The Best AI Tools for Solo Podcasts and Simulated Guest Interviews in 2025

The rise of generative AI has opened new possibilities for podcasters, especially solo creators who want to add a conversational dynamic to their shows. Imagine hosting a podcast by yourself yet still delivering lively interviews – with an AI as your co-host or guest.

In this report, we’ll explore the best AI tools that make it possible to simulate guest interviews or even generate entire solo episodes using artificial intelligence. We’ll dive into how these tools work, their key features, pricing, and ideal use cases for content creators.

Why Use AI for Solo Podcasts and Simulated Interviews?

Solo podcasters often face the challenge of keeping the content engaging without a second voice. AI “co-hosts” or virtual guests can solve this by creating a dialogue format even when you’re the only human in the room. Two AI voices can carry on a discussion about your topic, making the listening experience more dynamic and natural. This not only entertains listeners but also allows a single creator to produce interview-style content without scheduling real guests.

There are several compelling use cases for AI in this context:

• Simulated Interviews with Experts or Personalities: AI language models can be instructed to act as a particular expert or even a historical figure. The podcaster can “interview” this AI guest to produce a Q&A segment. For example, Google’s NotebookLM can generate a conversation between two AI hosts discussing uploaded source material, creating a realistic interview- style overview of that content. This is a powerful way to present information in a dialog format rather than a monologue.
• AI Co-Hosts for Solo Creators: An AI co-host can act as a sidekick that asks you questions, offers reactions, or delivers scripted commentary. This can make solo episodes feel more interactive. One Reddit user described using an AI that feels like “a chill podcast co-host who asks you great questions while you record your answers” to make solo content more fun. In essence, the AI prompts the human host with interview questions or discussion points, which the host then answers, creating a natural back-and-forth flow.
• Rapid Content Generation: AI tools can rapidly generate podcast scripts and even the audio itself. For creators who want to produce episodes quickly (for example, daily industry news recaps or educational segments), AI can draft a conversational script and voice it in minutes. This drastically cuts down production time. It also lowers the barrier to entry – you don’t need expensive recording gear or a professional voice actor to get a high-quality result.
• Practicing Interview Skills: Even if you plan to have real guests, an AI interview simulator can help practice your interviewing technique. By having a conversational AI respond as a guest might, you can refine your questions. Some content creators use ChatGPT in this way – instructing it to role-play as an interviewee on a given topic and then honing their question list based on the AI’s responses.
• Multiple Voices and Perspectives: With AI voice generation, you can add multiple distinct voices to your podcast. For example, you might create an episode where you play both the host and the guest by leveraging voice clones. This can be used creatively – such as dramatizing an internal dialogue or presenting two sides of a debate – all performed by one person with AI assistance.

In all these scenarios, AI tools act as a force multiplier for solo podcasters. They provide the illusion of a dialogue, which is inherently more engaging to listeners, while also simplifying the production workflow. Now, let’s look at the top AI solutions enabling this – from all-in-one podcast generators to specialized voice cloning services.

AI Podcast Generation Platforms (All-in-One)

The following platforms are designed as end-to-end solutions for creating podcast episodes with AI. They typically handle script generation, text-to-speech voice synthesis, audio editing, and even publishing. These are ideal for creators who want a straightforward way to produce an AI-driven episode from start to finish, without juggling multiple tools.

Wondercraft AI

Wondercraft is an AI-powered audio studio that can generate an entire podcast episode just by typing in your ideas. It stands out as one of the most comprehensive platforms for AI podcasting. With Wondercraft, you can input a prompt or feed in your notes/text, and the system will generate a lively, conversational podcast script on that topic in seconds. Uniquely, it allows you to create a show with as many virtual hosts as you want – effectively simulating a panel discussion or interview by generating dialogue for multiple voices.

Key features of Wondercraft include a catalog of 1,000+ lifelike voices (in multiple accents and styles) and the ability to clone your own voice for a truly personalized touch. Many podcasters use the voice cloning to maintain their brand sound – the AI can read new scripts in your voice, which is great for inserting last-minute corrections or generating content when you can’t record.

