Brandwave

Captivate vs Spotify for Creators:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Spotify for Creators had more branded searches than Captivate among podcast hosting platforms worldwide. Spotify for Creators had about 135,000 branded searches, while Captivate had 1,050. Spotify for Creators made up 39.2% 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, both Captivate and Spotify for Creators appeared in all five answers. Spotify for Creators was mentioned before Captivate in every answer.

Among podcast hosting platforms worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Spotify for Creators, about 129 searches for every 1 for Captivate

Spotify for Creators 135K searchesCaptivate 1.1K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Both are mentioned in every answer we collected.

Captivate in 5 of 5Spotify for Creators in 5 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Spotify for Creators, named ahead of Captivate in every answer

Spotify for Creators first in 5Captivate never first

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Top podcast hosting platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, both Captivate and Spotify for Creators showed up in all five answers. Spotify for Creators was listed before Captivate in every answer.

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 Captivate or Spotify for Creators more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Captivate and Spotify for Creators 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.

Captivate and Spotify for Creators among podcast hosting platforms worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Spotify for Creators, 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 Captivate and Spotify for Creators comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

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

2 changes

  1. Estimated monthly branded searches for Spotify for Creators worldwide rose 49.2% over 12 measured months, from 90.5K to 135K 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 Captivate’s and Spotify for Creators’ 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.

Captivate

2 branded search terms

  • captivate podcast
  • captivate podcast hosting

Spotify for Creators

1 branded search term

  • spotify for creators

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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