The quick answer: basic room-only studios start at about $25–$55 an hour on New York City booking marketplaces, and rooms with cameras and lights run $130–$195 an hour. We found no room-only podcast studios listed on Long Island itself. Sessions where staff run the recording for you run about $75–$250 an hour, and full production with editing runs up to $1,500+ per episode. At our podcast and video studio in Long Beach, NY, it's $450 for a 2-hour session that our team runs for you: cameras, mics and lighting included, with raw multi-track footage delivered in 48 hours.
Why such a big spread? Because "podcast studio" covers three very different products. Here's how to tell them apart.
Prices as of December 2026.
The three kinds of podcast studio
| Room-only | Staff-run session | Full production | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical price | $25–$55/hr basic; $130–$195/hr with cameras and lights (NYC marketplaces) | $75–$250/hr, or a per-session price | Custom packages, up to $1,500+ per episode |
| What you get | A treated room, a table, sometimes lights and cameras | Room, pro mics, cameras, and someone running the session | Recording plus editing, color correction, graphics, clips and often publishing |
| You bring | Your own gear (or you run theirs) and the know-how | Yourself and your guests | Yourself and your guests |
| Examples | Peerspace and Giggster NYC listings | Flexwork Studio (NJ) from $75/hr; PodLab (MI) $235 per 90 minutes; Bridgeworks $450 per 2 hours | Flexwork "produce my podcast" from $1,500/episode; Bridgeworks production packages (custom quote) |
Room-only studios (on marketplaces like Peerspace and Giggster) range from a $55/hr Financial District room to $130–$195/hr Manhattan rooms with cameras and backdrops. You get the room and some gear, and you run everything yourself. Watch the minimums: 2-hour minimums are the norm, one NYC studio requires 4 hours, and setup and teardown usually come out of your booked time.
Staff-run sessions add a person: pro mics (Shure SM7B or RØDE PodMic class), a mixer, multi-camera video, and someone who actually runs the session. Flexwork Studio in Springfield, NJ starts at $75/hr with an on-site engineer, and Tribeca rooms with an AV engineer run about $250/hr. PodLab in Michigan (a national price reference, not a local option) charges $235 for a 90-minute, 3-camera session with an engineer, files delivered. Bridgeworks sits here: $450 for a 2-hour, multi-camera video session that our team runs, with raw multi-track footage in 48 hours. Editing isn't included. Our team runs the recording; whether you edit the footage yourself or hand it to us is up to you.
Full production means you walk in and walk out with a finished product: recording, editing, color correction, graphics and clips. Flexwork's full "produce my podcast" package starts at $1,500 an episode. At Bridgeworks, production packages are quoted per project: full episode edits, vertical social clips with captions, titles and graphics, photos for thumbnails, and publishing to YouTube and Spotify.
What drives the price
- Cameras: audio-only is the cheapest option, and every camera angle adds cost. Multi-camera 4K video is what separates a $95/hr room from a $250/hr one.
- An engineer or producer: the single biggest price jump. A room with nobody in it is cheap; a room with someone running it isn't.
- Remote guests: one studio we checked charges $45 extra for a remote guest. At Bridgeworks, remote guests join on a 75-inch screen, included in the session price.
- Editing: episode edits run $100–$125/hr, and short social clips $50–$80 each. Always ask whether the quote includes any editing at all.
- Mics and setups: how many people can be on mic at once (solo to 4-person), and whether photo time for thumbnails is included.
Hidden costs to ask about
- Setup and teardown inside your booked time. Giggster hosts state it outright: setup and teardown must fit inside the rental. PodLab's 90-minute block includes setup and wrap-up, then charges overtime.
- Media and upgrades: 4K delivery fees (+$75 at one studio), cloud upload fees (+$35), or a requirement to bring your own SSD.
- Editing and clips: quoted separately almost everywhere, typically $100+ per episode edit and $50–$80 per clip.
- Overtime: going 10–15 minutes over can trigger a full extra hour at some studios.
- Minimums: 2-hour minimums are standard; one NYC room requires 4.
