Well, crap. This feels like the first sign that the app is going to die when it doesn't get enough money out of this price hike.
What's a good open alternative?
AntennaPod is open source and pretty good if you're on Android. Podcast Addict isn't open source (I don't think) and it's not as pretty but it'll be the most powerful podcast app you ever use.
Thanks... giving AntennaPod a try...
AntennaPod is the best. I have 1432 hours on it since 2018.
Pocketcasts is definitely a better overall app experience, however, that still didn't stop me from switching to AntennaPod well over a year ago. It's a solid app and one of the best FOSS app projects around.
No regrets. I just wish I could manually sort podcasts on the subscription page.
I mean Pocket Casts is already open source. If they end support for it, you can just fork it.
Man, I wonder why nobody has forked this already? It seems like a really easy way to get a new podcast app up and running. PocketCasts is widely loved, it's just the business practices and lack of features that have put people off.
You are welcome. Just remember that it haa 95% of the features as PocketCasts, but it is Open Source..
Honestly just wish AntennaPod had a way to easily sync between desktop and mobile. I love the look of it on my tablet but sometimes I like listening while I'm working on my laptop.
Fun fact about Antennapod, if you want to sort new podcast episodes by prioroty, rename the podcast with a number based on your priority for that podcast and then sort the que by podcast title. Now episodes of your favorite podcast will always be up at the top and ready even if a *newer episode of anothet pod is released. Reasons you may do this besides just having a favorite podcast over others is if you listen to timely podcast that you always want to listen to before others that can wait.
Damn, this is so cool!
I cannot wait to try this out.
Holy shit that price is just insane. No one is going to be willing to pay that when Spotify is cheaper by a lot...
Do people really use Spotify for podcasts? I don't find it a great experience. Pocket Casts seems to be solid as a free app along with other alternatives (including open-source).
I'm pretty sure the only people who use Spotify for podcasts are unvaccinated Roganites
Just here to say fuck Dax Shepherd for being a Spotify exclusive podcaster.
It’s the only reason my family plan hasn’t been migrated, really. I don’t want to deal with that fall out.
Seriously. I have the Spotify app installed just to listen to his occasional podcast. It’s inspired me to start writing a self hosted app that will archive all your podcasts locally so next time a podcaster decides to sell out I won’t lost their back catalog. And then I also have a place to stream their newer stuff that I figure out a way to pirate.
The podcast market is in an extremely precarious state due to giant corporations like I heart media and spotify trying to insert themselves into the market, implement Chokepoints with exclusive content, and finally extinguish open alternatives.
Excited to here Dax has a podcast but also sad since I won't be listening to it.
I use Spotify for podcasts, though if the rumors of them increasing their sub is true, I'll be swapping to open source alternative's.
Look at AntennaPod. Pretty app like Pocket Casts but is completely free and open source.
Spotify is 10 a month for a normal subscription, so Pocket Casts is roughly a third of that for one year.
I don't like Spotify for podcasts at all but it is a big part of the service nowadays.
Still awfully expensive for Pocket Casts when you consider that it is just for podcasts and no music - unlike Spotify.
You don't need to pay for the subscription to use PocketCasts for podcasts. There is a free version that does everything you would need it to.
I know, I've been using it for years.
I personally have lifetime plus due to having bought the app early on. I still use it regularly but don't use the fancy web interface.
Remember when they went back on their promise that the $10 would be permanent premium? Then went on a rant about how they shouldn't honor those purchases. I stopped using them right then and there, even if I was grandfathered in.
Yep. I did appreciate when they reversed course though. App seems to have been sold a few times since then.
Ya I bought the lifetime subscription years ago when they still offered it so I'm basically grandfathered into that thankfully. Idk if I could justify a recurring subscription for a podcast app.
Same here. I have lifetime plus from having bought it ages ago, but I've simply just defaulted to listening to podcasts on my Nextcloud News app out of convenience. It has a play and pause button, and that's mostly all I need from my podcast app.
I subscribed to Pocket Casts when it was owned by public media entities, and it worked well. But after they sold it off, I just switched to AntennaPod and it does everything I need too.
Over 200% markup in a single pricing change, yeesh
You think they'd gradually ease people into it at least. This app is always on something
@quortez@ijeff That's actually 300%+, it's 100% multiplied by 3. Disgusting.