Wondercraft’s voices are high quality and hyper-realistic, with fine-grained control over tone, pacing, and even non-verbal cues. In fact, Wondercraft is integrated with Google’s NotebookLM for drafting content; you can draft an AI “interview” or discussion using NotebookLM’s conversational prompt and then polish it in Wondercraft’s studio.

Besides script and voice, Wondercraft offers a built-in editor where you can mix in royalty-free music and sound effects, adjust timing, and finalize the episode. Essentially, it handles recording without any microphones – everything is synthesized. The platform even supports one-click distribution by creating an RSS feed for your AI-generated podcast, so you can publish to Spotify or Apple Podcasts directly.

Pricing: Wondercraft operates on a credit system, where 1 credit equals 1 minute of produced audio. They offer a free tier (up to 72 minutes of audio per year) so you can experiment at no cost. Paid plans include Creator at $25/month (annual billing) and Pro at $45/month (annual) for larger volumes. The Creator plan gives you 100 credits (~100 minutes) per month, including features like one voice clone and access to 300+ voices. Pro increases this to 200 credits with more voice options (5 clones and 1,000+ voices) and extras like multilingual translation and an AI video creator. 

Use case: Wondercraft is perfect if you want an all-in-one solution to generate an episode with minimal manual effort. For example, a solo tech news podcaster could paste a few article links, have Wondercraft generate a two-host discussion summarizing the news, and publish the polished episode within minutes. It’s also popular for creating automated daily or weekly recap podcasts.

Jellypod AI

Jellypod is another leading platform tailored for AI-generated podcasts. It markets itself as “Your AI Podcast Studio” and provides an AI co-hosting tool to create a unique listening experience. With Jellypod, you can design a custom AI co-host personality – whether you want a casual, friendly tone or a formal, news reader style, you can tweak the AI’s vibe to match your show’s niche. This platform imitates human-like vocal expressions, aiming to make the AI voice sound as natural as a real co-host.

What sets Jellypod apart is its focus on ease of use and end-to-end podcast management. It will generate podcast scripts for you (you can provide a topic or even feed in source texts), and then convert them to speech using either provided AI voices or your own cloned voice.

Jellypod supports voice cloning, allowing you to have the AI speak in your voice or create entirely new synthetic voices. You can even have more than one AI voice in a single episode (for instance, your voice for host and a different voice for the “guest”). The platform also handles technical chores: you can add intro/outro music easily, and Jellypod will automatically distribute your episodes via an RSS feed to major platforms. They even provide a free podcast website for your show on the free tier, which is a nice perk for those without an existing site.

Pricing: Jellypod offers a generous free tier for new users – the Basic plan is free and includes 1,000 generation credits (1 credit = 1 second of audio) as a one-time grant. That’s roughly 16–17 minutes of produced audio you can create for free to test the system. The paid tiers include Starter at $24/month (when billed annually) and Creator at $47/month (annual). The Starter plan gives 2,500 monthly seconds (~41 minutes) plus features like two voice clones and integration to pull in up to five source articles for script generation. The Creator plan increases to 8,000 seconds (~133 min) with up to four voice clones and longer multi-source episodes (combine up to 10 sources). All paid plans remove Jellypod branding and support commercial use. 

Use case: Jellypod is ideal for content creators who want a quick, user-friendly way to produce a podcast episode. For example, a business coach could use Jellypod to turn their weekly newsletter into a podcast: the AI might read the newsletter (perhaps with one voice as the host and another as an “analyst” asking follow-up questions), and then Jellypod distributes it to all channels automatically. It’s also a great choice for non-technical users since it handles a lot behind the scenes (script writing, voicing, publishing) with minimal setup.

Podcastle

Podcastle is a well-known all-in-one production software for podcasts and video, which has incorporated AI features to enhance content creation. While not solely focused on AI-generated dialogues, it deserves mention because it enables solo creators to leverage AI in their workflow.

