Captivate vs Spreaker Comparison 2026
Captivate hosts a show on download bands, from $17 a month billed yearly with every feature included at every tier and no free plan. Spreaker gives away hosting for nothing and takes a 20 percent cut of supporter income instead, dropping that cut to zero once you pay $20 a month. The choice is whether you would rather pay from day one or share revenue until you do.
Podcast hosting priced by downloads
Hosting with programmatic ads on the free plan
At a glance
- Captivate starts cheaper, at $17.
- Only Spreaker has a free tier.
Side by side
Captivate | Spreaker | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $17 | From $20 |
| Pricing model (they differ) | Free trial, then paid | Free plan, paid tiers |
| Free tier (they differ) | No | Yes |
| Billing | Not stated | Not stated |
| Free trial | 30 days | Not stated |
| API |
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
Spreaker
Hosting with programmatic ads on the free plan
Spreaker hosts a show and sells advertising against it, which is the reason to pick it over a host that only stores files. Dynamic ad insertion means a slot can be filled and refilled after an episode is published, so a back catalogue keeps earning. The free plan carries a storage cap and takes a fifth of anything a supporters club brings in. Paid plans drop that fee to nothing and raise the limits.
Why people weigh these two
- Spreaker instead of Captivate
- Spreaker puts programmatic ads on even its free plan, with paid from $20, monetizing earlier than Captivate's feature-complete bands.
- Captivate instead of Spreaker
- Captivate prices by downloads rather than by a storage cap and a cut of supporter revenue, starting at $17 with no free tier.
Which one should you pick
Captivate suits a show that expects real growth and wants a bill tied to listening rather than to plan tiers. Dynamic ad insertion and a podcast website are included from the cheapest band at $17 a month billed yearly. There is no free tier, so even a small new show pays from the first upload.
Spreaker is the better start for a show that wants to monetise before it can justify a subscription. The free plan is permanent rather than a trial, and On Air Talent at $20 a month removes the 20 percent fee on supporter income. Move to Captivate once download volume, not revenue sharing, is the number that worries you.
Common questions
- Which is cheaper to start?
- Spreaker, because its free plan never expires. Captivate has no free tier at all, so a new show pays $17 a month billed yearly from the first upload.
- Does either take a cut of my revenue?
- Spreaker does on its free plan: 20 percent of supporters club income. That drops to nothing once you move to On Air Talent at $20 a month. Captivate takes no revenue share at any tier.
- Which suits a show with a large back catalogue?
- Captivate. Its bands are set by monthly downloads rather than storage, so old episodes cost nothing to keep and only listening moves you up a tier.
- Can either place ads without a separate ad network?
- Yes, both can. Captivate inserts ads into the back catalogue automatically on every plan. Spreaker runs its own advertising programme and pairs it with a listener-supporters subscription.
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.