I always got confused with percentage increases and whether they were relative to the original amount (going from 100% load to 300% load) or whether they were adding on top of the original amount (adding 200% on top of 100% to make 300%).
Regardless, that's a ridiculous jump.
I had bought it outright so I have the "lifetime subscription" after the uproar when the introduced this subscription model. This rate hike has me a little worried though they may go back on that and force purchasers to pony up for the subscription as well to get short term profits up (albeit at a reduced rate for like 3 months or so, as is standard with this sort of thing).
Eh I doubt it. We are a dying breed at this point 😄
The original plan was 2 years for people who bought it, only after backlash did they give out the lifetime subscriptions.
Used to love pocket casts but I switched to antennapod after they basically changed the whole app into something that made no sense to me.
Would never pay a subscription to listen to podcasts personally.
You inspired me to look at antennapod and within 10 minutes pocket casts was uninstalled.
Been using pocket casts since the beginning but starting to get fed up with apps wanting more and more of my money.
It's a good app especially for free. It did take me a week or so to adjust and customise it how I like things but it does the job pretty well.
What does it even add? A desktop app and themes for $40
Edit: existing subscribers seem to be grandfathered in at their usual price.
It was fine at $10 because you could sync with desktop.
At $40 it's stupid, plus I already switched to Google podcasts which is at least as good since they changed the ui.
No thank you. I'm perfectly happy with Podcast Addict.
Yeah, Addict is great for what it is especially for thr price. Paying that much for basically a nothingburger seems weird?
Yes, I am not sure who this is targeted to exactly - there are so many better ways to consume podcasts and the other content they mention, for less money, or free in many cases. I had purchased Pocket Casts years ago before they went free, then sold out to PBS, was still free, and now this - seems like just dying to piece together a business model that’s is doomed to fail (again).
I left pocket casts before they went the sub model. antennapod is my app of choice and works perfectly.
I'm grandfathered into pocketcasts+ so it's free.
I use the app for hours everyday and if it wasn't free I'd be on another app...
I'm one of the people who doesn't listen to podcasts very much and therefore doesn't need any extended features that would require me to pay for an app.
As long as the app has a play/pause button, and rewind/fast forward buttons, then that's all I need lol
I listen to podcasts daily and have 107 days of listening time in pocketcasts over the span of years, but honestly their premium features just aren't worth the cost, even at the cheaper level. I paid in the past because it's a great app but realized I basically never used the paid features and stopped.
I think a lot of people who were also paying just to support a great app are going to second guess if theyre actually using those paid features with the price hike.
111 days here 😉
I left when they changed the interface to what ever abomination it is now. You used to be able to basically filter folders e.g. ttrpg actule plays, music, talk shows etc. chronologically wheather or not you've listened to it before. I should have switched to some open source alternative but I went with google again likely to get burned. Any recommendations?
Tbh you might be able to come back go pocket casts. They added a bunch of functionality back over time. Can't remember what it used to be like anymore, but it works for me.
I have a free account and do have access to the filters. You can filter by podcast, started/not started, duration, etc. It may still not work for your needs though.
Do folks accessing for free have the ability to speed up playback? I love that feature.
Yup they do.
Yep!
Holy crap. That is a lot! Thank goodness I got that lifetime way back when.
That was my thought right now. Best podcast app on Android.
Same. I just had to do a doubletake on my account to make sure I was still a lifetime member though whew!
Try Podcast Republic. It has multi-device syncing and a lot of other great options.
Any way to get the logo of the podcast to show like from Pocket Casts?
Edit: Apparently by default it only downloads over wifi, nevermind!
Who pays this much for podcast player? I'm happy I'm grandfathered in since it's launch. I love it, I paid for the full version, but recurring payments? No, thank you.
Just imported all my podcasts into AntennaPod to give it a go. I found that it also supports sync via Nextcloud which I absolutely need because I often listen on multiple devices and I want to pick up where I left.
Good to see alternatives, because that's one of the main reasons I bought the lifetime subscription back in the day. I also used the trim silence feature, but I can do without that.
Their recent addition to support wearOS made me consider a subscription (wearOS version requires subscription). Until youtube music recently added support for podcasts, so I didn't bother although I can't say the podcast feature in youtube music is all that good so far but it will let episodes get downloaded to my watch.
