A free podcast sponsorship calculator that prices your pre-roll, mid-roll and post-roll ads from published 2026 CPM rates, by category, with a rate card to send sponsors.
Paste your show's link, or add its numbers, and see what your podcast ads are worth per episode and per month, from published 2026 rates, with a rate card to send sponsors.
Your show
From your host's stats: the downloads an episode gets in its first 30 days. Downloads are private, so no link can show them.
Your ads
What they're worth
Add your downloads or your YouTube views, and at least one ad slot.
Where the rates come from
Ad Results Media · ad agency, 13. mai 2025, with a 2026 section: pre-roll about $20, mid-roll about $25, post-roll about $1 to $5 CPM, from its own ad buying.
ADOPTER Media · ad agency, 22. juli 2026: host-read pre-roll $15 to $25, mid-roll $15 to $30, post-roll $5 to $10, and $10 to $30 per 1,000 YouTube views, from 150,000+ ads it placed.
Libsyn Ads · ad marketplace, undated, titled 2026: 30-second spots $18 to $22, 60-second spots $24 to $26, and host-read rates for 10 categories, from Business at $30 to Leisure at $22.
Acast · podcast network, 20. november 2023, with 2026 guidance: pre-recorded ads $15 to $30, host-read $25 to $40, and $40 or more for business and finance shows.
This free podcast sponsorship calculator shows what your podcast ads are worth per ad, per episode and per month.
It uses only rates published with a date and a source, 4 of them read again for 2026, and it fills in your show from its Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or RSS link. There's no account.
Here's what a podcast sponsorship calculator is, how sponsorships are priced in 2026, and what each published rate says.
What is a podcast sponsorship calculator?
A podcast sponsorship calculator works out what a sponsor should pay for ads on your show, from your downloads, your ad slots and the going rate per 1,000 downloads.
How podcast sponsorships are priced
Most podcast ads are priced by CPM: the cost per 1,000 downloads. The price of one ad is your downloads divided by 1,000, times the CPM.
At Ad Results Media's 2026 benchmark of about $20 CPM for a pre-roll and $25 for a mid-roll, an episode with 3,000 downloads earns about $60 for the pre-roll and $75 for the mid-roll.
Downloads count an episode's first 30 days. They're private to your podcast host, so the calculator asks for yours instead of guessing.
Podcast ad rates in 2026, with sources
Most podcast ad pricing is private, so these are the rates published with a date. 2 come from ad agencies that buy ads, and 2 from companies that sell them:
| Source | Who they are | Published | CPM rates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ad Results Media | Ad agency | May 13, 2025, with a 2026 section | Pre-roll about $20, mid-roll about $25, post-roll about $1 to $5 |
| ADOPTER Media | Ad agency | July 22, 2026 | Host-read pre-roll $15 to $25, mid-roll $15 to $30, post-roll $5 to $10 |
| Libsyn Ads | Ad marketplace | Undated, titled 2026 | 30-second spots $18 to $22, 60-second spots $24 to $26 |
| Acast | Podcast network | November 20, 2023, with 2026 guidance | Pre-recorded $15 to $30, host-read $25 to $40, business and finance $40 or more |
Each page was read again on September 27, 2026: Ad Results Media, ADOPTER Media, Libsyn Ads and Acast.
The one number all 4 agree on: a host-read mid-roll at about $25 CPM falls inside every range.
Podcast ad rates by category
Libsyn Ads is the only one of the 4 that publishes a rate per category, for baked-in host-read ads:
| Category | Host-read CPM |
|---|---|
| Business | $30 |
| Health & Fitness | $27 |
| Technology | $26 |
| Education | $26 |
| Fiction | $24 |
| Science | $23 |
| Comedy | $23 |
| Society & Culture | $23 |
| Games and Leisure | $22 |
Acast puts business and finance shows at $40 or more. ADOPTER Media says a niche, loyal audience, like business, health or true crime, justifies the top of its range.
None of the 4 publishes a rate for True Crime, News, Sports or the other categories, so the calculator uses the overall ranges for them.
