In short: A podcast budget is recording, editing, publishing, promotion and your own hours, multiplied by the episodes you release in a year. Start with one episode and add every line. Granary's published prices are from £108 an hour for a solo session, £395 per recorded episode for the Classic package and £195 per episode for publishing, all +VAT.
Most podcast budgets are built around recording and forget everything after it. The real cost of a show is the cost of one finished episode, multiplied by the number you release, plus the costs that do not change with the number. Work it out in that order.
What to count
- Recording. Room time, an engineer if you need one, and any remote guest kit.
- Editing. The cut, the clean-up, the music and the final mix.
- Publishing. Hosting, the feed, the artwork and the show notes.
- Guests. Their time, any travel and any thank-you gift you send.
- Promotion. Clips, social posts and any paid boost.
- Your own time. Hours per episode, multiplied by what an hour of your time is worth to you.
The formula
Cost per episode is recording, plus editing, plus publishing, plus promotion, plus the cost of your hours. The annual cost is the cost per episode multiplied by the number of episodes you release, plus any fixed costs such as a website or software you pay for each year.
Use the same basis for every line. If one price is per hour and another is per episode, convert them before you add them up.
Granary's published prices
- Solo. From £108 an hour +VAT, for the room, the kit and an engineer, by the hour. It suits a solo host or a one-to-one.
- Classic. £395 per recorded episode +VAT. The price includes the audio and video edit.
- Publishing add-on. £195 per episode +VAT, added to any recording booking. Publishing on its own is £295 per episode plus a £450 one-off onboarding, +VAT.
- Content in a Day. £1,395 +VAT, for one fully edited video podcast episode, ten retouched headshots and six captioned short-form cuts.
- Series Monthly. £1,195 a month +VAT, for one episode a month, with thirty days' notice.
These are the figures on the podcast site on 5 November 2026. Check the current prices before you commit to a budget, because they change.
A worked example
A show runs twelve episodes a year, 45 minutes each, with one host and one guest.
- Recording by the hour. Allow an hour per episode for set-up, the level check and the recording. Twelve hours at from £108 is from £1,296 +VAT, before any editing or publishing.
- Classic with publishing. Twelve episodes at £395 plus £195 is £7,080 +VAT for the year, with the edit and publishing included.
- Your own time. On the hourly route you edit and publish yourself. If that takes four hours an episode, it is 48 hours of your time a year. On Classic with publishing, the edit and the upload are done for you.
The Classic route costs more in cash, but the edit and the publishing are included. The hourly route costs less in cash, and the difference is your time.
Common mistakes
- Budgeting the recording only. The edit, the publishing and the promotion are where most of the hours go.
- Costing one episode and forgetting the year. Multiply by the episodes you will release.
- Comparing an hourly price with a per-episode price without converting one into the other.
- Leaving out your own time, which is usually the biggest line.
- Forgetting VAT. Check with your accountant whether you can reclaim it on these costs.
If the numbers point towards a produced episode, how much a video podcast costs to make in the UK breaks down the same lines in more depth, and the sponsorship pitch template and rate maths shows how a sponsorship rate is worked out.
Sources
- Granary Digital, Podcast Studio packages, read 5 November 2026
Related guides
The picture at the top of this page is an illustration, not a photograph of a client or a real job.
Questions we get asked
How much does it cost to start a podcast in the UK?
It depends on whether you record in a studio, at home or with a producer. Start by pricing one episode, including recording, editing, publishing and your own hours, then multiply by the number of episodes in a year.
What do most podcast budgets leave out?
Editing, publishing, promotion and your own time. Recording is the visible cost, but a finished episode needs several more hours of work after the microphone is switched off.
Are podcast studio prices with or without VAT?
Granary's podcast prices are shown +VAT. Check with your accountant whether you can reclaim VAT on the costs, because the answer depends on your registration.
granary.digital · 01243 884993 · studio@granary.digital · The Old Grainstore, Adsdean, Chichester, West Sussex, PO18 9DN · Prices exclude VAT unless marked inc VAT