Acast vs Captivate

Acast is a podcast hosting and monetization company founded in Stockholm, Sweden, and listed on Nasdaq First North. Its core job is to host shows, distribute them to Apple Podcasts, Spotify and every other directory, and then turn listens into revenue through one of the largest podcast advertising marketplaces in the world.

The free Starter plan covers hosting and distribution. Paid tiers (Essential, Pro and Video) add multiple shows, unlimited episodes, team management, a publishing API and video publishing to Apple Podcasts. Acast inserts dynamic ads sold by its own sales teams and programmatic partners into back catalog episodes, so older episodes keep earning. Acast+ lets creators sell premium subscriptions with bonus or ad-free episodes, and sponsorship tools connect shows with brands directly.

Acast fits independent and network podcasters for whom advertising is the business model and who want access to advertisers they could not reach alone. The trade-off is a revenue share on ads and less control over which ads appear. Transistor is a better choice for companies running private or branded shows, Buzzsprout is simpler for hobbyists, and Spotify for Creators offers free hosting tied closely to Spotify. For shows with real audiences that want to be paid, Acast remains one of the strongest options.

Captivate is a UK-based podcast hosting platform built around growth and monetization rather than storage alone. It hosts audio and distributes episodes to Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other directories, but its pitch is the set of marketing tools around the feed: every plan includes unlimited podcasts and unlimited team members, with tiers based on monthly downloads.

Growth features include smart links that route listeners to their preferred app, calls to action on episode pages and an auto-generated podcast website. Private and premium podcasts support paid or internal shows, and dynamic ad insertion lets you swap ads in back-catalog episodes. IAB-certified analytics give advertisers download numbers they can trust. There is no free plan, but a free trial lets you test the workflow before importing a show.

Captivate fits independent podcasters and small networks that are serious about growing an audience and earning from it, and agencies running several client shows under one account. Hobbyists who publish occasionally will find download-based tiers expensive compared with free options such as Spotify for Creators. Buzzsprout is simpler and very beginner-friendly but charges by upload hours; Transistor also offers unlimited shows and is strong for private podcasts; RSS.com and Podbean are cheaper entry points.