Video podcasts on YouTube
A video podcast earns from its YouTube views too. ADOPTER Media puts a YouTube simulcast at $10 to $30 per 1,000 views in 2026.
Paste your channel's link and the calculator reads the median views of your latest full episodes, so one viral video doesn't set your rate.
Pre-roll, mid-roll and post-roll
- Pre-roll: the ad before the episode starts.
- Mid-roll: the ad in the middle, once listeners are settled in. It's the slot sponsors pay the most for.
- Post-roll: the ad at the end, which fewer people hear, so it's worth the least.
Host-read or pre-recorded ads
A host-read ad is you, reading the sponsor's message in your own words. A pre-recorded ad is the sponsor's own spot, dropped into your episode.
Host-read ads cost more. Acast puts it this way: "Industry benchmark data from Podscribe shows host-read ads outperform producer-read ads on purchase rate by around 31%, which is why advertisers keep paying more for a host's voice and credibility."
When to start pitching sponsors
The ad marketplaces say how big a show must be to sell through them:
- Acast Marketplace: from 1,000 monthly listeners, and Acast says most shows start earning around 5,000.
- Libsyn Ads Marketplace: from 20,000 downloads an episode.
Below those, sponsors come from your own pitch. At 1,000 downloads and a $25 CPM, a mid-roll is worth $25, which is why smaller shows often earn more from their own offers.
How to make money podcasting covers sponsorships next to the other ways a show earns.
Pitch a sponsor
Copy your rate card, then write the pitch with the influencer outreach email generator: pick "Sponsor my podcast", add the brand and your numbers, and it writes the email, 3 subject lines and a follow-up.
Who is the podcast sponsorship calculator for?
It's for podcasters pricing a sponsorship, and brands checking a price:
- How to make money podcasting – podcasters who want more than sponsors
- Podcast rank checker – hosts showing sponsors where the show ranks
- YouTube money calculator – podcasts on YouTube too
- Influencer outreach email generator – hosts pitching sponsors
The rest of my tools are on the free tools page.
Podcast Sponsorship Calculator FAQs
Questions about the podcast sponsorship calculator? Here's what to know.
A podcast sponsorship calculator works out what a sponsor should pay for ads on your show.
It uses your downloads, your ad slots and a CPM, the price per 1,000 downloads.
Published 2026 rates put a host-read mid-roll at about $15 to $30 per 1,000 downloads, and about $25 falls inside every source's range.
Business and finance shows go higher: Libsyn Ads lists Business at $30, and Acast says $40 or more.
Divide your downloads per episode by 1,000, then multiply by the CPM.
At 5,000 downloads and a $25 CPM, one ad is worth $125.
Yes, podcast ad rates depend on the category.
Libsyn Ads lists host-read rates from $22 for Leisure to $30 for Business.
Yes, you can price your YouTube views too.
ADOPTER Media puts a YouTube simulcast at $10 to $30 per 1,000 views in 2026.
Acast's marketplace takes shows from 1,000 monthly listeners.
Libsyn Ads' marketplace needs 20,000 downloads an episode.
Below those, you can still pitch sponsors yourself with a rate card.
A pre-roll plays before the episode, a mid-roll in the middle, and a post-roll at the end.
Mid-rolls are worth the most, post-rolls the least.
Yes, host-read ads cost more than pre-recorded ones.
Acast puts host-read ads at $25 to $40 CPM, against $15 to $30 for pre-recorded.
Yes, this podcast sponsorship calculator is free, with no account.
A link is read from public pages only, and your numbers stay in your browser.
Write your sponsor pitch with the influencer outreach email generator.
Prepare your guest interviews with the interview questions generator.
I did. I'm Navid Moazzez, and I made the podcast sponsorship calculator as one of my free tools on navid.me.
More about me.
Navid Moazzez
AI business strategist & AI OS builder
Navid Moazzez helps creators and founders master AI and build their own AI Operating System (AI OS) to automate their business and life.
Navid.me is reader-supported. When you buy through links on this site, I may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more.
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