I have a lifetime pass from paying for the web version back in the day but honestly it's super worth it. It's still the best podcast app/website ever.
Same! Really glad i did that now :D
I'm still sitting here with DoggCatcher. Not exactly a pretty app, feels like an app from more than 10 years ago, as it hasn't really changed since then.
But it does what I want it to, with some minor hiccups one in a blue moon. Hasn't frustrated me to the point where I feel like switching.
And while it's not pretty, it does work.
Look at AntennaPod. Pretty app like Pocket Casts but is completely free and open source.
That’s quite the price jump. I wonder why it’s such a severe jump.
Podcast Addict (the free, ad-supported version) is all that I use for my podcasts. If you're really into customisation, then try Podcast Republic.
I switched to Podcast Addict from Pocket Casts back when the app was first bought out. There were a ton of bugs at the time. I've been happy with Podcast Addict and had no desire to switch back.
Edit: Spelling.
What's wrong with using Google Podcasts for podcasts or Spotify or the dozens and dozens of other podcast apps?
The app itself is actually open source. It also works on Android, iOS, and desktop/browser. It keeps all of my content synced regardless of platform. I personally like using the faster playback speed function, automatic skipping of silence, and the overall interface. Supposedly a number of features are available for free, but I bought the app when it was just one-time fee (and was grandfathered in). I personally dislike subscription.
Google Podcasts syncs to the browser, has playback speed control, and automatic silence skipping.
Personally, re. google podcasts, it lacks a lot of useful features that other podcasts apps have.
I've found pocket casts to have the better set of features and functionality (for the unpaid version) compared to other podcasts apps. I don't use spotify, but it's definitely better than the recent and awful implementation of podcasts in youtube music. I tried a couple other podcast apps, most recently podcast republic, and I found podcast republic to be buggy, certain settings don't stick or work as expected.
I was paying the $10 but recently stopped it because i never use the app, not sure i'll get premium again with such an increase, even if i do get back into it. maybe if i really start using it a lot
BeyondPod on android
Man, that beyond pod UI feels right out If jelly bean or kit Kat.
Beyond Pod hasn't been updated since January 2021. It used to be the best podcast app by far, but is now quite buggy and broken on newer versions of Android.
AntennaPod is what I use now. A fantastic app that is free, no ads, and completely open source.
I'll give antennapod a try. Thanks!
Any recs for a podcast app that has wearOS support??
Or a player than syncs to a website or desktop app? I mainly listen on my phone, but would like to be able to listen on my pc from time to time and would like the PC and android app to stay in sync.
I suspect these are Pocket Cast niches. If you're already subscribed, your pricing should stay the same.
I use the free app right now
Pretty sure Pocket Casts now has a Wear OS app, saw it in their Play Store listing a few days ago.
Yep and it actually works well! I'm looking for an alternative that's not behind a pricey subscription model
I've never paid for this app.. but that's a crazy increase!
Podurama is amazing! I was a long time pocketcasts user and have switched. Won’t ever look back!!
Oof
Honestly it's pretty reasonable. I lucked into buying a lifetime pass a looong time ago and I've gotten my moneys worth. I wouldn't even mind paying a few bucks a month considering how useful it has been to me, and how much I use it.
I've never heard of this, but I love podcasts.
Isn't this similar to the totally free AntennaPod from f-droid?
Expensive, I'm just trying the free trial, don't know if I'll keep it.
Is there anything in particular you need from Plus? Also, I believe folks who subscribed before the price increase can keep the original price.
Good question! Not OP, but I've used the free version extensively and have no need for Plus. The free version works great and is the podcast app I recommend. That subscription price is just dumb though.
I'm going to ask a legitimate question and I promise I'm not trolling but this seems insane to me and I have to ask.
Why in the fuck would anybody use a special app just for podcasts?
I just go to the website, download the show, throw it on my phone and I'm good to go. It takes very little time I don't have anyone selling my listening data.
I'd genuinely like to know what the benefit is.
I just subscribe to a bunch of podcasts and it automatically downloads them for me. It handles keeping track of what I've listened to and can queue up a variety of them for easy listening like a customized radio station.
Here's what mine looks like:
Holy hell does your phone even fit in your pocket?
Also: tracks played progress across devices
I could see how that would be handy if I listened to them on more than one device.
I spy with my little eyes a donut media podcast 👀
Love the indicator - what a great show that is. Our feeds look pretty similar lol
Sucks that AAA is done.
