Gumball

TAKEOliver Wakefield-Smith · Digital SignetSources checked July 31, 2026

Rates visible per showMarketplaceNo published ratesPer-show rates are visible on gumball.fm while browsing, but they change show by show and month by month, so we do not reprint them as benchmarks.

Cue

What does 'transparent rates' mean on Gumball?

Gumball lists its roster’s host-read inventory with the actual price per spot visible while you browse, and you book self-serve. Transparency here means you see each show’s current asking price before talking to anyone; it does not mean a site-wide rate card exists, and prices move show by show.

Why visible per-show rates are not a benchmark

A number you can see today is not a number this site should freeze into a table. Gumball prices change with each show’s audience and each month’s demand. Reprinting Tuesday’s price as a benchmark is how stale numbers get laundered into “industry averages.” So the honest guidance is: browse the roster, note the prices for shows your audience actually listens to, and compare the implied CPM against the published host-read benchmarks.

The booking flow

Pick shows, pick dates, submit creative direction, pay. It is the closest thing host-read buying has to an e-commerce checkout, which makes it a good second stop after a $2,500-tier test: enough budget to book multiple spots on one or two shows and read a per-show signal from the results.

Against the alternatives

Versus Podcorn: Gumball prices the inventory, Podcorn lets creators price the deal; see the head-to-head. Versus Libsyn Ads: Libsyn publishes a card and runs a quote flow with humans; Gumball shows per-show prices and lets you self-serve. Roster overlap is limited, so the real decision is often which roster carries your audience’s shows.

Compare: Podcorn vs Gumball · Rates: host-read CPMs · All platforms: the roster