AdvertiseCast vs Podbean Comparison 2026
AdvertiseCast is a free ad marketplace layered onto a show already hosted elsewhere, with a published rate card of $18 to $26 CPM once a show clears a few thousand downloads an episode. Podbean is a host that bundles three money routes into the subscription itself: a patron programme, its own ad marketplace and premium episodes, starting free and rising to $12 a month for the tools that switch them on. The axis is simple: a sales channel added to hosting already solved, or a host with the sales channel built in.
Podcast ad marketplace with published rates
Podcast hosting with the money side built in
At a glance
- Both have a genuinely free tier.
Side by side
AdvertiseCast | Podbean | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | From $12 |
| Pricing model (they differ) | Free | Free plan, paid tiers |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Billing (they differ) | Usage-based | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial | Not stated | Not stated |
| API | Not stated | Not stated |
AdvertiseCast
Podcast ad marketplace with published rates
AdvertiseCast is the rare ad network that prints its rate card in public, so a podcaster can work out what an episode is worth before talking to anybody. Shows list, advertisers book, and host-read spots are matched against downloads. Its rates are an industry average rather than an offer, and a small show will be quoted under them.
Our note
The rate table is worth reading whether or not you list here, because it is the clearest public benchmark for what podcast advertising is worth. Use it to sanity-check any sponsorship offer you get directly.
Only on this side
- Covers ad networks
- Covers brand deals & sponsorships
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.
Why people weigh these two
- Podbean instead of AdvertiseCast
- Podbean builds the money side into its hosting, with a free tier and paid plans from $12, rather than brokering spots on a marketplace.
- AdvertiseCast instead of Podbean
- AdvertiseCast is only the ad marketplace, with rates published up front and no hosting bundled in, for a show that already has a host and just wants sponsors.
Which one should you pick
Pick AdvertiseCast once the show clears a few thousand downloads an episode and there is already a host you are happy with. Listing is free, the rate card is public before agreeing to anything, and the only cost is whatever cut AdvertiseCast keeps, which is not published. It adds a sales channel and nothing else.
Pick Podbean if the audience is loyal but still small enough that a network will not call back, and three monetization routes under one login beats wiring up three separate tools. The free account publishes with limited storage; the paid bands start at $12 a month and open the patron programme, the ad marketplace and premium episodes together. Neither cut, the ad share nor the patron take, is published on the pricing page, so budget the monthly fee and treat the rest as upside.
Common questions
- Can I use AdvertiseCast without switching podcast hosts?
- Yes, it is only the ad marketplace and assumes the show is already hosted somewhere else. Podbean is the opposite: hosting, a patron programme, its own ad marketplace and premium episodes all live under the one subscription.
- Which is cheaper for a small show?
- Podbean has a free account with limited storage to get a first episode out, then paid bands starting at $12 a month once the monetization tools are needed. AdvertiseCast is free to list, but a show doing a few hundred downloads will not clear the minimums that make a buy worth an advertiser's time.
- Does Podbean state what percentage it keeps from ads or patrons?
- No, the pricing page does not state what either the ad marketplace or the patron programme takes from money earned. AdvertiseCast is similar: the CPM advertisers pay is published, but what AdvertiseCast itself keeps from that is not.
- Does either platform sell premium or subscriber-only episodes?
- Podbean does, sold per episode or by subscription as part of its paid tiers. AdvertiseCast has no such feature. It only connects a show to advertisers through its rate card.
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.