00:00:04
Cicadas output
Mina: When we moved the queue to RQ, the transcription callback stopped blocking the upload path.
competitor output
Speaker 1: When we moved the cue to our queue, the glad callback stopped blocking the path.
One recording,
your voice,
everything you need to ship.
Cicadas builds a content kit from each episode, anchored by transcript quality and shaped by your voice, your prompts.
TRY IT FREE
Read the transcript quality for yourself
Upload an episode and read a transcript of the first 60 seconds — no account needed.
Add an episode preview
Upload an audio or video file. Cicadas will preview the first 60 seconds.
Upload audio file
MP3, WAV, M4A, or video source. Up to 500 MB.
TRANSCRIPT QUALITY
The transcript is the foundation.
Cicadas preserves names, technical terms, accents, and overlapping speakers in podcast transcripts because every output in the content kit - show notes, newsletter, social posts, pull quotes - is built directly from that transcript.
Learn more about transcriptionSee the Podsqueeze alternativeTRANSCRIPT QUALITY PROOF
Same audio. Cleaner source text.
Cicadas keeps the terms that shape every downstream draft; the competition misses the details in the same lines.
00:00:13
Cicadas output
Julien: Right, and Nadia's team still gets the transcript, the newsletter draft, and the LinkedIn post in one workspace.
competitor output
Speaker 2: Right, and media's team still gets the transcript, news letter draft, and linked in post in one workspace.
00:00:25
Cicadas output
Mina: We talked over each other there, but the key point is the glossary catches OVH, Supabase, and Rue Oberkampf.
competitor output
Speaker 1: We talked over each other there, but the key point is the glossary catches O V H, super base, and roof ober camp.
CUSTOM PROMPTS
Your voice, your prompts
Cicadas generates show notes, newsletters, and social posts using custom prompts you control, layered on top of strong defaults so first-time users get usable output without writing a single prompt.
Learn more about custom promptsSee the Castmagic alternativeStrong default first. Your prompt layer underneath.
Default output
Subject: The question your audience keeps dodging
Preheader: A direct note from this week's conversation
Body: This episode starts with a practical tension, then turns into a useful rule of thumb your listeners can apply this week.
Your voice, your prompts
- Use my direct, slightly playful show voice
- Open with the strongest idea, not episode logistics
- Keep the newsletter skimmable
- Avoid hype words and generic AI phrasing
CONTENT KIT
One upload becomes the whole kit
From a single podcast recording, Cicadas generates a transcript, show notes, timestamps, a newsletter draft, platform-specific social posts, and pull quotes - the full content kit needed to publish an episode.
Learn more about content kitONE UPLOAD
Episode audio enters once.
The transcript and prompt profile carry the episode into every reviewable output.
Audio fileContent kit
01
Transcript
Speaker-labeled source text that every draft can trust.
02
Show notes
Episode summary, links, and the useful angle.
03
Timestamps
Moments mapped so listeners can jump to the point.
04
Newsletter
Subject, preheader, and draft body from the strongest idea.
05
Social posts
Platform-shaped drafts for the places you publish.
06
Pull quotes
Shareable lines with enough context to review fast.
AUDIO ENHANCEMENT
Clean up rough recordings before they become the kit
Cicadas reduces background noise, removes filler words, and balances audio levels before processing - so the transcript and every downstream output start from a cleaner recording.
Learn more about audio enhancementBEFORE / AFTER
OriginalNoisy room
EnhancedClean pass
Noise removedFiller cutLevels balanced
QUOTES EXTRACTION
Pull out the lines worth sharing
Cicadas extracts the most quotable lines from each podcast episode, complete with timestamps, so you can review the strongest moments alongside the rest of the content kit.
Learn more about quotes extractionEXTRACTED QUOTES
"The strongest ideas usually show up as plain sentences."
00:12:42··
"A good episode gives you more than one publishable angle."
00:19:42··
"Your listeners remember the line that made the idea click."
00:26:42··
Under 5 minutes
to a full kit for a typical 30-minute episode
3+ hours
manual post-production work saved per episode
[X]%
transcript accuracy once the measured benchmark is approved
HOW IT WORKS
Three steps. No learning curve.
Cicadas processes podcast episodes in three steps: upload audio or paste an RSS feed, AI generates the content kit, review and ship the outputs.
STEP 01
Upload your episode
Drop an audio file or paste your RSS feed.
STEP 02
Cicadas builds the kit
Transcript quality, custom prompts, audio cleanup, and content drafts run from the same recording.
STEP 03
Ship the outputs
Review the transcript, show notes, timestamps, newsletter, social posts, and quotes.
TC
FOUNDER NOTE
Built by a working podcaster.
I built Cicadas because I run my own podcast and I was tired of the same problem every week. A good episode would land, and then I'd spend another three hours writing the show notes, the newsletter, and the social posts. The AI tools I tried either produced output that didn't sound like me, or needed so much editing I wasn't saving any time.
So I built the tool I wanted. Transcript quality I can trust. Prompts I control. One upload, the whole kit.
I'm building Cicadas in the open, and founding members shape the roadmap. If that sounds like you, the early seat is yours.
Founding members get the early seat.
First 100 members lock in $49/mo for life.
EARLY PRODUCT PROOF
Built for the part after you publish.
Cicadas is built around the post-production work that takes professional podcasters three or more hours per episode: transcription, show notes, newsletter drafts, social posts, and pull quotes.
Built around a real publishing schedule
Cicadas is shaped by a weekly publishing cadence; the constraints are the same ones any working podcaster faces, not a generic SaaS product spec.
