Transistor vs Buzzsprout (2026): Downloads vs Upload Hours

The short answer

Verdict

One weekly audio show of about an hour, under 20,000 downloads a month: close to a tie. Buzzsprout Audio is $15/mo billed annually (72 upload hours a year). Transistor Starter is $190 a year.
Long or frequent episodes: Transistor. Its plans cap monthly downloads, not upload time, so a twice-weekly hour-long show costs the same as a weekly one. On Buzzsprout, uploads past your plan’s hours are billed at the plan’s hourly rate.
More than one show on a budget: Transistor. Every plan includes unlimited podcasts. Buzzsprout plans cover one show unless you move to a Multi-Podcast plan (5 or 10 shows).
Testing the idea for free: Buzzsprout. Its free plan includes 2 upload hours a month, but episodes are hosted for 90 days only. Transistor has a 14-day free trial instead.
Private feeds for a team: Transistor. Every plan includes private podcast subscribers (50 on Starter). Buzzsprout’s pricing page doesn’t list private or internal feeds.

This is a research-based comparison built from Transistor’s and Buzzsprout’s public pricing pages, checked Oct 29, 2026. We haven’t hosted a show on either.

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How each one charges

The two hosts bill on different things, which is why the cheaper one depends on your show.

Transistor charges by monthly audio downloads. Episodes, uploads, shows, and team members are unlimited on every plan. If you consistently go over your download limit, Transistor says it will contact you about upgrading; there’s no automatic shut-off.
Buzzsprout charges by upload hours: the total length of the new episodes you upload in a month (or a year, on annual billing). Its pricing page lists unlimited episodes and doesn’t cap downloads. Unused hours don’t roll over. If you upload more than your plan includes, you can keep publishing and the extra time is billed at your plan’s hourly rate.

Plans side by side

Checked Oct 29, 2026. US dollars.

	Transistor	Buzzsprout
Free option	14-day free trial	Free plan: 2 upload hours a month, episodes hosted for 90 days
Entry plan	Starter: $19/mo or $190/yr, 20,000 downloads a month	Audio: $18/mo with 6 upload hours a month, or $15/mo billed annually with 72 hours a year
Video plan	Professional: $49/mo or $490/yr, 100,000 downloads, 500 GB storage	Audio + Video: $30/mo monthly, or $25/mo billed annually, same upload hours as Audio
Bigger plan	Business: $99/mo or $990/yr, 250,000 downloads, 1 TB storage	Multi-Podcast, up to 5 audio shows: $36/mo with 15 hours a month, or $30/mo billed annually with 180 hours a year
Top self-serve	Enterprise 1: $199/mo or $1,990/yr, 600,000 downloads	Multi-Podcast, up to 10 shows: $78/mo audio (35 hours a month) or $96/mo audio + video, on monthly billing
Shows per account	Unlimited on every plan	1, or 5 or 10 on Multi-Podcast
Team members	Unlimited	Unlimited
Transcripts	Add-on: $5/mo for 5 hours, $20/mo for 20 hours	Included on all current paid plans
Private podcast subscribers	50 / 500 / 3,000 / 6,000 by plan	Not listed on the pricing page
Dynamic ads	Professional and up	Buzzsprout Ads listed as a premium feature
Paused show	Not listed	Archive plan, $5/mo, keeps the show live without new uploads

Transistor’s yearly prices are 12 months for the price of 10. Buzzsprout’s annual figures are shown “per month when billed annually.” Its paid add-ons, Cohost AI and Magic Mastering, are priced by plan and the pricing page doesn’t list the amounts.

Yearly cost for common shows

Audio only, one show, downloads under 20,000 a month, annual billing.

Show	Upload time per year	Transistor	Buzzsprout
Weekly, 45 minutes	About 39 hours	Starter, $190	Audio, $180 (within 72 hours)
Weekly, 75 minutes	About 65 hours	Starter, $190	Audio, $180 (within 72 hours)
Twice weekly, 60 minutes	About 104 hours	Starter, $190	Audio, $180 plus about 32 hours billed at the plan’s hourly rate
Daily news show, 15 minutes	About 91 hours	Starter, $190	Audio, $180 plus about 19 hours of overage

Buzzsprout’s pricing page doesn’t list the hourly overage rate, so check it in your account before choosing Buzzsprout for a long or frequent show. The comparison flips as downloads grow. A show with 50,000 downloads a month needs Transistor Professional ($490/yr), while on Buzzsprout the price stays tied to upload time.

Multiple shows

Transistor includes unlimited podcasts on every plan. Downloads are pooled across all your shows, so three small shows can share one Starter plan at $190 a year. On Buzzsprout, a second show means a second plan or a Multi-Podcast plan. Up to 5 audio shows is $30/mo billed annually, with 180 upload hours a year shared across the shows. For more hosts that bill by download, see Captivate vs Transistor.

Video

Transistor’s Starter plan is audio only. Video publishing starts on Professional ($49/mo), and video files can be up to 30 GB each. Buzzsprout’s Audio + Video plan ($25/mo billed annually) publishes video to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube at up to 1080p resolution, using the same upload hours as the audio plan.

Private and internal podcasts

Transistor includes private podcast subscribers on every plan: 50 on Starter, 500 on Professional, and 3,000 on Business. That makes it the better fit of these two for an internal company show. For hosts built around private feeds, see best private podcast hosting.

Switching between them

Buzzsprout lists “Easy Podcast Migration” among its premium features. Transistor’s pricing page doesn’t cover imports, so check its help center before you move. Whichever way you move, set a 301 redirect on the old feed so apps follow you to the new one. Our step-by-step guide covers it: how to move a podcast to a new host. For every Transistor tier, see Transistor pricing.

Sources

Transistor pricing: https://transistor.fm/pricing/ (checked Oct 29, 2026)
Buzzsprout pricing: https://www.buzzsprout.com/pricing (checked Oct 29, 2026; monthly and annual tabs)