Captivate is a podcast hosting platform with no permanent free plan but IAB-certified analytics, a built-in AI assistant, and a website builder bundled into…
| Captivate | RSS.com | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary category | Podcast Hosting | Podcast Hosting |
| Rating | Not documented | Not documented |
| Pricing model | Subscription | Freemium subscription with a free tier and paid annual-billed plans |
| Starting price | $19/month | Free (paid plans from $11.99/month billed annually) |
| Free plan | Not documented | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Not documented |
| Platforms | Web | Web |
| Team collaboration | Not documented | Not documented |
| AI features | Yes | Yes |
| Public API | Yes | Yes |
Free Plan Availability
Captivate: Captivate states it does not offer a permanently free tier; instead every plan includes a 30-day free trial with full platform access.
RSS.com: RSS.com's Local and Niche plan is free indefinitely, with unlimited episodes, unlimited audio storage, and basic analytics.
A genuinely free tier lets hobbyist or early-stage podcasters host indefinitely without a spending decision, while a trial requires eventually paying or losing access.
Entry-Level Pricing
Captivate: Captivate's paid tiers start at €17/month (Personal, up to 30,000 downloads/month), rising to €44/month (Professional, 150,000) and €90/month (Business, 300,000).
RSS.com: RSS.com's paid tiers start at $11.99/month (All in One Podcasting) and $18.75/month (Podcast Networks), notably cheaper and priced in USD rather than EUR.
The pricing gap and currency difference matter for budget planning, especially for podcasters outside the Eurozone.
Analytics Certification
Captivate: IAB-certified analytics are included on every Captivate plan, including performance comparison and listener retention metrics.
RSS.com: RSS.com includes a real-time analytics dashboard on all plans; the facts don't state IAB certification for RSS.com's analytics.
IAB certification is often required by advertisers and sponsors to trust download and listener numbers for ad buys.
Monetization Breadth
Captivate: Captivate offers membership subscriptions, tips, exclusive content, and early access features for supporters.
RSS.com: RSS.com offers programmatic ads, subscriptions, donations, an affiliate program, and crypto payments as monetization options.
Podcasters exploring alternative monetization (like crypto payments or an affiliate program) have documented options only on one platform.
API and Team Access
Captivate: The facts do not document API access or team member limits for Captivate.
RSS.com: RSS.com limits team member invitations to paid plans and restricts API access to its top Podcast Networks plan ($18.75/month), which also includes unlimited podcasts and unlimited team seats.
Networks or agencies managing multiple shows and developers wanting programmatic access need to know which tier unlocks that capability.
| Feature | Captivate | RSS.com |
|---|---|---|
| Free hosting tier | Unavailable | Available |
| Automatic distribution to major platforms | Available | Available |
| Unlimited podcasts on one account | Available | Limited |
| Website builder included | Available | Not documented |
| API access | Not documented | Limited |
| Feature | Captivate | RSS.com |
|---|---|---|
| Dynamic ad insertion | Available | Limited |
| Membership subscriptions/tips | Available | Available |
| Affiliate program | Not documented | Available |
| Crypto payment support | Not documented | Available |
| Feature | Captivate | RSS.com |
|---|---|---|
| AI-generated transcripts/show notes | Available | Limited |
| IAB-certified analytics | Available | Not documented |
| Audio-to-video conversion | Not documented | Available |
| Analytics migration from previous host | Available | Not documented |
Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.
Pros
Cons
Pros
Cons
No. Captivate states it does not offer a permanently free tier, but every plan includes a 30-day free trial with full platform access.
Yes, the Local and Niche plan is free indefinitely, with unlimited episodes, unlimited audio storage, and basic analytics.
Captivate includes IAB-certified analytics on every plan. The facts don't state whether RSS.com's real-time analytics carry IAB certification.
RSS.com documents crypto payments as one of its monetization options, alongside programmatic ads, subscriptions, donations, and an affiliate program. Crypto payments are not documented for Captivate.
RSS.com's paid tiers ($11.99 and $18.75/month) are priced lower than Captivate's (€17, €44, €90/month), though Captivate's tiers are structured around specific monthly download caps (30,000/150,000/300,000) while RSS.com's free tier advertises unlimited storage without a stated download cap.
RSS.com includes API access on its top Podcast Networks plan ($18.75/month). API access is not documented for Captivate.
Read the full Captivate review · Read the full RSS.com review