Best AI Stack for Starting a Podcast
Plan, record, edit, distribute, and grow a podcast with AI handling the heavy lifting at every stage.
Which AI tools do you need to start a podcast?
To start a podcast you need 5 tools: ChatGPT for planning & research, Riverside for recording, Descript for editing & production, Buzzsprout for distribution, Opus Clip for promotion & growth. Plan, record, edit, distribute, and grow a podcast with AI handling the heavy lifting at every stage.
Planning & Research
Episode ideas, outlines, and guest research
Generate episode topics, write interview questions, research guests, and outline show notes.
Recording
Record high-quality audio remotely or locally
Studio-quality remote recording with local tracks, AI transcription, and automatic highlight clips.
Free remote recording with separate audio tracks.
Free / $20/moEditing & Production
Edit audio, remove filler words, enhance sound
Edit audio by editing text. AI removes filler words and silence, levels audio, and generates show notes.
Distribution
Publish to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all platforms
Easiest podcast hosting with automatic distribution to all platforms, transcriptions, and a built-in website.
Completely free hosting and distribution through Spotify.
FreePromotion & Growth
Repurpose episodes into clips, social content, and show notes
AI finds the most engaging moments and creates viral short clips for TikTok, Reels, and Shorts.
Audiogram creator that turns audio into shareable video clips.
Free / $15/moStack Summary
Free Path
$0/mo (Anchor + free tiers)
Paid Path
$50–95/mo
Skill Level
Beginner
Setup Time
1 week
What does this stack cost per month?
On each vendor's cheapest paid monthly plan, the 3 best picks add up to about $51/month (one seat each). 3 of the 3 have a free tier, so a free start is possible for the whole stack. Prices are read from each vendor's pricing page on the "Last verified" date in the table.
How do the tools to start a podcast compare?
| Tool | Pricing type | Starting price | Free tier | Last verified | Viability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | Freemium | $20/mo | Yes | Safe bet | |
| Descript | Freemium | $16/person/mo billed annually | Yes | Safe bet | |
| Opus Clip | Freemium | $14.50/mo billed annually | Yes | Safe bet |
How did we choose these tools?
Each stage names one best pick and the closest alternatives. Picks are chosen on live site checks, current published pricing, real-user sentiment and our viability band, and every listed tool is re-verified on a continuous cycle; placement cannot be bought.
How this page is made: drafted with AI models from our own verified data — live site checks, current pricing and the public sentiment we gather from Reddit, Product Hunt, G2 and community forums — and checked against our editorial standards before it is published. Every claim carries its source and date. Nothing here is pay-for-placement. Read the full methodology.