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beehiiv podcast hosting (2026): is it free, download limits per plan, premium feeds, Spotify, Apple and ads
Last verified against official pricing pages · published 1 Nov 2026
Prices change often. Each price was checked on the platform's official pricing page on the date shown; plans, promos and taxes vary. Confirm on the official site before you buy. Not financial advice.
Short answer: yes, beehiiv hosts podcasts, and you can start on the Free plan: 1 show, 5,000 downloads a month, RSS distribution to Spotify and Apple Podcasts, transcripts. Paid plans raise the limits (Lite: 2 shows, 15,000 downloads, from $59/month; Pro: 50,000 downloads, from $109/month) and add premium paid feeds and podcast ads. beehiiv does not say what happens if you go over your download limit.
Every rule on this page is from beehiiv's own pricing page, Podcasts page and help center (listed under Sources, checked 2026-11-01). Where beehiiv publishes nothing, we say "not stated by beehiiv". Plan prices from data/pricing.json (checked 2026-10-27, same figures as beehiiv's page on 2026-11-01). No platform pays us for this page; some buttons elsewhere on the site are paid links.
beehiiv podcast limits by plan
| Podcast feature | Free | Lite | Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price (monthly billing, 1,000 subscribers) | $0 | $59 | $109 |
| Monthly downloads | 5,000 | 15,000 | 50,000 |
| Shows | 1 | 2 | Unlimited (pricing table); "up to 4" (help FAQ) |
| Private premium (paid) RSS feeds | None (no paid subscriptions) | 1 | 2 |
| Analytics history | 3 months | 12 months | All time |
| Premium episode audio previews | No | No | Yes |
| Podcast ads (dynamic, programmatic, campaigns) | No | Yes, you keep 50% of programmatic | Yes, you keep 55% of programmatic |
| Episode pages on your own beehiiv site | beehiiv-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Feed import, RSS + distribution, YouTube, transcripts, API | Yes | Yes | Yes |
From the "Podcast" table on beehiiv pricing and Creating a podcast on beehiiv. Enterprise (custom price) has 100,000+ downloads, unlimited shows and feeds, VAST tags and a 60% programmatic share. Pro shows: the pricing table and the article's plan table say unlimited, but the same article's FAQ says "up to 4"; we show both until beehiiv aligns them. Pro analytics is "Premium" on the pricing page and "All time" history in the analytics article.
What beehiiv podcast hosting costs
The podcast is part of your beehiiv plan, and beehiiv prices plans by newsletter subscribers, not by downloads. So the real question is which plan your list and your show need together:
| Subscribers | Free | Lite | Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $0 | $59 | $109 |
| 2,500 | $0 | $79 | $149 |
| 5,000 | n/ | $109 | $199 |
| 10,000 | n/ | $139 | $239 |
Per month, monthly billing, USD; yearly billing is cheaper (see beehiiv pricing). Free covers up to 2,500 subscribers (see beehiiv free plan). Downloads per month are capped separately: a show with 5,001+ downloads a month needs Lite or higher even with a small list, and above 15,000 it needs Pro. Not stated by beehiiv: what happens when you exceed the allowance, or a price for extra downloads. Ad impressions don't count toward the download limit (beehiiv).
Uploading episodes: files and limits
- Formats: MP3 and WAV only; M4A, AAC, FLAC, AIFF and OGG are not supported, so convert first (audio guidelines).
- File size: 500 MB per episode. beehiiv's example: a 60-minute 128 kbps mono MP3 is about 55 MB; a 60-minute stereo WAV is usually over 500 MB. No maximum episode length is stated.
- Recommended export: MP3, CBR, 128 kbps mono for voice or 192 kbps stereo with music, 44.1 kHz, -16 LUFS, -1 dBTP true peak.
- Artwork: square JPEG or PNG, ideally 1400–3000 px (beehiiv).
- Transcripts: generated automatically after publishing, shown with timestamps on the episode page; they can't be edited yet (put a custom transcript in the show notes).
- Not automatic: publishing an episode doesn't send a newsletter; link it from a post, or use the episode-published automation trigger.
Premium (paid) podcasts
On paid plans with at least one paid subscription tier you can gate a whole show, gate single bonus episodes per tier, or run a separate ad-free premium show next to the public one (beehiiv). beehiiv takes 0% of subscription revenue; Stripe's processing fees apply (payouts and countries).
