The best starter
podcast kit for 2026
A laptop, a good microphone and a pair of headphones. Everything you need to find out whether you enjoy making a podcast, before you spend money on kit you may not need yet.
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Four things and a laptop
A USB microphone that plugs straight into your laptop, so there is no audio interface to buy. Set it up once and you are ready to record.
Closed-back and wired, so you hear exactly what you are recording and nothing leaks back into the mic.
A clear step up from a built-in laptop camera if you want to publish video. If you are audio only, you can skip it and start with the camera you already have.
Lifts the camera to eye level so you are not looking down at your audience. It makes video calls look better too.
And three things that cost nothing
Window light
Sit facing a window during the day. Soft daylight on your face looks better than most cheap lights, and costs nothing.
A soft room
Record somewhere with carpet, curtains, sofas or a bookshelf. Soft surfaces stop the echo that makes home recordings sound amateur.
Free software
Record remote guests with Riverside on its free plan, and edit in Audacity or the free version of Descript. Upgrade only when you hit a limit.
Ready for the
next step?
Once the show has found its feet, add a proper camera and some light. The Pro kit is the natural next step, and everything on this page still earns its place when you upgrade. And if you would rather someone else handled the format, the record and the edit, that is what we are for.