Pocket Casts, the podcast app acquired by Automattic in 2021, is now making its internet participant free. The corporate says the transfer affords a substitute for the massive platforms’ closed ecosystems, the place algorithmic-driven content material is prioritized and podcasts are saved behind paywalls.
Podcasts have been constructed on open know-how — the open, decentralized customary RSS, which was designed to make on-line audio in addition to different content material, like information and weblog posts — accessible to anybody on the internet at no cost. Beginning Tuesday, Pocket Casts will honor the open nature of podcasts by making its internet participant free to make use of.
Meaning anybody can go to the Pocket Casts web site and stream any episode they need, with out having to pay a subscription price and even creating an account.
Nonetheless, if customers need to personalize their expertise, they will create a free account to unlock options like syncing playback throughout internet, cellular, and desktop units; managing their queue; and saving their subscriptions and different preferences.
In the meantime, the corporate’s Pocket Casts Plus paid subscription will supply options that give customers extra management over their listening expertise, together with entry to instruments and options like folders, good shuffle, bookmarks, wearable and cloud help, further themes and icons, and extra.
The corporate additionally notes that AI-powered discovery is just not part of its providing.
As an alternative of offering customers with algorithmic-driven podcast solutions, Pocket Casts needs customers to resolve for themselves what they need to take heed to. This message might enchantment to individuals who assume that Spotify has gotten too pushy with its personal suggestions, making it troublesome for customers to maintain up with the exhibits they really needed to comply with.
Help at no cost streaming on the internet might additionally assist the corporate problem Apple Podcasts, which rolled out internet streaming in August 2024.
Free streaming is coming to Pocket Casts’ Mac and Home windows apps, as effectively, as part of this replace.
