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Podcast & Audio Publishing · head to head

Captivate vs Transistor

Captivate logo

Captivate

Podcast & Audio Publishing

Smart podcast hosting with AI insights

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Transistor logo

Transistor

Podcast & Audio Publishing

Professional podcast hosting for businesses and creators

From
$19/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Captivate has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • 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; Transistor starter plan at $19 per month caps monthly downloads at 20,000
  • They diverge on capability: Captivate covers Unlimited hosting, Transistor covers Unlimited podcasts.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Captivate and Transistor actually diverge.

Attributes where Captivate and Transistor differ
AttributeCaptivateTransistor
Starting priceFree$19/month
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Free tierYesNo
Founded20162018

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 Captivate

  • Unlimited hosting
  • AI analytics
  • Smart recommendations
  • Distribution
  • Monetization
  • Audience insights
  • All podcast platforms
  • Social media

Only in Transistor

  • Unlimited podcasts
  • Private podcasting
  • Advanced analytics
  • Team collaboration
  • Custom branding
  • API access
  • Apple Podcasts
  • Spotify

Both cover

  • 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 Transistor
  • Distribution to the major podcast directoriesnot Transistor
  • Audience analytics by episode and platformnot Transistor
  • Running several podcasts under one subscriptionnot Transistor

Transistor

  • Hosting and distributing multiple podcasts from one accountnot Captivate
  • Running private, subscriber-only podcast feedsnot Captivate
  • Publishing podcast websites and inserting dynamic audio adsnot 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

Transistor

  • Starter plan at $19 per month caps monthly downloads at 20,000
  • Private podcast subscribers are capped at 50 on Starter and 500 on Professional
  • Dynamic ad insertion and auto-posting to YouTube require the $49 per month Professional plan or higher
  • Removing Transistor branding requires the $99 per month Business plan
  • Enterprise plans above 250,000 monthly downloads start at $199 per month and require contacting the vendor

Pricing, plan by plan

Captivate

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 3 hours storage
    • Basic hosting
    • Limited analytics
  • Professional$19/month
    • Unlimited hosting
    • AI analytics
    • Full distribution

Transistor

$19/month
  • Starter$19/month
    • Unlimited podcasts
    • 10,000 downloads/month
    • Basic analytics
  • Professional$49/month
    • Unlimited podcasts
    • 50,000 downloads/month
    • Advanced analytics
  • Business$99/month
    • Unlimited podcasts
    • 150,000 downloads/month
    • Full analytics
  • Enterprise$199/month
    • Unlimited everything
    • 300,000+ downloads
    • Priority support

Which should you pick?

Choose Captivate if

  • You need unlimited hosting.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want ai analytics.
Captivate review

Choose Transistor if

  • You need unlimited podcasts.
  • You also want private podcasting.
Transistor review

Questions people ask

Is Captivate or Transistor better?
Neither clearly leads. Captivate starts at Free and Transistor at $19/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Captivate or Transistor?
Captivate has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Captivate and $19/month for Transistor.
Does Captivate or Transistor 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. Transistor starts at $19/month.
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 Transistor is typically brought in for.
What can Captivate do that Transistor cannot?
Captivate covers Unlimited hosting, AI analytics, Smart recommendations, Distribution. Transistor covers Unlimited podcasts, Private podcasting, Advanced analytics, Team collaboration. Both handle Web support.
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