# Captivate vs RSS.com for podcast hosting platforms

Captivate and RSS.com are closely matched for core workflows. Both offer a trial; both support API access, iab-certified analytics, dynamic ad insertion, and paid subscriptions. Captivate has confirmed podcast advertising marketplace. RSS.com has confirmed free plan and number of podcasts of 10. Monthly price is £17 for Captivate and $0 for RSS.com.

## Key decision points

- RSS.com has confirmed free plan; free plan is not yet confirmed for Captivate.
- Monthly price is £17 for Captivate and $0 for RSS.com.
- RSS.com has confirmed number of podcasts of 10; number of podcasts is not yet confirmed for Captivate.
- Captivate has confirmed podcast advertising marketplace; podcast advertising marketplace is not yet confirmed for RSS.com.

## Choose Captivate if…

- Choose Captivate if confirmed podcast advertising marketplace matters to you; this detail is not yet confirmed for RSS.com.

## Choose RSS.com if…

- Choose RSS.com if confirmed free plan matters to you; this detail is not yet confirmed for Captivate.
- Choose RSS.com if the lower monthly price is the deciding factor.
- Choose RSS.com if confirmed number of podcasts of 10 matters to you; this detail is not yet confirmed for Captivate.

## Capacity

| Feature | Captivate | RSS.com |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Number of podcasts | Not confirmed | 10 (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://rss.com/pricing/)) |
| Team members | Not confirmed | 3 (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://rss.com/pricing/)) |

## Features

| Feature | Captivate | RSS.com |
| --- | --- | --- |
| IAB-certified analytics | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.captivate.fm/)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://rss.com/features/podcast-analytics/)) |
| Dynamic ad insertion | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.captivate.fm/pricing)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://rss.com/features/podcast-monetization/)) |
| Paid subscriptions | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.captivate.fm/)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://rss.com/features/podcast-monetization/)) |
| Listener donations | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.captivate.fm/)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://rss.com/features/podcast-monetization/)) |
| Private podcasts | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.captivate.fm/)) | Not confirmed |
| Video podcasts | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://help.captivate.fm/en/)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://rss.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://rss.com/pricing/)) |
| Podcast website | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.captivate.fm/pricing)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://rss.com/pricing/)) |
| Episode scheduling | Not confirmed | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://rss.com/pricing/)) |

## Integrations

| Feature | Captivate | RSS.com |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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://rss.com/)) |
| Distribution to Apple Podcasts | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.captivate.fm/)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://rss.com/)) |
| YouTube distribution | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.captivate.fm/)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://rss.com/)) |
| WordPress integration | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://help.captivate.fm/en/)) | Not confirmed |

## Technical

| Feature | Captivate | RSS.com |
| --- | --- | --- |
| API | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.captivate.fm/problems-with-current-host/lack-of-integration)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://rss.com/pricing/)) |

## Pricing

| Feature | Captivate | RSS.com |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free plan | Not confirmed | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://rss.com/pricing/)) |
| Free trial | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.captivate.fm/pricing)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://rss.com/)) |
| Monthly price | £17 (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.captivate.fm/pricing)) | $0 (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://rss.com/pricing/)) |

## Commercial

| Feature | Captivate | RSS.com |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Affiliate programme | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.captivate.fm/)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://rss.com/features/podcast-monetization/)) |

## Evidence

- **RSS.com — Number of podcasts:** 10. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://rss.com/pricing/. Evidence: “Up to 10 podcasts”
- **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 .”
- **RSS.com — IAB-certified analytics:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://rss.com/features/podcast-analytics/. Evidence: “RSS.com is IAB-Certified for Analytics”
- **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”
- **RSS.com — Dynamic ad insertion:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://rss.com/features/podcast-monetization/. Evidence: “Programmatic Ads Inserted Dynamically (PAID)”
- **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!”
- **RSS.com — Paid subscriptions:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://rss.com/features/podcast-monetization/. Evidence: “Apple Podcasts Subscriptions : Offer your followers and fans an exclusive experience on Apple Podcasts.”
- **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.”
- **RSS.com — Listener donations:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://rss.com/features/podcast-monetization/. Evidence: “Donation Button : Add a donation button to your podcast’s website to accept contributions”
- **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.”
- **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.”
- **RSS.com — Video podcasts:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://rss.com/pricing/. Evidence: “Unlimited video podcasts”
- **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”
- **RSS.com — Automatic transcription:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://rss.com/pricing/. Evidence: “AI-generated transcripts”
- **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”
- **RSS.com — Podcast website:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://rss.com/pricing/. Evidence: “Create a site for your podcast”
- **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”
- **RSS.com — Distribution to Spotify:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://rss.com/. Evidence: “RSS.com automatically sends your podcast to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Amazon Music, and all major listening apps”
- **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”
- **RSS.com — Distribution to Apple Podcasts:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://rss.com/. Evidence: “RSS.com automatically sends your podcast to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Amazon Music, and all major listening apps”
- **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”
- **RSS.com — YouTube distribution:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://rss.com/. Evidence: “RSS.com automatically sends your podcast to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Amazon Music, and all major listening apps”
- **RSS.com — Team members:** 3. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://rss.com/pricing/. Evidence: “Invite up to 3 team members”
- **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.”
- **RSS.com — Episode scheduling:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://rss.com/pricing/. Evidence: “Schedule episode releases”
- **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”
- **RSS.com — API:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://rss.com/pricing/. Evidence: “API Access”
- **RSS.com — Free plan:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://rss.com/pricing/. Evidence: “Free Local & Niche USD 0 100% free podcasting”
- **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”
- **RSS.com — Free trial:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://rss.com/. Evidence: “Move Your Podcast to RSS.com - Get 3 Months Free!”
- **Captivate — Monthly price:** £17. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.captivate.fm/pricing. Evidence: “Personal £17 GBP / month, paid yearly”
- **RSS.com — Monthly price:** $0. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://rss.com/pricing/. Evidence: “Free Local & Niche USD 0”
- **Captivate — Affiliate programme:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.captivate.fm/. Evidence: “Affiliate Programme Make money with Captivate”
- **RSS.com — Affiliate programme:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://rss.com/features/podcast-monetization/. Evidence: “Affiliate Program : Love RSS.com? Spread the word and make money as an affiliate.”