They just made a new podcast called Android Faithful that has Ron and Huyen. It feels like AAA reborn.
I just grab them and then delete them when I'm done. I still don't understand the need to involve a corporation and their analytics in my listening activities. There's not much time lost or regained either way so I don't really see the benefit?
That's fine. Some of us like to have them automatically downloaded and deleted for us since we listen to so many. I personally wouldn't have the time to visit each to download or keep track of new releases!
It is just easier, and having a simple ui of different podcasts and their episodes along with their progress is a nice QOL -feature. You can probably get the sam, result with a media-player and some tinkering, but is not as easy.
Granted, I see no reason to pay for a podcast app (other to support creators), as free open-source options such as AntennaPod exist.
It's worth nothing Pocket Casts app itself is open-source and free to use. The subscription gets you access to some extra functionality. I personally was fine with paying for the app back in the day but am not interested in subscriptions.
so you don't have to go to the website and download each episode you want to listen to...
I don't understand how going to a website once a week for under 10 seconds is a detriment?
If you listen to more than one podcast, either
you visit once a week anyway, and just have podcasts delayed a few days from release to listen, or
you visit every day that one of the podcasts is released, which means you may be visiting several websites every day.
Some podcasts I like to listen to the day they come out, or perhaps the next day if I don't get to it, such as news podcasts.
Also, if you listen to even more than a few podcasts, you aren't going to "a website" once a week, you're going to a dozen websites once a week.
I just go to the website, download the show, throw it on my phone
That's three steps, per podcast per episode. Not everyone has their phone set up where it's zero-effort to copy files to the phone from their computer, so that may be a multi-step process itself.
Also, podcast apps offer some other features that to do manually either is more work, or more mental overhead:
Favoriting episodes, so that they stay downloded: to do this manually you need some sort of filesystem hierarchy where you put favorited episodes, or keep a list of favorited episodes, or keep track some other way.
Notifications for new episodes, for podcasts that don't follow a strict release schedule, or those that put out "special" episodes off their typical release schedule, or even just not having to memorize which podcasts have what release schedules.
Viewing of "show notes" inline instead of having to open the browser, navigate to the podcast's webpage, then navigate to the episode page.
Listening software designed for podcasts/human speech: silence trimming, speedup ratios, start/end trimming, smart chapter-based seeking and navigation, remembering where you left off. Some of these features may be available in whatever generic multimedia player you listen to podcasts in, but not all of them.
Of course, a podcast app is not required to listen to podcasts by any means. But if you listen to a lot of podcasts and value time your time, there is undeniable benefit offered by podcast apps.
Also, there are plenty of FOSS and tracker-free podcast apps, so it's not a situation where you must sacrifice privacy for convenience.
For a legitimate question you sure do keep countering answers with "I don't do it so why do you?"
As for why people use a dedicated app? Convenience. All my podcast are in one place, they get updated automatically, and if I want it they get downloaded to storage automatically too so I can listen to them offline.
If someone tells me about a new podcast I might like, I can search for it and be listening to it within seconds, rather than having to download it from a website. Plus if I'm using Google Podcasts, playback is synced across devices so I can pick up on my phone where I left off on my computer.
Besides there's a ton of open source podcast apps and most don't have ads or tracking.
Because if I don't understand something, I would like an understanding of what the reasoning behind it is. We get smarter by asking people about the world. I find a lot of issues with people emerge because they don't think about the reasoning behind any of what they are doing and simply fall into a rut of convenience instead of finding a better way to do things.
But of course on the internet, people get pretty angry when questioning a behavior they just adopted and never bothered to think about.
I use the free version. Though I wouldn't pay for a aub, what do you get with it?
I've been paying the sub so I can pick up and play on my phone, tablet or PC whichever I happen to be using when I want to listen, but I'll be dropping it if that is indeed the new price!
I think existing subscribers are grandfathered in at the existing price?
Well, crap. This feels like the first sign that the app is going to die when it doesn't get enough money out of this price hike.
What's a good open alternative?
AntennaPod is open source and pretty good if you're on Android. Podcast Addict isn't open source (I don't think) and it's not as pretty but it'll be the most powerful podcast app you ever use.
Thanks... giving AntennaPod a try...
AntennaPod is the best. I have 1432 hours on it since 2018.
