Software · head to head
Acast vs Patreon
The short version
- Only Patreon 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; Patreon takes 10% of the income a creator earns on the platform
- They diverge on capability: Acast covers Enterprise hosting, Patreon covers Membership tiers.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Acast and Patreon actually diverge.
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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
- Monetization
- API access
- All podcast platforms
- Advertising networks
- CMS systems
Only in Patreon
- Membership tiers
- Exclusive content
- Private podcast feeds
- Community features
- Payment processing
- Discord
- Podcast apps
- Zapier
Both cover
- Analytics
- 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 Patreon
- Monetising episodes through the Acast advertising marketplace and sponsorshipsnot Patreon
- Publishing video podcast episodes alongside audionot Patreon
Patreon
- Running a paid membership for fans of a creator or podcastnot Acast
- Selling recurring access to exclusive content and communitynot 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 $50 per month monthly
- The Video plan includes only 10,000 monthly video views
- A payment card is required to sign up even for the free tier
- The Creator Network tier is quote only with no published price
Patreon
- Takes 10% of the income a creator earns on the platform
- Payment processing, currency conversion and payout fees are charged on top of that 10% and are not quantified on the pricing page
- The total deduction is therefore not calculable from the pricing page alone, and requires reading a separate support article
Pricing, plan by plan
Acast
On request- Enterprise$undefined/month
- Unlimited hosting
- Dynamic ad insertion
- Sponsorship marketplace
Patreon
Free- FreeFree
- Free membership page
- Basic features
- Community tools
- ProFree
- All free features
- Analytics dashboard
- Priority support
- PremiumFree
- All Pro features
- Dedicated partner manager
- Custom onboarding
Which should you pick?
Choose Patreon if
- You need membership tiers.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want exclusive content.
Questions people ask
- Is Acast or Patreon better?
- Neither clearly leads. Acast starts at On request and Patreon at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Acast or Patreon?
- Patreon has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Acast and Free for Patreon.
- Does Acast or Patreon run on more platforms?
- Acast runs on Web. Patreon runs on Web, Ios, Android.
- Can I use Patreon for free?
- Yes. Patreon 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 Patreon is typically brought in for.
- What can Acast do that Patreon cannot?
- Acast covers Enterprise hosting, Dynamic ad insertion, Sponsorship platform, Monetization. Patreon covers Membership tiers, Exclusive content, Private podcast feeds, Community features. Both handle Analytics, Web support.
Related pages
Keep looking
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 Podbean
- Acast vs Transistor
- Acast vs Alitu
- Acast vs Audioboom
- Acast vs Auphonic
- Acast vs Blubrry
- Acast vs Captivate
- Acast vs Castmagic
- Acast vs Castos
- Acast vs Chartable
- Acast vs Cleanfeed
- Patreon vs Pocketcasts
- Patreon vs Buzzsprout
- Patreon vs Transistor.fm
- Patreon vs Adobe Podcast
- Patreon vs Apple Podcasts Connect
- Patreon vs Libsyn
- Patreon vs Podbean
- Patreon vs Transistor
- Patreon vs Alitu
- Patreon vs Audioboom
- Patreon vs Auphonic
- Patreon vs Blubrry
- Patreon vs Captivate
- Patreon vs Castmagic
- Patreon vs Castos
- Patreon vs Chartable
- Patreon vs Cleanfeed