Podcast & Audio Publishing · head to head
Acast vs Captivate
Acast
Podcast & Audio Publishing
Enterprise podcast hosting and advertising
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
Captivate
Podcast & Audio Publishing
Smart podcast hosting with AI insights
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Captivate has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Acast the free Starter tier is limited to 1 show and 5 episodes; unlimited episodes require making the show available in Acast's advertising marketplace; Captivate tiers are download ceilings and nothing else: 30,000 a month on Personal, 150,000 on Professional and 300,000 on Business
- They diverge on capability: Acast covers Enterprise hosting, Captivate covers Unlimited hosting.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Acast and Captivate actually diverge.
Identical on both: platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Podcast & Audio Publishing).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Acast
- Enterprise hosting
- Dynamic ad insertion
- Sponsorship platform
- Analytics
- API access
- Advertising networks
- CMS systems
- Enterprise security
Only in Captivate
- Unlimited hosting
- AI analytics
- Smart recommendations
- Distribution
- Audience insights
- Social media
- Email services
- Content protection
Both cover
- Monetization
- All podcast platforms
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Acast
- Hosting and distributing a podcast to all major listening appsnot Captivate
- Monetising episodes through the Acast advertising marketplace and sponsorshipsnot Captivate
- Publishing video podcast episodes alongside audionot Captivate
Captivate
- Podcast hosting with unlimited shows on any tiernot Acast
- Distribution to the major podcast directoriesnot Acast
- Audience analytics by episode and platformnot Acast
- Running several podcasts under one subscriptionnot Acast
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Acast
- The free Starter tier is limited to 1 show and 5 episodes; unlimited episodes require making the show available in Acast's advertising marketplace
- Multiple shows require the paid Influencer plan at $14.99 per month billed annually or $25 per month billed monthly
- Team management, prioritised support and the Publishing API require the Pro plan at $29.99 per month billed annually or $40 per month monthly
- Publishing video episodes to Apple Podcasts requires the Video plan at $39.99 per month billed annually or $50 per month monthly
- The Video plan includes only 10,000 monthly video views
- A payment card is required to sign up even for the free tier
- The Creator Network tier is quote only with no published price
Captivate
- Tiers are download ceilings and nothing else: 30,000 a month on Personal, 150,000 on Professional and 300,000 on Business
- A show that exceeds its allowance for two consecutive months is expected to move up a tier
- Above 300,000 downloads a month the plan is quote-only
- Prices are quoted in euros at the yearly rate
Pricing, plan by plan
Acast
On request- Enterprise$undefined/month
- Unlimited hosting
- Dynamic ad insertion
- Sponsorship marketplace
Captivate
Free- FreeFree
- 3 hours storage
- Basic hosting
- Limited analytics
- Professional$19/month
- Unlimited hosting
- AI analytics
- Full distribution
Which should you pick?
Choose Captivate if
- You need unlimited hosting.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want ai analytics.
Questions people ask
- Is Acast or Captivate better?
- Neither clearly leads. Acast starts at On request and Captivate at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Acast or Captivate?
- Captivate has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Acast and Free for Captivate.
- Does Acast or Captivate run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Captivate for free?
- Yes. Captivate has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Acast starts at On request.
- What is Acast best used for?
- Acast is most often used for hosting and distributing a podcast to all major listening apps, monetising episodes through the acast advertising marketplace and sponsorships, publishing video podcast episodes alongside audio. Of those, hosting and distributing a podcast to all major listening apps and monetising episodes through the acast advertising marketplace and sponsorships are not what Captivate is typically brought in for.
- What can Acast do that Captivate cannot?
- Acast covers Enterprise hosting, Dynamic ad insertion, Sponsorship platform, Analytics. Captivate covers Unlimited hosting, AI analytics, Smart recommendations, Distribution. Both handle Monetization, All podcast platforms, Web support.
Related pages
Other head to heads
- Acast vs Pocketcasts
- Acast vs Buzzsprout
- Acast vs Transistor.fm
- Acast vs Adobe Podcast
- Acast vs Apple Podcasts Connect
- Acast vs Libsyn
- Acast vs Patreon
- Acast vs Podbean
- Acast vs Transistor
- Acast vs Alitu
- Acast vs Audioboom
- Acast vs Auphonic
- Acast vs Blubrry
- Acast vs Castmagic
- Acast vs Castos
- Acast vs Chartable
- Acast vs Cleanfeed
- Captivate vs Pocketcasts
- Captivate vs Buzzsprout
- Captivate vs Transistor.fm
- Captivate vs Adobe Podcast
- Captivate vs Apple Podcasts Connect
- Captivate vs Libsyn
- Captivate vs Patreon
- Captivate vs Podbean
- Captivate vs Transistor
- Captivate vs Alitu
- Captivate vs Audioboom
- Captivate vs Auphonic
- Captivate vs Blubrry
- Captivate vs Castmagic
- Captivate vs Castos
- Captivate vs Chartable
- Captivate vs Cleanfeed