Captivate review: podcast hosting built for growth and monetization

What Captivate offers

Captivate is run by Captivate Audio Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales. Every plan includes the whole platform; plans differ only in monthly downloads.

• Hosting and distribution: unlimited podcasts and uploads, one-click distribution to Apple, Spotify and other podcast apps, a Smart Speaker feed and Podcasting 2.0 tags such as transcripts and chapters.
• Switching hosts: an importer moves your full download analytics history from your old host.
• Analytics: IAB-certified download stats, locations, devices and apps, episode comparisons, web player stats and CSV export.
• Monetization: custom memberships, listener tips, exclusive and early-access episodes, a one-click media kit, direct sponsorships and dynamic ad insertion with AMIE. The Captivate Marketplace connects podcasters with advertisers.
• Websites and players: a free podcast website with your own domain, a WordPress plugin and an embeddable player.
• Workflow: episode planning, guest booking with a booking page, Zapier and Descript integrations.
• Private podcasting: unlimited private shows with up to 50,000 subscribers in total.

Who it is for

• Podcasters who want to grow and earn, since memberships, sponsorship tools and dynamic ads come with every plan.
• Networks and agencies hosting many shows: there is no charge per show, network analytics are included, and clients can get limited access.
• Companies running internal or private feeds.
• Anyone leaving another host who wants to keep their download history.

Captivate has no free plan, so it is less suited to hobby shows on a zero budget. To compare another paid host, see the Buzzsprout review, or browse the creative tools page.

Captivate pricing

Prices in USD, October 2026:

Above 300,000 downloads a month, custom plans are arranged through support@captivate.fm.

Going over the limit. Captivate does not take a show offline when it passes its download allowance. If you go over two months in a row, the team contacts you about moving to the next plan.

Discounts. Students, educational organizations, registered charities and non-profits get 25% off any plan; ask support after you sign up.

Captivate Assistant: AI show notes and transcripts

Captivate Assistant transcribes episodes and, from the transcript, writes episode titles, show notes, key takeaways, timestamps and chapters, SEO keywords, and suggests ad markers and guests. It can also suggest episode ideas based on your analytics, and you can train it on your tone of voice show by show. Transcripts are editable and attached to episodes as Podcasting 2.0 transcripts.

The only cost is transcription: $5 buys 5 hours, as a recurring block on your invoice or as a one-off purchase, and unused hours roll over.

Trial, cancelling and support

• Free trial: 30 days on any plan with full access. The trial form asks for card details, and billing starts automatically unless you cancel before the trial ends.
• Cancelling: close or redirect your shows first, then cancel the account under Billing; shows left open are still billed. There is no refund for the unused part of a paid period. You can reactivate within 30 days, after which data cannot be recovered.
• UK consumers have a 14-day cooling-off right under the terms.
• Support: live chat inside the dashboard, usually answered within an hour, with reduced hours at weekends and on bank holidays. Growth Labs courses and workshops are free for all customers.