com/pricing differs today, the rate card is right and this page is four months behind. Our creator tool cost calculators will total a hosting stack once you have the current rates and your own download numbers.
What Simplecast gives up
You give up monetisation from the host. Our snapshot of the self-serve plans recorded no built-in advertising or subscription tooling, so a show that wants the host to sell for it is looking at the wrong product. RedCircle built its free Core plan around monetisation and recorded Growth at $19.99 a month on 13 June 2026.
You give up video entirely. Simplecast is audio, and a show publishing a camera feed needs a second home for it. Spotify for Podcasters was $0 on our 11 June 2026 check and hosts video natively.
You give up a free tier. There was a fourteen day trial on our June check and nothing permanent at $0, where RSS.com recorded a Free plan at $0 on 6 October 2026 and Podbean recorded a free Basic plan on 13 June 2026.
You give up price visibility above $85 a month. Professional and Enterprise were both custom on 15 June 2026, so the growth path leads to a quote you cannot plan against today.
You give up the certainty of knowing when the next tier arrives. Downloads are the meter, and our snapshot did not record where each tier's ceiling sits, so an upgrade can land in a month you did not budget for.
You give up the production extras that cheaper hosts now bundle. Transcription, audio cleanup and clip tools are not part of what we verified on the self-serve plans, so each of those is another line on the bill.
Finally, you give up recency on this page, and that is our limitation rather than the product's. The prices above were read on 15 June 2026 and four months is long enough for a tier to be renamed or a discount to move, so treat them as a starting point for your own check.
How Simplecast compares
The three hosts below are the ones weighed against Simplecast, and the axis is measurement against breadth. Each price is that vendor's own published rate with the date we read it, and Simplecast's own date is the oldest of the four, so read the row for what it is. The wider field sits in the podcast hosting platforms category.
| Tool | Best for | Price | Where it breaks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simplecast | Listener data a sponsor will accept | $15/mo Basic, $85/mo Growth (June 2026) | No free tier, no video, no monetisation |
| Buzzsprout | A first paid host that is easy to run | $15/mo Audio, $25/mo with video (Oct 2026) | Shallower data than an analytics-led host |
| Transistor | Several shows and a team on one account | $19/mo Starter, $99/mo Business (Oct 2026) | No free plan and no native video hosting |
| RSS.com | Publishing an audio show at no cost | $0 Free, $20/mo Plus (Oct 2026) | Thin website and shallow analytics |
What to test on the Simplecast trial
Our 15 June 2026 check recorded a fourteen day trial on all plans with no card required. Those are June figures, so step one is confirming them.
- Open simplecast.com/pricing and check the three published prices against ours: $15, $35 and $85 a month on 15 June 2026. This is the step you should not take on trust.
- Ask what download ceiling sits on each tier. Our snapshot recorded downloads as the meter and did not record the thresholds, and that is the number that decides your real cost.
- Import a real feed during the trial rather than a test episode, so you are measuring the migration as well as the dashboard.
- Export the analytics you would send a sponsor and judge whether they answer the questions a sponsor asks. That is the whole case for this host.
- Confirm that storage and uploads are still unlimited on your tier. That was recorded on 15 June 2026 and it is the quiet advantage over download-plus-storage metering.
- If you need monetisation or video, price the alternatives instead of working around the gap: RedCircle recorded Growth at $19.99 a month on 13 June 2026, and Spotify for Podcasters was $0 on 11 June 2026.
- Before prepaying, do the year at ten per cent off: $162 on Basic, $378 on Essential, $918 on Growth, and the cost calculators will add the rest of your stack.
Simplecast questions buyers ask
How much does Simplecast cost per month?
Simplecast's self-serve plans are Basic at $15/month, Essential at $35/month, and Growth at $85/month. Annual billing saves 10%, bringing Basic to $13.50/month and Essential to $31.50/month. Professional and Enterprise plans require contacting SiriusXM sales. All plans include a 14-day free trial.
Does Simplecast have a free plan or free trial?
There is no permanent free plan, but Simplecast offers a 14-day free trial on all tiers without requiring a credit card. This gives you enough time to upload several episodes, test the analytics, and evaluate the interface. After the trial, you must choose a paid plan to continue hosting.
Who is Simplecast best for?
Simplecast is best for podcasters who prioritize analytics and want a clean, reliable hosting platform. Established shows that use listener data to guide content decisions will get the most value. It is less suitable for beginners on a tight budget or podcasters who want built-in monetization without paying for a custom enterprise plan.
Simplecast vs Buzzsprout: which is better?
Simplecast recorded unlimited storage and uploads on every plan and sells depth of listener data, at $15 a month for Basic on our 15 June 2026 check. Buzzsprout starts at the same monthly figure, $15 a month for its Audio plan on our more recent 1 October 2026 check, and bundles more production tooling. Choose Simplecast if detailed listener data decides how you run the show. Choose Buzzsprout if you would rather have an easier platform for the same money, and note that our Simplecast figure is four months older than our Buzzsprout one.
What platforms does Simplecast distribute to?
Simplecast distributes to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music, and other major directories with one-click submission. Distribution is included on all plans. Once submitted, new episodes are automatically pushed to all connected directories.
Is Simplecast good for new podcasters?
It is usable but it is not the cheapest way in. Simplecast Basic was $15 a month with no permanent free tier on our 15 June 2026 check, where RSS.com recorded a Free plan at $0 a month on 6 October 2026 and Buzzsprout recorded its Audio plan at $15 a month on 1 October 2026. The analytics depth that justifies the price is of limited use in the first months, when there is little listener data to read.
What are Simplecast's audio export and embed options?
Simplecast offers embeddable web players that you can customize and add to any website. The Recast feature creates shareable audio clips from full episodes. Episodes can be exported via RSS feed to any directory. However, there are no video export options since Simplecast is audio-only.
Can teams collaborate on Simplecast?
Yes, but team seats are limited by plan. Basic includes 2 seats, Essential includes 4, and Growth includes more. Each team member gets dashboard access, but there are no granular role-based permissions on self-serve plans. If you need separate access levels for producers, editors, and hosts, you will need the Professional or Enterprise tier.
Is Simplecast worth the money?
Simplecast is worth it if analytics are central to how you run your podcast. The IAB-certified data, unique listener counts, and episode comparisons provide insights that most competitors charge more for. It is not worth it if you primarily need monetization tools, AI features, or video hosting since Simplecast does not offer these on its self-serve plans.
Can I cancel Simplecast at any time?
Yes. Simplecast's Basic, Essential, and Growth plans are billed monthly with no long-term contract. You can cancel at any time and your podcast will remain available until the end of your billing period. You can also export your RSS feed and migrate to another host before canceling.