Frequently Asked Questions

You can cancel from Billing > Manage your subscription. Cancelling prevents future renewals but your plan remains active until the end of the current billing period and your published episodes stay live. Refunds are handled case-by-case — for billing errors, duplicate charges, or clear service failures, email hello@poddyhost.com with your account email and transaction ID so we can investigate. Refunds (if approved) are issued to the original payment method; settlement times depend on the payment processor.

If a payment fails we send friendly reminder emails and prompts to update your payment method. Our system sends reminders on days 1, 3, and 7 after a failed payment; if the issue isn't resolved the account may be suspended on day 8. Published episodes remain live, but creating new episodes and some account features may be blocked while billing is unresolved. If an account remains suspended, it may be deleted approximately 30 days after suspension — contact support as soon as possible to restore service. To restore service, update your billing at Billing > Manage your subscription or contact support with your account email and transaction ID.

We accept major credit and debit cards processed securely via Stripe. Stripe is our primary and standard payment method for all new subscriptions. PayPal and other legacy gateways are not currently available for new subscribers. For billing questions or help with a payment, email hello@poddyhost.com with your account email and any transaction ID.

No. PoddyHost AI narrates your content using natural human voices. No equipment, no studio, no speaking required.

Most episodes complete within a few minutes from topic selection to a finished audio file, but actual times vary with workload and episode length. Small episodes often finish in 2–10 minutes; during high demand or when many jobs are queued (for example, Auto Mode batches) processing can take longer. We attempt automatic retries and, when needed, may fall back to alternate narration providers to finish your job. You can monitor status in your podcast dashboard — if something looks stuck, contact support with the post URL and your account email so we can investigate.

Yes. PoddyHost generates a standards-compliant podcast RSS 2.0 feed and will submit your feed to Podcast Index on your behalf. For Spotify we provide a one-click submission link on your podcast page that pre-fills your RSS feed — you may need to complete a confirmation step inside Spotify's portal. Indexing times vary (many shows appear within 24–72 hours; some directories can take up to 7–14 days). If your show hasn't appeared after two weeks, email hello@poddyhost.com with your podcast RSS URL and account email and we will investigate.

Manual audio uploads (uploading your own recordings) are planned but not yet available. Currently, Pro customers can use custom voice cloning to create a personalized narrator, and paid plans unlock our full voice library (50+ voices) across many languages (we support multiple languages on paid plans). Free users have access to a small set of English voices. If you need custom functionality, contact hello@poddyhost.com and include your account email.

Your published episodes remain live. Downgrades (and cancellations) typically take effect at the end of your current billing period, and the new plan's content limits apply once the downgrade goes into effect. You won't lose published episodes, but you may be prevented from creating new episodes if the lower plan's monthly limits are exceeded.

Auto Mode is our hands-free publishing feature: PoddyHost will automatically generate a topic, write the episode script, narrate it, and publish one new episode per day for podcasts with Auto Mode enabled. You can enable/disable Auto Mode from your podcast dashboard. Note: Auto Mode is subject to your plan's posts-per-month limits and may queue work during high demand.

Our team replies within one business day. For payment or account-suspension issues please include your account email and any relevant transaction IDs to help us resolve things faster.

Email us at hello@poddyhost.com or call 978-522-6530. We reply within one business day — for billing or account issues please include your account email and any transaction IDs to help us resolve things faster.

Most episodes finish in a few minutes, but generation can take longer if your episode is long, many jobs are queued (for example during Auto Mode batches), or if our narration provider needs to retry. We attempt automatic retries and may fall back to alternative narration providers when available to complete the job. You can monitor the post status in your podcast dashboard; if a post appears stuck or failed, send the post URL and your account email to hello@poddyhost.com and we will investigate with logs and job details.

Yes. You can pick a narrator voice (and language where available) when creating or editing an episode from your podcast dashboard. Free plans have a limited set of English voices; Starter and Pro plans unlock the full voice library (50+ voices) and additional language options. If you don't see the voice or language you want, contact hello@poddyhost.com with your account email and the podcast/post URL and we can advise on availability or next steps.

