Is Captivate or Transistor.fm better?

Neither clearly leads. Captivate starts at Free and Transistor.fm at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Captivate or Transistor.fm?

Captivate starts at Free and Transistor.fm at Free.

Does Captivate or Transistor.fm run on more platforms?

Captivate runs on Web. Transistor.fm runs on Web, Mobile.

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 Transistor.fm is typically brought in for.

What can Captivate do that Transistor.fm cannot?

Captivate covers Unlimited hosting, AI analytics, Smart recommendations, Distribution. Transistor.fm covers Unlimited episodes, Automatic transcription, Advanced analytics, Custom player. Both handle Web support.

Podcasting · head to head

Captivate vs Transistor.fm

Captivate

Podcasting

Smart podcast hosting with AI insights

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Transistor.fm

Podcasting

The podcast host built for professional broadcasters

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

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; Transistor.fm add-on pricing for transcription services is listed but actual prices omitted from display
They diverge on capability: Captivate covers Unlimited hosting, Transistor.fm covers Unlimited episodes.
Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Captivate and Transistor.fm actually diverge.

Attributes where Captivate and Transistor.fm differ
Attribute	Captivate	Transistor.fm
Platforms	Web	Web, Mobile

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (subscription), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Podcasting), founded (2016).

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.fm

Unlimited episodes
Automatic transcription
Advanced analytics
Custom player
Email newsletters
White-label options
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.fm
Distribution to the major podcast directoriesnot Transistor.fm
Audience analytics by episode and platformnot Transistor.fm
Running several podcasts under one subscriptionnot Transistor.fm

Transistor.fm

Podcast hosting and distributionnot Captivate
Video podcast publishingnot Captivate
AI transcriptionnot Captivate
Dynamic ad insertionnot Captivate
Private podcast networksnot 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.fm

Add-on pricing for transcription services is listed but actual prices omitted from display
Enterprise pricing lacks specificity and requires direct contact
Private subscriber limits appear restrictive for scaling large networks
No transparent usage overage costs shown

Pricing, plan by plan

Captivate

Free

Personal$17/month
- up to 30,000 downloads/month
Professional$44/month
- up to 150,000 downloads/month
Business$90/month
- up to 300,000 downloads/month

Transistor.fm

Free

Starter$19/month
- 20K monthly downloads
- 50 private subscribers
- Unlimited podcasts
Professional$49/month
- 100K monthly downloads
- 500 private subscribers
- Dynamic ads
Business$99/month
- 250K monthly downloads
- 3K private subscribers
- Branded removal
Enterprise$199/month
- Custom limits exceeding 250K downloads or 3K private subscribers

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.fm if

You need unlimited episodes.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Web, Mobile.
You also want automatic transcription.

Transistor.fm review

Questions people ask

Is Captivate or Transistor.fm better?: Neither clearly leads. Captivate starts at Free and Transistor.fm at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Captivate or Transistor.fm?: Captivate starts at Free and Transistor.fm at Free.
Does Captivate or Transistor.fm run on more platforms?: Captivate runs on Web. Transistor.fm runs on Web, Mobile.
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 Transistor.fm is typically brought in for.
What can Captivate do that Transistor.fm cannot?: Captivate covers Unlimited hosting, AI analytics, Smart recommendations, Distribution. Transistor.fm covers Unlimited episodes, Automatic transcription, Advanced analytics, Custom player. Both handle Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Captivate: How much does Captivate cost?

Captivate pricing starts at EUR 17/month for the Personal plan (annual billing). Professional is EUR 44/month and Business is EUR 90/month, with higher monthly rates on monthly billing plans.

Source

Transistor.fm: Does Transistor.fm offer a free trial?

Yes, Transistor offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required.

Source

Captivate: Is there a free trial for Captivate?

Yes, all Captivate plans include a 30-day free trial with access to all features; no credit card required to start.

Source

Transistor.fm: What's the least expensive plan?

The Starter plan costs $19 per month USD and includes 20K monthly downloads, 50 private subscribers, unlimited podcasts, and unlimited collaborators.

Source

Captivate: What happens if I exceed my Captivate download limit?

Captivate will notify you after a second consecutive month over your limit; no overage fees apply if you temporarily exceed the monthly allowance.

Source

Captivate: Are podcasts and storage unlimited on all Captivate plans?

Yes, unlimited podcasts and storage are included across the Personal, Professional, and Business tiers; limits are only on monthly downloads.

Source

Captivate vs Transistor.fm

Captivate

Transistor.fm

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Captivate

Only in Transistor.fm

Both cover

What people use each for

Captivate

Transistor.fm

Where each one falls short

Captivate

Transistor.fm

Pricing, plan by plan

Captivate

Transistor.fm

Which should you pick?

Choose Captivate if

Choose Transistor.fm if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Captivate

More on Transistor.fm

Keep looking

Other head to heads