Platform fees

Compare podcast fees: Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more

Compare subscription fees with advertising and other podcast income options. Check plan costs, extra charges and how listeners access paid episodes.

14 platforms

US / USD unless labelled

Last checked

Sources and dates

Apple Podcasts Subscriptions

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Income sources
Creators sell monthly or annual paid subscriptions; other podcast revenue, including ads, remains theirs. Source
Plan cost
Apple Podcasters Program costs $19.99/year in the US; the fee varies by country. Source
Platform fee
Apple retains 30% during a subscriber’s first paid year, then 15% after one year of paid service. Source
Extra charges
Applicable taxes are deducted from creator proceeds. Source
Listener access
Listeners subscribe and access paid shows in Apple Podcasts. Source

Spotify for Creators

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Income sources
Subscriptions; eligible shows may also earn ad and premium-video revenue through the Partner Program. Source
Plan cost
Spotify for Creators podcast hosting is free. Source
Platform fee
No platform fee on legacy direct subscriptions through October 19; from October 20 new Memberships pay 10% of net earnings. Migrated legacy subscriptions keep old fees until cancellation. Source
Extra charges
Through October 19: 5.5% processing plus 0.8–1.6% FX when currencies differ. From October 20, new Memberships’ 10% includes processing, FX, and payout; migrated subscriptions keep old fees until cancellation. US payout: rolling 30 days after 30-day onboarding, $10 minimum. Source
Listener access
Subscriptions require 2 episodes and 100 unique Spotify listeners in 60 days in supported markets. Partner Program has separate eligibility: 1,000 audience, 2,000 listening hours in 30 days, and 3 episodes. Source

Supercast

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Income sources
Paid memberships with hosted private podcast feeds. Source
Plan cost
$0.59 per subscriber per month, plus Stripe fees. Source
Platform fee
Subscriptions: no percentage platform fee. One-time payments: 15%, capped at $1.50. Source
Extra charges
Stripe: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction, plus 0.7% per recurring payment (USD). Source
Listener access
Listeners use private podcast feeds in supported podcast apps. Source

Supporting Cast

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Income sources
Paid podcast subscriptions, bundles, exclusive video and newsletters. Source
Plan cost
No public plan price is listed; prospective customers are asked to request a demo. Source
Platform fee
No public platform-fee schedule is listed. Source
Extra charges
Payment-processing and transaction fees are not publicly stated. Source
Listener access
Premium feeds work with Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other supported apps. Source

Acast

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Income sources
Ads and sponsorships; paid premium subscriptions are also supported. Source
Plan cost
Starter is free; Essential is $25/mo or $14.99/mo billed yearly. Source
Platform fee
Standard creator terms: Acast receives 50% of net ad revenue; advanced splits are set in a separate term sheet. Source
Extra charges
Acast+ terms dated Oct 2022 list a 15% admin fee plus Stripe processing; current applicability is unconfirmed. Source
Listener access
Public RSS distribution; premium offers use the Acast+ service or designated paywall partners. Source

Podbean

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Income sources
Ads Marketplace, PodAds, Podbean Premium sales and Apple Podcasts Subscriptions integration. Source
Plan cost
Unlimited Audio is $12/mo billed annually or $17 monthly; Unlimited Plus is $29/$39 for audio and video. Source
Platform fee
Paid hosts receive 70% of net Ads Marketplace revenue (Podbean retains 30%); free-plan hosts receive no ad share. PodAds costs $1 per 1,000 ad downloads served. Source
Extra charges
Ad share is calculated after taxes, card/other processing, bad debt, chargebacks, commissions, credits, refunds, and advertiser discounts. Source
Listener access
Ads Marketplace and PodAds require U.S.-person status; public shows use RSS, while Premium delivery uses Podbean apps/web or Apple access. Source

Buzzsprout

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Income sources
Listener support, paid subscriptions, and Buzzsprout Ads Source
Plan cost
Free plan: 2 upload hours/month, episodes hosted 90 days. Audio plan: $15/month billed annually, 72 hours/year. Source
Platform fee
Listener subscriptions use an 85/15 revenue split; the current public FAQ does not say whether processing is included. Source
Extra charges
Buzzsprout Ads eligibility and creator share depend on enrollment terms; no standard ad share is published in the public terms. Source
Listener access
Premium episodes appear in the public feed; earnings go to Buzzsprout Wallet for PayPal cash-out. Source

