Pocket Casts is at the top of the list, or at least always included, when it comes to the best podcast apps both for iOS and Android, but its price tag has put it out of reach for most people, especially given the wealth of free podcast apps already out there.
But that just changed. The Android version of the app is now completely free. The company has decided to ditch the price tag, make the app free to download, and introduced a new "Plus" subscription tier for those who want to nab extras such as exclusive icons and themes, access to desktop apps, and 10 GB of cloud storage for users who want to upload their own audio or video content.
Pocket Casts Is Now Free
Previously, Pocket Casts charged users a one-time purchase between $4 and $10 to download the app, depending on the platform. Moving forward, users have the option to pay $1 a month or $10 a year for the premium tier. Those who previously purchased the app are eligible for three years' worth of Pocket Casts Plus at no extra cost.
Owen Grover, the company's CEO, says podcast creators can take advantage of the premium tier by using the cloud storage to watch or listen to a show before publishing it. As to why the app switched to a subscription model, Grover said the team realized the one-time download free was "antiquated," prompting them to drop it.
"Not because we're trying to move users to Pocket Casts Plus and regain that revenue, but so we can better align with the open-access philosophy of our public media ownership," Grover wrote, as The Verge reports. "In fact, we predict only a small percentage of power users will opt for Pocket Casts Plus."
How About The Revenue?
Since Pocket Casts doesn't expect most users to jump into its new premium tier, it's unclear how the company plans to recoup loss of potential revenue from app downloads. More details on monetization will be available soon, according to Grover.
Other Podcast Apps
Apart from Pocket Casts, some of the finest podcast apps include Google's own Google Podcasts apps, Player FM, and Spotify, which has recently taken to refining the podcast-listening experience within the music streaming app. Pocket Casts is considered a favorite because of its clean, uncluttered interface and straightforward, easy-to-use approach. Now, everyone doesn't have to shell out anything to enjoy that.
Pocket Casts is available on iOS and Android.
What's your favorite podcast app? Tell us in the comments section below!