Giving this a go now. Thanks.
Interestingly, it turns out Pocket Casts is also open source (thanks cupcakezealot@lemmy.blahaj.zone). I'm not sure the added features from Plus are available from other apps at the moment?
Pocketcasts is definitely a better overall app experience, however, that still didn't stop me from switching to AntennaPod well over a year ago. It's a solid app and one of the best FOSS app projects around.
No regrets. I just wish I could manually sort podcasts on the subscription page.
I mean Pocket Casts is already open source. If they end support for it, you can just fork it.
https://blog.pocketcasts.com/2022/10/19/pocket-casts-mobile-apps-are-now-open-source/
You know, I hadn't even realized this. That's great. Here's their GitHub!
Man, I wonder why nobody has forked this already? It seems like a really easy way to get a new podcast app up and running. PocketCasts is widely loved, it's just the business practices and lack of features that have put people off.
A shame it's no longer owned by NPR
NPR actually lost a lot of money on that deal
One of the reasons I switched podcast apps, it was switching hands so much didn't know where it was going to end up.
Yeah, this seems like a steep increase. I can't imagine they're expecting many folks to actually pay this amount.
I like podcast republic. Lots of control.
This is kinda odd timing.
I just started using AntennaPod on Monday since I want to switch to FOSS apps as much as possible and also deleted my PocketCasts account completely.
It sucks that there is no such account in my Google Podcasts app, but uninstalled that too. AntennaPod, FTW!
I was surprised to learn that the Pocket Casts apps are open-source (Android GitHub, iOS GitHub).
This is for the older version though, IIRC
Edit: Ah, it seems I missed Automattic acquiring Pocket Casts. Would make sense they're open source, since Automattic is a fully open source company.
Yeah, I'm very glad to see this and it actually makes me more inclined to support them.
As a (now former) Pocketcasts user, I thank you for letting me know about AntennaPod!
@colebrodine @Idefinitelydonotknow Happy AntennaPod user here, very pleased with it 👍
You are welcome. Just remember that it haa 95% of the features as PocketCasts, but it is Open Source..
Honestly just wish AntennaPod had a way to easily sync between desktop and mobile. I love the look of it on my tablet but sometimes I like listening while I'm working on my laptop.
Fun fact about Antennapod, if you want to sort new podcast episodes by prioroty, rename the podcast with a number based on your priority for that podcast and then sort the que by podcast title. Now episodes of your favorite podcast will always be up at the top and ready even if a *newer episode of anothet pod is released. Reasons you may do this besides just having a favorite podcast over others is if you listen to timely podcast that you always want to listen to before others that can wait.
Damn, this is so cool!
I cannot wait to try this out.
Holy shit that price is just insane. No one is going to be willing to pay that when Spotify is cheaper by a lot...
Do people really use Spotify for podcasts? I don't find it a great experience. Pocket Casts seems to be solid as a free app along with other alternatives (including open-source).
I'm pretty sure the only people who use Spotify for podcasts are unvaccinated Roganites
Just here to say fuck Dax Shepherd for being a Spotify exclusive podcaster.
It’s the only reason my family plan hasn’t been migrated, really. I don’t want to deal with that fall out.
Seriously. I have the Spotify app installed just to listen to his occasional podcast. It’s inspired me to start writing a self hosted app that will archive all your podcasts locally so next time a podcaster decides to sell out I won’t lost their back catalog. And then I also have a place to stream their newer stuff that I figure out a way to pirate.
The podcast market is in an extremely precarious state due to giant corporations like I heart media and spotify trying to insert themselves into the market, implement Chokepoints with exclusive content, and finally extinguish open alternatives.
Excited to here Dax has a podcast but also sad since I won't be listening to it.
I use Spotify for podcasts, though if the rumors of them increasing their sub is true, I'll be swapping to open source alternative's.
Look at AntennaPod. Pretty app like Pocket Casts but is completely free and open source.
Just discovered yesterday that the Pocket Casts apps are also open source!
Already downloaded, cheers!
Spotify is 10 a month for a normal subscription, so Pocket Casts is roughly a third of that for one year. I don't like Spotify for podcasts at all but it is a big part of the service nowadays. Still awfully expensive for Pocket Casts when you consider that it is just for podcasts and no music - unlike Spotify.
