Free, open-source alternatives to Pocket Casts
Podcast player with a paid Plus plan. 3 apps you can run yourself instead of Pocket Casts, sorted by how well they replace it. Each one is open source, so your data stays with you.
AudiobookshelfBest match
Audiobook and podcast server. It streams all audio formats, keeps and syncs progress across devices. Comes with apps for Android and iOS.
Pinepods
Podcast management system with multi-user support. Pinepods utilizes a central database so aspects like listen time and themes follow from device to device.
PodFetch
Sleek and efficient podcast downloader.
Side by side
| App | Stars | License | Activity | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audiobookshelf | 14,626 | GPL-3.0 | Docker, Debian packages, Node.js | |
| Pinepods | 1,018 | GPL-3.0 | Docker | |
| PodFetch | 515 | Apache-2.0 | Docker, Rust |
Why replace Pocket Casts?
Pocket Casts works, but your data lives in someone else's account, the price can change at any time, and features can disappear. An open-source app you run yourself is yours: you choose where it runs, who can see the data, and when to update.
Questions
What is the best free alternative to Pocket Casts?
Audiobookshelf is the closest open-source replacement for Pocket Casts in our list. Pinepods and PodFetch are worth a look too, depending on what you need.
Can I self-host an alternative to Pocket Casts?
Yes. All 3 apps on this page are open source and can run on your own server, usually with Docker, or on a managed host that installs them for you.