Toolkit
Every product from our product list that a guide links to. Some are picks, marked Pick. The rest are named in a guide as an example or an option. Each entry says what the product does, who it suits and what it cost on the day we checked.
Entries marked Pick are shown in a guide's product box, as that guide's pick. The rest are named in a guide's text, as an example or as one of the options it compares. Picks are based on published specs and, where a guide links them, independent reviews or creator reports, not hands-on testing unless a guide says so. None of these links are affiliate links. How we pick products
Microphones
LARK M2S (Combo)
Hollyland
Two small clip-on transmitters with both a camera receiver and a USB-C receiver in the Combo kit, rated at about 9 hours per transmitter.
- Suits
- budget two-person wireless audio for phone or camera
- Price
- $124 (Hollyland US store sale price for the Combo kit, down from $212. Duo with USB-C plug $99 (from $164); Ultimate Combo $129 (from $222).) (checked Oct 19, 2026 at store.hollyland.com)
LARK M2S (Duo with USB-C Plug)
Hollyland Pick
Two small clip-on transmitters and a USB-C receiver that plugs into your phone. There's no camera receiver, so it's for phone recording only.
- Best for
- two people recording on one USB-C phone
- Price
- $99 (Hollyland US store sale price, down from $164. The Combo, which adds a camera receiver and a USB-C to Lightning cable, is $124 on sale, down from $212.) (checked Oct 19, 2026 at store.hollyland.com)
Samson Q2U
Samson Pick
A dynamic mic with both USB-C and XLR outputs, so it plugs straight into a laptop now and into an audio interface later.
- Best for
- first podcast mic on a tight budget
- Price
- $99.99 (Amazon US price, from a third-party seller. Specs from Samson.) (checked Oct 19, 2026 at amazon.com)
Audio interfaces
PodTrak P4next
Zoom Pick
A portable recorder with four XLR inputs that saves each mic to a microSD card and also works as a USB audio interface.
- Best for
- recording a podcast without a computer
- Price
- $179.99 (Zoom US store price.) (checked Oct 19, 2026 at zoomcorp.com)
Scarlett 2i2 (4th Gen)
Focusrite Pick
The two-mic-input version of the Scarlett, so you and a guest can each have your own XLR mic.
- Best for
- two-person podcasts recorded at one desk
- Price
- $239.99 (Focusrite US store price.) (checked Oct 19, 2026 at focusrite.com)
Headphones
ATH-M40x
Audio-Technica Pick
Audio-Technica's lower-priced studio monitor headphones, one step below the ATH-M50x.
- Best for
- budget closed-back headphones for recording and editing
- Price
- $109 (Audio-Technica US store price.) (checked Oct 19, 2026 at audio-technica.com)
DT 770 PRO
beyerdynamic Pick
Closed-back studio headphones sold in three impedance versions, so you can pick the one that matches what you plug into.
- Best for
- recording and editing on a laptop or phone (32 ohm)
- Price
- $159.99 (beyerdynamic North America store price (marked down from $199.99). Comes in 32, 80 and 250 ohm versions; 32 ohm is the one for laptops and phones.) (checked Oct 8, 2026 at north-america.beyerdynamic.com)
See it on north-america.beyerdynamic.com (opens in a new tab)
Lights
Key Light Neo
Elgato Pick
A small light that clips to your monitor and runs from USB, reaching 1,000 lumens with Elgato's 3A power supply.
- Best for
- a cheap first light on a desk
- Price
- $69.99 (Elgato US store price for the version with a monitor mount.) (checked Oct 19, 2026 at elgato.com)
Accessories
Prompter
Elgato
A teleprompter with its own 9-inch screen that sits in front of your camera lens so you can read and keep eye contact.
- Suits
- reading a script while looking at the camera
- Price
- $299.99 (Elgato US store price.) (checked Oct 8, 2026 at elgato.com)
Software
Audacity
Audacity
A free, open-source audio editor for Windows, Mac and Linux, enough to cut and export a podcast episode.
- Suits
- free audio editing for podcasts
- Price
- Free and open source. Current version 4.0.1 on the check date. (checked Oct 8, 2026 at audacityteam.org)
Camtasia
TechSmith
A screen recorder and video editor in one app, aimed at tutorials and training content.