Podcastle’s platform includes a text-to-speech engine with over 35 lifelike AI voices and a “Revoice” feature that lets you create a digital clone of your own voice. In practice, this means you can generate audio by typing – for instance, type out a script for a guest monologue or some questions, and have the cloned voice read it, while you speak the other part. Many podcasters use Podcastle’s AI voices to add an extra narrator or to insert a virtual guest segment into their episodes.

Aside from voice generation, Podcastle offers robust recording and editing capabilities. You can record remote interviews (up to 10 participants) in studio quality, then use AI-powered editing tools like Magic Dust (one-click audio enhancement to remove noise) and automatic silence removal. It also automatically transcribes audio to text and allows text-based editing – you can edit your podcast by editing the transcript, similar to Descript’s workflow. For solo podcasters, this means you could record your own parts, generate the AI voice parts, then edit everything in one place. Podcastle even has AI that generates episode summaries and can auto-remove filler words (“um”, “uh”) from your speech.

Pricing: Podcastle has a free Basic plan that already offers unlimited audio recording and editing, plus a limited amount of AI transcription and low-res video support. To use the advanced AI features like extended text-to-speech and voice cloning, you’ll need a paid tier. The Storyteller plan is $14.99/ month per creator (or about $11.99/month if billed annually). Storyteller includes 8 hours of video recording, 10 hours of transcription, and importantly up to 8 hours of AI-generated speech with the built-in voices each month. The top-tier Pro plan is $29.99/month per creator (about $23.99 on annual billing) and unlocks the Revoice cloning feature, 20 hours of TTS, 25 hours of transcription, and priority support. 

Use case: Podcastle is well-suited if you want a mix of traditional recording with AI augmentation. For example, if you host a solo podcast but occasionally want to perform a “fake interview,” you could record your questions as audio, type out answers and have an AI voice read them, then edit it together. Because Podcastle integrates all steps (record, generate, edit, publish), it streamlines a hybrid approach. It’s also a popular choice for teams producing corporate podcasts or video content, given its collaboration features and reliability (used by brands like the Wall Street Journal and Netflix).

Descript (Overdub)

Descript is a versatile audio/video editing tool that leverages AI, particularly famous for its Overdub voice cloning feature. While Descript is not an automatic podcast generator, it’s extremely useful for simulating conversations if you’re willing to craft the script yourself.

With Overdub, you can create an AI clone of your voice by training it on about 30 minutes of your recorded speech. Once that’s done, Descript lets you type new dialogue and have it rendered in your voice. This is a game-changer for podcasters: you can fix mistakes in your recordings by simply typing the correct phrase (the AI voice will blend in), or you can generate entire new segments. For instance, a solo host could write both the host and guest lines for a skit or interview, and have the host parts spoken in their real voice (recorded normally) and the “guest” parts spoken by the Overdub clone (or a stock voice). Descript’s stock voice library has also expanded with more natural-sounding options as their Lyrebird AI research progresses.

Beyond voice synthesis, Descript offers automatic transcription and a text-based editor. You literally edit audio by editing text – delete a sentence in the transcript, and that sentence of audio is cut out. It also has a one-click filler word removal that deletes all the “ums” and “uhs” for you(similar to Cleanvoice’s function), and a Studio Sound feature that cleans up noise and enhances quality. These tools are very handy for polishing any podcast, AI-generated or not. Descript won’t write the content for you, but if you pair it with ChatGPT (to generate a script) and then use Overdub to voice that script, you can achieve a simulated multi-voice podcast manually. The advantage here is fine control and editing power – you can tweak wording easily and ensure the timing and interactions sound right by adjusting the text.

Pricing: Descript has a free plan that allows some transcription and basic editing to get you started. Overdub voice cloning, however, is a premium feature. The Creator tier at $12/month includes 10 hours of transcription and enables use of some AI tools, but to get unlimited Overdub and the full suite of AI features, the Pro plan ($24/month) is required. On the Pro plan, you can create multiple Overdub voices and generate as much synthesized speech as you need for your projects. 

