A podcast kit is four things: a microphone, a way to hear yourself, something to hold the mic at mouth height, and a way to get the signal into the computer. Longer equipment lists are selling accessories. The three kits below are built from those four parts at $150, $400 and $1,000, priced from the Amazon listings we checked in late October 2026, so each table adds up to the cent.
The $150 kit is one person at a desk recording into a laptop. The $400 kit is two people in the same room with nothing between the mics and the computer. The $1,000 kit is two people in the same room with a console between the mics and the computer, so each host has their own preamp, headphone jack and track. None of the three needs a mixer, and nothing in the cheaper kits is wasted when you move up.
The spec that runs through all three is separate tracks. Two voices on one track cannot be leveled, de-noised or trimmed independently, and that is the difference between a ten-minute edit and an evening. Everything here records one voice per device or per channel. For the recording and publishing steps, the companion is how to start a podcast; this page is the shopping list.
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TLDR
The solo kit is a Samson Q2U and a pair of Audio-Technica ATH-M20x for $138.99, or $160.06 with a Neewer boom arm. The two-host kit doubles that on USB for $320.12, and a pair of Shure MV6 Gen 2 instead of the Q2Us makes it a hands-off $456.00. The console kit is a RØDECaster Duo with two Rode PodMic USB on XLR for $1,077.14 in the table; swap the console for the new Zoom PodTrak P4next and the recorder build lands at $1,023.97 with better headphones and arms. If the mic is the only decision you want to make, best podcast microphone covers that on its own.
The $150 solo kit
$79.99 buys the Samson Q2U, a dynamic microphone with a USB port and an XLR output, and the box includes a desk stand, a foam windscreen and both cables. The USB side is what the kit uses today. The XLR side is why it is the pick over the other USB mics at this price: when a console or recorder arrives later, the same mic plugs into it. A dynamic capsule also picks up less of the room than a condenser at the same distance, the right trade for an untreated bedroom.
$59.00 buys the ATH-M20x, closed-back with 40mm drivers and a fixed 3m cable. Closed-back is the requirement, because open or semi-open headphones leak playback and the other voice back into the mic. The cable does not detach and the cups do not fold, which is fine for a pair that lives on a desk. Wired earbuds you already own do the monitoring job for $0, so this is the first line to cut if the budget is tight; the M20x seal better and they are the pair you will edit on.
The weak point is the stand. The Q2U’s desk stand puts the capsule at desk height, so you lean toward it for an hour and the level drifts every time you sit back. A Neewer suspension boom arm fixes that for $21.07. It clamps to the desk edge, carries up to 3.3 lb, and takes the kit to $160.06. Stock on that listing was thin when we checked; Neewer’s MS006 is the same arm under a newer name. Software is free: Audacity on either platform, GarageBand on a Mac.
| Part | Pick | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Microphone | Samson Q2U (USB and XLR, desk stand in the box) | $79.99 |
| Headphones | Audio-Technica ATH-M20x | $59.00 |
| Mic mount | The Q2U’s included desk stand (boom arm, $21.07, optional) | $0.00 |
| Interface | None, the mic connects over USB | $0.00 |
| Software | Audacity or GarageBand | $0.00 |
| Total | $138.99 |
The $400 two-host kit
Two hosts in one room need two of everything in the solo kit and one decision: how two microphones reach one computer. The cheapest answer is two USB mics. Two Q2U at $159.98, two ATH-M20x at $118.00, two Neewer arms at $42.14, and the total is $320.12. The arms are standard here, because with two people the lean-in problem doubles.
The thing to check before you buy is how your recording software handles two USB devices. On a Mac, Audio MIDI Setup combines both Q2Us into one Aggregate Device, which records as a two-channel file with one voice per channel; split it into two mono tracks and each host can be leveled alone. On Windows the application has to open both devices itself, and Audacity records from one device at a time, so plan on software that takes two inputs or on the console kit below. If the laptop has one free USB port, a powered USB hub covers the second mic; it is generic and not counted in the table.
$80 is left under the headline, and the better use of it is one upgrade. The Shure MV6 Gen 2 is a dynamic USB-C mic with auto level: it sets the gain and holds it, which is the job a new host gets wrong most often. A pair is $338.00, and with the two M20x the kit is $456.00. That is $56 over the $400 line, the version for a show where nobody wants to think about levels. The MV6 has no XLR output, so it does not grow into the console kit the way the Q2U does; it ships with its own stand and cable, so the arms become optional.
| Part | Pick | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Microphones | 2× Samson Q2U | $159.98 |
| Headphones | 2× Audio-Technica ATH-M20x | $118.00 |
| Arms | 2× Neewer suspension boom arm | $42.14 |
| Interface | None, both mics on USB (a powered hub only if the laptop has one free port) | $0.00 |
| Software | Audacity or GarageBand, with an Aggregate Device on a Mac | $0.00 |
| Total | $320.12 |
The $1,000 two-host kit with a console
$499.00 of this kit is the console. The RØDECaster Duo has two combo XLR inputs on its own preamps, two headphone outputs, six pads and USB-C multitrack to the computer, so each host has a preamp, a jack and a track with no software routing. It replaces the Aggregate Device, the hub and the levels question from the $400 kit.
The microphones move to XLR. Two Rode PodMic USB at $418.00 run on their XLR outputs into the console and keep the USB-C port as a fallback for recording into a laptop on the road. Headphones stay the $118.00 pair of ATH-M20x, arms stay the $42.14 pair of Neewer arms, and the table comes to $1,077.14, $77 over the headline. Two XLR cables are extra and generic. The cheaper version is two Q2U on XLR instead of the PodMics, which lands at $819.12 with the console’s value going to monitoring and separate tracks.
