My Favorite Podcast App Now Has a Free Web Player
Now, more than ever, I rely on my silly little podcasts to take my mind off things during my days, and yesterday that got a little easier. Pocket Casts— chosen by Lifehacker as the most feature-rich, user-friendly podcast app on the scene and my own audience lifeline for the last half-decade or so —has made its streaming web and desktop apps free to all users . Previously, these were paid subscriber-only benefits that cost about $40 per year to access.
In a statement, the company said it made the changes to support the “open podcasting ecosystem,” noting that the audio format “was built on the open, decentralized RSS standard, meaning everyone can freely create, share and listen to content without needing platform-specific approval. But today, major platforms are moving away from open standards, relegating creators to proprietary systems that limit distribution and control discovery through algorithms.”
This is a clear blow to competitors such as Spotify, which have invested heavily in the medium while locking some of their shows (and app features) behind paywalls. In particular, Pocket Casts notes that its podcast discovery tools are not driven by algorithms, echoing the ideals of open-source social networks like Bluesky , which counter the “engagement at all costs” principles of X and Meta.
The David vs. Goliath stance is a bit disingenuous: While the indie-developed app celebrates open-source ideals and was previously owned by a group of nonprofit public radio stations, it was sold to WordPress owner Automattic in 2021 . Still, it’s nice to have an alternative web platform for podcasts that at least hints at an earlier, better era of the internet.
Free access to Pocket Casts app and web player
The decision to remove Pocket Casts’ web and desktop apps behind a paywall gives users much more flexibility in how they listen. Anyone can use any of them without an account, but a free login will give you access to features like cross-device syncing. If you’re signed in to both accounts, you can start the podcast on your phone and have it run on your desktop without any problems. (It’s worth noting that while Spotify offers similar features with Spotify Connect, it requires a Spotify Premium account to access it.)
In testing (I was previously a free member, despite liking the app), I found that all my subscriptions, listening history, and preferences matched 1:1 across all my devices. The desktop application is available for bothMac and Windows .
Pocket Casts Plus still offers paid features
Pocket Casts isn’t completely free—you can still pay for Pocket Casts Plus ($39.99 per year) to access features like folders, bookmarks, and smartwatch apps. You can also pay $99 a year to become a Pocket Casts patron, which will also give you more cloud storage, early access to new features, and “the eternal gratitude of everyone at Pocket Casts.”