- How subscribers listen: after buying a qualifying tier they get an email with a private RSS link, plus deep links and a QR code on their subscription page. Each link is personal.
- Spotify: beehiiv is a Spotify Open Access partner; with Spotify's Synced Feeds, free listeners see locked premium episodes and subscribers unlock them on one show page (beehiiv). Spotify download data for premium feeds isn't in beehiiv yet.
- Apple Podcasts and other apps: submit only the public feed; the premium feed must not be listed publicly.
- Audio previews (15 seconds to 10 minutes) need Pro and play only on the episode's web page, not in podcast apps (beehiiv).
- No ads on premium feeds: premium shows and gated episodes aren't eligible for monetization (beehiiv).
Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and other apps
- Spotify: "Sync with Spotify" from the Distribution tab, or submit the RSS feed in Spotify for Creators. Video: beehiiv's feed is audio; upload an MP4 per episode in Spotify for Creators and it replaces the audio on Spotify only (beehiiv).
- Apple Podcasts: "Sync with Apple Podcasts" or add the feed in Apple Podcasts Connect; Apple's review takes 24 to 48 hours (beehiiv). beehiiv does not distribute video podcasts to Apple yet. Claiming the show in Apple Podcasts Connect is optional and only gives you Apple's own analytics (beehiiv).
- YouTube: link your channel or playlist; matching videos are embedded on the episode page.
- Others: Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, Pocket Casts, Overcast, TuneIn by RSS submission; Castro picks up shows from Apple automatically.
- Embedding on another website: beehiiv has no standalone embeddable player; use Spotify's or Apple's embed (beehiiv).
Podcast ads on beehiiv
On paid plans you mark pre-, mid- and post-roll ad breaks and ads are inserted dynamically, so you can change creative or run ads in old episodes without re-uploading (beehiiv). Two ways to earn:
- Programmatic: turn it on in the monetization tab; no download minimum and no application. You keep 50% of gross programmatic revenue on Lite, 55% on Pro and 60% on Enterprise. Rates and fill aren't guaranteed and beehiiv gives no earnings estimate (beehiiv). It's separate from the newsletter beehiiv Ad Network.
- Direct-sold: sell your own sponsorships, upload the ad (up to 90 seconds, MP3 or WAV) and run it as a campaign; you arrange payment with the advertiser. Direct-sold ads take priority over programmatic.
beehiiv's Podcasts page still labels dynamic ads "Coming soon", while its pricing table and help articles (updated October 26–27, 2026) describe them as available on Lite and up. Podcast video monetization is "planned for 2027".
Analytics
Downloads and estimated unique listeners, filtered to IAB standards, plus geography, top episodes and listening platforms; CSV export. History is 3 months on Free, 12 months on Lite and all time on Pro (beehiiv). Third-party analytics prefixes need Lite, a tracking pixel needs Pro (beehiiv). beehiiv warns that shows moving from a non-IAB platform "including Substack" may see lower download numbers.
Moving a podcast to beehiiv, or away
- Import: paste your current RSS feed (Acast, Buzzsprout, Libsyn, Spotify for Creators, Transistor and many more). Episodes and metadata come over with their original GUIDs, so apps don't re-download the back catalog. Then set a 301 redirect at your old host once the import is complete. Download history does not transfer, so export it first (beehiiv).
- From Substack: beehiiv has a separate article for audio and video posts (beehiiv); see also Substack to beehiiv.
- Leaving beehiiv: enter the new host's feed URL in the Distribution tab and beehiiv sets up a 301 redirect; most apps follow within a few days (beehiiv).
beehiiv vs Substack for a podcast
| beehiiv | Substack | |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting price | $0 on Free; podcast limits grow with paid plans (beehiiv pricing) | No hosting fee listed; publishing is free at any size |
| Download limit | 5,000 / 15,000 / 50,000 a month (Free / Lite / Pro) | None stated |
| Fee on paid listeners | 0% beehiiv fee (paid plan needed) + Stripe fees | 10% + Stripe fees |
| Max file size | 500 MB, MP3 and WAV | Not stated for audio; MP3, WAV and AAC |
| Paid episodes on Spotify | Yes (Open Access, Synced Feeds) | Yes (Open Access) |
| Video | Audio feed only; upload video in Spotify for Creators; no video to Apple yet | Video posts; audio goes to the feed; video to Apple for "select creators" |
| Podcast ads | Dynamic insertion + programmatic on paid plans | Separate sponsored free version of an episode |
| Leaving with your feed | Documented 301 redirect from beehiiv | Not stated by Substack |
Substack column from Substack's help center, checked 2026-10-31; details and sources in Substack podcast hosting. The trade-off in one line: Substack has no download cap but keeps 10% if you charge; beehiiv takes 0% but caps downloads by plan and needs a paid plan for paid episodes. Run your own numbers in the cost calculator.
