How private podcasts work
A private podcast skips the public directories. Each listener gets their own feed, usually by email invite, and adds it to a podcast app that supports private feeds. Apple Podcasts, Overcast, and Pocket Casts support private feeds. Transistor lists Spotify among the apps that don’t. Because each listener has a unique feed, you can remove one person’s access without affecting anyone else.
Private subscriber limits by plan
US dollars, monthly billing unless noted.
| Host and plan | Price | Private subscribers |
|---|---|---|
| Transistor Starter | $19/mo or $190/yr | 50 |
| Transistor Professional | $49/mo or $490/yr | 500 |
| Transistor Business | $99/mo or $990/yr | 3,000 |
| Transistor Enterprise | From $199/mo | Over 3,000 |
| Castos Essentials | $19/mo or $190/yr | 100 |
| Castos Growth | $49/mo or $490/yr | 250 |
| Castos Pro | $99/mo or $990/yr | 500, plus $50/mo per extra 500 |
| Castos Premium | From $499/mo or $4,990/yr | Custom |
| Captivate, all plans | From $17/mo paid yearly | No cap listed; plans limit monthly downloads (30K, 150K, 300K) |
Monthly cost by audience size
The cheapest listed plan that covers each private audience, monthly billing.
| Private listeners | Transistor | Castos |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | $19 (Starter) | $19 (Essentials) |
| 100 | $49 (Professional) | $19 (Essentials) |
| 250 | $49 (Professional) | $49 (Growth) |
| 500 | $49 (Professional) | $99 (Pro) |
| 1,000 | $99 (Business) | $149 (Pro plus one 500 pack) |
| 3,000 | $99 (Business) | $349 (Pro plus five 500 packs), or ask about Premium |
Captivate’s entry plan is $17/mo paid yearly, with monthly billing starting at $19. Its downloads cap applies to the whole account, so check with Captivate how private listens count toward it if you run a large private feed.
Castos says that if you exceed your private subscriber limit, it moves you up to the next tier automatically.
Feature comparison
| Transistor | Castos | Captivate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unique feed per listener | Yes | Yes, or one shared private feed URL | Yes |
| Ways to add listeners | Manually, CSV upload, Zapier, invite link | Email invites | Individually or in bulk |
| New-episode emails to listeners | Yes | Not listed | Not listed |
| Membership sync | Ghost integration keeps paying members in sync | WordPress via Seriously Simple Podcasting | Integrates with your email platform or membership tools |
| Branded listener app | No | Mobile app on Growth and up | No |
| Password-protected feeds | Not listed | All plans | Not listed |
| Shows per account | Unlimited, sharing one subscriber limit | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Free trial | 14 days | 14 days | 30 days |
Picks by use case
- Internal training or company updates: Transistor Professional covers 500 staff for $49/mo and lets you add people by CSV. Business covers 3,000 for $99/mo.
- Paid membership on Ghost: Transistor, for its Ghost member sync, which grants and removes access automatically.
- Membership site on WordPress: Castos, through its Seriously Simple Podcasting plugin, with the private-listener app on Growth and up.
- Large free community where a per-subscriber cap would hurt: Captivate, since its pricing page doesn’t cap private subscribers.
Next steps
- Already hosting a public show elsewhere? Read how to move your podcast to a new host.
- Comparing these hosts for a public show? See Captivate vs Transistor and Castos vs Captivate.
Sources
- Transistor pricing: https://transistor.fm/pricing/ (checked Oct 28, 2026)
- Transistor private podcasts: https://transistor.fm/features/private-podcasts/ (checked Oct 28, 2026)
- Transistor help, private podcast subscribers: https://support.transistor.fm/en/article/what-are-private-podcast-subscribers-12lzzka/ (checked Oct 28, 2026)
- Castos pricing: https://castos.com/pricing/ (checked Oct 28, 2026)
- Captivate pricing: https://www.captivate.fm/pricing (checked Oct 28, 2026)
- Captivate private podcasting: https://www.captivate.fm/private-podcasting (checked Oct 28, 2026)
- Riverside pricing: https://riverside.com/pricing (checked Oct 28, 2026)