Last updated 9 August 2026
If your current app can export an OPML file, podcasts.so can import it: Settings → Import from OPML. Not every app can export one — see the table below.
| App | Can export? | How |
|---|---|---|
| Apple Podcasts (iPhone) | No | Apple offers no export on iOS. Use a Mac, or search for your shows here directly. |
| Apple Podcasts (Mac) | Yes | File → Export Subscriptions |
| Spotify | No | No export. Search for your shows here. |
| YouTube Music | No | No export. |
| Pocket Casts | Yes | Profile → Settings → Import & Export OPML |
| Castro | Yes | Export Subscriptions, then share the file |
| Overcast | Yes, on the web | overcast.fm → Account → Export Your Data → OPML. It was removed from the iOS app in 2024. |
| AntennaPod | Yes | Settings → Import/Export |
| Podcast Addict | Yes | Settings → Backup/Restore |
These menus move. If one is wrong, tell us and we'll correct it.
Settings → Add by URL. It takes an RSS feed address or an Apple Podcasts link. Feeds you've added that way are listed under Settings → Manual feeds, where you can edit the URL later.
A private feed stays on your device — the login lives in your keychain and never reaches our servers, so our side can't fetch or read it. That means its episodes aren't indexed: a private show won't contribute topics, won't appear in transcript search, won't feed Trending, and won't sync to your other devices. It plays and downloads normally; it just isn't part of the discovery side of the app.
Yes. Enter the username and password under Private feed on that show's settings screen — or when adding it, and later under Settings → Manual feeds. Works for Patreon, Supporting Cast, or any members-only RSS. The password is stored in your device's keychain and is never sent to our servers, which means we can't fetch the feed for you: your device does it directly.
Settings → Export to OPML, any time. Your library is yours; we're not interested in holding it hostage.
Every episode we index is read for the subjects, people, and places discussed inside it. Those become topics. It means you can follow a subject across every show that covers it, instead of following shows and hoping they cover what you care about.
That's the point. Topics search what shows actually say, not what you already subscribe to — it's how you find something you'd never have looked for.
They're extracted automatically from episode titles, descriptions, and transcripts where we have them. Nothing is hand-curated, which is why coverage is uneven and occasionally odd.
Not from inside the app yet — corrections are made centrally for now. Email support@podcasts.so and we'll fix it. Duplicates from capitalisation and spelling differences are something we merge in bulk, so one report often fixes many.
Topics gaining attention right now, measured against their own recent baseline rather than raw volume — so a small topic spiking registers. You can set the market it's measured in under Settings → Trending region.
A deliberate running order you build — not everything you've ever started. Add to it from any episode; drag the handle on the left of a row — or long-press the row — to reorder.
Playback has a context: the queue, the latest across your shows, or one specific show. Starting something from a show page plays that show; pressing play on the mini-player continues whatever context you were already in.
Per show, from what the show itself declares: serialised shows play oldest first, episodic shows newest first. You can override it per show in that show's settings.
Sleep timer, playback speed, and skip forward / back.
Yes — CarPlay. One thing to know: after installing or reinstalling the app, open it once on your phone before expecting it in the car. That's an iOS requirement, not a bug.
Download episodes and they play with no connection. Clearing downloads only removes audio files — never your library, follows, or playback positions.
No. The app works fully as a guest, stored on your device. An account exists only to sync across devices and to keep your library if you change phones.
If you'd been using the app as a guest and your email already had an account, you'll be asked to merge — and you choose which of this device's podcasts to bring across. Podcasts already on the account you're signing into are never removed. If shows are still missing after that, email support@podcasts.so.
Furthest position wins, so picking up on another device never loses your place. Marking something unplayed is synced deliberately and won't be undone by a stale position from another device.
Check your spam folder first. Codes last 20 minutes. Delivery to some providers can be delayed by several minutes the first time we mail you — if the code has expired by the time it lands, request another.
Settings → Account → Delete account. It removes your account and its data — subscriptions, progress, and sign-in records — immediately and permanently. Downloaded audio on your device is yours to keep or clear.
Following topics, places and saved searches — so new episodes that match come to you as they publish; trending within the shows you follow; your listening stats; ad-free browsing; and search across all transcripts.
Promo slots inside the app's own screens — and only there. We will never insert ads into episode audio. What you hear is what the publisher put in the feed; we don't touch it, on Pro or free. Pro removes the in-app slots.
$2.99 / month or $19.99 / year.
Sign in with the same email — your subscription is tied to your account, not the device, so it should appear on its own. Failing that, Settings → Pro → Restore purchase.
Through Apple, not us: iPhone Settings → your name → Subscriptions. We can't cancel it for you, and we don't get told your payment details.
Pull down on your library to re-check every show you follow. If a show is still behind, its feed may have moved — send it to support@podcasts.so and we'll look.
Some publishers only list recent episodes in their feed. Where that happens we genuinely can't see the older ones.
Retry it from the episode. Downloads resume rather than restarting.
Check notifications are allowed for podcasts.so in iOS Settings, and that alerts are on under Settings → Alerts.
We show what the feed publishes, so it's usually wrong at the source. Tell us anyway — sometimes it's a stale copy on our side.
podcaster@podcasts.so — for listing corrections, a feed that's moved, or anything about how your show appears.
You can promote a show to listeners browsing the category it belongs to. The model is deliberately plain:
We're early and growing — so rather than publish a rate card that's out of date next month, email ads@podcasts.so and we'll tell you honestly where the numbers are before you spend anything. Shows must be suitable for a general audience, and we can decline anything.
We run our own analytics, on our own servers. There are no third-party advertising or analytics SDKs in the app, and we never sell or share your data with anyone.
What we collect: your email address if you create an account, and usage events tied to an anonymous device id — which screens and features you use, plus your app and OS version. We use it to improve the product and the overall experience: what to build on, and what isn't earning its place.
The privacy policy is the full version, including the handful of services that necessarily see something (email delivery, hosting, error reports).