Last Updated: May 21st, 2025
What is Captiv8?
In 2015, Captiv8 was founded initially as a social listening and analytics tool on Instagram. In the following years, the platform evolved and collected a massive database of influencers, so it officially became an influencer marketing platform in 2017. This Captiv8 review will show you whether it was successful in this field or not.
Here is a quick overview of this platform:
- Captiv8 claims to support major social channels (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook) via API hooks.
- It offers tools for influencer discovery, campaign management, and analytics.
- The company is based in California, US.
- The founders are Krishna Subramanian, Sunil Verma, Taz Patel, and Vishal Gurbuxani.
- Most reviews show it is mostly suitable for large brands and agencies.
Let’s explore Captiv8 features, capabilities, cost, and overall worth. Knowing what platforms like Captiv8 can do is essential for keeping a competitive edge as influencer marketing continues to gain more and more popularity.
We’ll introduce you to the best alternatives to Captive8, in case you don’t recognize it as the best available option.
Among its alternatives, Ainfluencer is one of the most popular competitors, especially if you are looking for a free and more affordable option.
Captiv8 Review: Pricing & Features + Best Alternative
Captiv8 is one of the top influencer marketing tools that provides a range of solutions designed to meet the demands of marketers.
From initial discovery to campaign execution and performance monitoring, the platform claims to provide different features.
However, as with any tool or service, it’s crucial to separate the hype from the reality. That’s why in this honest Captiv8 review, we’ll focus on checking all its features and consider the users’ experiences to let you decide whether it’s the right choice for your business or not.
Captiv8 Features
Captiv8 provides various tools for influencer marketing, including:
1. Influencer Marketing Suite
Here’s what you can find in this feature:
- Captiv8 provides a database of 15M influencers (mentioned on their website) across Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, Pinterest, and Facebook.
- You can use more than 500 filters to match your ideal creators and sort them by engagement, personal details, previous brand collaborations, and audience demographics.
- As a brand, you can create your custom dashboard with the data that matters most to you.
- After inviting creators, you can manage all the requests and their status in a single dashboard.
- Captiv8 also includes a Global Post Search and AI-powered suggestions for finding creators discussing relevant topics.
How to Find Influencers on Captiv8?
To find influencers on Captiv8, take the following steps:
- Log in and go to the Discovery section.
- Use 500+ advanced filters (platform, location, engagement, demographics, etc.).
- Explore detailed profiles: audience insights, past content, and brand affinity scores.
- Use Global Post Search to find influencers talking about your niche.
- Add to custom lists for comparison and tracking.
- Reach out and collaborate directly through the platform.
Meanwhile, as far as we know, Captiv8 does not offer free access to its Influencer Discovery feature. The platform operates on a paid subscription model. So, you should request a demo and select a plan to be able to use this feature.
We will get to Captiv8 pricing later.
2. Creator Collective
Affiliate marketing is seeing big growth alongside influencer marketing and can be a proper solution to many problems. That’s one of the Captiv8 features on Creator Collective. It allows you to run an affiliate program to raise your sales.
By connecting your dashboard to your online storefront (TikTok shop, Amazon, or Shopify store), you can optimize your paid media strategy to maximize conversions.
3. Campaign Tracking and Insights
Real-time performance monitoring is made possible in the dashboard and can be easily managed. You can integrate Shopify/Refersion with key social networks and run your campaigns to access data throughout the entire commerce system and facilitate the tracking of revenue, clicks, commissions, and conversions.
Additionally, creating personalized dashboards with the information and statistics that are most important to you is a valid option.
4. Contracts and Payments
Captiv8 incorporates the management of influencer contracts and payments. The software allows you to create digital contracts with influencers and obtain their e-signatures. An in-app payment system included in Captiv8 allows authors to get paid in a number of different currencies.
5. Content Amplification
Additionally, Captiv8 makes it possible for influencer material to be amplified through sponsored media. You may promote creator posts as targeted advertising without ever leaving the platform, thanks to its integration with Facebook advertising and TikTok Ads APIs. Getting creators’ permissions on the platform makes it simple to set up allow-listing, also known as creator whitelisting.
6. Captiv8 Discovery with Perplexity
In May 2025, Captiv8 partnered with Perplexity to integrate advanced AI tools into its influencer marketing suite. This collaboration brings features like AI-powered creator vetting, natural language search (e.g., “Which creators over-index with Gen Z in France?”), brand safety scoring, and auto-generated wrap reports.
