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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!
@colebrodine @Idefinitelydonotknow Happy AntennaPod user here, very pleased with it 👍
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.
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.
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’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 😉
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.
Ya I bought the lifetime subscription years ago when they still offered it so I’m basically grandfathered into that thankfully. Idk if I could justify a recurring subscription for a podcast app.
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.
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.
AntennaPod is the best. I have 1432 hours on it since 2018.
Interestingly, it turns out Pocket Casts is also open source (thanks [email protected]). 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.
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.
Yeah, this seems like a steep increase. I can’t imagine they’re expecting many folks to actually pay this amount.
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.
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.
I have a lifetime pass from paying for the web version back in the day but honestly it’s super worth it. It’s still the best podcast app/website ever.
Same! Really glad i did that now :D
Podurama is amazing! I was a long time pocketcasts user and have switched. Won’t ever look back!!
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.
Just discovered yesterday that the Pocket Casts apps are also open source!
Spotify is 10 a month for a normal subscription, so Pocket Casts is roughly a third of that for one year. I don’t like Spotify for podcasts at all but it is a big part of the service nowadays. Still awfully expensive for Pocket Casts when you consider that it is just for podcasts and no music - unlike Spotify.
Oof
Used to love pocket casts but I switched to antennapod after they basically changed the whole app into something that made no sense to me.
Would never pay a subscription to listen to podcasts personally.
You inspired me to look at antennapod and within 10 minutes pocket casts was uninstalled.
Been using pocket casts since the beginning but starting to get fed up with apps wanting more and more of my money.
I left when they changed the interface to what ever abomination it is now. You used to be able to basically filter folders e.g. ttrpg actule plays, music, talk shows etc. chronologically wheather or not you’ve listened to it before. I should have switched to some open source alternative but I went with google again likely to get burned. Any recommendations?
Tbh you might be able to come back go pocket casts. They added a bunch of functionality back over time. Can’t remember what it used to be like anymore, but it works for me.
I have a free account and do have access to the filters. You can filter by podcast, started/not started, duration, etc. It may still not work for your needs though.
Do folks accessing for free have the ability to speed up playback? I love that feature.
Yep!
