Pocket Casts, one of the most popular podcasts apps, is now free (Update)

Update, September 19, 2019 (4:25AM ET): Pocket Casts went free yesterday, after years of being a paid podcast app. The team behind the app also gave three years of access to Pocket Casts Plus to anyone who ever paid for the web/desktop apps.

This move was criticized by users, as the Pocket Casts team previously maintained that one-time payment for the web/desktop apps was for lifetime access. So it felt like users who had earlier purchased the apps were receiving a downgrade.

Fortunately, the team has now announced on its blog that anyone who has ever paid for the web/desktop apps will indeed be given lifetime access to Pocket Casts Plus.

Read: We asked, you told us — Your favorite podcast app is hard to nail down

“Although we intended to demonstrate our appreciation to our most loyal users, we know many of you feel we missed the mark,” read an excerpt of the blog post. “With that in mind, today we’ve decided to provide any user who previously purchased our web version with lifetime access to Pocket Casts Plus. This includes the Mac and Windows apps as well.”

A Pocket Casts Plus subscription includes the aforementioned web/desktop apps, uploading audio files to cloud storage, and additional customization options.

Original article, September 18, 2019 (5:48AM ET): Pocket Casts frequently tops lists of best podcast apps even though it’s a paid app. Don’t fancy paying for it? Well, the team has just announced that it’s now available as a free download.

The team behind Pocket Casts confirmed in a blog post that both the Android and iOS apps are now free to download. The team adds that every feature available in the paid mobile app is now available in the free version too.

Pocket Casts on Android (version 7.5) also brings a few more additions to the formula, including a trim silence option, the ability to import other audio files into the app, and variable speed playback. You can check out screenshots of the new version below.

The company has also confirmed that it’s launching Pocket Casts Plus, which is a subscription tier. Pay $1.14 a month or $11.49 a year and you’ll get access to the web and desktop apps, the ability to upload audio files to cloud storage, and exclusive icons and themes.

Anyone who’s ever paid for the web/desktop apps will receive a three year subscription to Pocket Casts Plus, the team said. But this move has nevertheless drawn the ire of some people on Twitter and reddit.

It’s not without cause either, as the team previously noted that the one-time fee for the web/desktop apps was for life-time access. In other words, people who paid are effectively being downgraded to a three year membership.

Nevertheless, if you’ve been curious about the mobile app and didn’t want to commit to a purchase, now’s a good time to jump in. You can download Pocket Casts via the button below.