Guides

Switch from Spotify for Podcasters without losing subscribers. Export your RSS feed, import it into Transistor, and set the 301 redirect the right way in 2026.

Does your podcast host re-encode your audio? Buzzsprout converts to 96k mono by default. Transistor, Captivate, and Castos leave your MP3 alone.

Buzzsprout, Transistor, and Spotify take WAV uploads. Castos, Acast, and Podbean do not. And every host converts it to MP3 anyway. Here is what to export.

Buzzsprout allows 5 GB per episode, Acast just 150 MB, and Libsyn caps you by the month instead. Every major host’s upload limit, compared and verified.

You can join the Spotify Partner Program without hosting on Spotify, but only through five hosts. Here is who supports it, what it costs, and the catches.

You do not need 10,000 downloads to land a podcast sponsor. Marketplaces like Buzzsprout Ads and Acast accept shows at 1,000 downloads. Here is the real math.

What is a good podcast download number in 2026? Benchmarks by episode, what percentile you are in, and the download counts sponsors actually care about.

How much does it cost to start a podcast in 2026? A real budget: hosting, a mic, and editing. You can launch for under $100, and here is where the money goes.

Do you need a podcast host if you use Spotify or YouTube? Only if you want to reach every app and own your feed. Here is when you can skip one and when you can’t.

Best live streaming for podcasts comes down to two tools: StreamYard for a clean live show plus recording, Restream for multistreaming everywhere. See 2026 pricing.