Libsyn

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Income sources
Automatic Podcast Ads, Libsyn Ads, PodRoll, and Apple Podcasts Subscriptions Source
Plan cost
Basic: $12/month after a 30-day free trial; 3 audio upload hours/month. Source
Platform fee
Automatic Ads pay creators 50% below 50,000 monthly downloads and 60% at 50,000 or more (equivalent Libsyn shares: 50% and 40%). Libsyn Ads Marketplace standard commission is 30%, negotiable. Apple subscription commission is 30% in year one and 15% after a subscriber has paid for one year. Source
Extra charges
Apple Podcasts Subscriptions require an Apple Podcasters Program membership; US annual fee is $19.99 and varies by country. Source
Listener access
Distributes to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and 20+ platforms; supports private and subscriber audio. Source

Captivate

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Income sources
Podcast ads, paid memberships, and listener tips Source
Plan cost
Personal: $17/month billed yearly or $19/month; 30,000 downloads/month; 30-day free trial. Source
Platform fee
Captivate fee: 12% on memberships, 5% on tips, and none on advertising revenue. Source
Extra charges
Stripe processing: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction; withdrawal: 0.25% + $0.30. Captivate takes no withdrawal fee. Source
Listener access
All plans include private podcasting, unlimited podcasts, and unlimited storage. Source

Transistor

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Income sources
Dynamic ad insertion for self-sold campaigns; private paid feeds can use PayPal or an external membership provider. Source
Plan cost
Starter: $19/month; dynamic ad campaigns start on Professional at $49/month. Source
Platform fee
Transistor provides ad insertion but no ad network or native checkout; advertisers and payment providers handle the commercial terms. Source
Extra charges
Sponsor, ad-network, checkout, and processing fees depend on the outside provider or agreement. Source
Listener access
Private subscribers receive a unique RSS feed; Starter allows 50 subscribers. Source

RedCircle

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Income sources
Host-read and programmatic ads, donations, exclusive subscriptions, and partner premium revenue Source
Plan cost
Growth: $19.99/month or $180/year ($15/month annual equivalent); Core plan is free. Source
Platform fee
Platform share: 30% host-read ads/sponsorships, 50% programmatic ads, 4.5% donations, 12% exclusive subscriptions, and 50% partner premium revenue. Donation and subscription rates apply after actual facilitation expenses and refunds are deducted; ad rates use net ad revenue. Source
Extra charges
Payment processing and refunds reduce the net donation/subscription amount before the listed share is calculated. Source
Listener access
Public RSS distribution; exclusive content is delivered to paid subscribers. Source

Spreaker

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Income sources
Ad Exchange advertising and recurring Supporters Club memberships Source
Plan cost
Free Speech: $0; Broadcaster: $20/month; higher plans cost $50 and $250/month. Source
Platform fee
Ad Exchange creators get 60% of ad CPM; Spreaker playback adds up to 10 points. Supporters Club fee: 20% on Free, 0% on paid plans. Source
Extra charges
Web Supporters Club payments use Stripe: 5% + $0.25 per payment; fees can vary by payment method, card, and country. Source
Listener access
Ads: PayPal, $10 minimum; paid within 60 days after month-end. Supporters Club payout timing is not stated. Source

Hello Audio

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Income sources
Paid private podcast feeds for courses, memberships, and exclusive audio Source
Plan cost
Starter: $17/month or $14/month billed annually; 1 private feed, unlimited listeners. Source
Platform fee
Hello Audio fee varies by plan: Starter 5%, Pro 2%, Powerhouse 0%. Source
Extra charges
Stripe processing: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. Source
Listener access
Private feeds play in podcast apps that accept an imported feed URL; Starter includes 1 private and 1 public feed. Source

Castos

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Income sources
Castos Ads, paid podcast subscriptions, and listener donations Source
Plan cost
Essentials: $19/month or $190/year; includes up to 100 private subscribers. Source
Platform fee
Commerce subscriptions and donations have 0% Castos fee. Castos Ads pays per listen but does not publish a payout percentage. Source
Extra charges
Stripe processing is 2.9% + $0.30 per payment; exceeding a plan’s private-subscriber limit raises the plan tier. Source
Listener access
Private delivery uses RSS or the Castos app. Ads pay by PayPal at $10 minimum, 45 days after month-end. Source

Spotify for Creators

Podcast hosting

0%Legacy subscriptions
10%New Memberships

You keep 100% before other fees

Hosting
Free
Legacy fees
5.5% processing
Subscriptions
Need 100 listeners
All rates and sources
All Spotify for Creators rates
RateWhen
Spotify
0%Legacy subscriptionsPlus processing, until 19 Oct
10%New MembershipsFrom 20 Oct; processing included

From 20 October, new Memberships pay 10%, which covers processing and payouts.

