The Best Cheap Podcast Gear for Beginners (Less than $200)
How to start a high-quality podcast on a low budget in 2024
Updated March, 2024
When I started a podcast, I spent hours and hours searching the internet for information on the best low-cost gear to use.
I hate to think how many blog posts and Amazon reviews I read.
The thing is, I was on a tight budget.
I didn’t have the money to go splash out on whatever Joe Rogan or Tim Ferriss are using.
I needed podcast gear that would get the job done for a low price.
Sure, I wanted the podcast to sound good. But the most important thing was having a basic set-up that allowed me to get started.
I co-host The Wild Podcast, a New Zealand long-form interview show that’s all about adventure and the great outdoors.
It’s not the flashiest or the biggest podcast out there, but we’ve got a loyal following and tens of thousands of downloads.
All of the gear I recommend in this post for starting a podcast on a budget was used to record my own podcast.
In fact, I still use all of this podcasting gear today — the same gear I started with almost two years ago.
It still serves well.
The Best Gear for Podcasting on a Budget
1. Microphone — Blue Yeti Nano
Blue is well-known in the podcasting world for producing good quality USB microphones.
I did a bunch of research on microphones as it’s probably the most important piece of podcasting kit.
In the end, it came down to either the Blue Yeti, or its smaller cousin the Blue Yeti Nano.
I went with the Blue Yeti Nano because, well, it was cheaper and the audio quality didn’t seem to be any worse than the standard Yeti.
I actually listened to a whole lot of audio comparisons on Youtube and, on most of them, it was difficult to tell the difference between the two.
I’ve found the Yeti Nano to be a great piece of kit.
The audio quality is excellent. It’s not “Joe Rogan excellent”, but to the untrained ear (and let’s face it, most ears are untrained) the Yeti Nano sounds crisp and clear.
It plugs into your computer or recording interface via USB and has two “pickup patterns”, known as cardioid and omni, which are controlled by a button on the back.
You use the cardioid pattern for when it’s just you speaking directly into the microphone, and the omni pattern for a 360 effect, which is useful if you’re recording someone sitting across from you, or for recording room noise.
It also comes in a range of colors. I’m more of a traditional black/grey guy, but if you like jazzing things up, this might appeal to you.
The only thing I would say, though, is the Yeti Nano is small. Whenever I record, I have to prop it up on a small box so that it’s in line with my mouth (or you could use a separate mic stand).
If you want the full-size microphone, then you can always grab the original Blue Yeti microphone. The sound quality is about the same, it’s just not quite as portable as the nano.
Get the Blue Yeti Nano
Cost: $99.90
Total: $99.90
Other Budget Podcast Microphones
2. Pop Filter (any)
A pop filter is a must for podcast recording, especially if you’re using a low-cost mic.
It’s a simple piece of kit but it makes your podcast audio sound so much better.
I don’t know exactly how it works but it essentially eliminates the sound of “fast-moving air” on the microphone, caused by laughing, ‘p’ sounds, or any other excited talking, by filtering it through a sheet of fine mesh.
It doesn’t matter what brand you get, they all essentially do the same thing.
This one does the trick just fine.
Cost: $12.99
Total: $112.89
3. Headphones — PHILIPS PH802 Wireless Headphones
A decent pair of headphones is also essential when recording a podcast remotely.
It’s not essential for in-person recording, but I still recommend it.
Why are headphones essential for remote recordings?
Because if you’re not wearing headphones, then your microphone is going to pick up the audio from your guest.
If there’s a slight delay or echo, this will show up on your audio track. It sounds terrible and takes a lot more work to edit.
I also find that headphones help to keep me in the zone when I’m recording remotely.
I’m intently focussed on what my guest is saying and it just makes for a more engaging conversation.
There are so many headphone options out there, but if you’re after a great set of low-cost bluetooth headphones for podcasting, I recommend the Philips PH802 Bluetooth Headphones.
I came across these by chance, tested them out in the store, and they outperformed several of the more expensive headphones by a mile.
You can pick them up on Amazon for just $59 USD, which is crazy.
