SmallTube vs OpenPod
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SmallTube
A native iOS client for watching videos, offering ad-free viewing with picture-in-picture and background playback. Enjoy a streamlined experience for embeddable content.
- Ad-free viewing
- Picture-in-picture playback
- Background playback
- Native iOS experience
- Embeddable video support
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A simple and native YouTube client for iOS with no ads, picture-in-picture, and background playback. For picture-in-picture to work, toggle it while in fullscreen and then exit to home. After that, background playback will also work! Limitations: - Only embeddable video can play (most songs and copyrighted material are not available) - The app requires an API key from the YouTube Data API. You can easily create one for free.
OpenPod
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OpenPod is podcast player that gives you control. Add any podcast by pasting its RSS feed URL — if it has a feed, you can listen. **Why OpenPod?** Most podcast apps decide what you can discover. OpenPod doesn't. Paste any RSS feed URL and start listening immediately — no account required, no email, no signup. **What you can do:** • Add any public podcast RSS feed with one tap • Play video podcasts natively in the app • Control playback speed from 0.5× to 2x • Pick up where you left off — your library persists across launches **Privacy first.** OpenPod collects no personal data. Your listening history stays on your device. No analytics, no ads, no tracking. Ever. Whether you follow indie creators, language-learning shows, or video podcasts from your favorite network — if it has an RSS feed, OpenPod plays it.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: SmallTube at Free against OpenPod's $9.99. OpenPod's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.4). On update cadence, 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
SmallTube is free to download; OpenPod costs $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
SmallTube ships an update every 2 days, OpenPod every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SmallTube | OpenPod |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $9.99 |
| Rating | 2.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 days — better | Every 4 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.4 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 0 MB | 32 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Ioannis Notaris | Moruk LLC |
In-app purchases
SmallTube
No in-app purchases
OpenPod
No in-app purchases
