Guide
What bitrate should a podcast be?
Most spoken-word podcasts sound right as an MP3 at 64 kbps mono or 96 to 128 kbps stereo. Music-heavy shows may want 192 kbps. Higher bitrates make bigger files that take longer to download on mobile data without sounding better for voices.
Work out the file size
Size in megabytes is the bitrate in kbps times 1,000, divided by 8, times the length in seconds, divided by a million. A 45-minute episode at 128 kbps is about 43 MB; at 64 kbps it is about 22 MB.
Mono or stereo
A single voice gains nothing from stereo, so 64 kbps mono sounds as good as 128 kbps stereo for one speaker. Interviews recorded on separate microphones, or shows with music beds, are worth stereo.
Export settings that work everywhere
MP3, constant bitrate, 44.1 kHz sample rate. Every podcast app plays it, and download counts stay accurate because the file size is predictable.
Quick answers
Is 320 kbps better for a podcast?
Not for speech. It makes files two and a half times bigger than 128 kbps with no difference listeners can hear in a voice.
Should I use AAC instead of MP3?
AAC sounds a little better at the same bitrate, but MP3 is the safest choice for every app and every directory.