Captivate vs api.video Pricing (2026)

How do these two stack up on price? Here's what each one costs, what you get, and where the value sits.

Captivate api.video
Starts at $17/mo Custom
Number of plans 3 2
Free plan
Free trial
Pricing model usage-based usage-based

Personal

Popular
$17/mo
  • Up to 30,000 downloads/month
  • Unlimited Podcasts
  • Unlimited Uploads/Storage
  • Extensive Distribution List

Professional

$44/mo
  • Up to 150,000 downloads/month
  • Unlimited Podcasts
  • Unlimited Uploads/Storage
  • Extensive Distribution List

Business

$90/mo
  • Up to 300,000 downloads/month
  • Unlimited Podcasts
  • Unlimited Uploads/Storage
  • Extensive Distribution List

Pay as you go

$0/mo
  • 100 Upload API calls/min
  • 200 Write API calls/min
  • 500 Read API calls/min
  • Audit Logs (up to 5 days)
  • No isolated storage
  • No security review
  • 99.999%
  • Public Terms
  • Credit Card, Apple Pay, SEPA (on request), Monthly Billing

Enterprise plan

Custom
  • 200 Upload API calls/min
  • 1000 Write API calls/min
  • 2500 Read API calls/min
  • Audit Logs (up to 60 days) & Domain Referrer
  • Isolated storage
  • Security Reviews
  • 99.999% + SLA credits
  • Signed MSA, SLA, DPA
  • Wire Transfer, Annual Billing, Payment schedules

Captivate vs api.video FAQ

Which one is cheaper?
One or both use custom pricing, so it depends on your specific needs.
Can I use either one for free?
api.video has a free plan. Captivate doesn't — though they do offer a free trial.
How do they charge?
Both use a usage-based model, so the comparison is straightforward — it comes down to features and limits at each price point.
Which one is a better deal?
Depends on what you need. Captivate: At $17-$90/mo, Captivate lands in the mid-market — pricier than bare-bones hosts but nowhere near enterprise podcast platforms. They're clearly chasing podcasters who've outgrown free or ultra-cheap hosting but aren't yet big enough to need a fully custom enterprise deal. api.video: Free encoding is the hook that makes them look cheap compared to competitors who meter every processing step, but the real cost lives in storage and delivery at scale. They're positioned to win developers and startups who want to test video infrastructure without upfront commitment, then grow into heavier usage.

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