Two step-ups do not fit. The Shure MV7+ is the hybrid USB-C and XLR mic at $299.00, and a pair adds $180.00 to the table. The Shure SM7dB at $549.00 is the broadcast mic with its preamp built in, and two of them are $1,098.00 before anything else, so it belongs on a solo desk at this budget. The Sony MDR-7506 at $113.00 and the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x at $159.00 are the headphone upgrades, and MDR-7506 vs ATH-M50x settles which.
The console is the luxury in this kit, and a recorder does the core job for $179.99. The Zoom PodTrak P4next is new this fall: four XLR inputs, four headphone outputs, SD recording, a phone input, USB audio to the computer, battery power and AI noise reduction. The four headphone outputs are the reason it is here: two hosts monitor with no splitter, and there is room for a third and fourth voice. The original PodTrak P4 is the older model and still turns up at $149.99; the P4next is the one to buy. With the same two PodMics, two MDR-7506 at $226.00 and two Elgato Wave Mic Arm LP at $199.98, the recorder build is $1,023.97: less than the console table, with better headphones and low-profile arms. The console adds the pads, the screen and Rode’s preamps on top of that.
The interface route is the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 4th Gen at $224.99: two combo inputs, 48V, Air mode, auto gain. It has one headphone output. Two hosts on a 2i2 share a splitter and a single volume setting, so it suits one host plus a remote guest better than two people in the room.
| Part | Pick | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Console | RØDE RØDECaster Duo | $499.00 |
| Microphones | 2× Rode PodMic USB (on XLR) | $418.00 |
| Headphones | 2× Audio-Technica ATH-M20x | $118.00 |
| Arms | 2× Neewer suspension boom arm | $42.14 |
| Software | Audacity or GarageBand, taking the Duo’s multitrack over USB-C | $0.00 |
| Total | $1,077.14 |
What to skip
An analog mixer. The small mixers that show up in beginner lists sum both voices to one stereo mix before the computer sees them, so both hosts land on one track and one person’s cough gets cut out of both voices. The USB mics in the first two kits skip the mixer, and the console and recorder in the third are multitrack.
The $499 console, if $1,000 is a stretch. The recorder build above covers the same per-host preamp, jack and track for $319.01 less, and records to an SD card without a computer in the room. The pads and the screen are worth having once the show is a habit.
The Rode PSA1+ at $137 is the arm every list names. The Elgato Wave Mic Arm LP holds the same mics for $99.99 and stays out of the frame on camera, and the Neewer does the job for $21.07; the only Amazon listing we found for the PSA1+ was a resale unit, so it is not linked. The Sennheiser HD 280 Pro at $89.99 sits between the ATH-M20x at $59.00 and the MDR-7506 at $113.00 and does the same closed-back job; its listing was a resale unit too, and either end of that range is the cleaner buy.
Pop filters and cables are generic. The Q2U ships with a foam windscreen, the PodMic USB has its pop filter built in, and a foam cover from any brand handles anything else. The two XLR cables for the console kit are whichever 10-foot cables are cheapest with a brand name on them; an expensive pair does not show up in spoken word. Acoustic panels wait until you have recorded in the room and heard what it does.
Remote guests
A remote guest needs none of this hardware. Riverside, Zencastr and Descript record the guest’s side locally in their browser and upload it afterward, so each track is whatever mic was on that end. One host plus a remote guest is the solo kit plus one of those services; the two-host kit covers one in-room host plus a remote guest with a mic to spare. Ask the guest to wear earbuds, or your voice comes back through their laptop speakers into their mic. The PodTrak P4next‘s phone input takes a guest on a call as its own channel, no browser needed.
FAQ
Do I need an audio interface to start a podcast?
No, for one or two hosts on USB mics. The Q2U and the MV6 Gen 2 have the converter built in. An interface, console or recorder comes in with XLR mics or a hardware headphone jack per host. If you buy one, count the headphone outputs: the Scarlett 2i2 4th Gen has one, the RØDECaster Duo has two, the PodTrak P4next has four. Audio recorders and interfaces goes deeper on the hardware.
USB or XLR microphone for a podcast?
USB for one voice into a laptop, XLR once there is a console or recorder to plug into. The Q2U and the PodMic USB have both connectors, which is why they anchor two of the three kits. The field inside each type is in best USB microphone and best XLR microphone.
Can two people share one microphone?
Not well. A dynamic podcast mic is built to reject sound from the sides, so the second voice comes through quieter, roomier and on the same track as the first, and nothing in the edit separates them. One mic per voice is the rule, and the Q2U at $79.99 keeps the cost of following it low.
Can I start with my camera mic or a gaming headset?
For a test episode, yes. A camera’s built-in mic sits a meter from your mouth and records the room as loudly as the voice; a headset mic is close enough but tuned for voice chat. The $138.99 solo kit is the smallest step that fixes both, and its Q2U is still the mic in the $819.12 version of the console kit.
Where the kit goes from here
Once the parts are on the desk, how to start a podcast covers the recording, editing and publishing side. The mic decision on its own is in best podcast microphone, with the field split into best USB microphone and best XLR microphone. For the box between the mic and the computer, audio recorders and interfaces for video work goes deeper, and Sony MDR-7506 vs Audio-Technica ATH-M50x is the headphone upgrade question answered.
