opencast

What opencast is

Opencast is a podcast app for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Vision that detects ad breaks in podcast transcripts and skips matches it considers confident. Listeners can subscribe to any RSS feed, including private feeds, and download episodes for offline listening. On-device transcripts support tap-to-seek, follow-along highlighting, and searching across a library. The player includes Voice Boost, Up Next, playback speed, a sleep timer, AirPlay, per-show intro and outro skipping, Siri, and CarPlay. The Free plan costs nothing and includes ad skipping and on-device transcription. Chapters and summaries are optional paid features available on request; listings also include 20 and 100 transcription hours without prices. The maker says there are no accounts, ads, analytics, or tracking SDKs, and listening data stays on-device by default. Optional iCloud sync stores subscriptions, progress, and playlists in the user's private iCloud database. Optional cloud transcription uses Whisper on Cloudflare Workers AI, with audio kept only while a job runs, according to the maker. Ad analysis and optional Chapters and summaries send transcript text, not audio, to services using Google's Gemini models. The source is available under the MIT license. The app requires iOS, iPadOS, macOS, or visionOS 26 or later; Mac support requires Apple M1 or later.

Who it suits

Opencast suits podcast listeners who want to manage their own subscriptions, including private RSS feeds, and use transcripts to navigate episodes. Its Apple-platform requirements make it relevant to people using supported iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Vision devices.

Limits

The free plan includes ad skipping and on-device transcription. Chapters and summaries are optional paid features; separate transcription-hour plans list 20 and 100 hours, with no prices stated.

Getting started

1. Visit https://opencast.mobile/.
2. Use a compatible iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Vision device.
3. Get the app through its App Store listing.
4. Subscribe to an RSS feed, including a private feed if needed.
5. Use the free plan for ad skipping and on-device transcription.

Verdict

Opencast pairs transcript-based ad skipping with RSS subscriptions, offline listening, and transcript navigation. Check the listed Apple OS requirements, and note that some features use optional cloud services.