- Cancellation: policies range from full refunds up to 7 days ahead to losing the full fee inside 24 hours. Read it before you book.
- Taxes and platform fees: marketplace checkouts add tax on top of the listed hourly rate.
Rent vs build your own studio
The gear for a 2-camera, 4-mic setup at current retail prices:
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K (body) | $1,139 |
| Second camera, Fujifilm X-T3 class (body) | from $999 |
| 4× RØDE PodMic | $344 |
| RØDECaster Pro II mixer/recorder | $699 |
| 2× LED monolights | $498 |
| 2× tripods | $400 |
| Total | ~$4,080 |
That's for camera bodies only (lenses are extra), and before memory cards, mic arms, headphones, cables, acoustic treatment and editing software, and the hours you'll spend learning to run it all.
The payback math: at $150–$250/hr in studio fees, ~$4,080 of gear pays for itself after roughly 16–27 hours of recording. In practice, if you'd book more than about a dozen sessions a year and someone on your team wants to run the gear and edit, building can pay off. Otherwise renting wins, because studio time includes the setup, the operator and the know-how, not just the equipment. (For context, Bridgeworks runs the same class of gear: Blackmagic Pocket Cinema 4K, a Fujifilm X-T3 second angle, 4× RØDE PodMics, a 75-inch remote-guest screen and a green screen.)
Podcast studios on Long Island
Few Long Island podcast studios publish their prices. The only other Nassau or Suffolk studio we found with a real address, Long Island Podcast Studio in Melville, asks you to call for pricing. Everything else you can book online is in New York City, at the rates above, plus the train ride.
Bridgeworks in Long Beach, NY: $450 per 2-hour session, with all equipment, a session run by our team, and raw multi-track footage in 48 hours. A $399/mo membership gets you one 2-hour session a month, priority booking and 10% off extra sessions. Editing and production are quoted per project. The studio has setups for solo to 4-person recordings, a green screen and a 75-inch screen for remote guests. Tour the studio before you book; it's a short walk from the Long Beach LIRR station.
How to get the most from a 2-hour session
- Record two episodes, not one. Prepare two outlines and record them back to back. That's how one session turns into a month of content.
- Note your clip moments as you record. Jot down timestamps for highlights; it cuts editing time later.
- Decide on in-person or remote guests in advance. In person usually looks better on camera; remote guests work well on the 75-inch screen.
- Use the photo time. Grab thumbnails and promo shots while the lights are set up. It's the cheapest content you'll make all month.
- Arrive with everything decided: topic, questions, guest bios and how you want your files delivered. Setup time comes out of session time.
FAQ
How much does it cost to rent a podcast studio per hour?
Basic room-only studios start at about $25–$55/hr in NYC, and rooms with cameras and lights run $130–$195/hr. We found no room-only studios listed on Long Island. Sessions run by studio staff run about $75–$250/hr, or a set price per session, such as $450 for 2 hours at Bridgeworks. Full production with editing is usually quoted per episode, up to $1,500+.
Is a podcast studio worth it for beginners?
Yes, arguably more than for experienced podcasters. A staff-run session lets you learn by watching instead of buying $4,000 of gear and troubleshooting it alone. Start with one session before committing to anything.
Do I need my own equipment?
No. Staff-run and full-production studios provide everything: mics, cameras, lighting and recording. Room-only rentals are the exception, where you bring the gear or run it yourself.
Can I record with a remote guest?
Yes, at most staff-run studios; one we checked charges $45 extra. At Bridgeworks, it's included, with the guest on a 75-inch screen. Always confirm the remote setup before booking: "we can do Zoom" and "we do it well" are different things.
How fast do I get my files?
It varies widely, from the same day to a week. Bridgeworks delivers raw multi-track footage within 48 hours. Ask about turnaround before you book, especially if you publish on a schedule.
Record your first episode in Long Beach, NY: $450, and our team runs the session. Book a session → · Tour the studio first
Related guides: How to get to Bridgeworks: the commuter's guide
