Free tool · UK 2026
What does editing your own podcast actually cost you?
Most podcasters think of editing as free because no money changes hands — but it's the single biggest recurring time cost of running a show, and time has a price.
This calculator puts a real number on it, using industry benchmark rates, so you can decide with actual figures instead of a vague feeling.
Your show
What it costs you
144hours a year
That's 3.6 working weeks — or 6.0 full days and nights.
- Your time, per year
- £7,200
- Your time, per episode
- £150
Side by side, per year
Audio & video production £165 = £165 per episode × 48 episodes. Our prices are in GBP.
Third-party industry average — most UK freelancers charge £100–£250 per episode.
Financially it's close — but you're still spending 144 hours a year on the edit rather than on your show.
Opens your browser's print dialog — choose "Save as PDF". Nothing is sent to us.
How long does podcast editing actually take?
The rule of thumb is that editing takes two to four times the episode length. A 60-minute conversation usually takes an experienced editor one to two hours; someone still learning the software can easily spend three or four.
Narrative shows and complex multi-guest episodes take longer again — three to five times the runtime — because the work isn't just removing mistakes, it's shaping a story out of raw tape. Getting the sound right is its own skill on top of that; our audio quality guide covers what actually moves the needle.
- Editing typically takes 2–4× the episode length.
- A 60-minute episode usually takes an experienced editor 1–2 hours.
- Narrative or complex multi-guest shows take 3–5× longer.
What does professional podcast editing cost in the UK?
Here's what the UK market actually charges in 2026. These are independent industry averages, not our prices — use the currency toggle in the calculator above to switch to US rates.
- Audio-only editing£50–£400 per episode
- Most UK freelancers sit between £100 and £250.
- Basic edit£30–£50
- Noise removal and simple cuts.
- Standard edit£75–£150
- Mixing, sound design, intro and outro.
- Premium / broadcast-quality£200–£400
- Production agencies£200–£850+
- Video podcast editing£100–£300
- Multi-cam, lower thirds, chapters. Social clips add £50–£100.
- Full video productionfrom around £280
Benchmarks are UK industry averages for 2026 — treat them as a guide, not a quote. Rates vary with episode length, format, and turnaround.
US rates for comparison
- Freelance editors$50–$600 per episode
- Budget $50–$100, mid-tier $150–$350, senior or specialist $350–$600.
- Hourly rates$40–$120 per hour
- Full-service agencies$300–$1,000 per episode
For context, UK production agencies typically run £200–£850+ per episode. Our own rates start at £110 per episode for editing only — see what each package includes.
What's hidden in the "hours" number
Most people count the edit itself and stop there. But the real weekly cost of a show includes everything wrapped around it: writing show notes, marking chapter timestamps, cutting clips for social, uploading and scheduling, and re-listening to check it all before it goes out.
Those tasks are quietly substantial. Clip cutting alone can eat an hour an episode once you factor in captioning and formatting for each platform — our guide to repurposing podcast content breaks that down. Show notes carry their own weight too, since they're the only part of your episode a search engine can actually read — see podcast SEO for why that matters.
If you do those jobs yourself, tick the show notes box in the calculator — it adds an hour per episode, which is conservative.
When DIY editing genuinely makes sense
We're an editing studio, so you'd expect us to say outsource. But plenty of the time, editing it yourself is the right call — and pretending otherwise would be daft.
If you're just starting out, doing it yourself teaches you what a good episode sounds like, and that knowledge makes you a better host and a better client later. If you genuinely enjoy editing — and some people really do — that's a reason to keep it. And if you publish irregularly, the maths rarely justifies paying someone on retainer.
Outsourcing starts to pay when the show is consistent, the schedule is tight, and the edit is the thing stopping you publishing. If you're not there yet, our free launch roadmap will get you going without spending a penny.
Common questions
- How long does it take to edit a podcast episode?
- Editing typically takes 2–4× the episode length. A 60-minute episode usually takes an experienced editor 1–2 hours, while narrative or complex multi-guest shows take 3–5× longer.
- How much does podcast editing cost in the UK?
- UK audio-only podcast editing runs roughly £50–£400 per episode, with most freelancers between £100 and £250. A basic edit is around £30–£50, a standard edit with mixing and sound design £75–£150, and premium broadcast-quality work £200–£400. Production agencies typically charge £200–£850+.
- How much does professional podcast editing cost?
- In the US, freelance editors charge roughly $50–$600 per episode — budget $50–$100, mid-tier $150–$350, and senior or specialist editors $350–$600. Hourly rates run $40–$120, and full-service agencies charge $300–$1,000 per episode.
- Is it cheaper to edit my own podcast?
- It depends on what your time is worth. Editing yourself costs no money, but it does cost hours — usually 2–4× your episode length, every episode. Once you price those hours at your own hourly rate, DIY editing is often more expensive than hiring someone. If you're starting out, enjoy editing, or publish irregularly, doing it yourself can still make good sense.
- What's included in professional podcast editing?
- At minimum: a full audio edit, sound cleanup, pacing, and levels mastered to a consistent loudness. Fuller packages add video editing, captions, intro and outro, show notes and chapters, episode artwork, social clips, and scheduling and publishing.
Sources
Benchmark rates are drawn from these independent industry sources.
UK
Want those hours back?
Tell us about your show and we'll send a straightforward quote — full production, or just the edit. We even accept Bitcoin.