Lenny.fm
Lenny.fm lets podcast listeners provide recurring financial support to selected shows while continuing to listen in their existing podcast app.
What Lenny.fm is
Lenny.fm lets podcast listeners provide recurring financial support to selected shows while continuing to listen in their existing podcast app. Creating an account and choosing favourite podcasts is free, and listeners can decide later whether to contribute. Monthly support is divided among up to four selected shows that published an episode during the previous month. Lenny does not charge until at least one selected podcast has opted in; the subscription then resumes and is charged within 28 days. The Monthly Support plan costs $4 a month, billed monthly, and can be cancelled anytime. Creators may offer rewards such as merchandise discounts, chat communities or ad-free feeds. Listener payments are processed through Stripe. Creators can request accumulated payouts, with a 10% fee charged when funds are withdrawn. Lenny.fm does not provide premium episodes, private podcast feeds or community tools itself. Its terms describe personal-data handling under GDPR, CCPA and the Australian Privacy Act 1988. The service is based in Melbourne, Australia.
Good
- Free account and show selection
- Support can cover up to four podcasts
- Charges wait for creator opt-in
- Creators can offer supporter rewards
- Cancel anytime
Watch out
- Creators pay a 10% withdrawal fee
- No premium episodes
- No private podcast feeds
- No built-in community tools
Who it suits
Lenny.fm suits listeners who want to support independent podcasts without changing listening apps. It also suits creators seeking recurring listener support and optional supporter rewards.
Verdict
Lenny.fm adds recurring listener funding without requiring a new listening app. The opt-in charging rule and creator withdrawal fee are important before subscribing or accepting support.
Plans and prices
From Lenny.fm's own pricing page, checked 15 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Support | $4 a month | split between up to 4 shows · transaction fee may apply · monthly; cancel anytime |
The facts
Each one read from Lenny.fm's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- 2025 change
- On June 24, 2025, Lenny announced an opt-in model after legal review and said its redesigned creator portal still needed fixes.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Account setup
- Creating an account and selecting favorite shows is free.checked 15 Oct 2026
- API and SDKs
- The official pages reviewed provide no public API, SDK, self-hosting option or developer documentation.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Audience-size limitation
- A Reddit commenter argued that very small shows may generate too little income for conventional monetization to be worthwhile, a constraint relevant to Lenny’s conversion model.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Automatic allocation
- A listener’s payment is divided among as many as four selected podcasts.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Compliance statement
- The terms reference GDPR, the Australian Privacy Act 1988 and CCPA compliance.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Contribution limits
- The FAQ says listeners cannot yet choose amounts above the standard contribution, although variable amounts were planned.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Creator extras
- Creators may independently offer supporters benefits such as merchandise discounts, communities or ad-free feeds.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Creator fee
- Lenny retains 10% of creator funds when they are withdrawn.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Creator rewards
- Creators may offer supporters rewards such as merchandise discounts, chat communities, or ad-free feeds.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Creator withdrawals
- Creators can request accumulated funds for payout, and funds are available by most transfer methods on request.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Cross-podcast insight
- Creators can see which other shows their supporters also support for possible collaborations.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Delayed charging
- A listener is not charged until at least one selected podcast opts in, after which charging starts within 28 days.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Documentation depth
- Documentation consists mainly of listener and creator FAQs, payout guidance, scripts, logos and contact/video-chat support.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Independent alternative discussion
- A podcasting Reddit thread mentioned Lenny.fm as an alternative to Patreon for a small show seeking monetization.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Independent creator disclosure
- A Reddit poster who identified as Lenny’s founder said the service was intended as an easy additional revenue stream rather than a complete monetization solution.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Independent praise
- Ear Worthy’s reviewer, who said he was a customer, called Lenny.fm a budget-friendly way to support independent podcasts.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Independent use case
- The Ear Worthy article describes Lenny as a direct-support option for podcast listeners and creators rather than a listening application.checked 15 Oct 2026
- License terms
- The EULA grants only a limited, revocable, non-exclusive, non-transferable right to use the platform and prohibits modification, redistribution and reverse engineering.checked 15 Oct 2026
Money
- Free account setup
- Creating an account and selecting favourite shows is free, and listeners can choose to contribute financially later.checked 5 Oct 2026
The company
- Headquarters
- Melbourne, Australiachecked 28 Sep 2026
- Legal maker
- The privacy policy identifies Nearly Media Pty Ltd as the entity doing business as Lenny.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Maker background
- Nearly Media says Courtney Carthy and Andy Bellairs started an Australian podcast-production company after working at the ABC.checked 15 Oct 2026
Where it runs
- Listener app requirement
- Lenny is a web app and does not replace the podcast player a listener already uses.checked 15 Oct 2026
Alternatives to Lenny.fm
- 1
Substack
Free planAndroidiOSWebAPI8.2$50 one-time - 2
Patreon
Free planAndroidiOSWebAPI8.1Free plan - 3
Disctopia
Free planAndroidiOSWebAPI8.0From $6.99 a month - 4
Firstory
Free planAndroidiOSWeb8.0From $7 a month - 5
Podimo
Free planAndroidiOSWeb8.0From €49.99 a year - 6
Acast
Free planAndroidiOSWebAPI7.9From $14.99 a month