Software · head to head
Simplecast vs Castos
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Simplecast basic plan at $15 per month includes only 20,000 monthly downloads and 2 team seats; Castos transcripts are metered by tier, at 10 a month on Essentials and 100 on Pro
- They diverge on capability: Simplecast covers Dynamic ad insertion, Castos covers WordPress integration.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Simplecast and Castos actually diverge.
| Attribute | Simplecast | Castos |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $15/month | $13/month |
| Platforms | Web | Web, Wordpress |
| Founded | 2014 | 2016 |
Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), 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 Simplecast
- Dynamic ad insertion
- Team collaboration
- API access
- Advertising networks
- CMS systems
- Enterprise security
- SOC 2 compliant
- Access controls
Only in Castos
- WordPress integration
- Monetization
- Email marketing
- WordPress
- Email services
- Content protection
- WordPress security
- Wordpress support
Both cover
- Unlimited hosting
- Analytics
- Distribution
- All podcast platforms
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Simplecast
- Hosting podcasts with per-episode analytics and audience metricsnot Castos
- Distributing shows to Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other directoriesnot Castos
- Monetising podcasts through dynamic ad insertion at the Professional tiernot Castos
Castos
- Podcast hosting with unlimited episodes and downloadsnot Simplecast
- Private and subscriber-only podcastsnot Simplecast
- Automatic transcription of episodesnot Simplecast
- Republishing episodes to YouTubenot Simplecast
- WordPress-integrated podcast publishingnot Simplecast
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Simplecast
- Basic plan at $15 per month includes only 20,000 monthly downloads and 2 team seats
- Essential plan at $35 per month includes 50,000 monthly downloads and 4 team seats
- Dynamic ad insertion and campaign management are only on the Professional plan, which is quoted by sales with no published rate
- API access for publishing and campaign management is Enterprise only
- Annual prepayment is required to get the 10 percent discount
Castos
- Transcripts are metered by tier, at 10 a month on Essentials and 100 on Pro
- Private podcast subscribers are capped, at 100 on Essentials and 500 on Pro
- Video hosting and the uptime SLA require the Pro tier at $99 a month
- SSO and a dedicated account manager are Premium only, from $499 a month
- Team seats are limited by tier, at 5 on Growth and 10 on Pro
Pricing, plan by plan
Simplecast
$15/month- Creator$15/month
- Unlimited hosting
- Analytics
- Distribution
- Studio$49/month
- All Creator features
- Dynamic ad insertion
- Team access
- Enterprise$undefined/month
- Custom features
- API access
- Dedicated manager
Castos
$13/month- Podcaster$13/month
- Unlimited hosting
- Automatic distribution
- Basic analytics
- Professional$29/month
- All Podcaster features
- Advanced analytics
- Email marketing
Which should you pick?
Choose Simplecast if
- You need dynamic ad insertion.
- You also want team collaboration.
Choose Castos if
- You need wordpress integration.
- You work on Web, Wordpress.
- You also want monetization.
Questions people ask
- Is Simplecast or Castos better?
- Neither clearly leads. Simplecast starts at $15/month and Castos at $13/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Simplecast or Castos?
- Simplecast starts at $15/month and Castos at $13/month.
- Does Simplecast or Castos run on more platforms?
- Simplecast runs on Web. Castos runs on Web, Wordpress.
- What is Simplecast best used for?
- Simplecast is most often used for hosting podcasts with per-episode analytics and audience metrics, distributing shows to apple podcasts, spotify and other directories, monetising podcasts through dynamic ad insertion at the professional tier. Of those, hosting podcasts with per-episode analytics and audience metrics and distributing shows to apple podcasts, spotify and other directories are not what Castos is typically brought in for.
- What can Simplecast do that Castos cannot?
- Simplecast covers Dynamic ad insertion, Team collaboration, API access, Advertising networks. Castos covers WordPress integration, Monetization, Email marketing, WordPress. Both handle Unlimited hosting, Analytics, Distribution, All podcast platforms.