Castos vs Simplecast

Castos sells unlimited downloads on every plan and builds its offer around a WordPress plugin and private podcast feeds. Simplecast starts cheaper at $15 a month, but each plan carries a monthly download allowance of 20,000 or 50,000, and its larger plans are sold by contact. Castos requires a card at signup for its 14-day trial, while Simplecast asks for none. Simplecast's own terms name Audios Ventures, Inc. with a mailing address care of AdsWizz, and state no parent company, so ownership stays an open question on the pages we read.

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Both are reviewed in full in our podcast hosting ranking: Castos and Simplecast.

1. 01

   Downloads metered or not

   Castos states podcasts, episodes and downloads are unlimited on all plans, with no bandwidth cap stated, though hosting storage is not stated either. Simplecast ties each plan to downloads per month: Basic allows 20K and Essential 50K, with unlimited storage and uploads. A show that has one very successful episode could cross those lines at Simplecast and be pushed toward a quoted plan. For a growing audience the Castos structure is the calmer one to budget against.

   Edge: Castos

2. 02

   Entry prices and trial terms

   Castos lists Essentials at $19 per month ($190 annual), Growth at $49 ($490 annual) and Pro at $99 ($990 annual). Simplecast lists Basic at $15 per month or $13.50 prepaid annually and Essential at $35 or $31.50. Both quote in dollars without a currency code. Neither has a free plan, and both trials last 14 days, but Castos wants a card at signup while Simplecast requires no card. Simplecast is cheaper at the entry, and its trial is easier to start.

   Edge: Simplecast

3. 03

   Seats and private listeners

   Castos Essentials is for one user with up to 100 private subscribers, Growth allows 5 users and 250 subscribers, and Pro 10 users and 500, with overflow at $50 per month for each extra 500. Premium adds unlimited users and SSO. Simplecast gives 2 seats on Basic and 4 on Essential. The pages we read list secondary and ad-free feeds only under Professional, and show no private podcast feature on the entry plans. Castos covers gated shows on every plan.

   Edge: Castos

4. 04

   WordPress plugin or show website

   Castos works with the Seriously Simple Podcasting WordPress plugin, distributes to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and Pocket Casts on all plans, connects to Google Analytics and republishes to YouTube from Growth. Simplecast's Basic plan includes a custom-domain show website and an embeddable web player, and Essential adds extra players plus location and technology analytics. The better match depends on whether your site already runs WordPress. Without it, Castos's plugin loses its main advantage, so the round is level.

   Depends on the buyer

5. 05

   Ad insertion and enterprise add-ons

   Simplecast's Professional tier, sold through sales contact, adds dynamic ad insertion, campaign management, a reporting suite and priority support, with monetisation powered by the AdsWizz Podcast Marketplace. Enterprise adds an API, white-labelled RSS feeds, high bitrate audio and a dedicated success manager. Castos's pages we read show no ad insertion. Its extras are the AI Assistant add-on at $10 per month and Premium from $499 per month. For monetisation through a marketplace Simplecast is the one that lists it.

   Edge: Simplecast

6. 06

   The company named in the terms

   Castos's terms state that Castos, Inc operates the service under Delaware law, with a copyright agent address in Wilmington, DE, and state no country or parent. Simplecast's terms name Audios Ventures, Inc., d/b/a Simplecast, governed by California law, with a mailing address care of AdsWizz in San Mateo, CA. They describe AdsWizz only as a sublicensing and reseller partner. A parent is not stated by either vendor, so neither can be called independent or owned from these pages.

   Depends on the buyer

Does Castos charge extra when an episode goes viral?

The pricing page we read states downloads are unlimited on all plans with no bandwidth cap stated.

Private subscriber overflow is the only metered item we saw, at $50 per month for each extra 500. Simplecast works differently, with 20K or 50K monthly downloads on its published plans.

Which of the two lets me try it without a card?

Simplecast, whose trial of 14 days needs no commitment and no credit card. Castos also runs a 14-day trial, but a card is required at signup and nothing is charged until the trial ends. Neither has a free plan.

Is Simplecast owned by SiriusXM?

Its terms do not say so. They name Audios Ventures, Inc., d/b/a Simplecast, with a mailing address care of AdsWizz in San Mateo, CA, and describe AdsWizz, Inc. only as a sublicensing and reseller partner. The pages we read state no parent company or acquisition.

• Castos pricing: plan prices, unlimited downloads, user and private subscriber caps, card-required trial, WordPress plugin and distribution list.
• Castos terms of service: operator named as Castos, Inc under Delaware law with a Wilmington address.
• Simplecast pricing: Basic and Essential prices, 20K and 50K download allowances, seats, ad insertion on Professional, no-card trial.
• Simplecast terms: Audios Ventures, Inc. d/b/a Simplecast, California law, AdsWizz named only as a reseller partner.