Leaving Spotify for Creators? Its help page says a redirect can take up to 7 days and to wait at least a week before deleting the account. Apple says keep a redirect live at least four weeks. Go by Apple's number.

Audacy closes Creator Lab, the old Podcorn, on November 1, and the Podcorn analytics prefix stops working with it. Podnews counts 13,362 shows still using it. Ever added it for a sponsor deal? Check your host's prefix setting and remove it this week. podnews.net/update/keyno...

Leaving Buzzsprout? Don't hit cancel, that's the delete button. Its Redirect tab points your feed at the new host and drops you to the free plan when your billing cycle ends. Buzzsprout says keep the account at least 3 weeks after. Full steps: podcasthostlab.com/how-to-move-...

One Simplecast dashboard in our analytics guide shows 10,336 downloads in seven days but only 6,226 unique listeners. Downloads count file requests, listeners count people. Sponsors pay CPM on downloads. Growth shows up in listeners.

Podbean has launched an MCP server that links your account to Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor, so you can ask about your stats or schedule episodes from a chat. Podbean says it needs Unlimited Audio or above. AI-prepped episodes save as drafts. podbean.com/podcast-mcp-...

Buzzsprout's help page names Spotify as an app that can't play its premium feeds. Captivate's private-feed app list leaves Spotify off too. Transistor is on Spotify's list for paid episodes. Selling to Spotify fans? Check your host. podcasthostlab.com/spotify-memb...

Cancel a paid Castos plan and the account stays active until the billing cycle ends. Then its help page says your account, shows and episode files are removed from its servers. Directories keep listing the show, so episodes can error. Download and redirect first.

Riverside launched four AI agents on October 27: Producer, Editor, Clipper and Marketer. Riverside says they are on every plan, but what they can do depends on your tier, and AI features still use credits. Check your credits first. riverside.com/agents

Paying monthly flips the cheapest-host math. Podbean's $12 Unlimited Audio is the yearly rate, $17 month to month. Libsyn's pricing page also links an $8 plan for the bare essentials. Before you buy cheap, check what it leaves out. podcasthostlab.com/cheapest-pod...

Switching podcast hosts? Search your old feed for podcast:locked first. Transistor's help page says a locked show cannot be imported until you set the lock to No at your old host. It exists so nobody moves your show without you. Unlock it, then import.

October price check: 1 of the 12 podcast hosts we track changed a price or plan since last month. None raised a price. The one change is Buzzsprout's overage rule for annual plans. About to sign up? October's prices held. podcasthostlab.com/podcast-host...

Price tracker alert: Buzzsprout's annual plans no longer force an upgrade when the yearly upload hours run out. You keep publishing, and extra time is billed monthly at $2 an hour. On a yearly plan with a long season ahead? Budget for it. podcasthostlab.com/podcast-host...

Simplecast Basic is $15 a month, but its help center says it bills per show, so every podcast you add is another charge. Transistor's $19 Starter covers unlimited podcasts. One show, Simplecast is cheaper. Two or more, run the math. podcasthostlab.com/transistor-v...

Students, schools, registered charities and nonprofits get 25% off every Captivate plan, per its pricing FAQ. It is not automatic: you sign up, then ask support to apply it. Running a show for a charity or school? Ask any host about one before you pay.

Sarah Koenig has a new show. METRO with Sarah Koenig, from Serial Productions and The New York Times, launched October 22 with two episodes and runs every other Thursday. Serial's team is going local, with stories about New Yorkers. podnews.net/press-releas...

A weekly one-hour show costs $180 a year on Buzzsprout Audio or $204 on Captivate Personal, both billed yearly. Buzzsprout caps uploads at 72 hours a year. Captivate's limit is 30,000 downloads a month instead. Longer episodes? Redo the math. podcasthostlab.com/captivate-vs...

In September 2025, Blubrry told customers to switch to annual billing before October 1 to lock in the old price. Then Standard went from $12 to $15 a month and Advanced from $20 to $25. If a host warns of a rise, run the yearly math before the date.

Spotify's Q3 report, out October 22: 788 million monthly users, up 11%, and 306 million Premium subscribers. It also says it is bringing the Partner Program to 35 more markets. Outside the US? Watch whether your country is next. newsroom.spotify.com/2026-10-22/s...

RSS.com says shows with 10 downloads a month qualify for its PAID ads. Buzzsprout Ads needs 1,000 downloads in 30 days, a paid plan and 5 episodes of 23 minutes or longer. Small show that wants ad money now? Compare the two before you pick. podcasthostlab.com/rss-com-vs-b...

Spreaker's free plan has unlimited episodes and no card, but it keeps only 6 months of stats and takes 20% of listener support through its Supporters Club. Paid plans take 0%, from $20 a month. If fans pay you, run the math on that cut.

Substack opened early access on October 21 to dynamic sponsorships for podcasts it hosts. Bring your own sponsors and update ads across your back catalog without re-editing. Marketplace ads are coming soon. Old episodes can keep earning. on.substack.com/p/introducin...

Miss a Podbean renewal and its help page gives you 7 days of grace, then the account and feed lock. Not renewed within 30 days, the content is permanently deleted. Leaving? Set your redirect before the plan runs out. We priced every plan. podcasthostlab.com/podbean-pric...

Spotify's Partner Program has a rule for staying in. Its help page says in any 6-month period you must publish an episode and earn at least $10. Pause more than 6 straight months and Spotify may remove the show. Taking a season off? Plan for it.

New from Sounds Profitable on October 21: a Podcast Atlas report on the listeners who buy the most from podcast ads. Its page says super spenders drive roughly 62% of recalled ad spend. Selling ads? Who listens matters as much as how many. soundsprofitable.com/research/the...

Simplecast Basic is $15 a month, or $13.50 if you prepay the year. Its terms say payments made before you close the account are nonrefundable, with no refund for time left in a billing cycle. New show? Pay monthly until you know it will last. podcasthostlab.com/simplecast-p...

IAB compliant and IAB certified are different claims. Transistor's page says its stats follow IAB guidelines, but it does not pay for the annual certification. Buzzsprout, Libsyn and Captivate are certified. Selling ads? Ask which one your host has.

Spotify launched Memberships on October 20. Podcasters can sell paid tiers to fans in 34 markets and keep 90%, if the show hosts on Spotify for Creators or Megaphone. Thinking about paid episodes? Check whether your host qualifies first. creators.spotify.com/resources/me...

A show at 40,000 downloads a month is past Captivate's 30,000 cap on its $17 plan. Professional is $44 a month billed yearly, $528 a year. Castos lists unlimited downloads on every plan, and Essentials is $190 a year. Check your downloads first. podcasthostlab.com/captivate-al...

Switching hosts? Count your episodes before you redirect. Transistor's import guide says some hosts limit how many episodes appear in the RSS feed, and it needs every one there to import it. Match the feed's count to your real total, or old episodes stay behind.

Bumper released a free tool that lets podcasters share YouTube engaged views with advertisers. Since late August one frame counts as a YouTube view, and Bumper says average podcast views nearly doubled. Selling ads on YouTube? Quote engaged views. engagedviews.wearebumper.com