Acast vs Podbean Comparison 2026
Acast hosts a podcast and sells the advertising against it from one account, free for one show and five episodes before the marketplace lifts the cap. Podbean hosts too, then adds three ways to get paid: a patron programme, its own ad marketplace with dynamic insertion, and premium episodes sold per episode or by subscription, with paid bands from $12 a month. The difference is one monetization route against three, sitting on top of hosting that starts free either way.
Podcast hosting with an ad marketplace attached
Podcast hosting with the money side built in
At a glance
- Podbean starts cheaper, at $12.
- Both have a genuinely free tier.
Side by side
Acast | Podbean | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $14.99 | From $12 |
| Pricing model | Free plan, paid tiers | Free plan, paid tiers |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| 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 ad networks
Podbean
Podcast hosting with the money side built in
Podbean hosts a show and then tries to pay for it: a patron programme, dynamic ad insertion against its own advertiser marketplace, and premium episodes sold per episode or by subscription. That is a different shape from hosts that stop at the RSS feed, and it suits a show whose audience is small enough that a network will not call back. The free account exists to get a first episode published; the paid bands lift storage and open the monetization tools.
Our note
Read the terms on the ad marketplace and the patron programme before treating the quoted monthly fee as the whole cost, since neither cut is published beside the plans. As hosting alone this is mid-priced; the reason to pick it is wanting the monetization side switched on.
Why people weigh these two
- Podbean instead of Acast
- Podbean bundles hosting with its own monetization tools from $12 a month, a little cheaper than Acast's $14.99, still with a free tier.
- Acast instead of Podbean
- Acast pairs hosting with an ad marketplace the same way Podbean does, but skips the patron programme and premium episode sales Podbean also runs.
Which one should you pick
Pick Acast when advertising through its own marketplace is the only monetization route you want, and you are fine with the host taking that role. Free covers one show and five episodes, and the cap lifts once the show joins the marketplace. Ad revenue depends on being picked up by advertisers, so a small show may see nothing for a while.
Pick Podbean when the audience is loyal but too small for a network to return the call, and you would rather try a patron programme, an ad marketplace and premium episodes in one place than wire up three separate tools. Paid bands start at $12 a month with annual savings between 20 and 29 percent, though what each route actually keeps from money earned is not stated on the pricing page. A podcaster who only wants hosting is paying for machinery they will not switch on.
Common questions
- How many ways can you get paid on Podbean?
- Three: a patron programme, its own ad marketplace with dynamic insertion, and premium episodes sold per episode or by subscription. Acast offers one route, its own ad marketplace, which also lifts the free plan's five-episode cap once a show joins it.
- Which one is cheaper to start paying for?
- Podbean's lowest paid band is $12 a month, against Acast's Influencer at €14.99. Both also have a free tier: Acast covers one show and five episodes, and Podbean's free account has limited storage.
- Does Podbean say what cut it takes from patron or ad income?
- No. The pricing page states the monthly band but not what percentage the patron programme or ad marketplace keeps from money earned, so read the terms on each before treating the monthly fee as the whole cost.
- Can you record and publish from a phone on either?
- Podbean has apps on iOS and Android for recording and publishing. Acast's stated platform is web only, with no mobile recording app mentioned among its features.
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.