Use case: Descript is best when you want high precision in editing and you’re comfortable scripting your content. It’s widely used by professional podcasters for editing, so if you already use it, adding an AI-generated guest via Overdub is seamless. For example, you might record yourself introducing a topic, then insert a short “interview” where Overdub voices perform both roles based on a script. Descript will let you cut, paste, and refine this until it sounds natural. This tool shines in post-production refinement – it ensures that your AI voices and real voices blend smoothly in the final mix.

AI Voice and Conversation Engines

In this section, we consider tools that specialize in generating realistic speech or AI-driven dialogue rather than full podcast studios. These can be paired with your own workflow or used to augment the platforms above.

ElevenLabs (GenFM and Speech Synthesis)

ElevenLabs is one of the top AI text-to-speech services known for its extraordinarily realistic voice outputs. If your goal is to create an AI guest or narrator that sounds human, ElevenLabs is a go-to solution. It supports a wide range of voices, languages, ages, and accents – you simply input text and choose a voice, and it generates speech that many listeners find indistinguishable from a human. In fact, the company’s original aim was high-quality dubbing for films, which speaks to the natural expression of their voices. They also offer a VoiceLab for cloning voices (with proper permissions). Many viral AI podcast clips (like fictional interviews between historical figures) have used ElevenLabs for the voice aspect.

A cutting-edge feature from ElevenLabs is GenFM, introduced in late 2024. GenFM is essentially an AI podcast generator within the ElevenLabs iOS app that can take any content (like a YouTube video or an article) and automatically create a conversation-style podcast out of it. It will pick two AI voices and have them discuss the content, effectively simulating two hosts reviewing the material.

Notably, ElevenLabs even injects subtle “ums,” “ahhs,” and natural pauses to enhance realism. This is a reverse of typical editing – instead of removing filler words, the AI is adding a few to sound more conversational. The philosophy, as ElevenLabs describes, is to strike the right balance so the dialogue flows naturally and doesn’t feel like two robots spitting out perfect prose. Early users have found the results impressive for an automated process, though you might need to tweak input or wait for more customization options as the feature evolves.

Outside of GenFM, you can use ElevenLabs via their web interface or API to generate any speech you need. For example, you could generate responses for an interview script you wrote (maybe using ChatGPT for the text), choosing distinct voices for each participant. Many podcasters use ElevenLabs in conjunction with other tools: e.g., use ChatGPT to generate a Q&A, then use ElevenLabs to voice the Qs and As with different personas, and finally edit it together in Audacity or Descript.

Pricing: ElevenLabs has a limited free tier (sufficient for testing a few minutes of audio). Paid plans start at just $5/month (called Starter) which gives more characters of generation and access to basic voice cloning, and go up to higher tiers like Pro ($22/month) and Enterprise ($99/month) with increasing usage limits and commercial rights. The vast majority of indie creators find the $5 or $22 plan adequate for generating lots of speech. 

Use case: Use ElevenLabs when audio quality is paramount. If you are producing an important scripted interview (say, an AI dramatization of a conversation between two famous figures for a documentary podcast), ElevenLabs will deliver top-notch voice quality and emotion. It’s also great if you need non-English voices – it supports 20+ languages with convincing accents. However, remember ElevenLabs by itself won’t generate the content of what’s being said – you feed it the script. So it’s best used in tandem with a text-generation tool.

ChatGPT and Conversational AI Assistants

No discussion of AI in content creation is complete without mentioning ChatGPT. While ChatGPT (especially GPT-4) is not a podcast-specific tool, it’s incredibly useful for generating interview scripts, questions, and even simulating dialogue in text form. Many podcasters use ChatGPT as a research and brainstorming assistant: for instance, to come up with a list of insightful questions for a guest or to draft a mock conversation on a topic to see how it flows. ChatGPT can take on roles if prompted properly (“You act as an interview guest who is an expert in X, I will ask you about…”). The dialogue it produces can then be edited or fed into a voice generator for production.