You don't need to pay for the subscription to use PocketCasts for podcasts. There is a free version that does everything you would need it to.
I know, I've been using it for years.
I personally have lifetime plus due to having bought the app early on. I still use it regularly but don't use the fancy web interface.
Remember when they went back on their promise that the $10 would be permanent premium? Then went on a rant about how they shouldn't honor those purchases. I stopped using them right then and there, even if I was grandfathered in.
Yep. I did appreciate when they reversed course though. App seems to have been sold a few times since then.
Ya I bought the lifetime subscription years ago when they still offered it so I'm basically grandfathered into that thankfully. Idk if I could justify a recurring subscription for a podcast app.
Same here. I have lifetime plus from having bought it ages ago, but I've simply just defaulted to listening to podcasts on my Nextcloud News app out of convenience. It has a play and pause button, and that's mostly all I need from my podcast app.
I subscribed to Pocket Casts when it was owned by public media entities, and it worked well. But after they sold it off, I just switched to AntennaPod and it does everything I need too.
Over 200% markup in a single pricing change, yeesh
You think they'd gradually ease people into it at least. This app is always on something
@quortez @ijeff That's actually 300%+, it's 100% multiplied by 3. Disgusting.
I always got confused with percentage increases and whether they were relative to the original amount (going from 100% load to 300% load) or whether they were adding on top of the original amount (adding 200% on top of 100% to make 300%).
Regardless, that's a ridiculous jump.
I had bought it outright so I have the "lifetime subscription" after the uproar when the introduced this subscription model. This rate hike has me a little worried though they may go back on that and force purchasers to pony up for the subscription as well to get short term profits up (albeit at a reduced rate for like 3 months or so, as is standard with this sort of thing).
Eh I doubt it. We are a dying breed at this point 😄
The original plan was 2 years for people who bought it, only after backlash did they give out the lifetime subscriptions.
Used to love pocket casts but I switched to antennapod after they basically changed the whole app into something that made no sense to me.
Would never pay a subscription to listen to podcasts personally.
You inspired me to look at antennapod and within 10 minutes pocket casts was uninstalled.
Been using pocket casts since the beginning but starting to get fed up with apps wanting more and more of my money.
It's a good app especially for free. It did take me a week or so to adjust and customise it how I like things but it does the job pretty well.
What does it even add? A desktop app and themes for $40
The value for the price doesn't seem there to me..
Edit: existing subscribers seem to be grandfathered in at their usual price.
It was fine at $10 because you could sync with desktop.
At $40 it's stupid, plus I already switched to Google podcasts which is at least as good since they changed the ui.
No thank you. I'm perfectly happy with Podcast Addict.
Yeah, Addict is great for what it is especially for thr price. Paying that much for basically a nothingburger seems weird?
Yes, I am not sure who this is targeted to exactly - there are so many better ways to consume podcasts and the other content they mention, for less money, or free in many cases. I had purchased Pocket Casts years ago before they went free, then sold out to PBS, was still free, and now this - seems like just dying to piece together a business model that’s is doomed to fail (again).
I left pocket casts before they went the sub model. antennapod is my app of choice and works perfectly.
I'm grandfathered into pocketcasts+ so it's free.
I use the app for hours everyday and if it wasn't free I'd be on another app...
I'm one of the people who doesn't listen to podcasts very much and therefore doesn't need any extended features that would require me to pay for an app.
As long as the app has a play/pause button, and rewind/fast forward buttons, then that's all I need lol
I listen to podcasts daily and have 107 days of listening time in pocketcasts over the span of years, but honestly their premium features just aren't worth the cost, even at the cheaper level. I paid in the past because it's a great app but realized I basically never used the paid features and stopped.
I think a lot of people who were also paying just to support a great app are going to second guess if theyre actually using those paid features with the price hike.
111 days here 😉
I left when they changed the interface to what ever abomination it is now. You used to be able to basically filter folders e.g. ttrpg actule plays, music, talk shows etc. chronologically wheather or not you've listened to it before. I should have switched to some open source alternative but I went with google again likely to get burned. Any recommendations?
Tbh you might be able to come back go pocket casts. They added a bunch of functionality back over time. Can't remember what it used to be like anymore, but it works for me.
I have a free account and do have access to the filters. You can filter by podcast, started/not started, duration, etc. It may still not work for your needs though.
