When Chartable shut down in December 2024, it left more than 1.1 million customers searching for an alternative podcast analytics provider. It has been months since the sunset, but many podcasters are still looking for a Chartable replacement. The good news is that you have lots of options.
If you haven’t found a Chartable alternative yet, this guide covers the best podcast analytics options available. We explore the prices, features, and limitations of each provider, then explain how to pick the right platform for your needs.
Table of Contents:
What Happened to Chartable?
Chartable was acquired by Spotify in 2022 and shut down on December 12, 2024. Spotify moved its features into their own platform and discontinued the standalone service. The shutdown affected more than 1.1 million users, many of whom have since turned to multiple tools to replicate Chartable’s cross-platform analytics, trackable links, and audience demographic features.
The reasoning behind Chartable’s shutdown was published as follows:
“This decision is part of Spotify’s larger efforts to prioritize the products we believe are most impactful to creators and ensure that those products are scalable and sustainable for everyone. For us, that means investing in giving you measurement tools and valuable first-party insights all in one place so you can make more informed choices that help take your show even further.”
Many people believe this was due to Spotify’s “dogfeeding” of the product. It moved Chartable’s functionality into the Spotify platform and then discontinued the service to save on costs.
What makes Chartable so difficult to replace?
For many past users, it’s Chartable’s wide range of features and analytics tools. There’s still no direct replacement even all these years later, and many long-term podcasters have ended up switching to two or more tools.
Some of Chartable’s most memorable analytics features included:
- Track chart performance across multiple podcast distribution platforms (Apple Podcasts, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, etc.)
- Track clickthroughs to your podcast via SmartLinks
- Track the long-term impact of podcast-to-podcast promotions via SmartPromos
- Download and RSS tracking via Trackable
- Audience demographics, including age, income, gender
- Audience consumption data across platforms like Spotify or Megaphone
Some of these features may still be available to legacy Megaphone users.
Note: Megaphone plans to launch its own version of SmartLinks and SmartPromos sometime in 2025. At the time of writing, this has not been released.
“[The team at Podcast Consultant] are like the better version of ChatGPT for this niche of the world. I can go ask ChatGPT about the weather in Florida and it’ll give me a decent answer. But I know if I go ask TPC, they’re going to give me the right answer and not lead me astray.”
— Colby Donovan, The Meb Faber Show, Cambria Funds on working with The Podcast Consultant.
What Are the Top Chartable Alternatives for Podcast Analytics?
Five platforms stand out as the strongest Chartable alternatives in 2025: Spotify for Creators for audience segmentation, Buzzsprout for IAB-certified free analytics, Simplecast for hour-by-hour tracking, Captivate for trackable links, and Megaphone for enterprise ad reporting. No single platform replicates all of Chartable’s features, so most former users now combine two or more tools.
We collected a list of the best podcast analytics tools for tracking your show. First, we tested all major podcast tracking platforms on the market. Then we narrowed them down to the ones that best compare to Chartable.
We gave extra weight to platforms offering:
- Custom reporting: clean, exportable reports specific to your needs
- Easy integrations with podcasting platforms compatible with other hosting providers and marketing tools
- Privacy compliance: GDPR and CCPA
Spotify for Creators: Best for Audience Segmentation
- IAB Certified: No
- Starts at: $0 per month
Spotify for Creators is the number one podcast publisher in the United States, with millions of episodes published each year. It provides access to podcast performance analytics such as impressions, demographics, and streams, though these numbers aren’t IAB-certified.
One of Spotify’s strongest features is audience segmentation, which lets you drill into the relative value of your listeners by engagement level. You can compare your active audience to your previously active audience, and explore your programmatic audience to see who streamed what from programmatic ads.
Spotify for Creators doesn’t offer trackable links for podcasts or promotions, so it’s not a direct comparison to Chartable’s platform. But it offers solid analytics and segmentation, and works well alongside another tracking tool.
Features of Spotify for Creators
- Audience demographics: Track age, gender, and location directly in the app.
- Best episodes: Revisit which episodes had the highest number of downloads.
- Impressions data: See where people discover your podcast on Spotify.
Spotify for Creators Pricing
Spotify for Creators is 100% free. Keep in mind it only tracks metrics inside the Spotify ecosystem.