Recently, OpenAI also introduced voice conversations in the ChatGPT mobile app, which allows you to actually talk to ChatGPT and hear it respond in a natural sounding voice. This means, in theory, you could have a live back-and-forth conversation with an AI character and record it. However, the current implementation uses a single voice for ChatGPT’s responses and is not yet designed for two distinct voices conversing autonomously – it’s more like you speak, it replies. So for simulating a full interview without real-time intervention, you would still prepare a script.

Pricing: ChatGPT is free for the basic model, and ChatGPT Plus (which gives access to GPT-4 and voice mode, along with web browsing and other plugins) costs $20/month. Even the free version can generate decent interview questions and content, but GPT-4 is notably better at maintaining conversational context and providing in-depth, coherent responses. 

Use case: Use ChatGPT during the planning phase of your episode. For example, if you’re doing a solo episode about a niche topic, you can prompt ChatGPT: “Generate a 10-minute interview between a host and a guest where the guest explains [topic].” It will output a script with Q&A style content. You can then refine this, maybe add your personal touches or fact-check it, and use it as the basis for recording or AI voicing. This approach leverages AI to do the heavy lifting in writing while you maintain editorial control.

Another AI assistant worth mentioning is Google’s NotebookLM (still in experimental stages as of 2024–2025). As noted earlier, NotebookLM can take documents you provide and generate an “AI discussion” about them. It’s less of a content creator from scratch and more of a way to digest information conversationally.

For example, you could upload a whitepaper or a research report and ask NotebookLM to “have two AI podcasters discuss the key insights of this document.” You’ll get an audio overview in a podcast style. This could be a useful starting point for creating educational podcast segments or summaries. While NotebookLM’s audio feature is built-in and automatic, its customization is limited right now (it chooses the voices and discussion points for you). So, it’s a nifty tool to watch, but for full control, you’d likely export the content and refine it elsewhere.

Additional Tools and Tips for AI-Enhanced Podcasts

Aside from the major players above, there are some specialized AI tools that podcasters can incorporate into their workflow:

Cleanvoice AI: Cleanvoice is an AI service aimed at post-production cleanup. It automatically removes filler words, stutters, and mouth noises from recordings. While this is used after recording, it’s very relevant to solo creators and gives your podcast a polished feel. Interestingly, Cleanvoice also offers a free Podcast Question Generator tool on their website that can brainstorm interview questions given a topic prompt. Over 15,000 podcasters have tried it to help come up with conversation starters. So if you’re stuck on how to interview your AI guest (or a real one), this could be a handy resource. After generating content, you might run your audio through Cleanvoice’s filler remover – though if you use tools like Descript or Alitu, similar functionality is built-in.

GuestLab (for Research): While not about simulating a guest, GuestLab is an AI assistant that podcasters use to research real guests. It reads a guest’s LinkedIn and creates a background brief, bio, and list of tailored interview questions. If your show mixes AI simulations with real interviews, a tool like GuestLab can save you prep time (for the real ones). It’s mentioned here as part of the ecosystem of AI helping podcasters – for instance, you might generate a “practice interview” with an AI version of your upcoming guest using ChatGPT, after getting the question list from GuestLab. (GuestLab has a free tier for one guest analysis, with paid plans for more frequent use).

Audio Enhancement Tools: Even AI voices benefit from a bit of audio polishing. Tools like Adobe Podcast (Enhance Speech) or the aforementioned Magic Dust in Podcastle can make any recording sound like it was done in a pro studio. These AI algorithms remove background noise and equalize the sound. If you are mixing your real voice with AI-generated clips, consider running the final mix through an enhancement filter so that the tone and ambience match nicely. Adobe’s free Enhance tool, for example, can make a voice sound fuller and remove echo – useful if your live recordings don’t match the pristine quality of synthesized audio.

Music and Editing AI: Don’t forget intro music, transitions, and pacing in your episodes. There are AI music generators like Suno AI that can create custom theme music or jingles. Some podcast platforms (Wondercraft, Podcastle, etc.) include a library of royalty-free music. For editing, if you’re not using an all-in-one, consider Alitu or Riverside’s new Magic Clips – these use AI to automate parts of editing and content repurposing (like finding the best clip from your video to share on social media). These aren’t directly about interviews, but they help solo creators manage the whole production efficiently.

