Pocket Casts’ web and desktop clients no longer require a subscription or login. The company previously charged $4 a month for web and desktop access, though its mobile apps has been free of charge since 2019.
This is somewhat overdue, but it’s a welcome change nonetheless. Pocket Casts is a fantastic platform with a clean interface and plenty of advanced functionality. Its unwavering focus on podcasting sets it apart from Spotify and YouTube, and its platform-agnostic approach makes it a more accessible option than Apple Podcasts.
Now that its browser-based web app, Mac app, and Windows app are free to use, Pocket Casts is even more accessible and appealing than before. The company frames this as an act of consumer advocacy, citing its belief that corporations are attacking the open and decentralized structure that has defined podcasts for over two decades.
However, this change should also be seen as a response to growing pressures in the industry. Apple Podcasts recently increased its accessibility by launching a multi-platform web app—a move that threatens to poach Pocket Casts users who own a mix of iOS, macOS, Android, or Windows devices. YouTube is pushing creators toward a centralized video podcast format that siphons content and customers away from audio platforms like Pocket Casts, and Spotify is gobbling up market share by signing exclusive deals with popular podcasters. Leaning into freedom and decentralization makes sense.
“Podcasting was built on an open, decentralized standard, RSS, which means that anyone can create, share, and listen to content freely, without needing a specific platform’s approval. But today, major platforms are shifting away from open standards, moving creators into proprietary systems that limit distribution and control discovery through algorithms … By making our Web Player available to everyone, we’re reinforcing our belief that podcasts belong to the people, not corporations.”
Obviously, hardcore podcast listeners should create a free Pocket Casts account for playback syncing, queueing, and saving subscriptions or preferences. But the ability to use Pocket Casts without a login or app download is downright awesome. If you want to share a podcast with someone, you can just send them the Pocket Casts link. And if you host a podcast, you can embed the Pocket Casts player into your blog or website—I imagine that this will be very useful to tech or finance publications that operate podcasts alongside their written content.
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I should also point out that Pocket Casts utilizes an “organic” Discovery system. Instead of using “an AI that promotes what’s best for the platform,” the company curates its podcast suggestions and offers deep search functionality so that you can find podcasts on your own. Human curation is something that helps Pocket Casts stand apart from the competition, and it contributes to the “decentralized” ideals that Pocket Casts is trying to associate with.
Pocket Casts Plus, the $4 monthly subscription, isn’t going away. But it’s totally optional. Those who pony up a few bucks a month will gain neat features like subscription folders (for in-app organization), Smart Shuffle, timestamp bookmarking, podcast chapter navigation (similar to chapters on YouTube), smartwatch playback, and exclusive app themes. The subscription also unlocks a year of premium Slumber Studios content—this content is not exclusive to Pocket Casts, but it normally requires a separate subscription (which isn’t unusual for some podcast studios).
Visit the Pocket Casts web player to start listening to podcasts for free. Pocket Casts is also available on Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android.
Source: Pocket Casts via 9to5Google