Related: Substack podcast hosting · How much beehiiv ads pay · beehiiv free plan · Is beehiiv worth it? · beehiiv pricing · beehiiv vs Substack
Sources
- beehiiv pricing ("Podcast" feature table and plan prices) and beehiiv Podcasts page, checked 2026-11-01
- beehiiv help, hosting (checked 2026-11-01): Creating a podcast, Audio file guidelines, Distribution to listening platforms, Apple Podcasts Connect, Video to Spotify, Embedding on an external site, Analytics dashboard, Third-party prefixes
- beehiiv help, paid and ads (checked 2026-11-01): Gated premium podcast, Audio previews, Premium feeds on Spotify, Podcast monetization overview, Programmatic podcast ads
- beehiiv help, moving (checked 2026-11-01): Importing your podcast, Migrating away from beehiiv, Audio and video posts from Substack
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FAQ
Does beehiiv host podcasts?
Yes. beehiiv has native podcast hosting on all plans: you upload episodes, beehiiv generates the RSS feed and you distribute it to Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other apps from the Distribution tab. You can also import an existing show from its RSS feed.
Is beehiiv podcast hosting free?
Yes, on the Free plan, with limits: 1 show and 5,000 downloads a month, 3 months of analytics, no premium (paid) feeds and no podcast ads. Lite (from $59/month, monthly billing) raises that to 2 shows and 15,000 downloads; Pro (from $109/month) to 50,000 downloads.
What happens if my podcast goes over the beehiiv download limit?
Not stated by beehiiv. Its pricing page and help center list the monthly download allowance per plan but don't say what happens above it or whether extra downloads can be bought. Ask beehiiv support before you rely on the Free or Lite allowance for a growing show.
What is the maximum podcast file size on beehiiv?
500 MB per episode, in MP3 and WAV only (M4A, AAC, FLAC, AIFF and OGG are not supported). beehiiv says a 60-minute 128 kbps mono MP3 is about 55 MB, while a 60-minute stereo WAV usually goes over the limit. No maximum episode length is stated.
Can I make a paid, subscriber-only podcast on beehiiv?
Yes, on paid plans with at least one paid subscription tier: a fully gated show, gated bonus episodes, or a separate ad-free show. Lite allows 1 private premium feed, Pro 2. beehiiv takes 0% of subscription revenue; Stripe's fees apply. Audio previews of gated episodes need Pro.
Can paid subscribers listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts?
Spotify: yes, beehiiv is a Spotify Open Access partner, and Synced Feeds puts free and locked premium episodes on one show page. Apple Podcasts and other apps: subscribers add their own private RSS link; you must not submit the premium feed to Apple or other directories.
Can I monetize a beehiiv podcast with ads?
On paid plans: programmatic ads (you keep 50% of gross revenue on Lite, 55% on Pro, 60% on Enterprise) and your own direct-sold sponsorships, inserted dynamically into ad breaks you mark. beehiiv gives no earnings estimate or CPM, and premium feeds can't carry ads.
Can I move my podcast off beehiiv?
Yes. beehiiv documents it: in your show's Distribution tab, enter your new host's RSS feed URL and beehiiv sets up a 301 redirect, so podcast apps follow you, usually within a few days.
Related guides: beehiiv price increase 2026 · beehiiv vs Kit vs Substack (2026) · Is beehiiv worth it in 2026? Break-even vs Substack, Kit and MailerLite · How newsletter platform prices changed 2023–2026 (from archived pricing pages) · Moving from beehiiv to Kit · Moving from beehiiv to MailerLite · beehiiv Free plan (2026) · How much do beehiiv ads pay? Ad Network CPM, CPC, payouts and break-even vs the Lite plan (2026) · all guides
Comparisons: beehiiv vs Substack · Cheapest for 500, 1,000, 2,500, 5,000, 10,000, 25,000 subscribers
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