Simplecast vs Captivate: Podcast Hosting Comparison (2026)

An independent side-by-side comparison of Simplecast and Captivate for podcast hosting buyers — pricing, features, integrations, and how often each is cited by major AI engines.

AI Citation Scorecard

How often each is cited by major AI engines when buyers ask podcast hosting questions. Last 90 days across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, and Copilot.

Captivate leads overall — 100% cited vs Simplecast 0% across 10 probes.
ChatGPT
Simplecast
0 / 1 probes
0%
Invisible
CaptivateLeads
1 / 1 probes
100%
Excellent
Perplexity
Simplecast
0 / 1 probes
0%
Invisible
CaptivateLeads
1 / 1 probes
100%
Excellent
Gemini
Simplecast
0 / 1 probes
0%
Invisible
CaptivateLeads
1 / 1 probes
100%
Excellent
Claude
Simplecast
0 / 1 probes
0%
Invisible
CaptivateLeads
1 / 1 probes
100%
Excellent
Copilot
Simplecast
0 / 1 probes
0%
Invisible
CaptivateLeads
1 / 1 probes
100%
Excellent
Scale:NoneLowFairStrongExcellent

Probes run hourly; each (engine × query) combo retests every ~3 days.

Pricing

Simplecast
Starting price
$15/mo
Free tier
—
simplecast.com ↗
Captivate
Starting price
$17/user/month
Free tier
—
captivate.fm ↗

Key Features

Simplecast
  • ✓Unlimited storage & uploads
  • ✓Customizable show website
  • ✓Manage multiple shows
  • ✓Dynamic ad insertion
  • ✓Comprehensive reporting suite
  • ✓Flexible ad marking at episode level
  • ✓Email support
  • ✓Priority customer support
Captivate
  • ✓Unlimited Podcasts
  • ✓Unlimited Uploads/Storage
  • ✓Extensive Distribution List
  • ✓IAB certified analytics
  • ✓Podcast Promotion
  • ✓Dynamic content insertion
  • ✓Private podcasting
  • ✓Podcast Website

When to choose Simplecast

Choose Simplecast if your team prioritizes its strengths over Captivate's. Full guidance populates as Simplecast's feature data is indexed.

When to choose Captivate

Choose Captivate if your team prioritizes its strengths over Simplecast's. Full guidance populates as Captivate's feature data is indexed.

AI visibility profiles

Is one of these your brand?

Get the full report by email: every podcast hosting buyer question we ask, which engines name you, and who gets named instead.

Simplecast

simplecast.com

Captivate

captivate.fm

Free check

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We ask the buyer questions in this market across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity and Copilot, and show you who gets named.

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