Captivate vs Zencastr Comparison 2026
Both cover audio & podcasting. Here is what separates them on price, billing, what you can take with you, and coverage.
At a glance
- Captivate starts cheaper, at $17.
- Only Zencastr has a free tier.
Side by side
Captivate | Zencastr | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $17 | From $24 |
| 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 (they differ) | 30 days | 14 days |
| API | Not stated | Not stated |
| Data export | Not stated | Not stated |
| Their cut | Not stated | None |
| Runs on |
Shaded rows are where the two answers disagree and both listings have answered. A row where one side has not stated a fact is left plain, because silence is not a difference.
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
Zencastr
Remote recording with a local track each side
Zencastr records each guest on their own machine and uploads the file afterwards, so a bad connection ruins the live monitor rather than the recording. That is the whole reason to use a tool like this instead of a call recorder. Video is recorded the same way. Editing, transcription and distribution sit on top, which means a short interview show can start and finish in one place rather than moving files between four tools.
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.