Podcorn alternative for podcast sponsorships you book direct with no marketplace cut
Podcorn is now part of Audacy and works on a marketplace model. If you want to publish your own rate card and keep the whole fee, a flat membership is the cheaper shape.
Platform
commission
You keep
$
On a 30% marketplace you'd keep $, that's $ less.
Matched opportunities
· ·
$
In short
Podcorn is a podcast sponsorship marketplace, acquired by Audacy in 2021, where brands post campaigns and hosts apply to them. Sponsorships works the other way round: you publish a rate card, brands find and book you, and the platform takes 0% commission on a flat membership instead of a share of each deal. Podcorn is the better fit when you want campaigns brought to you; direct booking is the better fit when you would rather set your own price and keep all of it.
Side by side
Sponsorships vs Podcorn
Swipe to compare
| Capability | Sponsorships | Podcorn |
|---|---|---|
| 0% commission on your deals | ~10% cut historically | |
| Flat membership pricing | ||
| Still operating under the same name | Rebranded to Audacy Creator Lab in 2025 | |
| Independent, not owned by a broadcaster | Owned by Audacy since 2021 | |
| Podcast, newsletter, YouTube and events | Podcasts only | |
| Self-serve, no agency | ||
| Deal pipeline and deliverables | ||
| Public profile and media kit | ||
| You keep the brand relationship | Marketplace-mediated |
Comparison reflects general product positioning and is provided in good faith. Verify current capabilities with each vendor.
The detail
What Podcorn does well, and where the cost lands
Worth knowing before you compare: Podcorn no longer operates under that name. Audacy, then called Entercom, acquired Podcorn in March 2021 in a deal reported at up to $22.5 million, and in April 2025 Audacy relaunched it as Audacy Creator Lab, announced at Podcast Movement Evolutions in Chicago. The Creator Lab account put it plainly: Podcorn is now Audacy Creator Lab, with the legacy sponsorship marketplace and a new podcast hosting platform folded into one product at creators.audacy.com. Audacy describes a creator marketplace of more than 20,000 shows and 40,000 creators, offering host read sponsorships, dynamically inserted pre recorded ads, and free hosting for emerging podcasters.
Podcorn historically took roughly a 10% cut of podcast ad revenue on deals run through it. Sponsorships takes 0% commission and runs on flat membership, so a $500 host read as an illustrative example pays you the full $500, and the sponsor pays you directly. It also is not podcasts only: you can list newsletters, YouTube and events on the same profile with a media kit, rate card, deal management and deliverables, and you keep the brand relationship. This comparison is made in good faith, so please verify current terms with each provider.
Questions
Podcorn questions, answered
Is Podcorn still active?
Not under that name. Audacy relaunched Podcorn as Audacy Creator Lab in April 2025, announced at Podcast Movement Evolutions in Chicago, and the legacy sponsorship marketplace now sits inside that product at creators.audacy.com alongside a podcast hosting platform. The marketplace itself continues to operate, so existing relationships did not disappear, but if you are searching for Podcorn you are looking for Audacy Creator Lab.
What happened to Podcorn?
Entercom, which renamed itself Audacy, acquired Podcorn in March 2021 in a deal reported at up to $22.5 million. Podcorn ran as a branded marketplace under that ownership for several years, then in April 2025 Audacy folded it into a new creator product called Audacy Creator Lab, combining the marketplace with free podcast hosting and automated ad insertion.
What is Audacy Creator Lab?
It is Audacy podcast creator platform, built on the Podcorn marketplace it acquired in 2021. Audacy describes a marketplace of more than 20,000 shows and 40,000 creators, and the product combines host read sponsorship matching, dynamically inserted pre recorded ads, and free hosting aimed at independent and emerging podcasters. It is a broadcaster owned platform rather than an independent marketplace.
How much does Podcorn cost?
Podcorn historically took roughly a 10% cut of the podcast ad revenue on deals booked through it, charged to the creator rather than as a subscription. Because the product has been rebranded and restructured under Audacy Creator Lab, confirm current terms with Audacy directly. Sponsorships charges a flat membership and 0% commission instead, so the rate you agree with a sponsor is the amount you keep.
What is the best Podcorn alternative?
It depends on what you are optimizing for. If you want the largest podcast ad inventory and are comfortable with a broadcaster owned platform taking a share, Audacy Creator Lab is the direct continuation of Podcorn. If you want to keep the full deal value and own the brand relationship, a flat membership marketplace with 0% commission is the closer fit, and it also lets you list newsletters, YouTube and events on the same profile rather than podcasts only.
Does Podcorn take a commission?
Yes. Podcorn monetized by taking roughly 10% of the ad revenue on deals facilitated through the marketplace, which is the standard model for podcast ad marketplaces and networks. The trade off is that discovery and payment handling are done for you. Sponsorships uses flat membership pricing with 0% commission, so payment goes directly between the podcaster and the brand and the platform never sits in the middle of the money.
Figures are published vendor terms and industry benchmarks, not quotes. Verify current pricing with each vendor.
Other comparisons
Weighing all of them at once? See the full roundup of the best podcast sponsorship marketplaces, compared on commission, formats and fit.
Keep 100% of your deals
Flat membership, 0% commission, every format in one place. List your audience, get discovered, and manage every deal yourself. Decide for yourself.