Yes — you can download your episode audio (MP3) from the episode's page in PoddyHost or from your dashboard. Each published episode includes an audio file URL (also included in the episode's RSS ), which you can click to download or right-click to Save As. If you need large exports or bulk copies of your audio files, contact hello@poddyhost.com with your account email and the podcast/post URLs and we can help provide packaged files.

Yes. If you have an active AuthorPass membership on SelfPublishing.pro that includes the PoddyHost benefit, you can link it from your PoddyHost dashboard to activate Starter-level access at no extra charge. The benefit is checked automatically; if your AuthorPass membership lapses, Starter access will be revoked and your account will revert to the Free plan.

Yes. When you create a new podcast, PoddyHost automatically generates a professional AI cover image tailored to your podcast title and topic. You can regenerate the cover up to 3 times per 24-hour window from your podcast settings. You can also upload your own custom cover art at any time from the podcast settings in your dashboard, which will replace the generated image.

The keyword tool automatically generates a pool of relevant SEO topic ideas for your podcast based on its subject. When you create a new episode without specifying a topic, PoddyHost draws from this pool so you never run out of ideas. Keyword tools are available on Starter and Pro plans; Free plan users can create episodes manually. The pool refreshes each month up to your plan's episode limit.

Batch scheduling is a Pro plan feature that lets you schedule up to 30 episodes in one action. From your podcast's episode manager, select batch schedule to queue a set of upcoming episodes at once — PoddyHost will generate and publish them on the scheduled dates automatically. Starter and Free plans support single-episode scheduling or none at all (Free); upgrade to Pro to access batch scheduling.

Yes. In your podcast blog settings you can add a product description, a call-to-action (CTA), a target URL, and an ad script. PoddyHost uses these details to weave a short sponsor or promotional read into your episodes automatically. You can also use the Generate Ad Script button in the dashboard to get a suggested script based on your product description and CTA.

Yes. From your podcast dashboard, open the podcast settings and choose Delete Podcast. You will be asked to confirm before anything is removed. Deleting a podcast permanently removes the blog and all its episodes — this cannot be undone. Your published RSS feed and any directory listings (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.) will stop updating once the blog is deleted.

Yes — PoddyHost supports Google sign-in. On the login or register page, click the Google button and authorise access with your Google account. No separate password is required. You can also link a Google account to an existing email/password account from your account settings.

Free: 1 podcast, 3 posts/month, 6 English narrators. Starter ($9/mo): 1 podcast, 30 episodes/month, Auto Mode (hands-off posting), access to all 50+ voices and full keyword tools. Pro ($39/mo): up to 10 podcast blogs, 30 episodes/month per blog, plus batch scheduling (up to 30 at once), priority narration, and custom voice cloning (+$5/mo per extra blog beyond the plan cap). For current add-on pricing, prorations, or complex billing scenarios, please check Billing > Plans in your account or contact support with your account email so we can provide exact amounts.

No — you can start on the Free plan without a credit card. You only add a payment method if/when you choose to upgrade to a paid plan (Starter or Pro). Visit Billing > Plans to compare features and upgrade anytime.

If you reach your plan's monthly episode limit you will not be able to create new episodes until your quota resets on the next billing cycle. To create more episodes immediately, upgrade to a higher plan. Auto Mode will pause creating new episodes for that podcast once the limit is reached.

No — scheduling is disabled on the Free plan. Free accounts can create up to the Free plan's monthly posts (see Pricing) but must upgrade to Starter or Pro to use scheduled publishing and Auto Mode.

Custom voice cloning is available as a Pro feature. To get started, upgrade to Pro (if not already on it) and contact hello@poddyhost.com with your account email. Our team will outline the required voice-sample process, expected timelines, and any approvals needed. Note that custom cloning and use of cloned voices may require extra setup and may be queued in the priority narration pipeline for Pro customers.

Yes — you can upgrade or downgrade at any time from Billing > Plans in your account. Downgrades and cancellations typically take effect at the end of your current billing period so your existing paid time remains active; upgrades may start immediately and route you through the checkout flow. For questions about prorations or specific billing amounts, check Billing > Plans or contact hello@poddyhost.com with your account email and any invoice IDs.