# Captivate vs Castos for podcast hosting platforms

Captivate and Castos are closely matched for core workflows. Both offer a trial; both support dynamic ad insertion, paid subscriptions, listener donations, and private podcasts. Captivate has confirmed API access. Castos has confirmed number of podcasts of -1 and monthly upload limit of -1. Monthly price is £17 for Captivate and $19 for Castos.

## Key decision points

- Monthly price is £17 for Captivate and $19 for Castos.
- Captivate has confirmed API access; API access is not yet confirmed for Castos.
- Castos has confirmed number of podcasts of -1; number of podcasts is not yet confirmed for Captivate.
- Castos has confirmed monthly upload limit of -1; monthly upload limit is not yet confirmed for Captivate.

## Choose Captivate if…

- Choose Captivate if the lower monthly price is the deciding factor.
- Choose Captivate if confirmed API access matters to you; this detail is not yet confirmed for Castos.

## Choose Castos if…

- Choose Castos if confirmed number of podcasts of -1 matters to you; this detail is not yet confirmed for Captivate.
- Choose Castos if confirmed monthly upload limit of -1 matters to you; this detail is not yet confirmed for Captivate.

## Capacity

| Feature | Captivate | Castos |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Number of podcasts | Not confirmed | -1 (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://castos.com/pricing/)) |
| Monthly upload limit | Not confirmed | -1 (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://castos.com/pricing/)) |
| Download limits | Not confirmed | -1 (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://castos.com/pricing/)) |
| Team members | Not confirmed | 5 (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://castos.com/pricing/)) |

## Features

| Feature | Captivate | Castos |
| --- | --- | --- |
| IAB-certified analytics | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.captivate.fm/)) | Not confirmed |
| Advanced analytics | Not confirmed | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://castos.com/pricing/)) |
| Dynamic ad insertion | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.captivate.fm/pricing)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://castos.com/)) |
| Paid subscriptions | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.captivate.fm/)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://castos.com/)) |
| Listener donations | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.captivate.fm/)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://castos.com/)) |
| Private podcasts | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.captivate.fm/)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://castos.com/)) |
| Video podcasts | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://help.captivate.fm/en/)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://castos.com/pricing/)) |
| Automatic transcription | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://help.captivate.fm/en/article/captivate-feature-releases-changelog-vq1h56/)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://castos.com/)) |
| Podcast website | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.captivate.fm/pricing)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://castos.com/)) |
| Custom domain | Not confirmed | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://castos.com/pricing/)) |
| Migration assistance | Not confirmed | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://castos.com/pricing/)) |

## Integrations

| Feature | Captivate | Castos |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Podcast advertising marketplace | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.captivate.fm/captivate-marketplace-for-podcasters)) | Not confirmed |
| Distribution to Spotify | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.captivate.fm/)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://castos.com/)) |
| Distribution to Apple Podcasts | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.captivate.fm/)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://castos.com/)) |
| YouTube distribution | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.captivate.fm/)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://castos.com/)) |
| WordPress integration | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://help.captivate.fm/en/)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://castos.com/)) |

## Technical

| Feature | Captivate | Castos |
| --- | --- | --- |
| API | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.captivate.fm/problems-with-current-host/lack-of-integration)) | Not confirmed |

## Pricing

| Feature | Captivate | Castos |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free trial | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.captivate.fm/pricing)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://castos.com/pricing/)) |
| Monthly price | £17 (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.captivate.fm/pricing)) | $19 (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://castos.com/pricing/)) |

## Commercial

| Feature | Captivate | Castos |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Affiliate programme | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.captivate.fm/)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://castos.com/)) |

