Software · head to head
Captivate vs Chartable
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Captivate tiers are download ceilings and nothing else: 30,000 a month on Personal, 150,000 on Professional and 300,000 on Business; Chartable shut down on 12 December 2024. Spotify, which acquired Chartable in February 2022, announced the closure on 27 September 2024 and folded parts of it into Spotify for Podcasters
- They diverge on capability: Captivate covers Unlimited hosting, Chartable covers Download analytics.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Captivate and Chartable actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web), 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 Captivate
- Unlimited hosting
- AI analytics
- Smart recommendations
- Distribution
- Monetization
- Audience insights
- Social media
- Email services
Only in Chartable
- Download analytics
- Chart rankings
- SmartLinks tracking
- Attribution
- SmartPromos
- Cross-promotion analytics
- Advertising networks
- Marketing tools
Both cover
- All podcast platforms
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Captivate
- Podcast hosting with unlimited shows on any tiernot Chartable
- Distribution to the major podcast directoriesnot Chartable
- Audience analytics by episode and platformnot Chartable
- Running several podcasts under one subscriptionnot Chartable
Chartable
- Podcast analyticsnot Captivate
- Marketing attributionnot Captivate
- Chart trackingnot Captivate
- Growth measurementnot Captivate
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
Chartable
- Shut down on 12 December 2024. Spotify, which acquired Chartable in February 2022, announced the closure on 27 September 2024 and folded parts of it into Spotify for Podcasters
- The tracking prefixes no longer function, and shows still carrying one need it removed
- chartable.com now redirects to Spotify's Megaphone site
Pricing, plan by plan
Captivate
Free- FreeFree
- 3 hours storage
- Basic hosting
- Limited analytics
- Professional$19/month
- Unlimited hosting
- AI analytics
- Full distribution
Chartable
Free- FreeFree
- Chart tracking
- Basic analytics
- 1 podcast
- Indie$20/month
- Advanced analytics
- SmartLinks
- Attribution
- Team$100/month
- Multiple podcasts
- SmartPromos
- Team access
- Enterprise$undefined/month
- Unlimited podcasts
- Custom integrations
- API access
Which should you pick?
Choose Captivate if
- You need unlimited hosting.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want ai analytics.
Choose Chartable if
- You need download analytics.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want chart rankings.
Questions people ask
- Is Captivate or Chartable better?
- Neither clearly leads. Captivate starts at Free and Chartable at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Captivate or Chartable?
- Captivate starts at Free and Chartable at Free.
- Does Captivate or Chartable run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Captivate for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Captivate best used for?
- Captivate is most often used for podcast hosting with unlimited shows on any tier, distribution to the major podcast directories, audience analytics by episode and platform, running several podcasts under one subscription. Of those, podcast hosting with unlimited shows on any tier and distribution to the major podcast directories are not what Chartable is typically brought in for.
- What can Captivate do that Chartable cannot?
- Captivate covers Unlimited hosting, AI analytics, Smart recommendations, Distribution. Chartable covers Download analytics, Chart rankings, SmartLinks tracking, Attribution. Both handle All podcast platforms, Web support.