Captivate vs Podbean
Captivate and Podbean are both podcast & audio tools aimed at creators and small businesses. Podbean costs less, from $17/mo versus $19/mo for Captivate. Only Podbean has a free plan.
Growth-focused podcast hosting
Podcast hosting with ads, fan support and private business podcasts
| Pricing | Paid · $19 | Freemium · $17 |
| Starting price | $19/mo | $17/mo |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Free trial | 30 days | 14 days |
| Built for | Creators, Small businesses | Creators, Small businesses, Enterprise |
| Platforms | web | web, ios, android |
| Country | GB · 2019 | US · 2006 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose Captivate if
Podcasters focused on growing and monetizing.
- Strong growth features
- Unlimited shows
- Good analytics
Look elsewhere if: Casual hobbyists.
Choose Podbean if
Independent podcasters and small networks that want hosting, distribution and several monetization paths in one plan.
- Many monetization options under one hosting fee
- Unlimited storage removes worry about back catalog size
- Free plan lets you test publishing before paying
Look elsewhere if: Brands that want the cleanest analytics and multi-show management or free Spotify-native hosting (Transistor, Captivate, Spotify for Creators).
Captivate vs Podbean pricing
Captivate
- Personal€17/moBilled yearly; 30,000 downloads/mo, unlimited podcasts
- Professional€44/moBilled yearly; 150,000 downloads/mo
- Business€90/moBilled yearly; 300,000 downloads/mo
Podbean
- Basic$05 hours total storage, 100 GB bandwidth per month
- Unlimited Audio$17/mo$12/mo billed annually; 1 audio show, 1 GB uploads/mo
- Unlimited Plus$39/mo$29/mo billed annually; 2 shows incl. video, 10 GB/mo
- Network$99/mo$79/mo billed annually; unlimited shows, 50 team members
- Business$129/mo$99/mo billed annually; unlimited private podcasts
Captivate · Key features
- Unlimited podcasts and team members
- Growth tools: smart links, CTAs
- Private and premium podcasts
- Dynamic ad insertion
- IAB-certified analytics
- Podcast websites
Cons
- Download-based tiers
- No free plan
- Smaller brand than Buzzsprout
Podbean · Key features
- Unlimited storage and unmetered bandwidth on most paid plans
- Distribution to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and more
- PodAds dynamic ad insertion and a sponsorship ads marketplace
- Patron fan support, premium episodes and Apple Podcasts Subscriptions
- AI audio cleanup, transcripts, show notes and chapter markers
- Mobile app for recording, remote guests and live streaming
Cons
- Dashboard and editor feel dated next to newer hosts
- Monthly upload caps still limit long or frequent episodes
- Free plan's 5 hours of total storage fill quickly
Captivate vs Podbean: FAQ
Which is cheaper, Captivate or Podbean?
Podbean starts at $17/mo and Captivate at $19/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.
Do Captivate and Podbean have a free plan?
Captivate has no free plan, a 30-day free trial. Podbean has a free plan.