Pocket Casts, a podcast app acquired by Automattic in 2021, makes web players free. The company says the move will provide an alternative to the large platform closure ecosystem where algorithm-driven content is prioritized and stored behind the paywall.
The podcast was built on open technology. This is an open, distributed standard RSS designed to create online audio and other content such as news and blog posts. Starting Tuesday, Pocketcast will celebrate the open nature of the podcast by making web players at their disposal.
This means that anyone can visit the Pocketcast website and stream the episodes they need without paying a subscription fee or creating an account.
However, if users want to personalize their experience, you can create a Free account to unlock features such as syncing playback across web, mobile and desktop devices. Queue management. Save subscriptions and other preferences.
Meanwhile, the company's Pocketcast Plus paid subscription offers users additional control over the listening experience, including access to tools and features, including folders, smart shuffling, bookmarks, wearables and cloud support, and additional themes and icons.
The company also points out that AI-driven discoveries are not part of its offering.
Instead of offering users algorithm-driven podcast suggestions, Pocketcasts wants to decide for themselves what they want to listen to. This message can appeal to people who think Spotify is getting too pushy with its own recommendations, making it difficult for users to keep up with shows they actually want to follow.
Support for free streaming over the web will also help you try Apple Podcasts, which launched web streaming in August 2024.
As part of this update, free streaming will also be appearing on Pocketcast's Mac and Windows apps.