# opencast: podcast player — skip ads. open source.

> Open source native podcast client for direct RSS listening and episode management. (iPhone/iPad app by Connor Larkin.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/opencast-podcast-player/id6766770733 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Connor Larkin](https://appshunter.io/developer/1127199131)
- Category: News, Entertainment
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.00/5 from 4 App Store ratings · 4 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: +4
- Requires: iOS 27.0 · 71 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2026-06-04
- Data updated: 2026-09-19
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/opencast-podcast-player/id6766770733/reviews.md

## What is opencast?

opencast finds the ad breaks in your podcasts and skips them.

It is also yours. There is no opencast account, no tracking SDK, and no ads of our own. Subscriptions and listening progress sync through your private iCloud, any RSS feed works, and the source code is MIT-licensed on GitHub. The whole app stays around 10 MB.

Transcripts are made on your device with Apple Speech or Whisper. Follow along as the episode plays and tap any line to jump there. Search everything ever said across your library. Generate chapters and a summary for long episodes. Voice Boost is a broadcast-style leveler for quiet hosts and loud rooms.

~how ad skipping works~
Download an episode and your phone transcribes it. opencast checks the transcript for promo and sponsor reads and marks every break on the timeline and in the transcript. High-confidence breaks skip automatically. Borderline sponsor reads are marked but never skipped, so you decide. Queue a batch, keep listening, and get one notification when detection finishes. Detection works from the transcript text, not the audio.

~what the app can do for you~
• Skips ad breaks automatically, with one-tap undo
• Transcripts on device, with tap-to-seek and follow-along highlighting
• Full-text search across titles, notes, and transcripts in your library
• Generated chapters and summaries for episodes with a transcript
• Voice Boost, speed, sleep timer, AirPlay, and Up Next
• Per-show intro and outro skip
• CarPlay and Siri integration
• New-episode notifications with no promotions inside
• Search the podcast directory or subscribe by RSS URL
• OPML import and export
• Downloads for offline listening
• Private iCloud sync for subscriptions and progress
• Native SwiftUI for iOS 26, on iPhone and iPad

~optional and paid~
On-device transcription and ad skipping are free. Remote Transcription and Chapters & Summary are optional and use transcription hours: the first hour is free, then 20 hours for $0.99 or 100 hours for $4.99, in the US. Remote Transcription processes episode audio only for the jobs you request. Chapters & Summary sends transcript text, never audio. You see the estimate and your balance before anything starts. Remote transcription and summaries are offered at-cost.

opencast is open source under the MIT license:
https://github.com/connlark/opencast

Your listening is not a growth funnel.

## Key features

- Direct RSS feed subscription
- Podcast library management
- Episode playback with progress saving
- Customizable playback controls
- iCloud sync for subscriptions and progress
- Open source code

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 20 Transcription Hours | $0.99 | one-time |
| 100 Transcription Hours | $4.99 | one-time |


## Recent user reviews (4 of 4)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/opencast-podcast-player/id6766770733/reviews.md

### 5/5 — RIP ads

*2026-09-07*

Loving the skip ads feature.
Would love it to be set and forget though.

### 5/5 — Breath of fresh air

*2026-08-25*

An open source, native look and feel podcast app. Developer is attentive and makes changes all the time. Really enjoying it!

**Developer response:** i appreciate the kind review. thank you!

### 1/5 — Vibe coded junk

*2026-08-23*

Keeps throwing the error feed is over 8mb and can’t be loaded

**Developer response:** fixed in 2026.9.1. for future bugs, opening an issue on GitHub or emailing me is much more useful and gives me a chance to actually fix it...

### 5/5 — Best New Podcast App!

*2026-07-29*

I love the fact that this is an open source podcast app. I also love that it gets quick updates and that it’s simple to use. You’ve done a wonderful job. Thank you again!

## Frequently asked questions about opencast

### How do I subscribe to podcasts on opencast?

You can subscribe to podcasts by searching the built-in directory or by pasting an RSS feed URL directly into the app. The app also supports importing subscriptions via OPML.

### Does opencast support offline listening?

Yes, opencast allows you to download episodes for local playback, enabling offline listening. It also saves your playback progress for streamed episodes.

### What playback controls are available in opencast?

opencast offers a range of customizable controls including play/pause, seek, skip, playback speed adjustment, a sleep timer, AirPlay support, and Voice Boost.

### Can I sync my podcasts across devices with opencast?

Yes, opencast supports syncing your subscriptions and episode progress with iCloud, allowing for a seamless experience across your iPhone and iPad.

### Is opencast available on Android devices?

Based on the provided data, opencast is currently supported on iPhone and iPad. Information regarding Android support is not available.

### How often is opencast updated?

The latest version of opencast is 1.3.0, and it was last updated on June 23, 2026. This indicates a recent update, suggesting active development.

### What is the age rating for opencast?

opencast has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for a wide range of users. This rating is based on general content appropriateness.

### Does opencast have ads?

No, opencast does not contain advertisements. The app is designed to be free of clutter, focusing solely on the podcast listening experience.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 2026.9.2 — 2026-09-18

opencast 2026.9.2 requires iOS 27 and brings recap and ask to transcripts, siri actions and a resume widget, twelve app icons, and a rebuilt settings tab.