Captiv8 Pricing
The platform uses a custom pricing model with no public rates listed. So, you must request a demo. According to industry sources, Captiv8 pricing starts at around $2,000/month for basic access. Plans often include limits on the number of influencers you can manage, so it’s essential to clarify this during onboarding.
- No free plan
- No public pricing on the website
- Enterprise-level commitment required
Is Captiv8 Worth the Price?
As mentioned, there is no transparent pricing on its website to see whether it’s the perfect solution for all businesses.
However, according to what its customers have cited on different websites, the pricing might start from 2000$ with a six-month commitment, which may be prohibitive for small businesses or startups.
Overall, for enterprise brands and large agencies, Captiv8’s advanced tools may justify its high cost. Smaller businesses may find cheaper alternatives more suitable.
If you are looking for a free Captiv8 alternative that provides the same features to run, manage, and track social media campaigns, Ainfluencer is what you need. With 5M influencers on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, and free features, it’s the perfect solution for all brands.
You can join Ainfluencer now and check all its features at no cost.
Captiv8 Reviews: What Do Customers Say?
The best way to evaluate a service is by checking customer feedback on trusted review websites. This will give you the insight you need to choose the right platform and prevent any waste of time in this process. So, let’s check Captiv8 reviews over the internet.
Captiv8 has a 4.6 rating score across over 400 reviews on G2. Most users are happy with the influencer discovery feature and how it allows them to check their engagement metrics before inviting them to campaigns.
However, this information is not available for all creators. You might need to talk with each creator and ask for their engagement metrics.
- In-app payments: This feature has made it easier for brands to compensate creators in various currencies.
- High pricing: the main drawback of this service is its high pricing, which is high for many brands.
- No Micro-influencer connections: Micro-influencers play a crucial role in influencer marketing by connecting brands with highly engaged, niche audiences, allowing for more authentic and relatable content that often leads to higher conversion rates. Unfortunately, many users have reported that Captiv8 fails to connect them with micro-influencers. Here’s the statement:
- Time-consuming: In addition to that, some have reported that the influencer discovery feature doesn’t meet the necessary requirements, and might become time-consuming to find the influencers in specific niches:
- Payment Delays to Creators: Perhaps the most disturbing issue comes from the payment side. Several influencers have expressed dissatisfaction over extremely delayed payments during Captiv8 campaigns. Late payments reflect a bad impact on brands and undermine influencer relationships, thus, this is a big worry.
Now that you’re familiar with Captiv8’s features, pricing structure, and authentic user feedback, you can make an informed decision regarding the suitability of this tool for your specific requirements.
Captiv8 Pros and Cons
Now let’s summarize the benefits and drawbacks of this service to help you decide better.
Pros
- Supporting multiple social media platforms
- Massive database of creators
- Good Customer Support and Training,
- Detailed Influencer Analytics
Cons
- High pricing
- Lack of free plan
- In-app bugs and glitches
- Campaign creation limitations
- Payment delays
The Best Captiv8 Alternative: Ainfluencer
While Captiv8 is a helpful tool for running and managing influencer-based campaigns across different channels, the cost of the service can be high for many brands. Additionally, the lack of campaign creation makes it difficult for brands to search for creators one by one and add them to their campaigns. But what if we tell you there is a better alternative that is completely free?
Ainfluencer is a free and end-to-end influencer marketing platform that connects brands and influencers in a safe interface. This platform provides a database of over 5M active Instagram, YouTube and TikTok creators.
With the help of an AI-powered search tool and more than 20 advanced filters, you can find the best collaboration match in a few minutes. Here is how Ainfluencer works:
Ainfluencer Workflow
First, you need to find the best influencers for your niche and this is doable by many filters that Ainfluencer provides you with to narrow your search. Next, on each creator’s profile on Ainfluencer, you can view their past collaborations, engagement metrics, and collaboration costs. As a brand, you don’t need to pay any additional fee to the platform, and you can set and manage unlimited campaigns for free.
Now is the time to reach out to these influencers and start your collaboration. Ainfluencer has a solution for this part too. You can easily use the end-to-end chatbox that has been integrated only for this matter. You will have a deal with your desired influencers and demand the result. To ensure your money is safe, Ainfluencer will keep it in its trusted escrow system before delivering it to influencers.
