Podcastle Review 2026: Now Async, and Much More Than a Podcast Tool
A Research-based look at Podcastle, which rebranded as Async in January 2026. Worth knowing up front: it has a free plan with no credit card, but paid credits reset every month and do not roll over.
Quick Verdict
// Research-basedTeknexia AI Tool Evaluation Framework
This is a Research-based review. We did not use Podcastle or Async ourselves. Every score below is judged on Async's official pricing page, announcements, and product pages, and on aggregated user reviews, not on hands-on use. Where a criterion such as ease of use would normally come from our own testing, it is assessed from documentation and from what user reports describe.
Overall: 6.8/ 10
If you searched for Podcastle, this is the right page: the company rebranded as Async on 28 January 2026, and podcastle.ai now redirects to async.com. This review sits in our AI Audio category alongside ElevenLabs, Murf AI, Suno, and Udio. It is built from named sources only; we have not recorded or edited anything with the product.
Podcastle is now Async. According to the official announcement, the company kept the same team, accounts, and billing, but expanded well beyond podcasting: Async now pitches itself as a chat-based AI video editor with image, video, music, and avatar generation, plus a voice API for developers. Podcast recording, editing, and hosting are still part of the product.
- Podcastle rebranded as Async on 28 January 2026, per the company's own announcement. It is the same company, with Arto Yeritsyan still CEO.
- The official pricing page says no credit card is needed for the Free plan. Paid plans run from $19.99 to $84.99 a month, or $11.99 to $49.99 billed yearly.
- Monthly credits reset each billing cycle and do not roll over, per the official FAQ.
- Trustpilot shows 3.5/5 from 265 reviews, split between praise for ease of use and complaints about billing, refunds, and bugs.
From Podcastle to Async
Async's announcement, dated 28 January 2026, says Podcastle rebranded to unify three products on one platform: creator tools for audio and video editing, a workspace for enterprise teams, and the Async Voice API for developers building voice applications. The company states it has raised $23.5 million in total. CEO and founder Arto Yeritsyan said the name Podcastle no longer captured the scale of the technology. Later announcements on the same page add more than 100 AI models for video, image, avatar, and music generation, and a chat-based editing workflow.
What Async Offers Podcasters
For a podcaster, the core pieces are still there. The official pricing page lists audio and video recording hours on every paid plan, AI audio enhancement (Magic Dust, noise reduction, and silence removal), text-to-speech, AI subtitles, and voice cloning across the platform. The two images below are Async's own product visuals.
Pricing, Verified on the Official Page
We read Async's pricing page in a browser on 4 October 2026.
| Plan | Monthly | Billed yearly | Key limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | No credit card required to sign up |
| Essentials | $19.99 | $11.99/mo | 450 credits/mo · 4 hours recording · 2 hours text-to-speech · 20 GB storage |
| Pro | $39.99 | $23.99/mo | 1,200 credits/mo · 20 hours recording · 10 hours text-to-speech · AI video enhancement |
| Teams | $84.99 per creator | $49.99 per creator | 3,000 credits/mo · 50 hours recording · AI dubbing and lip-sync · Producer Mode |
| Business | Custom | Custom | Custom credits and hours, advanced security |
What Other Users Say
What Other Users Say
In a Research-based review, user reports are one of our main sources. Trustpilot has merged the Podcastle and Async profiles, and opinion is sharply split. According to user reports, the platform is easy to use, the AI tools are strong, and results look professional without technical skill. The recurring complaints are auto-renewal and billing surprises, a strict refund policy, and bugs or audio-quality problems. Trustpilot shows the company replied to 100% of negative reviews. Capterra lists the product as Async Creator with 3.7/5, but from only three reviews, too few to draw conclusions.
Sources: Trustpilot (retrieved 4 October 2026); Capterra. We could not retrieve a G2 figure, so we do not cite one.
Podcastle (Async) vs Riverside
Riverside is the closest tool we have reviewed: both record remote podcast guests and edit in the browser. The Riverside column uses our published review from September 2026. Both reviews are Research-based.
| Criteria | Async |
 Riverside |
|---|---|---|
| Our framework score | 6.8/10 | 7.0/10 |
| Free access | Free plan, no credit card | No free plan; 14-day trial requires a card |
| Entry paid price | $19.99/mo ($11.99/mo yearly) | $29/mo ($24/mo yearly) |
| Recording focus | Recording plus AI voices, video generation, and hosting | Local per-participant recording, up to 4K and 48kHz per Riverside |
| Trustpilot | 3.5/5 from 265 reviews (4 Oct 2026) | 3.7/5 from 503 reviews (21 Sep 2026) |
| Best for | Beginners who want a low-cost, all-in-one creator tool | Podcasters who prioritize remote recording quality |
Pros
- Free plan with no credit card required, per the official pricing page
- Low yearly entry price: $11.99 a month on Essentials
- Recording, editing, AI voices, subtitles, and generation in one subscription
- User reports consistently describe the interface as easy to use
- The company replies to every negative Trustpilot review, per Trustpilot
Cons
- Monthly credits reset each cycle and do not roll over
- Trustpilot is split: 33% of reviews are one-star, citing billing, refunds, and bugs
- The product has drifted from podcasting toward general AI video, which may add cost for podcast-only users
- The pricing page does not spell out the Free plan's limits
- No Tier 1 editorial review exists yet under the Async name
FAQ
Is Podcastle still available?
Yes, under a new name. Podcastle rebranded as Async on 28 January 2026, according to the company's own announcement, and podcastle.ai now redirects to async.com. It is the same company, not an acquisition.
Is Podcastle (Async) free?
There is a free plan. The official pricing page says no credit card is needed to sign up for the Free plan; paid plans start at $19.99 a month, or $11.99 a month billed yearly.
Do Async credits roll over?
No. Per the official pricing FAQ, monthly subscription credits reset at the start of each billing cycle. Credits bought as top-up packs last longer: until the end of a yearly subscription, or two months on monthly plans.
Is Async better than Riverside for podcast recording?
For pure recording quality, Riverside publishes higher specs (up to 4K video and 48kHz audio) and scores slightly higher in our reviews. Async is cheaper to start, has a free plan, and bundles AI voices, video generation, and hosting. Both scores are Research-based.
Does Async have a refund policy?
The official pricing FAQ states a 7-day refund policy on new subscriptions, applying to the initial upgrade and excluding AI credits already used.
Is this review based on hands-on testing?
No. It is Research-based: built from Async's official pricing page, announcements, and product pages, plus Trustpilot and Capterra reviews. We have not used Podcastle or Async ourselves.
Check Async's Current Pricing
Start on the free plan to judge it yourself, and note that paid credits reset every month.
See Async pricing →