I’ve had my pair for about a year now and I use them for everything — podcasting, watching videos on my laptop, listening to music at the gym.
They simple, minimal, durable, and pretty stylish.
They’re not noise cancelling headphones, but they sound really good. I’ve never had an issue with them for recording podcasts and they hold their charge reliably.
If my current pair ever bites the dust, I’ll definitely buy the same again.
You can buy a pair here.
Cost: $59.99
Total: $172.88
Other Budget Podcast Headphones
4. Podcast Recording Platform — Riverside.fm
One of the biggest headaches of starting a podcast is choosing which recording platform to use.
It’s good that we’re now spoilt for choice, but it can be hard to know which one to use before taking them for a test drive.
Thankfully, I’ve done that for you. I’ve thoroughly tested Zencastr, RINGR, Squadcast and Riverside.fm and wrote all about my experiences with each platform here (updated for 2024):
I highly recommend using Riverside.fm. In my opinion, it’s the most reliable, it has the best features, and superior audio quality.
When I first started using Riverside, it only had audio recording capabilities, but it’s continued to evolve and today includes high-quality audio and video recording, the ability to create short clips for social media, AI transcription and a whole lot more.
You can take Riverside.fm for a test drive for free. You get two hours of free recording time when you sign up. The cheapest plan is just $15 a month.
Riverside isn’t the cheapest platform out there.
If you’re really on a budget you can use Zencastr for free. I’ve just had a few issues with that platform, which you can read in my comprehensive comparison article here.
SquadCast is the next cheapest option (I think) and it’s a great alternative to Riverside.fm.
However, I think Riverside.fm is just a step ahead of the other players right now. They’re constantly releasing new features and seem to really understand what podcasters want.
Start using Riverside.fm for FREE today
Cost: $15
Total: $187.88
Other Podcast Recording Platforms
- SquadCast ($12/month)
5. Podcast Editing — Audacity
Unless you’re a total pro and nail your interviews 100% every time, you’re going to need editing software.
I use Audacity to add intros, advertisements, edit my recordings and tidy things up.
It’s free, it’s easy to use. Yes, it’s kind of ugly, but it gets the job done.
It comes with a bunch of inbuilt effects, which are quite handy.
I usually add Equilization, Compressor, and Normalization to my podcast recordings to improve the audio quality.
I also use Fade In and Fade Out for intros, outros, transitions and music.
A lot of podcasters use Audacity and I haven’t heard a bad thing about it yet (other than it being ugly).
It’s available on Mac and Windows operating systems.
Cost: Free
Total: $187.88
6. Podcast Hosting — Buzzsprout
Once you’ve recorded an episode, you need a hosting service that distributes your show to all of the different podcast platforms.
I recommend Buzzsprout for this. However, if I’m completely honest, it’s the only hosting service I’ve used.
It does a great job, though. It’s a simple platform. All you have to do is upload your audio file, fill in some information about the episode, and Buzzsprout automatically publishes it to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts and more.
Buzzsprout also provides basic analytics so you can track your downloads across the different platforms and locations over time.
It’s free for 90 days (up to 2 hours of audio per month), but I just use the $12 a month plan, which lets us upload up to 3 hours of audio per month (we only release new episodes every two weeks).
Get started with Buzzsprout for FREE today
Cost: $12
Total: $199.88
The complete podcast set-up for under $200
When you’re starting out, it can be tempting to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars to get all the best gear.
But the truth is, most listeners don’t care what gear you use. They’re there for the content you’re producing and the stories you’re sharing.
I highly recommend focussing your efforts on those things.
Once your podcast has some traction and you’re earning some advertising dollars, you can start reinvesting that money back into the show and buying more expensive gear.
But when you’re starting your podcast, keep it simple and keep it cheap.
When Tim Ferriss started his podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show, he asked himself: “What would this look like if it were easy.”
And he did it the easy way.
It worked out well for him.
It can work out well for you, too.
Note: I’ve included a few affiliate links in this article to products I can genuinely recommend.
