Free vs. Licensed Features

Benecaster has two distinct versions: a free plugin available at WordPress.org, and a licensed version (with a free-entry tier) that adds subscriber authentication and private podcast delivery.

Free Plugin (WordPress.org)

The WordPress.org version is a standalone podcast feed manager. It gives you:

• Episode management with full iTunes-spec metadata
• A single public RSS feed — no token, no authentication
• Scheduled publish dates and times
• Episode types (full, trailer, bonus)
• Season support
• Basic episode templates with theme file overrides
• Guest fields per episode
• Listener Support — one-time donations via your own Stripe account; no Benecaster account required
• No account, no connection, no remote calls

This version is genuinely useful as a podcast feed manager if you don’t need subscriber access control — for example, a public free podcast where you want more control over your RSS output than your hosting provider gives you.

Subscriber authentication is not available in the WordPress.org version. To gate episodes by membership tier, you need a license.

Licensed Version — Plan Tiers

All licensed plans include the full feature set. What differs between plans is subscriber limits and the number of shows. There is no limit on WordPress site installations — you can install and activate Benecaster on any number of sites.

Annual billing saves approximately 30% versus monthly.

Launch plan note: A card is required to create your Benecaster account — a Stripe SetupIntent is used at signup, so no charge is made. You won’t be billed until you upgrade to a paid plan. When you’re ready to upgrade, it’s one click — your card is already on file.

If the card step does not appear on the signup page, you declined payment cookies on your first visit to benecaster.com — a panel in its place says so and carries a button that restores it. See Billing and Renewals.

Studio includes everything in Multi-Show plus all current and future add-ons, priority support, early beta access, and Migration + Setup Service at no extra cost.

What Any Licensed Plan Adds

Over the WordPress.org version, any licensed plan adds:

• Token generation — each subscriber gets a unique private RSS feed URL
• Built-in Membership — sell Stripe-powered subscription tiers directly from your site, with no separate membership plugin required
• Membership plugin integration — MemberPress, WooCommerce Subscriptions, Paid Memberships Pro, Restrict Content Pro
• Per-tier availability — control which episodes each membership tier can access and when
• Multiple RSS feeds — one feed per tier per show, automatically compiled
• Subscriber dashboard — see who has access, last feed activity, token status
• Subscriber self-service — account page with feed URL, QR code, podcast app deep links, token reset
• Welcome emails — automatic delivery of the subscriber’s private feed URL on signup
• Notification system — license alerts, milestone notices, and remote announcements in the admin bell panel
• Add-on management — install and manage Benecaster add-ons

Subscriber Limits

Two separate limits apply — a paying subscriber limit and a total token cap — with different caps per plan (Launch through Growth; Pro, Multi-Show, and Studio are unlimited on both). You choose how Benecaster responds when you hit either one: schedule an automatic upgrade, or cap access at the limit. See How Subscriber Limits Work → for what counts toward each limit and what a capped or over-limit listener experiences, and Upgrading Your Plan → for the enforcement settings, warnings, and how access is restored.

Launch has no special rules here. It behaves exactly like every paid plan at its own limit — reaching 10 paying subscribers does not block subscriber 11; enforcement happens on the feed, never at checkout.

If your license lapses instead — expires, is cancelled, or is suspended for a failed payment — Benecaster does not switch off abruptly. Subscribers keep full private access for a grace window before private feeds stop; restoring the licence restores access. See Payment Failure and Recovery → for the full timeline, and How Feed Tokens Work for how a lapse differs from an over-limit lockout.

Add-ons

Add-ons are available separately on Launch, Starter, Growth, Pro, and Multi-Show. Studio includes all add-ons automatically.

Notable add-ons:

• Migration Wizard — import subscribers from Patreon or Supercast (included free with Growth and above)
• Analytics Dashboard — deeper download tracking and subscriber analytics
• Email Editor — visual editor for all Benecaster email templates
• Blocks & Widgets Library — Gutenberg blocks and Elementor widgets (free)
• Guest Manager — full guest profile CPT with episode credits and archive pages

See all available add-ons →

Built-in Membership

Every licensed plan, including Launch, includes a built-in membership system with Stripe payment processing — you do not need a separate subscription plugin to sell subscriber access. Define your own tiers, take payment through your own Stripe account, and Benecaster issues the private feed URL on signup.

External subscription plugin bridges remain fully supported and are the recommended path if you already have a membership plugin in place. A site uses one or the other, not both at once.

See Built-in Membership → for setup, or Getting Started with Built-in Membership → for a walkthrough.