Do folks accessing for free have the ability to speed up playback? I love that feature.
Yup they do.
Yep!
Holy crap. That is a lot! Thank goodness I got that lifetime way back when.
That was my thought right now. Best podcast app on Android.
Same. I just had to do a doubletake on my account to make sure I was still a lifetime member though whew!
Try Podcast Republic. It has multi-device syncing and a lot of other great options.
Any way to get the logo of the podcast to show like from Pocket Casts?
Edit: Apparently by default it only downloads over wifi, nevermind!
Who pays this much for podcast player? I'm happy I'm grandfathered in since it's launch. I love it, I paid for the full version, but recurring payments? No, thank you.
Just imported all my podcasts into AntennaPod to give it a go. I found that it also supports sync via Nextcloud which I absolutely need because I often listen on multiple devices and I want to pick up where I left.
Good to see alternatives, because that's one of the main reasons I bought the lifetime subscription back in the day. I also used the trim silence feature, but I can do without that.
Their recent addition to support wearOS made me consider a subscription (wearOS version requires subscription). Until youtube music recently added support for podcasts, so I didn't bother although I can't say the podcast feature in youtube music is all that good so far but it will let episodes get downloaded to my watch.
I have a lifetime pass from paying for the web version back in the day but honestly it's super worth it. It's still the best podcast app/website ever.
Same! Really glad i did that now :D
I'm still sitting here with DoggCatcher. Not exactly a pretty app, feels like an app from more than 10 years ago, as it hasn't really changed since then.
But it does what I want it to, with some minor hiccups one in a blue moon. Hasn't frustrated me to the point where I feel like switching.
And while it's not pretty, it does work.
Look at AntennaPod. Pretty app like Pocket Casts but is completely free and open source.
That’s quite the price jump. I wonder why it’s such a severe jump.
Podcast Addict (the free, ad-supported version) is all that I use for my podcasts. If you're really into customisation, then try Podcast Republic.
I switched to Podcast Addict from Pocket Casts back when the app was first bought out. There were a ton of bugs at the time. I've been happy with Podcast Addict and had no desire to switch back.
Edit: Spelling.
What's wrong with using Google Podcasts for podcasts or Spotify or the dozens and dozens of other podcast apps?
Nothing wrong with it, but here's what they're touting.
The app itself is actually open source. It also works on Android, iOS, and desktop/browser. It keeps all of my content synced regardless of platform. I personally like using the faster playback speed function, automatic skipping of silence, and the overall interface. Supposedly a number of features are available for free, but I bought the app when it was just one-time fee (and was grandfathered in). I personally dislike subscription.
Google Podcasts syncs to the browser, has playback speed control, and automatic silence skipping.
Personally, re. google podcasts, it lacks a lot of useful features that other podcasts apps have.
I've found pocket casts to have the better set of features and functionality (for the unpaid version) compared to other podcasts apps. I don't use spotify, but it's definitely better than the recent and awful implementation of podcasts in youtube music. I tried a couple other podcast apps, most recently podcast republic, and I found podcast republic to be buggy, certain settings don't stick or work as expected.
I was paying the $10 but recently stopped it because i never use the app, not sure i'll get premium again with such an increase, even if i do get back into it. maybe if i really start using it a lot
BeyondPod on android
Man, that beyond pod UI feels right out If jelly bean or kit Kat.
Beyond Pod hasn't been updated since January 2021. It used to be the best podcast app by far, but is now quite buggy and broken on newer versions of Android.
AntennaPod is what I use now. A fantastic app that is free, no ads, and completely open source.
I'll give antennapod a try. Thanks!
Any recs for a podcast app that has wearOS support??
Or a player than syncs to a website or desktop app? I mainly listen on my phone, but would like to be able to listen on my pc from time to time and would like the PC and android app to stay in sync.
I suspect these are Pocket Cast niches. If you're already subscribed, your pricing should stay the same.
I use the free app right now
Pretty sure Pocket Casts now has a Wear OS app, saw it in their Play Store listing a few days ago.
Yep and it actually works well! I'm looking for an alternative that's not behind a pricey subscription model
I've never paid for this app.. but that's a crazy increase!
Podurama is amazing! I was a long time pocketcasts user and have switched. Won’t ever look back!!
