Comparison

Rippple vs PulsarCast

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Rippple

Discover trending movies and TV shows, track your viewing history, and share your thoughts with a vibrant community. Find where to stream content and manage your watchlists with customizable options.

Highlights
  • Discover trending and popular content
  • Track watched movies and episodes
  • Share comments and ratings
  • Find where to stream content
  • Manage watch history and lists
  • Customizable app appearance
  • Cross-device synchronization
Features
Read full description

Rippple Mark II is available and should be used instead for the best and most up-to-date experience. This legacy version remains available for existing users, but it no longer receives new features and will eventually reach end of life. ___ Rippple is a Trakt client. You'll need to sign in to a Trakt account to use Rippple. Rippple uses the Trakt.tv and the TMDb API but is not endorsed or certified by Trakt or TMDb. Some features may be limited by the API used. Rippple respects the limits imposed by Trakt and TMDb. Rippple provides "Where to Watch?" information provided by JustWatch via TMDb but can't be used to actually watch movies or TV shows. Rippple's Terms of Use can be found at​ terms.ripppleapp.com.

About

PulsarCast

Features
Read full description

PulsarCast is the podcast app we always wanted: fast, private and focused on listening. Bring your podcasts with you, organize them your way, and listen without ads, trackers or unnecessary clutter. WHY LISTENERS SWITCH • Follow any podcast by search, RSS, private feed or Spotify show link • Import and export OPML so your library stays yours • Organize shows into colored lists and continuous queues • Download new episodes automatically for offline listening • Use Voice Boost, Smart Speed and pitch-corrected playback speed • Navigate chapters, links, sleep timer and configurable skip buttons • Sync your library, queue and progress with an optional passwordless account • Listen on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and CarPlay • Personalize the app with themes, colors, icons and a calmer home screen PRIVATE BY DESIGN PulsarCast has no ads, no third-party trackers and we never sell your data. The core podcast player works without an account. PULSARCAST ULTRA Ultra is optional. It unlocks AI listening tools, personal audio, advanced smart-list automations, web access and deeper customization. With Ultra you can: • Turn articles, links, PDFs and pasted text into listenable episodes • Ask questions about an episode or your whole library • Get summaries, cited links and skippable-section detection • Upload your own audio and listen everywhere • Automate downloads, alerts, queue rules and cleanup • Use the full PulsarCast experience on the web The core podcast player stays free. Ultra is available as an optional auto-renewable monthly or yearly subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple Account. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel in your Apple Account settings. Privacy Policy: https://pulsarcast.com/privacy Terms of Use: https://pulsarcast.com/terms

Screenshots

Rippple1 screens
PulsarCast4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: PulsarCast at every 4 days against Rippple's every 5 weeks. PulsarCast also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Rippple sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and PulsarCast sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $6.00 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Rippple ships an update every 5 weeks, PulsarCast every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Rippple versus PulsarCast: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRippplePulsarCast
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (88 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews63.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings88 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS26.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size145 MB38 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperKevin CadorGreat Heights Systems S.L.

Bugs and requests

Rippple

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • Trakt auto log out persists
  • App not loading anything
  • 404 error when logging in
  • Sync issues with Trakt.tv
  • Likes and comments routinely fail
Show 4 more
  • App icon issue after update
  • Cannot hide profile sidebar on iPad
  • Splash screen only, app won't open
  • Constant authorization requests for Trakt.tv

Requested features

16 requests
  • iCloud sync instead of Trakt
  • Lifetime subscription option
  • Sort watchlist by recently added
  • Add multiple countries/services to 'Where to Watch'
  • Search directly within watchlist
Show 11 more
  • Calendar of upcoming episodes
  • Dark theme/mode
  • iPad app availability
  • WatchOS and tvOS app
  • Letterboxd integration
  • Filter/sort activity by year
  • More complete activity view
  • Grid view as default
  • Option to display specific user-created playlists in 'Up Next'
  • Show IMDb score in search and details
  • Ability to select year when marking as watched

PulsarCast

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Rippple

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Premium Experience$0.991 Month
  • Yearly Premium Experience14 Days trial$8.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Premium Experience$29.99
3 purchases

PulsarCast

Subscriptions3
  • PulsarCast Ultra$6.001 Month
  • PulsarCast Plus7 Days trial$9.991 Year
  • PulsarCast Ultra$60.001 Year

Questions

Is Rippple free?
Rippple is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PulsarCast free?
PulsarCast is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Rippple or PulsarCast have ads?
Neither Rippple nor PulsarCast shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Rippple or PulsarCast?
Rippple ships an update every 5 weeks, and PulsarCast every 4 days. Most recently, Rippple was updated on October 5, 2026 and PulsarCast on October 12, 2026.

Other comparisons