Best CRM for Podcast Producers 2026: Retainers & Sign-off

What a CRM for podcast producers is (and what it is not)

A CRM for podcast producers is the business side of a production studio: who owns each show, what the monthly package covers, which episodes are due, what the client has approved and what is still unpaid. It is not a recording, editing or hosting tool, and none of the tools below replace your audio software or podcast host. Keep audio work where it is and use the CRM to track the agreement, the episode tasks, the files shared with the client and the invoice. If those live in separate inboxes and spreadsheets, a late guest or a third round of edits gets absorbed as free work.

How we compared these tools

We compared each tool on the same five points, using only the vendor's own pricing and product pages:

1. Entry price for one person, monthly and billed yearly, as listed on October 18, 2026.
2. Retainer and billing coverage: recurring invoices or retainers, proposals, and time tracking on the entry plan.
3. Client-facing pieces: client portal, tasks or projects, and scheduling for guests.
4. Hard limits on the entry plan: active projects, seats or lead forms.
5. Trial terms: length, and whether the vendor says a card is needed.

We did not test speed, support, reliability, audio file handling or mobile apps, and did not use third-party ratings. Order reflects fit for a studio that sells monthly episode packages. ClickUp has no invoicing on its pricing page, so it is placed last.

The best CRM for podcast producers in 2026

1. Workspace369, best for producers billing monthly retainer packages

Workspace369 puts the client record, a proposal the client approves online, a retainer with recurring invoices, tasks, time tracking, a private client portal and invoices in one place. Cadet is $29 a month for one person ($23.25 billed yearly) and lists retainers and payment schedules, recurring invoices, deposits on acceptance, file share links, file versioning and a calendar on the plan. Email automations are included, with up to 3 active workflows, so you can set a reminder when a sign-off task is overdue. The screenshot is a demo record, not a customer result.

Limitations: Cadet allows 5 active projects and one seat, so a studio with many small shows reaches the cap quickly; Voyager ($74 a month, $59.25 billed yearly, two seats) lifts it, and extra seats are $10 a month from Voyager. Online booking for guests, expenses and payment plans start at Specialist ($149 a month). It is not an audio tool and does not review or play episodes, so approvals rest on a shared file link and the client's reply. Moxie and HoneyBook list no active-project cap on their entry plans. The 14-day trial needs a card.

Best for: solo producers or small studios within Cadet's 5 active projects, or a small team on Voyager, who sell monthly episode packages and want tasks, files, portal and invoices without extra apps.

2. Moxie, best for a low-priced all-in-one start

Moxie Starter is $12 a month, or $10 a month billed yearly ($120 charged annually). Its pricing page lists client and project management, invoicing and payments, proposals, quotes and contracts, time tracking, a sales pipeline, a custom form builder and meeting schedulers on Starter, so guest scheduling is covered at the entry price. The page title mentions a 14-day free trial; card terms are not stated there. Pro is $25 a month ($20 billed yearly) and adds the white-labeled client portal, workflow automations, support ticketing and client request management, and Teams is $40 a month ($32 billed yearly) for up to five team members.

Limitations: the white-labeled client portal and automations start at Pro, so a studio that wants clients to review episodes in a branded portal pays more. Recurring invoices are not named on the page, so check that before you plan a monthly package.

Best for: newer studios that want proposals, time, scheduling and invoices at a low entry price (the lowest of the tools here that list invoicing on the entry plan) and can send updates by hand.

3. HoneyBook, best for studios that sell packaged shows

HoneyBook Starter is $29 a month billed yearly ($36 billed monthly) and lists unlimited clients and projects, invoices and payments, proposals and contracts, a calendar, a client portal and up to 2 live lead forms. The pricing page shows a fall annual-plan promotion banner and says all plans start with a free trial; its FAQ describes a 30-day free trial with no credit card. Essentials ($49 billed yearly, $59 monthly) adds unlimited Scheduler sessions (Starter allows 1), automations, SMS reminders and up to 2 team members.