Oof
Honestly it's pretty reasonable. I lucked into buying a lifetime pass a looong time ago and I've gotten my moneys worth. I wouldn't even mind paying a few bucks a month considering how useful it has been to me, and how much I use it.
I've never heard of this, but I love podcasts.
Isn't this similar to the totally free AntennaPod from f-droid?
Expensive, I'm just trying the free trial, don't know if I'll keep it.
Is there anything in particular you need from Plus? Also, I believe folks who subscribed before the price increase can keep the original price.
Good question! Not OP, but I've used the free version extensively and have no need for Plus. The free version works great and is the podcast app I recommend. That subscription price is just dumb though.
I'm going to ask a legitimate question and I promise I'm not trolling but this seems insane to me and I have to ask.
Why in the fuck would anybody use a special app just for podcasts?
I just go to the website, download the show, throw it on my phone and I'm good to go. It takes very little time I don't have anyone selling my listening data.
I'd genuinely like to know what the benefit is.
I just subscribe to a bunch of podcasts and it automatically downloads them for me. It handles keeping track of what I've listened to and can queue up a variety of them for easy listening like a customized radio station.
Here's what mine looks like:
Holy hell does your phone even fit in your pocket?
Also: tracks played progress across devices
I could see how that would be handy if I listened to them on more than one device.
I spy with my little eyes a donut media podcast 👀
Love the indicator - what a great show that is. Our feeds look pretty similar lol
Sucks that AAA is done.
They just made a new podcast called Android Faithful that has Ron and Huyen. It feels like AAA reborn.
Android Faithful
I just grab them and then delete them when I'm done. I still don't understand the need to involve a corporation and their analytics in my listening activities. There's not much time lost or regained either way so I don't really see the benefit?
That's fine. Some of us like to have them automatically downloaded and deleted for us since we listen to so many. I personally wouldn't have the time to visit each to download or keep track of new releases!
It is just easier, and having a simple ui of different podcasts and their episodes along with their progress is a nice QOL -feature. You can probably get the sam, result with a media-player and some tinkering, but is not as easy.
Granted, I see no reason to pay for a podcast app (other to support creators), as free open-source options such as AntennaPod exist.
It's worth nothing Pocket Casts app itself is open-source and free to use. The subscription gets you access to some extra functionality. I personally was fine with paying for the app back in the day but am not interested in subscriptions.
so you don't have to go to the website and download each episode you want to listen to...
I don't understand how going to a website once a week for under 10 seconds is a detriment?
If you listen to more than one podcast, either
Some podcasts I like to listen to the day they come out, or perhaps the next day if I don't get to it, such as news podcasts.
Also, if you listen to even more than a few podcasts, you aren't going to "a website" once a week, you're going to a dozen websites once a week.
That's three steps, per podcast per episode. Not everyone has their phone set up where it's zero-effort to copy files to the phone from their computer, so that may be a multi-step process itself.
Also, podcast apps offer some other features that to do manually either is more work, or more mental overhead:
Of course, a podcast app is not required to listen to podcasts by any means. But if you listen to a lot of podcasts and value time your time, there is undeniable benefit offered by podcast apps.
Also, there are plenty of FOSS and tracker-free podcast apps, so it's not a situation where you must sacrifice privacy for convenience.
For a legitimate question you sure do keep countering answers with "I don't do it so why do you?"
As for why people use a dedicated app? Convenience. All my podcast are in one place, they get updated automatically, and if I want it they get downloaded to storage automatically too so I can listen to them offline.
If someone tells me about a new podcast I might like, I can search for it and be listening to it within seconds, rather than having to download it from a website. Plus if I'm using Google Podcasts, playback is synced across devices so I can pick up on my phone where I left off on my computer.
Besides there's a ton of open source podcast apps and most don't have ads or tracking.
Because if I don't understand something, I would like an understanding of what the reasoning behind it is. We get smarter by asking people about the world. I find a lot of issues with people emerge because they don't think about the reasoning behind any of what they are doing and simply fall into a rut of convenience instead of finding a better way to do things.
But of course on the internet, people get pretty angry when questioning a behavior they just adopted and never bothered to think about.
I use the free version. Though I wouldn't pay for a aub, what do you get with it?
I've been paying the sub so I can pick up and play on my phone, tablet or PC whichever I happen to be using when I want to listen, but I'll be dropping it if that is indeed the new price!
I think existing subscribers are grandfathered in at the existing price?