Buzzsprout Analytics: Best for Free Podcast Analytics
- IAB Certified: Yes
- Starts at: $0 per month
Buzzsprout is a free podcast hosting provider with advanced stats on every plan. You can track performance and downloads, apps, technology used, and listener location.
There are four categories of Buzzsprout stats: trends over time, episode downloads, apps/technology, and listener location. As podcast measurement software goes, it may not be as full-featured as other options, but the price is hard to argue with.
Keep in mind Buzzsprout’s free plan may become restrictive as you grow. Episodes are only hosted for up to 90 days, and you can’t import podcasts before upgrading. You’re also limited to two hours of podcast analytics content per month.
Features of Buzzsprout Analytics
- Podcast performance: For example, you can look at a list of your top episodes and their downloads over time, which can help you make informed decisions about what content to focus on next.
- Total listeners: Buzzsprout can help you determine ‘unique listeners,’ which are an estimation of audience size based on how many unique downloads you’ll receive over 90 days.
- Top apps and technology: For example, you might realize you’re performing better on Apple Podcasts than Pocket Casts. Or maybe you see more listeners are engaging via mobile than desktops, tablets, or mobile phones.
Buzzsprout Analytics Pricing
All Buzzsprout plans come with podcast statistics, plus a few other bells and whistles depending on your tier.
| Plan | Price | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Audio | $18/month (monthly) / $15/month (annual) | Up to 6 hrs/month upload, podcast directories, advanced stats, unlimited episodes, premium website |
| Audio + Video | $30/month (monthly) / $25/month (annual) | Up to 6 hrs/month upload, video on Apple Podcasts, 1080p resolution, all audio features included |
| Multi-Podcast | $36/month (monthly) / $30/month (annual) | Up to 15 hrs/month upload, up to 5 or 10 podcasts, all premium features |
Buzzsprout Analytics vs Chartable
| Buzzsprout Analytics Pros vs Chartable | Buzzsprout Analytics Cons vs Chartable |
| Ads available | The free plan isn’t free forever |
| Distribution network | May not be as robust as other platforms |
| Customer support in 27 minutes | No tracking links available |
Simplecast Analytics: Best for Hour-by-Hour Tracking
- IAB Certified: Yes
- Starts at: $15 per month
Simplecast is a scalable podcast hosting platform with granular best podcast analytics. It comes with everything you’d expect from a Chartable alternative, including episode reports and top listener apps, plus extras like hour-by-hour download reports.
The Professional plan requires a custom quote. You can start with the entry-level plan and upgrade as needed. Most of its marketing information around analytics is three to five years old, so you’ll need to contact the sales team for a full breakdown. A 14-day free trial is available.
Features of Simplecast Analytics
- Popular time of day: See what dates and times get the most listener engagement.
- Metro areas: Track the closest approximate metro area of your listeners.
- Day-by-day tracking: Available on the Professional plan (custom pricing, contact sales).
Simplecast Analytics Pricing
| Plan | Price | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $15/month | 2 team seats, unlimited storage, basic analytics, 20K downloads/month included |
| Essential | $35/month | 4 team seats, location analytics, unique listener reports, web player analytics, 50K downloads/month included |
| Professional | Custom (contact sales) | Dynamic ad insertion, campaign management, comprehensive reporting, priority support — powered by AdsWizz |
| Enterprise | Custom (contact sales) | API integration, white-labeled RSS, high bitrate audio, dedicated success manager, custom volume pricing |
Simplecast Analytics vs Chartable
| Simplecast Analytics Pros vs Chartable | Simplecast Analytics Cons vs Chartable |
| Hosting and distribution | Better analytics require upgrades |
| Subscriptions and ads available | Analytics tiers are confusing |
| Expensive at the highest tier |
Captivate Analytics: Best for Trackable Links
- IAB Certified: Yes
- Starts at: $0 per month
Captivate is a podcast host and distribution platform with trackable links on every plan. Like Chartable, you can set up links for tracking podcast clicks and podcast-to-podcast promotions, all from the same dashboard.
Among podcast analytics platforms, Captivate stands out for its trackability. You can use it to track: daily trends, download averages, downloads overview, episode overview, episode performance comparison, how they listen, listener behavior and drop-off, month to month, promotional link analytics, today’s trending episodes, unique listeners, web player analytics, web player listener coverage, and where they listen.
