Brandwave

Acast vs Captivate:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Acast had more branded searches than Captivate among podcast hosting platforms worldwide. Acast had about 27,100 branded searches, while Captivate had 1,050. Acast made up 7.9% of all podcast hosting platform searches we track, and Captivate accounted for 0.3%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about podcast hosting platforms, Captivate appeared in all five answers and Acast in none.

Among podcast hosting platforms worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Acast, about 26 searches for every 1 for Captivate

Acast 27.1K searchesCaptivate 1.1K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Captivate, mentioned in every answer we collected

Captivate in 5 of 5Acast in 0 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Captivate, the only one of the two named

Captivate first in 5Acast never named

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Top podcast hosting platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Captivate appeared in all five answers. Acast did not appear in any of the five answers.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Buzzsprout1st
  2. Spotify for Creators2nd
  3. Transistor3rd
  4. RSS.com4th
  5. Captivate5th
  6. Riverside6th
  7. Podbean7th
  8. RedCircle–
  9. Acast–
  10. Libsyn–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Spotify for Creators5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Buzzsprout5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Captivate5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • RSS.com4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Transistor3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Podbean2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Riverside2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • RedCircle0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Acast0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Libsyn0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about podcast hosting platforms

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.

Is Acast or Captivate more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Acast and Captivate by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all ten podcast hosting platforms we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Acast and Captivate among podcast hosting platforms worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Acast, Captivate. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthSpotify for CreatorsRedCircleBuzzsproutPodbeanAcastLibsynTransistorRSS.comCaptivateRiverside
Oct 202524.9%30.7%15.1%13.9%9.1%5%0.46%0.44%0.35%0.13%
Nov 202527.3%27.7%13.9%15.2%10%4.5%0.51%0.48%0.38%0.14%
Dec 202528.6%28.9%14.5%13.1%8.6%4.7%0.51%0.51%0.38%0.12%
Jan 202629.7%30.1%15.2%11.2%7.3%4.9%0.54%0.51%0.46%0.16%
Feb 202630.6%30.9%12.8%11.5%7.5%5%0.5%0.53%0.44%0.13%
Mar 202633.4%27.5%13.9%12.5%8.2%3%0.51%0.47%0.43%0.15%
Apr 202635.7%29.5%11.9%11%7.2%3.2%0.55%0.5%0.37%0.16%
May 202636.1%29.7%11.6%11.1%7.2%2.6%0.62%0.51%0.37%0.16%
Jun 202638.8%26.3%12.9%9.6%7.8%2.8%0.71%0.55%0.33%0.17%
Jul 202640.1%27.2%11.4%10%6.6%2.9%0.69%0.56%0.32%0.18%
Aug 202639.7%26.9%11%9.8%8%2.9%0.68%0.56%0.32%0.17%
Sep 202639.2%26.6%10.1%9.7%7.9%4.3%1.4%0.55%0.3%0.17%

How has the Acast and Captivate comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Acast was ahead of Captivate in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Acast’s share of searches among podcast hosting platforms worldwide moved from 9.1% to 7.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 33.1K to 27.1K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Captivate’s share of searches among podcast hosting platforms worldwide moved from 0.35% to 0.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.3K to 1.1K.

How did search popularity change for podcast hosting platforms worldwide in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. Estimated monthly branded searches for Acast worldwide fell 18.1% over 12 measured months, from 33.1K to 27.1K in September 2026.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Captivate worldwide fell 16.7% over 12 measured months, from 1.3K to 1.1K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

3 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Acast’s and Captivate’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Acast

1 branded search term

  • acast

Captivate

2 branded search terms

  • captivate podcast
  • captivate podcast hosting

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among podcast hosting platforms

Creator with pink hair and a pink jacket

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