Cheapest podcast hosting for 5,000 downloads a month
For 1 podcast, 5,000 downloads and 4 upload hours a month, the cheapest is RSS.com Free at $0/month, then Fireside Starter at $9/month. 10 of 10 tracked hosts fit. On annual billing: RSS.com Free at $0/month.
Last checked 2026-10-18 on the official pages.
One podcast, 5,000 downloads and 4 upload hours a month (a weekly one-hour show).
Monthly billing
| Host and cheapest fitting plan | Plan price | Add-ons needed | Total / month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RSS.com Free | $0 | — | $0 | $0 |
| Fireside Starter | $9 | — | $9 | $108 |
| Acast Essential | $14.99 | — | $14.99 | $179.88 |
| Simplecast Basic | $15 | — | $15 | $180 |
| Podbean Unlimited Audio | $17 | — | $17 | $204 |
| Buzzsprout Audio | $18 | — | $18 | $216 |
| Captivate Personal | $19 | — | $19 | $228 |
| Castos Essentials | $19 | — | $19 | $228 |
| Transistor Starter | $19 | — | $19 | $228 |
| Riverside Pro | $29 | — | $29 | $348 |
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Annual billing (per-month equivalent)
| Host and cheapest fitting plan | Plan price | Add-ons needed | Total / month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RSS.com Free | $0 | — | $0 | $0 |
| Fireside Starter | $8.25 | — | $8.25 | $99 |
| Podbean Unlimited Audio | $12 | — | $12 | $144 |
| Simplecast Basic | $13.50 | — | $13.50 | $162 |
| Acast Essential monthly price | $14.99 | — | $14.99 | $179.88 |
| Buzzsprout Audio | $15 | — | $15 | $180 |
| Transistor Starter | $15.83 | — | $15.83 | $189.96 |
| Captivate Personal | $17 | — | $17 | $204 |
| Castos Essentials monthly price | $19 | — | $19 | $228 |
| Riverside Pro | $24 | — | $24 | $288 |
Total = plan price + any paid extra podcasts. Download and upload caps are the plan limits each host states; 'no cap stated' means the pricing page sets none (most call it unlimited or unmetered); Fireside and Podbean Network cap bandwidth in GB/TB, which is shown but not converted to downloads. Upload hours are audio hours (video uses more storage). 'Video podcast' = the host lists video podcast hosting on that plan. monthly price = no annual price is published as a number, so the monthly price is used. Ties are broken by name. Affiliate status is never used.
Related: 1,000 downloads/month · 20,000 downloads/month · 50,000 downloads/month · 100,000 downloads/month · 250,000 downloads/month · open in the calculator
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest podcast host for 5,000 downloads a month?
For 1 podcast, 5,000 downloads and 4 upload hours a month, the cheapest is RSS.com Free at $0/month, then Fireside Starter at $9/month. 10 of 10 tracked hosts fit. On annual billing: RSS.com Free at $0/month.
Are these prices before tax?
Yes. All prices are in USD before sales tax or VAT, as listed on each host's pricing page.
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