# opencast vs Stacks

The clearest difference is rating: Stacks at 5.0 against opencast's 4.4. Stacks also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and update cadence (daily vs every 10 days). opencast's advantage is ratings volume (8 vs 2). On price, ads, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

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

Stacks holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 2 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 88% of opencast's written reviews are positive against 100% of Stacks's.

opencast ships an update every 10 days, Stacks daily. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | opencast | Stacks |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/opencast-podcast-player/id6766770733/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stacks-offline-reader/id6778920098/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **8** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 87.5% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days | **Daily** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 76 MB | 7 MB |
| Requires iOS | 27.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Connor Larkin](https://appshunter.io/developer/1127199131) | [Richard Russell](https://appshunter.io/developer/6778920100) |

## What reviewers say

### 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 |


### Stacks

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stacks-offline-reader/id6778920098)

A distraction-free reader for newsletters, blogs, and podcasts that downloads content for offline access. Enjoy your favorite content anywhere, even without an internet connection, with smart automatic downloads and a clean interface.

**Highlights:** Fully offline content access, Smart automatic downloading, Distraction-free reading interface, Built-in podcast player, Fast full-text search, Private by design, no account needed

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is opencast free?

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

### Is Stacks free?

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

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

Stacks is rated higher. opencast averages 4.4 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while Stacks averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do opencast or Stacks have ads?

Neither opencast nor Stacks shows ads.

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

opencast ships an update every 10 days, and Stacks daily. Most recently, opencast was updated on October 25, 2026 and Stacks on October 8, 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.*