Compare Spreaker and Captivate on pricing, features, platforms, and ratings — both Podcast Hosting tools, freemium subscription vs Subscription pricing to…
At a Glance
Spreaker
Captivate
Primary category
Podcast Hosting
Podcast Hosting
Rating
Not documented
Not documented
Pricing model
freemium subscription
Subscription
Starting price
Free (paid plans from EUR20/month)
$19/month
Free plan
Yes
Not documented
Free trial
Not documented
Yes
Platforms
Web
Web
Team collaboration
Not documented
Not documented
AI features
Not documented
Yes
Public API
Not documented
Yes
Pricing Compared
Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.
Spreaker
Free Speech — EUR0/month Free forever
Broadcaster — EUR20/month Monthly
Anchorman — EUR50/month Monthly
Publisher — EUR250/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
Spreaker
Pros
Generous free-forever plan with unlimited episodes
Backed by iHeartMedia, providing scale and monetization infrastructure
Built-in monetization tools including ads and listener subscriptions
Simple, dashboard-based workflow for publishing and distribution
Scales from individual creators up to professional broadcasters
Cons
Free plan limits hosting to a single podcast
Free plan takes a 20 percent cut of Supporters Club revenue
Higher-tier plans needed for extended statistics history and collaboration
Pricing is listed in euros, which may complicate budgeting for some regions
Top-tier Publisher plan is priced well above typical independent creator budgets
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
Spreaker
Independent podcast creators — Individual creators use the free plan to publish, distribute, and monetize a podcast with no upfront cost.
Professional broadcasters and media companies — Broadcasters use higher-tier plans for direct ad sales, extended analytics, and team collaboration on shows.
Live radio and streaming shows — Hosts use Spreaker's live broadcasting tools to stream radio-style shows alongside standard podcast episodes.
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.