## Evidence

- **Castos — Number of podcasts:** -1. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://castos.com/pricing/. Evidence: “Unlimited Podcasts and Episodes included included included included”
- **Castos — Monthly upload limit:** -1. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://castos.com/pricing/. Evidence: “Unlimited Episodes Publish daily, create 4-hour-long episodes, or migrate hundreds of episodes from your back catalog — you'll never hit an upload limit.”
- **Castos — Download limits:** -1. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://castos.com/pricing/. Evidence: “Unlimited Downloads There's no cap on how large your audience can grow.”
- **Captivate — IAB-certified analytics:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.captivate.fm/. Evidence: “The most comprehensive podcast analytics, ever, included on every plan. All IAB-certified .”
- **Castos — Advanced analytics:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://castos.com/pricing/. Evidence: “Advanced Analytics — not included included included included”
- **Captivate — Dynamic ad insertion:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.captivate.fm/pricing. Evidence: “All Captivate pricing plans include... Dynamic content insertion with AMIE”
- **Castos — Dynamic ad insertion:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://castos.com/. Evidence: “dynamic ad insertion into every episode”
- **Captivate — Podcast advertising marketplace:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.captivate.fm/captivate-marketplace-for-podcasters. Evidence: “Captivate Marketplace is a podcast advertising marketplace that connects podcasters with brands looking to reach engaged podcast audiences.”
- **Captivate — Paid subscriptions:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.captivate.fm/. Evidence: “Paid membership subscriptions and one-off tips are a tried and tested way of generating both singular and recurring revenue from your growing fanbase. Set up recurring subscriptions directly within Captivate and monetize your show today. Available on all plans!”
- **Castos — Paid subscriptions:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://castos.com/. Evidence: “Take listener donations and unlock the seventh wonder of business, recurring revenue, with paid subscriptions.”
- **Captivate — Listener donations:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.captivate.fm/. Evidence: “Paid membership subscriptions and one-off tips are a tried and tested way of generating both singular and recurring revenue from your growing fanbase.”
- **Castos — Listener donations:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://castos.com/. Evidence: “Take listener donations and unlock the seventh wonder of business, recurring revenue, with paid subscriptions.”
- **Captivate — Private podcasts:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.captivate.fm/. Evidence: “Private podcasting Create private, internal and secure podcasts using Captivate's fully-integrated private podcasting features. Available on every plan.”
- **Castos — Private podcasts:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://castos.com/. Evidence: “Share bonus episodes, ad-free content, and behind-the-scenes clips with private podcast subscribers.”
- **Captivate — Video podcasts:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://help.captivate.fm/en/. Evidence: “Apple HLS Video Podcasts With Apple HLS, you can easily add video podcasts directly from Captivate straight to Apple Podcasts.”
- **Castos — Video podcasts:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://castos.com/pricing/. Evidence: “Video File Hosting — not included — not included included included”
- **Captivate — Automatic transcription:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://help.captivate.fm/en/article/captivate-feature-releases-changelog-vq1h56/. Evidence: “Automatic transcription: simply upload your audio file and we’ll do the rest, creating an accurate and fully editable transcription of your audio”
- **Castos — Automatic transcription:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://castos.com/. Evidence: “Transcripts in 19 languages”
- **Captivate — Podcast website:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.captivate.fm/pricing. Evidence: “All Captivate pricing plans include... Podcast Website with Captivate Sites”
- **Castos — Podcast website:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://castos.com/. Evidence: “Every Castos podcast gets a fully customizable website out of the box”
- **Castos — Custom domain:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://castos.com/pricing/. Evidence: “Custom Website Domain included included included included”
- **Captivate — Distribution to Spotify:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.captivate.fm/. Evidence: “distribute automatically to every podcasting app . Reach audiences all over the world with easy, single-click submissions to leading directories including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and Amazon”
- **Castos — Distribution to Spotify:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://castos.com/. Evidence: “Hit publish and Castos pushes your episode to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere else your audience listens”
- **Captivate — Distribution to Apple Podcasts:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.captivate.fm/. Evidence: “distribute automatically to every podcasting app . Reach audiences all over the world with easy, single-click submissions to leading directories including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and Amazon”
- **Castos — Distribution to Apple Podcasts:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://castos.com/. Evidence: “Hit publish and Castos pushes your episode to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere else your audience listens”
- **Captivate — YouTube distribution:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.captivate.fm/. Evidence: “distribute automatically to every podcasting app . Reach audiences all over the world with easy, single-click submissions to leading directories including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and Amazon”
- **Castos — YouTube distribution:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://castos.com/. Evidence: “Castos automatically converts and publishes your audio to YouTube”
- **Castos — Team members:** 5. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://castos.com/pricing/. Evidence: “Multiple team members Just you Up to 5 Up to 10 Unlimited”
- **Captivate — WordPress integration:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://help.captivate.fm/en/. Evidence: “Working with Captivate Sync™ Captivate Sync™ is Captivate's WordPress plugin, helping you to sync your podcast between your Captivate podcast hosting and your WordPress website.”
- **Castos — WordPress integration:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://castos.com/. Evidence: “manage your show directly from your WordPress dashboard with our Seriously Simple Podcasting plugin”
- **Castos — Migration assistance:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://castos.com/pricing/. Evidence: “Personalized Migration Assistance From Your Current Host included included included included”
- **Captivate — API:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.captivate.fm/problems-with-current-host/lack-of-integration. Evidence: “we've got a direct API route to save you time and money”
- **Captivate — Free trial:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.captivate.fm/pricing. Evidence: “All plans include a no-obligation, 30-day free trial”
- **Castos — Free trial:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://castos.com/pricing/. Evidence: “Start with a 14-day free trial, no credit card required.”
- **Captivate — Monthly price:** £17. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.captivate.fm/pricing. Evidence: “Personal £17 GBP / month, paid yearly”
- **Castos — Monthly price:** $19. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://castos.com/pricing/. Evidence: “$19 / month”
- **Captivate — Affiliate programme:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.captivate.fm/. Evidence: “Affiliate Programme Make money with Captivate”
- **Castos — Affiliate programme:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://castos.com/. Evidence: “Affiliates”