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!
AntennaPod
As a (now former) Pocketcasts user, I thank you for letting me know about AntennaPod!
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.
@colebrodine @Idefinitelydonotknow Happy AntennaPod user here, very pleased with it 👍
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.
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.
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 😉
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
Holy crap. That is a lot! Thank goodness I got that lifetime way back when.
Same. I just had to do a doubletake on my account to make sure I was still a lifetime member though whew!
That was my thought right now. Best podcast app on Android.
Oof
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.
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.
Podurama is amazing! I was a long time pocketcasts user and have switched. Won’t ever look back!!
I’ve never heard of this, but I love podcasts.
Isn’t this similar to the totally free AntennaPod from f-droid?
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.
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.
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 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).
The original plan was 2 years for people who bought it, only after backlash did they give out the lifetime subscriptions.
Eh I doubt it. We are a dying breed at this point 😄
