The 90-second kit finder
Three questions, no email address. Every recommendation points at a product page we already publish, so you can check the current price yourself before you buy anything.
Answer the 3 questions to see your match.
Your kit
Nothing we cover ticks every box you picked, so this is the closest match rather than a perfect fit.
The finder matches you to a kit assembled from the gear we already publish guides for. It is editorial judgement rather than a shop, no result is sponsored, and nothing here asks for an email address. Prices change constantly, so check the current one on each product page.
The six kits in full
Every kit below is built only from gear we have published a guide for. If a piece is not on this page, we have not written about it yet.
What do you need for an audio-only podcast?
The audio-first podcast kit. One microphone, chosen properly, beats three of anything else.
🎙️
RODE NT-USB+
Microphone. The straightforward starting point: a USB microphone that plugs into the laptop you already record on, with no interface in between.
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Shure MV7+
Microphone, step up. The upgrade path when you want a microphone that will still be the right one after the show grows.
Read next: a complete first podcast kit under £300, how much it actually costs to start a podcast, and acoustic panels for an echoey room - the cheapest upgrade in this kit is usually the room, not the microphone.
What do you need to film a video podcast with guests?
The multi-camera video podcast kit. The only kit here that genuinely needs a hardware switcher.
🎛️
Blackmagic Design ATEM Mini Pro
Switcher. Cuts between HDMI cameras live, so the episode is finished as a single stream instead of a multi-camera edit.
🎙️
Shure MV7+
Microphone. One per seat. A broadcast-style microphone keeps guests sounding consistent when they lean in and out of shot.
💡
Elgato Key Light Air
Lighting. Stops the second camera angle looking noticeably darker than the first, which is what usually gives a home setup away.
What do you need for talking-head video at a desk?
The desk talking-head kit. Lighting moves the needle here more than the camera does.
📷
Insta360 Link 2
Camera. A webcam that tracks you as you move, for anyone who does not sit perfectly still while talking.
📷
Elgato Facecam MK.2
Camera, alternative. The fixed-framing alternative if you would rather set the shot once and leave it alone.
💡
Elgato Key Light Air
Lighting. The single biggest visible upgrade to desk footage, and the reason webcam video stops looking like a work call.
🎙️
RODE NT-USB+
Microphone. Sits on the desk in shot without dominating the frame, and plugs straight into the same machine as the webcam.
➕
Elgato Prompter
Optional. Only worth it if you work from a script. If you talk off the cuff, skip it and spend the money on the light.
What do you need to film overhead on a phone?
The overhead phone kit. Your phone stays the camera; everything else is rigging and sound.
📱
JOBY GorillaPod 3K Kit
Rigging. Bendable legs that wrap a shelf, a cupboard handle or a pipe, which is how you get a phone directly above a worktop without buying a stand.
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DJI Mic 2
Microphone. A clip-on transmitter keeps your voice with you when the phone is fixed overhead and you are moving around beneath it.
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RODE Wireless GO (Gen 3)
Microphone, alternative. The other side of the same decision. Both solve the overhead audio problem; the choice is about how you want to record and store it.
What do you need to film vlogs out and about?
The out-and-about kit. If it does not fit in a coat pocket, it does not come.
📷
DJI Osmo Pocket 3
Camera. A stabilised camera small enough to carry every day, for people who would rather not vlog on the phone they also need for maps and messages.
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DJI Osmo Mobile 7
Camera, phone route. The cheaper route: a gimbal that steadies the phone you already carry, rather than a second camera to charge and remember.
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RODE Wireless GO (Gen 3)
Microphone. Wind and traffic are what ruin outdoor footage, and no camera microphone fixes that from arm's length.
What do you need to start live streaming?
The live streaming kit. Less about picture quality than about running the show without leaving the chair.
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Elgato Stream Deck MK.2
Control. A physical key per action, so scene changes, mutes and clips happen without alt-tabbing out of the stream mid-sentence.
📷
Elgato Facecam MK.2
Camera. A fixed webcam framing that stays put for a three-hour session, which is what you want when nobody is behind the camera.
💡
Elgato Key Light Air
Lighting. Keeps the picture consistent after dark, when a stream that relied on a window suddenly does not have one.
🎙️
Shure MV7+
Microphone. Close-mic sound for a long session, which matters more on a stream than on anything edited afterwards.
How does the finder decide?
No black box, and nothing is weighted by commission.
Each answer adds points to the kits it suits and, in a few cases, rules one out entirely. Answering that you record audio only rules out every kit built around a camera. Answering that you shoot on a phone rules out the multi-camera podcast kit, because a hardware switcher needs HDMI cameras to switch between. Answering that the whole setup is worth under £150 rules out the two kits that cannot honestly be assembled for that.
Whatever survives is ranked by points, and the top three are shown: your match plus two worth a look. If your answers rule out everything, the finder says so and falls back to the closest fit rather than pretending there is a clean one.
The scoring is editorial. It reflects what our published guides recommend for each format, and it is not weighted by what pays a commission - the same kit comes back whether or not a product has an affiliate link behind it.
Two of those rules rest on hardware facts rather than editorial judgement, and both come from the manufacturers. Blackmagic Design's ATEM Mini range switches between HDMI camera inputs, which is why a phone-only setup cannot drive one. DJI lists 3-axis mechanical stabilisation on the Osmo Pocket 3, which is the thing the out-and-about kit buys that a bare phone does not already have.
Do I need to buy everything in a kit at once?
What if my format is not one of the six?
Why does the finder never recommend a phone?
Are these the cheapest options available?
Does the finder store my answers?
Still not sure what to buy first?
Start with the format guides. They work through the same decisions in more detail, with the reasoning behind each pick.