This was published 4 years ago
Pocket Casts has long been podcast users' favourite app; now it's free
By Peter Wells
Pocket Casts has long been our favourite way to find, subscribe and listen to podcasts. The app, available on Android, iPhones and the web, is simple enough for first-time listeners to get started, while still giving podcast power-users the ability to tweak every setting. For almost a decade, Pocket Casts charged a small fee for its apps, but starting from today those apps are free.
All the current features of the mobile apps, including variable playback speeds, smart filters and sync between devices are available for free, and Pocket Casts has even added a new feature for this release, the ability to sideload any audio or video files into the app, to take advantage of its smart playback controls.
At first, I thought I would have no use for sideloading, but after watching a particularly boring webinar at 2x speed, I’m a convert. I can see this feature becoming a hit with university students who need to get through online lectures, journalists listening back to interviews, or simply as a way to consolidate all your spoken word audio into a single app.
Alongside the free mobile apps is Pocket Casts Plus, a $US10-a-year subscription service that includes access to Windows, macOS and web players, and 10GB of cloud storage for sideloaded content.
Pocket Casts chief product officer Russell Ivanovic (centre) and his crew.
“The idea isn’t to push people into that tier though, and anyone who has paid for the web app will get three years of Pocket Casts Plus for free,” explained Russell Ivanovic, chief product officer at Pocket Casts. “It’s a place for features that are above and beyond what your average listener needs.”
Pocket Casts, created by a couple of podcast fans in Adelaide, started life as an independent alternative to Apple’s podcast ecosystem. The app was the first to offer a truly mobile podcast experience, allowing its users to download episodes directly to a phone, rather than syncing over iTunes.
The podcast market has changed dramatically since then, and while Apple’s Podcast app is still the dominant player, it is facing increasing competition from Spotify. The streaming media giant is investing heavily in podcast content, creating exclusive series available only in Spotify, while redesigning its app to give podcasts a more prominent place in the player.
In this landscape, CEO Owen Grover sees Pocket Casts’ role as the independent alternative as being more important than ever. “In today’s rapidly evolving audio landscape, it’s important we stand for free and open access - not walled gardens - to grow the medium while delivering the world’s best listening experience.”