Captivate is not the cheapest option on this list, especially compared to free platforms like Buzzsprout. It may also have a steeper learning curve.
Features of Captivate Analytics
- Trackable links: Attribution links (same as SmartTrack) and promotional links (same as SmartPromo).
- Listener behavior: Track daily trends, evaluate devices and apps, see where downloads came from.
- Network analytics: Track metrics by episode, single podcast, or multiple podcasts under one brand.
Captivate Analytics Pricing
All Captivate plans include the same analytics features, plus unlimited podcasts, upload storage, and distribution:
| Plan | Price | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Personal | $19/month (monthly) / $17/month (annual) | 30,000 downloads |
| Professional | $44/month | 150,000 downloads |
| Business | $90/month | 300,000 downloads |
| Enterprise | Custom | More than 300,000 downloads/month — contact support@captivate.fm |
Captivate Analytics vs Chartable
| Captivate Analytics Pros vs Chartable | Captivate Analytics Cons vs Chartable |
| Trackable links (promotional and attributional) | May be confusing or difficult to use |
| Audience behaviors and demographics | More expensive compared to Chartable and its alternatives |
| Podcast network analytics |
Megaphone Analytics: Best for Ad Reporting Analytics
- IAB Certified: Yes
- Starts at: $99 per month
Megaphone is a podcast host and distribution platform designed for enterprise shows. You don’t need to have more than 20,000 downloads per month (as its old marketing suggests), but many of its features are designed for larger podcasts.
You can use Megaphone to track the following podcast analytics:
- Total Streams
- Confirmed Reach
- Download Reach
- Total Consumption Time
- Average Consumption Time
- Total Watch Time
- Average Watch Time
- Total Listen Time
- Average Listen Time
- Watch Time Percentage
- Listen Time Percentage
- Completion Rate (by quartile)
- Audience Retention (by episode)
And the following ad-based analytics:
- Streaming Ad Impressions
- Confirmed Reach
- Average Frequency
- Ad Completion Rate
- Audience Insights
Megaphone runs on the Spotify platform, so it only measures performance on your Spotify account. You’ll need to connect other third-party tools to measure your full podcasting footprint.
Features of Megaphone Analytics
- Content performance analytics: Track audio and video performance, total reach, streams versus downloads.
- Ad performance analytics: Track the success rate of ads, including which methodologies bring in the most income.
- Streaming-based campaign metrics: Track audience streams rather than downloads alone.
Megaphone Pricing
Megaphone starts at $99/month for the Professional plan. The Custom plan for enterprise brands requires a custom quote. You won’t have access to the Megaphone API or Metrics Export Service unless you upgrade.
| Plan | Price | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Professional | $99/month | Standard analytics, content and ad performance, streaming metrics |
| Custom | Custom quote | Enterprise brands — Megaphone API and Metrics Export Service included |
Megaphone vs Chartable
| Megaphone Pros vs Chartable | Megaphone Cons vs Chartable |
| Monetization features | No trackable links available (yet) |
| Podcast hosting | Designed for shows with 20,000+ downloads |
| Podcast distribution | Exporting data requires an upgrade |
| Support for video podcasts | Must activate streaming-powered tools (only available upon invite and approval) |
💡Related: Choosing a Podcast Hosting Platform
How Do I Choose the Right Chartable Alternative?
The right Chartable alternative depends on four factors: whether you need IAB-certified metrics for sponsorship purposes, whether trackable links are required for your marketing strategy, what your monthly budget allows, and whether you need basic download tracking or enterprise-level ad analytics. Start with your most pressing need and evaluate from there.
You won’t find a 1:1 Chartable replacement. That said, there are many podcast analytics platforms offering similarly full-featured measurement. The question is which one fits your workflow.
It mostly comes down to your specific needs.
The best Chartable alternative for your growing podcast will likely:
- Integrate with your podcast hosting platform, with documentation to help answer your questions
- Fit your budget, because the most expensive option isn’t always the right one
- Let you customize reporting features, which matters more as you grow
- Allow you to export data and share reports with your team or show stakeholders
How Do I Set Up Analytics for Better Podcast Performance Tracking?
