Captivate review

Captivate positions itself for podcasters who plan to grow, and the pricing reflects that: there is no free plan, but every tier includes the whole feature set and differs only in monthly downloads. Personal costs $17 per month on yearly billing and covers up to 30,000 downloads, Professional $44 for 150,000 and Business $90 for 300,000. All of them include unlimited podcasts and storage, dynamic content insertion through AMIE, IAB certified analytics, private podcasting, a Captivate Sites website, network features and the Growth Labs courses. The Captivate Marketplace connects independent shows with advertisers. If you pass your download limit once, nothing happens; after a second month in a row Captivate asks you to move up a tier, and the show stays online. The 30-day trial is generous. The trade-off for new podcasters is cost: you pay from the first episode, before any audience exists. Shows with a business goal will get the most from it.

Who it is for

growing shows that want monetization and marketing tools from day one

Price

Personal from $17 per month paid yearly; 30-day free trial.

Personal $17 USD / month, paid yearly
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 12, 2026.

Key features

• Personal plan covers up to 30,000 downloads a month
• Unlimited podcasts, uploads and storage on every plan
• Dynamic content insertion with AMIE
• Advanced, IAB certified analytics
• Captivate Marketplace for selling ads, plus private podcasting and Captivate Sites websites

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: All features on all plans; only the download limit changes
• Strength: 30-day free trial with access to all features
• Strength: Captivate does not take a show offline after one month over the limit
• Weakness: No free plan
• Weakness: Lowest price requires yearly billing
• Weakness: Analytics and ad tools may be more than a casual show needs

Key facts

• Free trial: 30 days
• Cheapest paid plan: Personal, $17 per month paid yearly
• Shows per account: Unlimited
• Analytics: IAB certified

Where it ranks

Captivate is No. 4 in our Best Podcast Hosting Platforms verdict.