Growing an audience
Running the business
Both cover ad networks and monetization & payments. Here is what separates them on price, billing, what you can take with you, and coverage.
| Acast | Google AdSense | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | From $14.99 | Free |
| Pricing model | Free plan, paid tiers | Free |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | Monthly or annual | Usage-based |
| Free trial | None | Not stated |
| API | Yes | Not stated |
| Data export | Not stated | Not stated |
| Their cut | Not stated | 20% of what you earn |
| Runs on | Web | Not stated |
| Covers | Audio & Podcasting, Ad Networks, Monetization & Payments | Ad Networks, Monetization & Payments |
| Works with | Podcast | Nothing in particular |
| Founded | Not listed | Not listed |
| Reader rating | No reviews yet | No reviews yet |
| Live deals | None right now | None right now |
Podcast hosting with an ad marketplace attached
Acast hosts the show and sells the ads against it, which is the combination a podcaster otherwise assembles from two companies. Putting a show into its marketplace lifts the episode cap on the free plan, so monetizing and hosting are the same decision. Ad revenue depends on being picked up by advertisers, and a small show may see nothing for a while.
Only on this side
Ads on your site, paid out by Google
AdSense is the default answer to putting ads on a site, and for most creators it is the only one available until traffic grows enough for a managed network to take the call. Setup is a script tag and a review. The rate per thousand views is lower than what Raptive or Mediavine negotiate, and the trade is that nobody has to want you first.
Our note
Start here, and treat the 25,000 pageview mark as the day to apply to Raptive. The same traffic earns several times more through a managed network, and the switch is a script change.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.