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Sources

Supercast

Private podcast subscriptions

0%Memberships
15%One-time payments

You keep 100% before other fees

Per subscriber
59¢ a month
Card fees
2.9% + 30¢ Stripe
Stripe Billing
+ 0.7%
All rates and sources
All Supercast rates
RateWhen
Supercast
0%Memberships
15%One-time paymentsMax $1.50

Supercast charges 59¢ per subscriber each month instead of a percentage.

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Sources

Supporting Cast

Paid podcast feeds

Request pricingPaid podcast platform
Pricing
By demo
Processing
Not published
Apps
Apple, Spotify, more
Sources

Supporting Cast only shares pricing in a sales demo.

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Sources

Acast

Podcast hosting and ads

50%Ad revenue
15%Acast+ subscriptions

You keep 50% before other fees

Starter
Free
Essential
$14.99 a month, yearly
Acast+
Stripe fees extra
All rates and sources
All Acast rates
RateWhen
Acast
50%Ad revenueOf net ad revenue
Acast+ terms, 2022
15%Acast+ subscriptionsAdmin fee, plus Stripe

Advanced creators can agree different splits.

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Sources

Buzzsprout

Podcast hosting

15%Listener subscriptions

You keep 85% before other fees

Audio plan
$15 a month, yearly
Free plan
2 hours a month
Cash out
PayPal
All rates and sources
All Buzzsprout rates
RateWhen
Buzzsprout
15%Listener subscriptionsYou keep 85%

Buzzsprout does not say whether card fees are inside the 15%.

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Sources

Libsyn

Podcast hosting

50%Automatic ads, under 50K
40%Automatic ads, 50K+

You keep 50% before other fees

Basic
$12 a month
Apple program
$19.99 a year
Uploads
3 hours a month
+ 3 more rates
All Libsyn rates
RateWhen
Automatic ads
50%Automatic ads, under 50KMonthly downloads
40%Automatic ads, 50K+
Other
30%Libsyn Ads MarketplaceCan be negotiated
30%Apple subscriptions, year 1
15%Apple, after year 1

Apple subscriptions need an Apple Podcasters Program membership.

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Sources

Captivate

Podcast hosting

12%Memberships
5%Tips

You keep 88% before other fees

Personal
$17 a month, yearly
Card fees
2.9% + 30¢ Stripe
Ads
No Captivate fee
+ 1 more rate
All Captivate rates
RateWhen
Captivate
12%Memberships
5%Tips
0%Ads

Stripe withdrawals cost 0.25% + 30¢. Captivate adds no withdrawal fee.

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Sources

RedCircle

Podcast hosting and ads

50%Programmatic ads
4.5%Donations

You keep 50% before other fees

Core plan
Free
Growth
$19.99 a month
Taken first
Processing, refunds
+ 3 more rates
All RedCircle rates
RateWhen
Ads
30%Host-read ads
50%Programmatic ads
Listener payments
4.5%DonationsAfter costs and refunds
12%Exclusive subscriptionsAfter costs and refunds
50%Partner premium revenue

Ad shares are taken from net ad revenue.

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Sources

Spreaker

Podcast hosting

40%Ad Exchange
20%Supporters Club, Free

You keep 60% before other fees

Broadcaster
$20 a month
Club card fee
5% + 25¢
Ad payouts
$10 minimum
+ 2 more rates
All Spreaker rates
RateWhen
Ads
40%Ad ExchangeYou keep 60%
30%Plays on SpreakerYou keep up to 70%
Supporters Club
20%Supporters Club, Free
0%Paid plans

Ad earnings are paid by PayPal within 60 days after the month ends.

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Sources

Hello Audio

Private audio feeds

5%Starter
0%Powerhouse

You keep 95% before other fees

Starter
$14 a month, yearly
Card fees
2.9% + 30¢ Stripe
Listeners
Unlimited
+ 1 more rate
All Hello Audio rates
RateWhen
Hello Audio
5%Starter
2%Pro
0%Powerhouse

Listeners import your private feed into their podcast app.

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Sources

Music sales and distribution

19 platformsHeadline fees: 0% to 15% (17 percentage rates)

Audiobooks

9 platformsHeadline fees: 0% to 55%

Paid communities and memberships

31 platformsHeadline fees: 0% to 10% (27 percentage rates)