After monitoring your campaign results, influencers will receive their money in their wallet and the process is finished. So if you are looking for free Captiv8 alternatives to manage social media campaigns, Ainfluencer can help you.
| Features | Captiv8 | Ainfluencer |
|---|---|---|
| Database of Influencers | 15M | +5M |
| Filtering | AI-powered filtering Options | AI-powered search engine/
More than 20 filters |
| Pricing Options | $2000/mo | Free |
| Influencer Search | ✅ | ✅ |
| Platforms | Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, Pinterest, and Facebook |
Instagram, TikTok, YouTube |
| Number of Invitation | Limited | Unlimited |
| Number of Campaigns | Limited | Unlimited |
| Campaign Management | ✅ | ✅ |
| Detailed Insights | ✅ | ✅ |
Other Captiv8 Alternatives
Are you looking for similar tools to run and manage your campaigns? Here are some available options. However, none of them is free.
1. Grin
Grin is one of the top Captiv8 alternatives, which offers a huge creator database (38 M+), advanced analytics, and fake follower detection. It also provides strong e-commerce integrations, making it ideal for DTC brands.
Why choose it:
You want robust fraud filtering, affiliate tools, and better visibility into influencer ROI, especially if you sell products online.
Read Grin Reviews.
2. Upfluence
If you are looking for Captiv8 alternatives that connect you with creators across all major channels, Upfluence is what you need.
Upfluence not only supports major platforms but also helps brands turn existing customers into influencers and manage affiliate campaigns with ease.
Why choose it:
You need a tool that blends influencer + affiliate marketing and offers a smoother UX compared to Captiv8’s steeper learning curve.
Read Upfluence Reviews.
3. CreatorIQ
Want to know the latest trends in your industry to join them with your influencer partner? CreatorIQ is one of the Captiv8 alternatives to consider.
It is an influencer marketing tool with a trend analysis feature that allows you to hop on the latest trends on different social media channels and run effective campaigns.
Why choose it:
You want to stay ahead of trends, ensure safer brand alignments, and manage large-scale campaigns globally.
Read CreatorIQ Review
4. Influencity
Influencity offers detailed influencer insights, strong collaboration tools, and modular features that scale well with growing teams. Its clean interface and customizable workflows make it suitable for agencies or brands managing multiple clients or markets.
Why choose it:
You want a user-friendly platform with excellent team features, customizable campaign setup, and powerful filtering for precise targeting, especially helpful for cross-functional marketing teams.
Read Influencity Review.
5. HypeAuditor
HypeAuditor is another Captiv8 competitor that focuses heavily on audience quality, using AI to detect fake followers, bots, and engagement fraud.
It also offers detailed performance tracking, competitor analysis, and influencer market benchmarking across multiple platforms.
Why choose it:
You need trustworthy influencer insights, fraud detection, and advanced audit tools to ensure real ROI, especially valuable if you’ve struggled with influencer authenticity in the past.
Read HypeAuditor Review.
Conclusion
Captiv8 is an influencer marketing platform that offers various tools for businesses seeking to engage with social media influencers. It provides a comprehensive set of resources for influencer marketing campaigns. However, to check their efficiency, we’ve provided a Captiv8 review to check its features, pricing, and customers’ feedbacks.
Some users have reported issues with its complex interface, glitches, and difficulties in connecting with micro-influencers. Additionally, the lack of transparency in pricing may deter smaller businesses from utilizing the platform.
FAQs
Captiv8 is a platform that provides tools for data analytics, campaign management, and influencer finding in order to simplify and improve influencer marketing campaigns.
Yes, Captiv8 is a legitimate influencer marketing platform that allows brands and influencers to connect and collaborate. Yet, there are some disadvantages to this tool that users need to know of in order to make the best decision for their business.
If you are looking for safe options with reasonable pricing to run social media campaigns, Influencer is what you are looking for. This free tool provides a database of over 2 million active creators across Instagram and TikTok and is the best Captiv8 alternative.
According to some users, Captiv8 has a small database of influencers, requires manual influencer addition, provides less comprehensive YouTube statistics than Instagram, and requires influencer verification for tracking. These all can be an issue in different situations.
Captiv8 helps brands discover influencers, manage campaigns, track performance, and run affiliate programs through an all-in-one dashboard with real-time insights.
No, according to our Captiv8 reviews, it does not offer a free plan. Its pricing starts at approximately $2,000 per month and requires a custom quote via a demo request.
