Compare Castos and Captivate on pricing, features, platforms, and ratings — both Podcast Hosting tools, Subscription pricing to decide which fits your team.
At a Glance
Castos
Captivate
Primary category
Podcast Hosting
Podcast Hosting
Rating
Not documented
Not documented
Pricing model
Subscription
Subscription
Starting price
$19/month
$19/month
Free plan
Not documented
Not documented
Free trial
Yes
Yes
Platforms
Web, iOS, Android
Web
Team collaboration
Not documented
Not documented
AI features
Yes
Yes
Public API
Yes
Yes
Pricing Compared
Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.
Castos
Essentials — $19/month Monthly
Growth — $49/month Monthly
Pro — $99/month Monthly
Castos Premium — $499/month Monthly
Captivate
Personal — $19/month monthly (annual: $204/year)
Professional — $49/month monthly (annual: $528/year)
Business — $99/month monthly (annual: $1,080/year)
Pros & Cons
Castos
Pros
Flat monthly pricing with no per-download overage fees
Deep WordPress integration through the Seriously Simple Podcasting plugin
AI Assistant reduces manual show-notes and social-post production work
Supports private/internal podcast feeds in addition to public distribution
Cons
Entry-tier download and transcription-credit limits may be restrictive for fast-growing shows
Video hosting and higher subscriber limits are gated behind the Pro and Premium tiers
Company headquarters and team structure are not clearly publicized, reflecting its fully remote operating model
Entry pricing is higher than some no-frills podcast hosts
Captivate
Pros
No feature gating between tiers — every plan gets the same full toolset
Unlimited storage regardless of plan
IAB-certified analytics included even on the entry-level plan
Built-in monetization tools (ads, memberships, tipping) without third-party add-ons
30-day free trial with full feature access
Cons
No permanently free plan, only a time-limited trial
Pricing scales with monthly downloads, so fast-growing shows must upgrade tiers
Fewer native mobile apps compared to some larger competitors
Dynamic ad monetization and sponsorship opportunities depend on reaching sufficient listener volume
Use Cases
Castos
WordPress-Based Podcast Publishing — Podcasters who run their show's website on WordPress use Castos' plugin to publish episodes without leaving their WordPress dashboard.
Agency & Multi-Client Podcast Management — Podcast production agencies use Castos to host and manage shows for multiple clients from a single account.
Private/Internal Podcasting — Companies and course creators use Castos' private feeds to distribute gated audio for onboarding, internal updates, or paid content.
Captivate
Independent podcast hosting — Hosting, RSS distribution, and IAB-certified analytics for shows publishing regularly across major listening apps.
Podcast monetization — Dynamic ad insertion, listener memberships, and tipping to generate revenue directly from an existing audience.
Private and internal podcasting — Gated, members-only or internal-only audio feeds for training, community, or subscriber content.