Transcript first, not prompt first
Every draft starts from the episode text, so names, technical terms, speaker turns, and useful moments stay close to the source recording.
Founding members shape the roadmap
Early podcasters get direct influence on the outputs, prompts, and review flow before Cicadas opens more broadly.
IS CICADAS RIGHT FOR YOU?
Built for shows with a job to do.
Cicadas is happiest when the episode is part of a real publishing machine. No judgment if your show is looser; that is just a different tool shape.
Probably if...
- Your podcast is a main income channel or the engine behind your marketing.
- You publish on a weekly cadence and the post-production work keeps stealing the week.
- You want drafts in your show voice, not generic AI copy with your title pasted on top.
Probably not if...
- You publish occasionally for fun and no schedule is waiting on the output.
- A rough transcript and a generic social post are already good enough.
- You mostly want clips, audiograms, or podcast websites before a writing system.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is Cicadas?
Cicadas is an AI-powered podcast production tool that turns one recording into a complete content kit: transcript, show notes, chapter timestamps, newsletter draft, social posts, and pull quotes. Cicadas is built for professional solo podcasters and podcast production agencies - people who publish weekly and need the post-production output to match their show voice.
How is Cicadas different from Podsqueeze?
Cicadas concentrates on two things Podsqueeze treats as table stakes: transcript quality and prompt control. Names, technical terms, and overlapping speakers stay readable in Cicadas transcripts, and you can shape every output with prompts that match your show voice. Podsqueeze has broader features - clips, podcast websites, audiograms - but a generic AI voice and transcripts that struggle on accents and proper nouns.
How is Cicadas different from Castmagic?
Cicadas matches Castmagic on prompt control and ships strong defaults so first-time users get usable output without writing a prompt. Castmagic's Magic Chat is powerful but assembly-required: you build your kit through conversation. Cicadas generates the full kit on upload, then lets you reshape it with prompts when you want to go deeper.
Who is Cicadas built for?
Cicadas is built for professional solo podcasters who treat podcasting as their main income or primary marketing channel, and for podcast production agencies managing multiple shows for clients. The free plan supports hobbyists testing the tool, but the paid tiers and feature priorities are tuned for people publishing weekly or running shows for clients.
How accurate is Cicadas' transcription?
Cicadas preserves names, technical terms, and overlapping speakers - the three places generic transcription tools fail on real podcast audio. The homepage shows a side-by-side comparison on the same source clip so you can read the difference rather than take it on faith.
Can I customize the writing style of generated content?
Yes. Every output type - show notes, newsletter, social posts, pull quotes - accepts custom prompts. You can write per-show prompt profiles and apply them to every episode from that show. Prompt profiles can be cloned and modified from a preset library, so you do not have to write prompts from scratch.
What does Cicadas cost?
Cicadas has three plans: Free at $0/month with 60 minutes of audio and one show, Solo Pro at $49/month with 300 minutes and one show, and Agency at $99/month with 600 minutes, up to five shows, and priority processing. Annual billing is 30% off across paid plans. The first 100 founding members lock in $49/month for life on Solo Pro.
Does Cicadas have a free plan?
Yes. The free plan gives you 60 minutes per month - enough for one or two real episodes - with access to transcripts, show notes, timestamps, newsletter drafts, social posts, and pull quotes. Audio enhancement is reserved for paid plans because it is a per-minute cost.
What audio formats does Cicadas accept?
Cicadas accepts standard podcast audio formats: MP3, WAV, M4A, and FLAC. You can also paste your podcast RSS feed and Cicadas will pull in episodes from Buzzsprout, Captivate, Transistor, Spotify for Podcasters, or any other host that publishes a standard feed.
How long does processing take?
A typical 30-minute episode processes in under five minutes end-to-end: transcription, audio enhancement if enabled, and content generation across all output types. Larger episodes scale roughly linearly. Agency plan users get priority processing.
Is there an annual discount?
Yes. Annual billing is 30% off, matching standard SaaS convention. Solo Pro is $34/month billed annually versus $49/month billed monthly. Agency is $69/month annually versus $99/month monthly. Founding members at $49/month for life can switch to annual at any time and keep the founding rate.
Can I cancel my Cicadas subscription?
Yes. You can cancel from your account settings at any time and keep access through the end of your billing period. There are no cancellation fees, and your generated content stays exported and downloadable. Founding members who cancel and later return get standard pricing - the $49/month founding rate is tied to continuous membership.
PRICING
Join the waitlist. Plans from $49/mo.
First 100 members lock in $49/mo for life.
Free
$0/mo
60 minutes · 1 show
Solo Pro
Founding member pricing$49/mo
300 minutes · 1 show
Agency
$99/mo
600 minutes · Up to 5 shows
ENTITY
What is Cicadas?
Cicadas is an AI-powered podcast production tool for professional solo podcasters and podcast production agencies. From a single recording, Cicadas generates a complete content kit: transcripts, show notes, chapter timestamps, newsletter drafts, social media posts, and pull quotes. The product centers on two wedges - transcript quality, which preserves names, technical terms, and overlapping speakers; and custom prompts, which let you match every output to your show voice. Cicadas is an alternative to Podsqueeze and Castmagic. Plans start at $0 per month and scale to $99 per month for agencies managing up to five shows. Built by a working podcaster, Cicadas is currently in pre-launch with founding member pricing for the first 100 customers.
Your podcast deserves to be heard beyond the feed.
Join the waitlist for founding member access before Cicadas opens.
Join the Waitlist