Acast vs RedCircle Comparison 2026
Acast and RedCircle both host a show and sell the advertising against it from the same account, the closest match in this catalog for that combination. Acast's free plan covers one show and five episodes until the show joins its ad marketplace; RedCircle's free Core plan hosts unlimited shows, episodes and downloads outright, no cap to lift. The choice turns on how much you value that free ceiling against which company's advertisers you would rather sell to.
Podcast hosting with an ad marketplace attached
Podcast hosting that sells your ad slots
At a glance
- Both have a genuinely free tier.
Side by side
Acast | RedCircle | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | From $14.99 | From $14.99 |
| Pricing model | Free plan, paid tiers | Free plan, paid tiers |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | Monthly or annual | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial (they differ) | None | 7 days |
| API |
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.
RedCircle
Podcast hosting that sells your ad slots
RedCircle hosts the show and runs the advertising against it, with dynamic insertion so a sponsor read can be swapped out of the back catalogue later. Cross promotions trade audience with other shows on the network. The free Core plan carries unlimited episodes and downloads, which is unusual, and the paid tiers are about analytics and ad control rather than storage.
Our note
Acast is the closer comparison than Buzzsprout here, because both sell hosting and advertising together. RedCircle's free tier is the more generous of the two, and its ad marketplace is the less established.
Only on this side
Why people weigh these two
- RedCircle instead of Acast
- RedCircle also hosts the show and sells the ad slots itself, at the same $14.99 starting price with its own free tier.
- Acast instead of RedCircle
- Acast runs the same hosting-plus-ad-marketplace model, without RedCircle's cross-promotion trades that swap audience with other shows on its network.
Which one should you pick
Pick Acast when you want established ad demand more than free storage. Its free plan caps a show at five episodes until you join the marketplace, and Influencer at €14.99 a month removes that cap for multiple shows. A card is required even on the free tier, though the page states it will not be charged.
Pick RedCircle for the free tier alone: unlimited shows, episodes and downloads at zero cost, which nothing else in this comparison matches. Growth at $14.99 a month adds cross promotions with other shows on the network, unlimited dynamic ad insertion and instant payouts, with a 7-day trial on paid tiers. Its ad marketplace is the less established of the two, so weigh the free hosting against Acast's more established advertiser base.
Common questions
- Which free plan is more generous?
- RedCircle's Core plan, by a wide margin: unlimited shows, episodes and downloads with no cap at all. Acast's free plan caps a show at five episodes until it joins the ad marketplace, which is the mechanism that lifts the limit.
- Do both sell advertising the same way?
- Both host a show and sell ads against it from the same account, the closest match between any two hosts in this comparison. RedCircle's ad marketplace is the less established of the two, so Acast may find demand faster for a show that qualifies.
- Can either publish video to YouTube?
- RedCircle can, one-click, on the $29.99 a month Pro plan. Acast's platforms are listed as web and podcast only, with no YouTube distribution among its stated features.
- What does RedCircle's paid tier add over the free Core plan?
- Growth at $14.99 a month adds cross promotions with other shows on the network, unlimited dynamic ad insertion, instant payouts and ad-free show pages, all on top of the unlimited hosting the free plan already includes. Acast's paid tier, Influencer at €14.99, is what removes its five-episode free cap in the first place.
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