# PodPulse vs opencast

The clearest difference is review sentiment: opencast at 88% against PodPulse's 0%. opencast also leads on ratings volume (8 vs 1). PodPulse's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.4) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). On price, update cadence, ads and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. opencast sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. PodPulse asks for nothing beyond the download.

PodPulse holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: opencast has 8 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 0% of PodPulse's written reviews are positive against 88% of opencast's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

PodPulse ships an update every 9 days, opencast every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PodPulse | opencast |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/podpulse/id6737267922/reviews)** | [4.4 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/opencast-podcast-player/id6766770733/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **8** |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | **87.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 10 days |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 6 MB | 76 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.6** | 27.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Dor Pascal](https://appshunter.io/developer/1773249483) | [Connor Larkin](https://appshunter.io/developer/1127199131) |

## What reviewers say

### PodPulse

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/podpulse/id6737267922)

This podcast player offers a clean, ad-free interface for an elegant listening experience. It features smart library management, refined playback controls, and a minimalistic design, all developed by an indie creator.

**Highlights:** Minimalistic design, Ad-free interface, Smart library management, Refined playback experience, Background playback, Indie-developed

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### opencast

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/opencast-podcast-player/id6766770733)

A native podcast client focused on direct RSS listening. Subscribe to shows, manage your library, and stream episodes with customizable playback controls. The app is open source and designed for a clutter-free listening experience.

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

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Siri integration, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

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


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PodPulse free?

PodPulse is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is opencast free?

opencast is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, PodPulse or opencast?

PodPulse is rated higher. PodPulse averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while opencast averages 4.4 from 8 ratings.

### Do PodPulse or opencast have ads?

Neither PodPulse nor opencast shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, PodPulse or opencast?

PodPulse ships an update every 9 days, and opencast every 10 days. Most recently, PodPulse was updated on October 24, 2026 and opencast on October 25, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*