Choosing the Right Tool

With so many options on the table, which tools should you pick for simulating guest interviews or enhancing a solo show? Here are some recommendations and scenarios:

I want the AI to handle everything

Try an all-in-one generator like Wondercraft or Jellypod. These will give you a quick result with minimal effort. Wondercraft is excellent if you care about having a wide range of voices or need multi-language support (it can even translate and dub your podcast into other languages automatically). Jellypod is great for beginners who want a free trial and a simple workflow (plus built-in distribution). Both can produce a full conversational episode on your behalf – you could literally publish an episode without speaking a word yourself, if desired.

I want an AI co-host to ask me questions while I talk 

Consider using ChatGPT (GPT-4) to generate an interview outline or live questions. There aren’t many off-the-shelf real-time tools yet that will speak questions to you on the fly (though in theory you could use ChatGPT’s voice on mobile in real-time). A practical approach is to have ChatGPT generate a list of interview questions for your chosen topic or even a full script of an AI interviewer asking and pausing for your answers. You can then record yourself responding. For a more interactive feel, some creators have used AI companion bots (like the one at Krush.ai, as mentioned on Reddit) which are designed for open-ended conversation. These can act like a curious partner, though they may be less structured. The key is to find a bot that can maintain context and won’t derail the topic. In absence of a dedicated “podcast interviewer bot,” a well-prompted ChatGPT session is your best bet.

Quality of voice is very important to me 

Use ElevenLabs for voice generation. You can still use platforms like Wondercraft to generate the script, but when it comes time to voice it, ElevenLabs will give you the most human-like result with emotional range. For instance, if you’re creating a deep, narrative interview (imagine a Ken Burns-style historical interview recreation), ElevenLabs voices with some manual tweaking (adjusting the stability and clarity settings, adding gentle breaths) will sound superb. Just mind the usage limits or costs if you’re generating hours of content; plan your script and perhaps generate in segments.

I have a unique format or need fine control over the conversation 

Go the custom route with Descript or Podcastle. Write your script (get help from AI as needed), then use Overdub or Podcastle’s voices to perform it. This way, you can ensure the conversation hits all the points you want in exactly the way you want. It’s a bit more work than clicking a “generate podcast” button, but the result will be tailored. Descript is especially powerful if you plan to mix your real voice recordings with AI parts because it will synchronize them in the editing timeline easily.

I’m on a tight budget (or just experimenting)

Good news – many of these tools have free tiers. You can start with Jellypod’s free credits or Wondercraft’s free trial, and use ChatGPT’s free version to generate text. Descript’s free tier will let you try some voice cloning (it used to allow a single Overdub voice for free with limited vocab). Even ElevenLabs offers a free allocation of characters monthly. So you can prototype an AI-driven episode without spending anything upfront. As you find what works, you can invest in the tool that provides the most value for your style.

In conclusion, AI tools are becoming valuable co-creators for podcasters. They won’t replace the creativity and authenticity that a human host brings – but they can definitely augment a solo creator’s capabilities, from brainstorming through to production.

Whether you’re simulating a guest expert to interview, or simply using an AI voice to read your scripted narration, these technologies lower the barrier to producing engaging, dialogue-rich content. The LinkedIn crowd of content creators – consultants, educators, business professionals – can particularly benefit, as you can now repurpose your expertise into podcast episodes with minimal fuss.

Imagine writing a thought leadership article and then, with a few clicks, having an AI “talk show” about that article ready to share. That is the power these AI podcast tools offer in 2025.

Harness these tools to experiment with your format. You might start with a short bonus episode that features an AI interview, see how your audience responds. As always, be transparent with listeners if appropriate (some hosts disclose when a voice or script was AI-generated, to maintain trust). Used thoughtfully, AI can help you deliver more value to your audience and maybe even have a bit of fun – after all, you can now literally have a conversation with yourself on your podcast, and let the world listen in.

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