Captivate vs RedCircle Comparison 2026
Captivate has no free tier: bands start at $17 a month paid yearly, or $19 billed monthly, with the full feature set on every one. RedCircle's free Core plan hosts unlimited shows, episodes and downloads at no cost at all, a limit no paid Captivate band even needs to raise, and Growth at $14.99 a month adds cross promotions, unlimited dynamic ad insertion and instant payouts. Billed annually, Growth's $60-a-year saving works out to under $10 a month, well below Captivate's cheapest rate. RedCircle sells advertising through its own network; Captivate gives every plan the ad-insertion mechanism without a marketplace attached.
At a glance
- RedCircle starts cheaper, at $14.99.
- Only RedCircle has a free tier.
Side by side
Captivate | RedCircle | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $17 | From $14.99 |
| Pricing model (they differ) | Free trial, then paid | Free plan, paid tiers |
| Free tier (they differ) | No | Yes |
| Billing | Not stated | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial (they differ) | 30 days | 7 days |
Captivate
Podcast hosting priced by downloads
Captivate hosts shows on download bands rather than storage or episode counts, so a back catalogue costs nothing to keep and a viral episode is the thing that moves you up a tier. Every plan carries the full feature set, which is unusual here: analytics, a website, dynamic ad insertion and a listener signup tool are not held back for the dearest band. Unlimited podcasts sit on one account, so a second show does not mean a second bill.
Our note
The thing to check before signing up is your actual monthly download number rather than your subscriber count, because that is the only number the pricing responds to. If a single old episode still pulls traffic, the dynamic ad insertion is what makes this pay for itself.
Only on this side
- Covers analytics
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.
Why people weigh these two
- RedCircle instead of Captivate
- RedCircle hosts with a free tier and paid plans at $14.99, and it sells your ad slots, an easier on-ramp than Captivate's trial-only pricing.
- Captivate instead of RedCircle
- Captivate prices hosting by downloads rather than giving unlimited episodes away free the way RedCircle's Core plan does, and it has no free tier at all.
Which one should you pick
Take Captivate for a show that expects to grow past what a free host comfortably handles, and wants every feature, including dynamic ad insertion, from the first paid band. Bands are priced by monthly downloads rather than storage, so an archive costs nothing to keep. There is no free tier, only a 30-day trial, so confirm the actual monthly download number before signing up, since that is the only figure the pricing responds to.
Take RedCircle for a show that wants hosting and an actual advertiser marketplace from the same company, starting at nothing. The free Core plan hosts unlimited shows, episodes and downloads, and Growth at $14.99 a month, or under $10 a month billed annually with its $60 yearly saving, adds cross promotions and unlimited dynamic insertion. That free tier alone outlasts anything Captivate offers without a card on file.
Common questions
- Does either one have a free plan?
- RedCircle does, and it is genuinely unlimited: shows, episodes and downloads all cost nothing to host. Captivate has no free tier at all, only a 30-day trial before the first paid band applies.
- Which one is cheaper?
- RedCircle's Growth plan, at $14.99 a month, or under $10 a month billed annually with its $60-a-year saving. Captivate's cheapest band is $17 a month paid yearly, or $19 billed monthly.
- Which one actually sells advertising for me?
- RedCircle runs a cross-promotion marketplace that trades audience with other shows on its network, on top of dynamic ad insertion. Captivate includes the ad-insertion mechanism on every plan but does not describe a marketplace that finds sponsors for you.
- Which one is built for a show that already publishes a lot?
- Captivate, since every band carries the full feature set regardless of price, and unlimited podcasts sit on one account. RedCircle's free plan is generous too, but its promotion and payout tools only open on the paid Growth tier and above.
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.