Effective podcast analytics tracking starts with three steps: establish baseline metrics (downloads, streams, or unique listeners), set a consistent reporting schedule matched to your publishing frequency, then use the data to make content decisions. Platforms like Buzzsprout and Simplecast make it easy to set up dashboards and track performance trends from the first episode.
Regardless of the podcast platform you choose, you should know how to configure and customize your metrics dashboards.
Start by setting up baseline measurement strategies that track your podcast’s growth trend. The best podcast analytics tools make this straightforward. Downloads and streams are two of the most reliable baselines. If you’re using Buzzsprout, you might track unique listeners.
Next, establish a regular reporting schedule so you have a clear picture of how your podcast performs from month to month. If you publish weekly content, benchmark monthly. You can easily audit all episodes at once using Simplecast’s four-way comparison feature (Growth plan, $85/month).
The final step is using data to improve your content, which helps improve engagement and retention over time. For example, if you look at listener demographics in Spotify for Creators and find that a large portion of your audience is in Mexico, you might start creating Spanish transcripts of each episode.
💡Related: How To Analyze and Improve Your Podcast Performance
The Bottom Line on Chartable Alternatives
No single Chartable replacement covers all its features, but the five platforms in this guide address the most common gaps. Captivate handles trackable links. Spotify for Creators covers audience segmentation for free. Buzzsprout and Simplecast handle IAB-certified download analytics. Megaphone addresses enterprise ad measurement. Most podcasters will find two of these platforms covers their core needs.
Just getting started with best podcast analytics? Learn more about measuring metrics here:
- Top Tips to Grow Your Podcast
- The Ultimate Guide to Podcast Marketing in 2025
- Blubrry: Robust Podcast Hosting and Analytics
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Chartable shut down?
Spotify acquired Chartable in 2022 and sunset it on December 12, 2024, as part of consolidating their analytics tools. They moved key features into Spotify for Creators and discontinued the standalone service to reduce costs and centralize their creator ecosystem.
What Chartable features are hardest to replace?
The most difficult features to replace are SmartLinks (trackable episode links), SmartPromos (podcast-to-podcast promotion tracking), cross-platform chart tracking, and comprehensive audience demographics that worked across all podcast platforms. Most alternatives only offer partial functionality.
Which Chartable alternative offers trackable links?
Captivate is currently the only major alternative offering trackable links similar to Chartable’s SmartLinks and SmartPromos. They provide attribution links and promotional links on all plans starting at $17/month.
Do I need IAB-certified analytics for my podcast?
IAB certification is essential if you plan to work with advertisers or sponsors, as it provides standardized, verified metrics. Buzzsprout, Simplecast, Captivate, and Megaphone offer IAB certification, while Spotify for Creators does not.
What’s the most cost-effective Chartable replacement?
Buzzsprout offers the most cost-effective paid solution with IAB-certified analytics starting at $15/month (annual) or $18/month (monthly). A limited free tier with 2 hours/month and 90-day episode hosting remains available for those just getting started. Spotify for Creators is completely free but only tracks Spotify data.
Can I use multiple analytics platforms together?
Yes, many former Chartable users now combine 2-3 tools. A common setup is using a hosting platform with built-in analytics (like Buzzsprout or Simplecast) plus Spotify for Creators for platform-specific data, and potentially Captivate for trackable links.
Will Megaphone release SmartLinks functionality?
Megaphone announced plans to launch their own version of SmartLinks and SmartPromos sometime in 2025, but no specific release date has been confirmed. Until then, Captivate remains the only alternative for trackable links.
What podcast analytics does Spotify for Creators offer?
Spotify for Creators provides audience demographics (age, gender, location), episode performance data, impressions by source, and audience segmentation by engagement level. Analytics are free but limited to the Spotify ecosystem and aren’t IAB-certified, making them unsuitable for advertiser reporting without supplementing with another platform.
How do podcast analytics tools track downloads?
Most podcast analytics tools count a download when a listener’s device requests an audio file that is at least 60 seconds long, per IAB Podcast Measurement Technical Guidelines v2.0. IAB-certified platforms apply these rules consistently, which is why IAB certification matters when pitching sponsors who require standardized metrics.