Acast vs Megaphone Comparison 2026
Acast hosts a podcast and sells the advertising against it, free for one show and five episodes before the marketplace lifts the cap. Megaphone is Spotify's version of the same idea, priced at $99 a month for hosting, a campaign toolkit and access to the Spotify Audience Network, built for a show whose back catalogue still gets downloads. The real question is whether the show already earns enough to justify $99 a month, or whether it needs a free plan to start on.
Podcast hosting with an ad marketplace attached
Spotify's podcast host with an ad marketplace
At a glance
- Acast starts cheaper, at $14.99.
- Only Acast has a free tier.
Side by side
Acast | Megaphone | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $14.99 | From $99 |
| Pricing model (they differ) | Free plan, paid tiers | Paid subscription |
| Free tier (they differ) | Yes | No |
| Billing | Monthly or annual | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial | None | Not stated |
| API | Yes |
Acast
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
- Covers monetization & payments
Megaphone
Spotify's podcast host with an ad marketplace
Megaphone is where Spotify puts podcasters who want to sell advertising against a back catalogue rather than only against new episodes. Hosting and distribution come with a campaign manager, so an ad sold today can be inserted into an episode published two years ago and swapped out when the campaign ends. The Spotify Audience Network is the demand side of it. It is priced for somebody whose show already earns, not for a first episode.
Our note
Compare this against what your current host charges plus what you currently earn from ads, rather than against hosting alone. Megaphone is priced as an advertising business with hosting attached, so if the ad side stays empty you are paying a premium for a file server.
Why people weigh these two
- Megaphone instead of Acast
- Megaphone is Spotify's own host with an ad marketplace behind it, priced for a bigger show at $99 a month with no free plan.
- Acast instead of Megaphone
- Acast keeps a free hosting tier with the ad marketplace attached from the start, so a show can grow into the advertising side instead of paying $99 a month before it has downloads to sell.
Which one should you pick
Pick Acast to start. Free covers one show and five episodes, with the cap lifting once the show joins the ad marketplace, and Influencer at €14.99 a month adds unlimited episodes. A podcast in its first season has nothing yet for a $99 monthly tool to monetize, and Acast's free plan costs nothing while that changes.
Pick Megaphone once the show has a back catalogue people still download and an audience advertisers will return calls about. Professional is $99 a month with no annual discount stated on the page, and what makes it worth that is dynamic ad insertion into old episodes plus demand from the Spotify Audience Network. Compare it against your current host's fee plus what you currently earn from ads, not against hosting alone, since an empty ad side means paying a premium for a file server.
Common questions
- Is Megaphone free like Acast's entry plan?
- No. Megaphone has no free tier; Professional starts at $99 a month with no annual discount stated on the page. Acast's free plan covers one show and five episodes at no cost, with the episode cap lifting once the show joins its ad marketplace.
- Which one is built for a show with a back catalogue?
- Megaphone is: dynamic ad insertion lets a campaign land in an episode published years ago and get pulled when it ends. Acast can insert ads too, but it is priced and positioned for a show that is just starting, not one monetizing an archive.
- Does either give access to Spotify's advertisers directly?
- Megaphone does, through the Spotify Audience Network, included in the $99 a month Professional plan. Acast has its own separate ad marketplace instead, joined by lifting the free plan's five-episode cap.
- Is Megaphone worth it for a new podcast?
- Generally not. It is priced as an advertising business with hosting attached, and a first season show has no back catalogue for the dynamic insertion to earn against. Acast's free plan or a cheaper host will serve a new show better until the download numbers 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.