• recap any episode that has a transcript: the last five minutes, or everything so far, as a few bullets with times you can tap to jump there. it runs on apple intelligence, so transcript passages go to apple's private cloud compute and never to opencast, your audio is never sent, results stay on your device, and it doesn't cost transcription minutes
• ask about an episode and get answers drawn only from its transcript, each with tappable citations. if the transcript does not cover your question, opencast says so instead of guessing
• siri and shortcuts: resume playback, play an episode, play a show's latest unplayed episode, add an episode to up next, and search. a new small widget picks your current episode back up from the home screen
• twelve app icons to choose from in settings, ember through abyss. your pick stays on this device and never syncs (thank you @dpassen!)
• settings is now a hub of focused screens, and a new help section
• remote transcripts no longer lose a stretch of speech after a pause or a musical interlude
• voice boost no longer drops in volume when playback switches over to your finished download

full release notes: https://github.com/connlark/opencast/releases/tag/2026.9.2

### 2026.9.1 — 2026-09-08

opencast 2026.9.1 reads the whole feed, jumps to the moment you tapped, and writes the chapters a show never did.

• generate chapters and a summary for any episode with a transcript
• shows with enormous back catalogs now load completely, up to 100,000 episodes, with full notes for every one
• tap a timestamp in show notes to jump straight to that moment
• playback prefers your downloaded copy and switches to it the instant a download finishes, without losing your place. automatic ad skips only apply when the audio matches the transcript they came from
• find more shows: apple-ranked search with podcast index filling the gaps. when a show has two very different feeds, opencast recommends the fuller current one or lets you pick the archive
• episode diagnostics replaces episode info: copy or share a full report, check whether the feed and audio urls respond, and share the audio file itself
• **much** lower battery use while playing in the background
• dozens of fixes: downloads, transcripts, ad analysis, and chapters stay attached when a show changes episode ids, purchases and billing recover from interruptions, rss dates and entities parse more reliably, and sync and data reset are safer

full release notes: https://github.com/connlark/opencast/releases/tag/2026.9.1

### 2026.8.2 — 2026-08-25

opencast 2026.8.2 makes it easier to line up what you want to hear, find an episode, and skip the parts you always pass over.

• add episodes with play next or play last, then open up next from now playing to play, reorder, remove, or clear them. the queue survives app relaunches and advances automatically when an episode finishes
• browse your up next queue from carplay
• find episodes faster with a new private, on-device search index. full text search now ranks titles, show notes, and local transcripts, recognizes partial words and many small typos, and shows better matching snippets
• set automatic intro and outro skips for each podcast. enter exact times or adjust them in five-second steps; the settings sync with your subscription
• when the final episode finishes, now playing shows a clear finished screen with replay and done actions
• remote transcription now estimates remaining time earlier, handles overlapping source checks more reliably, and uses a more direct processing path for common mp3 files
• finishing or dismissing playback is smoother

full release notes: https://github.com/connlark/opencast/releases/tag/2026.8.2

### 2026.8.1 — 2026-08-07

opencast 2026.8.1 brings your podcasts to carplay and siri, with major improvements to feeds, listening history, transcripts, and reliability.

• browse inbox, library, and downloads in carplay. start or resume an episode, change playback speed, and control voice boost from now playing
• ask siri to play your subscribed podcasts in opencast
• unsubscribing now keeps listening history by default, so played episodes and positions return if you subscribe again. you can still clear a show’s history during removal or clear history for all unfollowed shows from settings
• transcript follow-along now verifies that playback matches the audio used for transcription. opencast can switch to the matching downloaded copy automatically and warns when timing cannot be trusted
• smart resume rewinds a few seconds when you return to an episode, with more context after longer breaks
• pull down on a podcast page to search its episodes. podcast discovery now uses your local itunes storefront when available
• feed rows and podcast pages show clearer refresh health, including partial-feed recovery and new-episode notification polling issues
• new-episode notifications can catch up with as many as three missed episodes per show

this release also includes a refreshed app icon!!! 

full release notes: https://github.com/connlark/opencast/releases/tag/v2026.8.1

### 2026.7.2 — 2026-07-29

opencast 2026.7.2 adds optional remote transcription and more control over every podcast.

• request a high-quality server-generated transcript from episode actions. remote transcription includes one complimentary hour, shows estimated usage before starting, and offers optional hour packs in Settings.
• search within a podcast, sort episodes by date or length, filter by listening or download status, resume your most recent episode, mark all played, and manage a show’s downloads and automatic ad detection.
• choose Apple transcription for new on-device transcripts on supported devices, with whisper as the fallback.
• transcript highlighting now follows playback more accurately, especially around line changes.
• voice Boost adds more robust on/off transitions, refined dynamics, true-peak protection, and more efficient processing.
• ad detection is more reliable for long episodes and can resume after interruptions.
• new-episode notifications now adapt to each show’s publishing schedule, alongside additional reliability and performance improvements throughout.

on-device transcription stays on your device. optional remote transcription sends episode audio to opencast’s Cloudflare-hosted service only when you request it; temporary audio and transcript data are deleted under the retention terms in the privacy policy. ad detection sends transcript text—not episode audio—and the analysis service does not retain it.

full release notes: https://github.com/connlark/opencast/releases/tag/v2026.7.2

## More apps by Connor Larkin

- [Crypto Dividend Tracker](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crypto-dividend-tracker/id1424173972)
- [Annex B](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/annex-b/id6792915601)

All apps by Connor Larkin: https://appshunter.io/developer/1127199131

---

*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-19.*