- Suits
- course creators and trainers
- Price
- Subscription, billed yearly: Starter $39, Essentials $179.88, Create $249, Pro $599. (checked Oct 8, 2026 at techsmith.com)
Canva
Canva
A drag-and-drop design tool with a free plan, handy for thumbnails and social graphics.
- Suits
- thumbnails and social graphics
- Price
- Free plan. Pro is US$144/year for one person (US pricing). (checked Oct 8, 2026 at canva.com)
See it on canva.com (opens in a new tab)
In our guides
DaVinci Resolve 21
Blackmagic Design
A professional editing, color and audio app with a free version; the paid Studio version is a one-time purchase.
- Suits
- a free professional video editor
- Price
- Free. DaVinci Resolve Studio is a one-time $295. (checked Oct 8, 2026 at blackmagicdesign.com)
Descript
Descript
Turns your recording into a transcript so cutting a sentence from the text cuts it from the video too, and it includes remote recording rooms.
- Suits
- editing talking videos and podcasts by editing text
- Price
- Free plan (60 media minutes a month, 720p export, watermark). Hobbyist $16/mo billed yearly or $24 monthly; Creator $24/$35. (checked Oct 8, 2026 at descript.com)
Loom
Loom
Records your screen with your camera in a small bubble, then gives you a link to share instead of a file.
- Suits
- quick screen-and-camera videos you share with a link
- Price
- Free Starter plan (25 videos, up to 5 minutes each, up to 720p). Business $18 per user a month billed monthly, up to 17% less billed yearly. (checked Oct 8, 2026 at loom.com)
OBS Studio
OBS Project
Free, open-source software for recording and live streaming your screen, camera and mic.
- Suits
- free screen recording and live streaming
- Price
- Free and open source (version 32.2.2 on the check date). Windows 10/11, macOS 13+, Linux. (checked Oct 8, 2026 at obsproject.com)
Riverside
Riverside
Records remote guests on separate tracks and includes AI Magic Clips, with a free plan to try it.
- Suits
- recording remote guests in high quality
- Price
- Free plan (one-time 2 hours of multitrack recording, 720p, watermark). Pro $24/mo billed yearly or $29 month-to-month. (checked Oct 8, 2026 at riverside.com)
Screen Studio
Screen Studio
A Mac screen recorder that adds automatic zooms on your clicks and smooths cursor movement, so demos look edited.
- Suits
- polished product demos on a Mac
- Price
- Subscription: $9/mo billed yearly or $29 month-to-month. macOS only; one-time licenses are no longer sold. (checked Oct 8, 2026 at screen.studio)
Zencastr
Zencastr
A remote recording studio that records each guest on a separate track and includes podcast hosting, free for up to 6 participants.
- Suits
- free remote podcast recording
- Price
- Free plan for up to 6 participants with 4K video; Enterprise is custom-priced. (checked Oct 8, 2026 at zencastr.com)
AI tools
Adobe Podcast (Enhance Speech)
Adobe
Upload a voice recording and Enhance Speech fixes audio problems after the fact, no perfect mic needed.
- Suits
- rescuing echoey or noisy voice recordings
- Price
- Free plan (files up to 30 minutes, 1 hour a day). Premium comes with Adobe Firefly Pro at $19.99/mo. (checked Oct 8, 2026 at podcast.adobe.com)
ElevenLabs
ElevenLabs
AI text-to-speech and voice tools, priced by monthly credits.
- Suits
- AI voiceovers
- Price
- Free plan (about 10 minutes of text to speech). Starter $6/mo, Creator $22/mo; first-month promos were showing on the check date. (checked Oct 8, 2026 at elevenlabs.io)
Hosting
Buzzsprout
Buzzsprout
Podcast hosting with a free plan (2 hours a month), so you can launch before you pay.
- Suits
- beginners launching their first show
- Price
- Free plan (2 hours a month, episodes kept 90 days). Paid from $15/mo billed yearly. (checked Oct 8, 2026 at buzzsprout.com)
See it on buzzsprout.com (opens in a new tab)
In our guides
Spotify for Creators
Spotify
Free podcast hosting from Spotify that also distributes by RSS and supports video episodes.
- Suits
- free hosting with video podcasts
- Price
- Free hosting. (checked Oct 8, 2026 at support.spotify.com)