Castos

Podcast hosting, private podcasting, WordPress integration, and analytics

NOT REALLY · consider alternatives
price $19/mosubscription / year $228estimated build time not a true replacement; consolation build in one to two daysreplaced by 0 people

Do not mistake the interface for the product. Castos's durable value is media pipeline, hosting, distribution, which a solo one-shot build cannot reproduce responsibly. The prompt therefore builds only the closest honest personal consolation tool.

Build verification: not recorded. How we judge buildability

What you give up

  • distribution and podcast hosting
  • professional codecs, effects, and collaboration
  • recording recovery, mastering, hosting, and distribution
  • hosted recording reliability
  • large-scale rendering

Why people still pay

Castos: People pay to avoid codec failures, upload limits, rendering surprises, lost recordings, and distribution chores.

Your build guide

The stack, security requirements, and agent rules for a focused replacement.

Before you start

  • Python 3.12
  • FFmpeg
  • desktop with sufficient storage
  • Explicit README warning that this is a consolation build, not a production replacement
01
Use exactly this stack: Python 3.12 + FastAPI + FFmpeg + React.
02
Model source media, edit decisions, processing jobs, and exported assets; keep stable source IDs and timestamps.
03
Interface for this podcast hosting workflow: a local web page with input, progress, review, and export views.
engineering roadmap

Implementation plan

1

Phase 1, architecture and data

Use exactly this stack: Python 3.12 + FastAPI + FFmpeg + React. Model source media, edit decisions, processing jobs, and exported assets; keep stable source IDs and timestamps.

2

Phase 2, implement

For podcast hosting, probe the user-owned source with FFmpeg and record stream, duration, and timebase metadata.

3

Phase 3, implement

Apply the requested edit to a working copy and record edit intervals in source time coordinates.

4

Phase 4, review and output

Preview the transformed clip and export a standard file plus an edit manifest.

5

Phase 5, recovery and acceptance

Verify this invariant with a saved fixture: The original hash must remain unchanged; cuts and captions must stay aligned after export despite a variable input frame rate. State the practical limit: distribution and podcast hosting.

the pro prompt
Build me a focused podcast hosting workflow for the personal core of Castos. Requirements:

- Use exactly this stack: Python 3.12 + FastAPI + FFmpeg + React. Model source media, edit decisions, processing jobs, and exported assets; keep stable source IDs and timestamps.
- Paid product context: Podcast hosting, private podcasting, WordPress integration, and analytics. Build only this DIY scope: Build a local podcast hosting workflow that imports user-owned media, applies the core edit or transformation, previews it, and exports a standard file.
- For podcast hosting, probe the user-owned source with FFmpeg and record stream, duration, and timebase metadata.
- Apply the requested edit to a working copy and record edit intervals in source time coordinates.
- Preview the transformed clip and export a standard file plus an edit manifest.
- Use a local web page with input, progress, review, and export views. Required input or access: FFmpeg; desktop with sufficient storage.
- Acceptance: with one labelled sample, show the input, saved intermediate state, and exported result; verify this invariant: The original hash must remain unchanged; cuts and captions must stay aligned after export despite a variable input frame rate.
- Out of scope: distribution and podcast hosting; professional codecs, effects, and collaboration. Keep this a personal, inspectable workflow.
- Include a README with setup, a sample input, required keys or permissions, data location, and the supported scope.

$ open in your agent (prompt prefilled, you press enter), copy the prompt or copy AGENTS.md · generated from this app's build plan

share on X ↗

Alternatives to building your own

CastopodSelf-hosted podcasting with real analytics and private feeds; you become the hosting company.863jun 2026open source↗

no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real

Castos pricing

planmonthlyannual (per mo)what you get
essentials$19/workspace$15.83/workspaceUnlimited podcasts, episodes and downloads; 10 transcription credits/month; 100 private subscribers; 1 team member.Annual total is $190.
growth$49/workspace$40.83/workspaceUnlimited podcasts, episodes and downloads; 25 transcription credits/month; 250 private subscribers; 5 team members.Annual total is $490.
pro$99/workspace$82.50/workspaceUnlimited podcasts, episodes and downloads; 100 transcription credits/month; 500 private subscribers; 10 team members.Annual total is $990.
castos premium$499/workspace$415.83/workspaceUnlimited transcription credits and team members; custom private-subscriber and service limits.Starts at $499/month or $4,990/year.

free tierno free tier

billingMonthly + annual; annual billing gives 2 months free. A 14-day trial requires no card.

hidden costsAn extra 500 private subscribers costs $50/month; AI Assistant costs $10/month; exceeding a private-subscriber limit can automatically move the account to the next tier; after cancellation hosted files become unavailable.

pricing sources checked 2026-08-12 · pricing source ↗

Questions about Castos

Can you build your own Castos with AI?

A full replacement is not the recommended project. Do not mistake the interface for the product. Castos's durable value is media pipeline, hosting, distribution, which a solo one-shot build cannot reproduce responsibly. The prompt therefore builds only the closest honest personal consolation tool.

What does the Castos build prompt cover?

The prompt starts with this scope: Build a local podcast hosting workflow that imports user-owned media, applies the core edit or transformation, previews it, and exports a standard file. Full-product capabilities excluded from the comparison include: distribution and podcast hosting; professional codecs, effects, and collaboration; recording recovery, mastering, hosting, and distribution. Follow the implementation plan and its prerequisites before expanding the build.

How do I use the prompt, AGENTS.md and agent skills?

Start with the Castos prerequisites and stack, then copy the prompt into your coding agent. Save the project rules as AGENTS.md in the project root. Linked skills are optional packages or source instructions for specific tasks; review their current contents and install only those matching the chosen stack. A skill does not supply API credentials or verify the finished app.

How long will this Castos project take?

The catalogue estimate is not a true replacement; consolation build in one to two days for the limited scope. Setup, integration approvals, debugging, deployment and ongoing maintenance can add time. This is an estimate, not a delivery guarantee.

What would I give up by replacing Castos?

distribution and podcast hosting; professional codecs, effects, and collaboration; recording recovery, mastering, hosting, and distribution; hosted recording reliability; large-scale rendering. Castos: People pay to avoid codec failures, upload limits, rendering surprises, lost recordings, and distribution chores.

What price is this guide comparing against?

The recorded Starter plan is $19/mo (monthly podcast hosting plan), checked 2026-07-31. Check the linked pricing source before buying. Building your own also has hosting, API and maintenance costs; the recorded amount is not a guaranteed saving.

What can I use instead of building Castos?

Castopod: Self-hosted podcasting with real analytics and private feeds; you become the hosting company. Check each option's license, hosting needs and feature limits.

Every week, more subscriptions die.

New verdicts, new prompts, the week's most-doomed apps.
One email. Unsubscribe in one click.

last week:100 Questions · KINDA1of10 · KINDA1Password · KINDA+1090 more

free forever · no scanner spam · the prompt stays on the site, the deaths come to you

$weekly: what got a verdict, what died.