Show Limits and Multi-Site Use
Your Benecaster license carries two limits that people often assume are the same thing. They aren’t, and they’re enforced independently:
- Show limit — how many active shows you can run
- Site activation limit — how many WordPress installations your license can be activated on
A setup has to satisfy both.
The Two Limits
| Plan | Active shows | Site activations |
|---|---|---|
| Launch (free) | 1 | 1 |
| Starter | 1 | 1 |
| Growth | 1 | 1 |
| Pro | 1 | 1 |
| Multi-Show | 3 | 3 |
| Studio | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Because the numbers match at every plan level, the practical question is only ever how you distribute your shows across installations. Staging installations are exempt from the activation limit — see below.
The show limit counts active shows, not shows you’ve ever created. Deleting or archiving a show frees its slot, so a podcaster who finishes one series and starts another doesn’t need a bigger plan — only someone running shows concurrently does.
Managing Your Shows
Shows are created and managed from the Benecaster admin dashboard on each WordPress site where the plugin is installed. Go to Benecaster → Shows to see all shows on the current installation, create a new show, or switch between shows.
When you reach your plan’s show limit, the Add Show button is disabled and an upgrade prompt appears. Your existing shows continue operating normally — subscriber feeds, episode delivery, and all current functionality are unaffected. To create another show, upgrade your plan.
Shows Across Multiple WordPress Sites
Multi-Show and Studio licenses can span multiple WordPress installations. All shows count toward the same license limit regardless of which WordPress site they live on.
For example, with a Multi-Show license (3 shows, 3 site activations):
- 3 shows on 3 separate domains — one show per site, using all three activations
- 3 shows on a single WordPress installation, using one activation
- 2 shows on one site and 1 show on another, using two activations
- Any combination that stays within both limits
What you can’t do is exceed either limit. Three shows spread across four WordPress installations won’t work on Multi-Show, even though the show count fits.
Each activation is one WordPress installation at its own URL. Connecting a site consumes a slot; disconnecting it releases the slot for reuse. If you move a site to a new domain, the new URL is treated as a separate installation — disconnect from the old domain first so you don’t spend two slots on what is really one site.
The Benecaster plugin on each installation connects to the same license. Show counts are tracked across all connected sites.
Staging and Development Environments
Entering your license key on a staging or local development site does not consume a show slot. The license server identifies staging environments automatically, using URL patterns such as localhost, .local, .test, .dev, IP addresses, and staging subdomain patterns.
What does count toward your show limit: creating a show on any site, including a staging site. If you create a test show on staging for setup purposes, that show counts the same as a production show.
Best practice: On staging, activate the license and verify configuration without creating shows — or delete any test shows before you need the slot for production. If you’re unsure whether your staging URL will be recognized automatically, contact support before activating.
See Setting Up a Staging Site for Benecaster for a full walkthrough.
What Happens When You Hit Your Show Limit
When your show count reaches your plan’s limit:
- The Add Show button in the Benecaster header is greyed out
- A link appears below it to upgrade your plan
- Creating a show via the REST API is also blocked
To create another show:
- Multi-Show ($35/month or $349/year) — up to 3 shows across up to 3 WordPress installations
- Studio ($149/month or $1,199/year) — unlimited shows and unlimited installations, with all add-ons included automatically
Log in at benecaster.com/my-account/ and go to Subscriptions to upgrade.
Acceptable Use — Multi-Show and Studio
Multi-Show and Studio are licenses for shows you own and operate. Every show running under your license must be a podcast operation you run.
Permitted:
- Multiple shows at separate domains, all operated by you
- A main show plus a separate archive or spinoff show, both under your control
- Several brand-specific shows in a podcast network you run entirely
- Multiple shows on the same WordPress installation
Not permitted:
- Running a show for a client as part of an agency or freelance engagement
- Sharing your license key with another podcaster to use for their show
- Giving a collaborator access to use your license for a show that isn’t yours
Sharing a license for use on a show you don’t own and operate — even informally — violates the acceptable use terms. Benecaster may terminate all shows on the license if a violation is confirmed, including the shows that are legitimately yours.
If you’re setting up Benecaster for a client, the client needs their own license. The free tier is a genuine starting point — up to 10 paying subscribers at no cost.