Subastian / Tool stacks / Podcast Production
Niche stack · Podcast Production
Podcast Production Tool Stack: What It Costs in 2026 (and What to Cut)
A podcast stack covers recording, editing and transcription, hosting, audio cleanup and cover art. Recording and editing tools now overlap heavily, which is where most podcast budgets double up.
Prices checked October 19, 2026 on each vendor's own page- Lean stack
- ≈ $44/mo
- Paying for the overlaps too
- + $35/mo
Riverside Pro (monthly), Buzzsprout Audio, Auphonic free and Canva free. Yearly prices divided by 12.
What the tools marked “Overlaps” add on top, for jobs the lean stack already covers.
The stack, tool by tool
Prices are in USD before tax, exactly as each vendor listed them. Some only show yearly billing; the per-month column divides those by 12.
| Tool and job | Price as listed | ≈ per month | Free plan or trial | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside ProRemote recording, text-based editing, transcription | $29/mo billed monthly, or $24/mo billed yearly | $29 | Free plan (2 hours). 14-day trial. | In lean stack |
| Descript CreatorEditing, transcription, remote recording | $35/mo billed monthly, or $24/mo billed annually | — | Free plan | Overlaps Riverside Pro |
| Buzzsprout AudioPodcast hosting | $15/mo, billed annually | $15 | Free plan: 2 hours a month, episodes hosted 90 days | In lean stack |
| AuphonicAudio leveling and cleanup | Free for 2 hours of audio a month | $0 | Free plan | In lean stack |
| CanvaCover art and episode graphics | Free. Pro $144/yr | $0 | Free plan | In lean stack |
What to cut
- Riverside and Descript overlap.Riverside Pro includes text-based editing and unlimited transcription. Descript Creator includes remote recording and transcription. Paying for both adds $35 a month for jobs one of them already does.
- Auphonic's free tier covers a weekly show.Auphonic is free for 2 hours of processed audio a month, which covers about four 30-minute episodes.
- Buzzsprout's free plan is for testing only.Free episodes come down after 90 days, so a show you're keeping needs a paid hosting plan.
Track this stack automatically
Subastian is subscription management software in development. Its Niche Stacks feature is being built to put together a list like this for your work, then warn you before you pay for a job you already cover. Join the free Founding Roster for early access and the launch rate.
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Sources
Every price above was read on the vendor's own website on October 19, 2026. Plans and prices change, so check before you buy. This page has no affiliate links, and Subastian isn't paid by any tool listed.
- Auphonic: https://auphonic.com/pricing
- Buzzsprout: https://www.buzzsprout.com/pricing
- Canva: https://www.canva.com/pricing/
- Descript: https://www.descript.com/pricing
- Riverside: https://riverside.com/pricing