Limitations: Starter limits the scheduler for booking guests to 1 session; unlimited sessions start at Essentials. Time tracking is not listed on the pricing page, so extra edit rounds beyond a package need another way to log time. The page does not show which plan holds each payment feature in text, so confirm recurring invoices on the plan you choose.

Best for: studios that sell fixed show packages across many clients and want an inquiry-to-payment flow without a project cap.

4. Bonsai, best for studios that bill by the hour and add editors

Bonsai prices per user. Basic is $15 a month ($9 billed yearly) with time tracking, task management, unlimited projects, a CRM and unlimited clients. Essentials, at $25 a month ($19 billed yearly), adds invoices and payments, proposals and contracts, forms, scheduling, the client portal and expense tracking. The trial runs 7 days, then Bonsai asks for a credit card to continue. Trial Essentials, not Basic, because Basic does not list invoices. Elite is $59 monthly ($49 billed yearly) with a three-user minimum.

Limitations: invoices, scheduling and the portal are not in Basic, and custom fields and client tasks and messaging start at Premium ($39 a month, $29 billed yearly). Pricing is per user, so adding an editor adds a full seat price.

Best for: producers who bill hourly for edits and expect to add subcontractors one seat at a time.

5. Dubsado, best for form-heavy show onboarding

Dubsado Starter is $35 on the monthly plan or $335 a year on the annual plan; Premier is $55 monthly or $525 a year. Both list unlimited projects and clients, invoicing and payment plans, client portals, form and email templates and a calendar connection, with three additional users free. Starter has one active lead capture form. Public proposals, scheduling and automated workflows need Premier. Extra brands are $10 a month each.

Limitations: time tracking is not listed on the page, and guest scheduling and workflows need the higher plan. Its FAQ describes a 21-day free trial with full Premier access and no credit card.

Best for: producers with a repeatable show-onboarding questionnaire who will build the forms once and can pay for Premier to get scheduling.

6. ClickUp, best as a production pipeline beside a billing tool

ClickUp is a project tool, not a client-billing tool. Free Forever has unlimited tasks and 60MB of storage. Core is $9 per user a month billed yearly ($12 monthly) and adds unlimited storage, native time tracking (a trial on Free), guests with permission control and unlimited forms. Business is $17 per user billed yearly ($25 monthly) and adds webhooks, timesheets and resource management. The page offers a 100% money-back guarantee; trial terms are not stated.

Limitations: the pricing page lists no invoicing, proposals, retainers or client portal, so a studio still needs a billing tool and the agreement lives elsewhere. Proofing is listed under Business, and the page does not say which file types it covers, so test it with your own episode files before relying on it.

Best for: a production team that already invoices elsewhere and wants a board for episode stages, assigned editors and guest tasks.

Side-by-side comparison

Which tool fits your podcast studio?

Run an episode-cycle test during the trial

Take one fictional show through a full episode in each tool you shortlist:

1. Record the monthly package: episodes, edit rounds and extras, and send it as a proposal or brief the client approves.
2. Create the episode project with tasks for guest scheduling, recording, edit and show notes.
3. Share a draft edit by file link and set a dated sign-off task for the client.
4. Let the sign-off arrive late, then add a revision outside the package and write the client a message about it.
5. Invoice the extra work and set up next month's recurring invoice.
6. Export the client's records and check what comes out.

If you run the test, the best tool keeps tasks, files, messages and invoice on one client record, and the invoice matches what you agreed. Any gap is the leak this test is built to find. Price the extra edit first with the free scope-change request builder.

When to keep it simple

If you produce one or two shows for steady clients, a shared task list, a calendar and an invoice template can carry you a long way. Move to a client-work tool when sign-offs arrive late, when you cannot say how many revision rounds a client was promised, or when you chase recurring payments by hand. The podcast producers product page shows how Workspace369 handles proposals, communications and invoices, and the pricing page has current plans. Workspace369 also supports Workflow Automations that create tasks, send reminders and notify the right people, and you can check a workflow with a simulated test run before you switch it on.

Before importing real clients, run one full episode on demo data and check that your records can be exported.