Good Podcast Download Numbers: Benchmarks

Every podcaster eventually asks the same question: are my download numbers any good? The answer depends on your show's category, how long you have been publishing, and what you are trying to achieve. A business podcast with 500 downloads per episode might be outperforming a comedy show with 5,000 if the business show reaches the exact decision-makers a B2B sponsor wants.

This guide covers the download benchmarks that matter in 2026, broken down by the factors that actually influence what "good" looks like for your show.

The median podcast gets fewer downloads than you think

Most podcasts do not attract a large audience. Research from Buzzsprout, Libsyn, and other major hosting platforms consistently shows that the median podcast episode receives between 100 and 200 downloads in its first 30 days. If your episodes pass 150 downloads within a month of publishing, you are already above the halfway mark.

This data point surprises many creators because the podcasts they hear about — the ones featured in press coverage and social media — tend to be outliers with audiences in the tens or hundreds of thousands.

Download percentile benchmarks for 2026

Based on aggregated data from hosting platforms, here is roughly where podcast episodes land by download count in the first 30 days after release:

• Top 1%: More than 35,000 downloads
• Top 5%: More than 7,500 downloads
• Top 10%: More than 3,400 downloads
• Top 25%: More than 1,000 downloads
• Top 50%: More than 150 downloads

These numbers shift slightly year over year and vary by data source, but the general distribution has remained stable. The takeaway is that reaching 1,000 downloads per episode puts you in the top quarter of all podcasts — a meaningful accomplishment.

Benchmarks by category

Category matters more than most podcasters realize. True crime and comedy podcasts tend to attract larger casual audiences, while niche B2B, education, and technology shows typically have smaller but highly targeted listener bases.

Here is how average downloads per episode vary across popular categories (for established shows with at least 20 episodes):

• True crime: 2,000 to 8,000 (wide range due to genre popularity)
• Comedy: 1,500 to 6,000
• News and politics: 1,000 to 5,000
• Business: 500 to 2,500
• Technology: 400 to 2,000
• Education: 300 to 1,500
• Health and wellness: 400 to 2,000
• Fiction and storytelling: 500 to 3,000

New shows in any category will typically fall below these numbers for the first several months.

How show age affects download numbers

Podcasts build audiences over time, and the growth curve is not linear. Most shows experience three phases:

Phase one (episodes 1 to 20) – The early grind. Downloads come primarily from your existing network — friends, family, social media followers, and professional contacts. Typical range: 50 to 300 downloads per episode.

Phase two (episodes 20 to 75) – Organic discovery begins. Podcast directories start recommending your show based on listening patterns. If your content is consistent and your metadata is optimized, downloads often double or triple during this phase.

Phase three (episodes 75 and beyond) – Compounding growth. Back-catalog episodes accumulate downloads, word-of-mouth referrals increase, and your show may start appearing in curated lists and search results. Shows that reach this phase with consistent quality often see 5x to 10x growth from their starting point.

Very few podcasts break out in their first 10 episodes. The shows that succeed are the ones that keep publishing through the slow early months.

Episode frequency and its effect on downloads

Publishing cadence affects both per-episode downloads and total monthly downloads. Weekly shows tend to build audience habits faster than biweekly or monthly shows because listeners have more opportunities to form the routine of checking for new episodes.

However, per-episode downloads for weekly shows can be lower than those for biweekly shows because the audience has less time between episodes to accumulate. A biweekly show might get 800 downloads per episode while a weekly show in the same niche gets 500 per episode — but the weekly show generates 2,000 downloads per month versus the biweekly show's 1,600.

Choose a frequency you can sustain. Inconsistent publishing schedules hurt audience growth more than a slower but reliable cadence.

What sponsors consider "good" numbers

If monetization through sponsorships is your goal, download thresholds vary by sponsor type:

• Programmatic ad networks (dynamic insertion platforms): Often accept shows with as few as 1,000 total monthly downloads.
• Mid-tier sponsors: Typically look for 2,500 to 10,000 downloads per episode.
• Premium brand sponsors: Usually require 10,000+ downloads per episode, though niche shows with highly engaged audiences sometimes negotiate deals below this threshold.

CPM rates (cost per thousand downloads) for podcast ads range from $15 to $50, depending on the ad placement (pre-roll, mid-roll, post-roll) and the audience demographic. A show with 5,000 downloads per episode running a mid-roll ad at a $25 CPM earns about $125 per episode.

Downloads are not the only measure of success

Download numbers are the most visible metric, but they are not always the best indicator of whether your podcast is working. Consider these alternative success signals:

• Listener engagement: Comments, reviews, social shares, and email responses from listeners.
• Business outcomes: Leads generated, sales attributed to the podcast, or brand partnerships that resulted from your content.
• Completion rate: A show with 300 downloads but an 85% completion rate has a more engaged audience than a show with 3,000 downloads and a 30% completion rate.
• Growth trajectory: A show that went from 200 to 800 downloads per episode over six months is on a stronger path than one stuck at 2,000 with no growth.

Track your downloads as a baseline, but pair them with quality metrics to get the full picture. Jellypod's analytics dashboard brings all of these metrics together so you can see both reach and engagement in one view.

Setting realistic download goals

Rather than chasing someone else's numbers, set goals based on your current performance:

• If you are below 100 downloads per episode: Focus on consistency, metadata optimization, and sharing each episode across two or three channels.
• If you are between 100 and 500: Work on cross-promotion with other podcasters and experiment with episode titles that address specific questions your audience is asking.
• If you are between 500 and 2,000: Invest in SEO, guest appearances on other shows, and social media clips to expand your reach.
• If you are above 2,000: Explore sponsorship opportunities, consider launching a second show or spin-off series, and focus on retention metrics alongside growth.

Good download numbers are the ones that keep moving upward from wherever you started.