Best Podcast Hosting · head-to-head

Libsyn vs Captivate

A sourced, side-by-side comparison for podcast hosting. Libsyn has the lower entry price. Every figure links to the public page it was captured from — the vendor's own wherever the vendor publishes the number, otherwise the named public source — with the date we captured it.

Libsyn has the lower entry price — Libsyn starts at $8/mo, Captivate at $19/mo. Free tier: Libsyn No, Captivate No. HIPAA: Libsyn —, Captivate —.

As of 2026-09-03 · figures link to their source below

Side by side

Libsyn

$8/mo entry
Entry price$8/mo (Budget)
Free tierNo
HIPAA (BAA)
SOC 2
GDPR
Best forEstablished podcasters with large back-catalogs and high download volume

Captivate

$19/mo entry
Entry price$19/mo (Personal)
Free tierNo
HIPAA (BAA)
SOC 2
GDPR
Best forGrowth-focused podcasters wanting full feature access without upgrading tiers

Sources — Libsyn: libsyn.com (verified 2026-09-03) · Captivate: captivate.fm (verified 2026-09-03)

Key features

Libsyn: Upload-based billing model (not download-capped) — audience growth never raises costs; IAB-verified analytics across all paid tiers; PodRoll: earn revenue by promoting other podcasts in your feed; Full-service ad sales team for brand partnership deals; One-click distribution to 20+ platforms including Spotify video

Captivate: All features unlocked on every pricing tier — no feature gating by plan; Audio Monetization & Insertion Engine (AMIE) with bulk ad editing; Dynamic show notes builder with episode idea planning tools; Guest booking with calendar integration; Captivate Growth Labs: free community education on podcast marketing and SEO

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