Softwr

Software · head to head

Pocketcasts vs Transistor

Pocketcasts logo

Pocketcasts

Software

The powerful podcast player for serious listeners

From
Free
Rated
-
Transistor logo

Transistor

Software

Professional podcast hosting for businesses and creators

From
$19/month
Rated
-

The short version

  • Only Pocketcasts has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Pocketcasts two paid tiers above the free app: Plus and Patron, but no figures are shown in the fetchable page content; Transistor starter plan at $19 per month caps monthly downloads at 20,000
  • They diverge on capability: Pocketcasts covers Podcast discovery, Transistor covers Unlimited podcasts.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Pocketcasts and Transistor actually diverge.

Attributes where Pocketcasts and Transistor differ
AttributePocketcastsTransistor
Starting priceFree$19/month
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsIos, Android, Web, Windows, MacosWeb
Founded20102018

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Pocketcasts

  • Podcast discovery
  • Variable speed playback
  • Silence trimming
  • Cross-device sync
  • Custom filters
  • Apple Watch
  • Wear OS
  • Sonos

Only in Transistor

  • Unlimited podcasts
  • Private podcasting
  • Advanced analytics
  • Team collaboration
  • Custom branding
  • API access
  • Apple Podcasts
  • Spotify

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Pocketcasts

  • Podcast listeningnot Transistor
  • Audio content consumptionnot Transistor
  • Learning on the gonot Transistor

Transistor

  • Hosting and distributing multiple podcasts from one accountnot Pocketcasts
  • Running private, subscriber-only podcast feedsnot Pocketcasts
  • Publishing podcast websites and inserting dynamic audio adsnot Pocketcasts

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Pocketcasts

  • Two paid tiers above the free app: Plus and Patron, but no figures are shown in the fetchable page content

Transistor

  • Starter plan at $19 per month caps monthly downloads at 20,000
  • Private podcast subscribers are capped at 50 on Starter and 500 on Professional
  • Dynamic ad insertion and auto-posting to YouTube require the $49 per month Professional plan or higher
  • Removing Transistor branding requires the $99 per month Business plan
  • Enterprise plans above 250,000 monthly downloads start at $199 per month and require contacting the vendor

Pricing, plan by plan

Pocketcasts

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited podcasts
    • Cross-device sync
    • Playback effects
  • Plus$39.99/year
    • Desktop apps
    • Cloud storage 10GB
    • Extra themes

Transistor

$19/month
  • Starter$19/month
    • Unlimited podcasts
    • 10,000 downloads/month
    • Basic analytics
  • Professional$49/month
    • Unlimited podcasts
    • 50,000 downloads/month
    • Advanced analytics
  • Business$99/month
    • Unlimited podcasts
    • 150,000 downloads/month
    • Full analytics
  • Enterprise$199/month
    • Unlimited everything
    • 300,000+ downloads
    • Priority support

Which should you pick?

Choose Pocketcasts if

  • You need podcast discovery.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Ios, Android, Web, Windows, Macos.
  • You also want variable speed playback.

Choose Transistor if

  • You need unlimited podcasts.
  • You also want private podcasting.

Questions people ask

Is Pocketcasts or Transistor better?
Neither clearly leads. Pocketcasts starts at Free and Transistor at $19/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Pocketcasts or Transistor?
Pocketcasts has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Pocketcasts and $19/month for Transistor.
Does Pocketcasts or Transistor run on more platforms?
Pocketcasts runs on Ios, Android, Web, Windows, Macos. Transistor runs on Web.
Can I use Pocketcasts for free?
Yes. Pocketcasts has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Transistor starts at $19/month.
What is Pocketcasts best used for?
Pocketcasts is most often used for podcast listening, audio content consumption, learning on the go. Of those, podcast listening and audio content consumption are not what Transistor is typically brought in for.
What can Pocketcasts do that Transistor cannot?
Pocketcasts covers Podcast discovery, Variable speed playback, Silence trimming, Cross-device sync. Transistor covers Unlimited podcasts, Private podcasting, Advanced analytics, Team collaboration. Both handle Web support.

Related pages

Other head to heads