Pocket Casts has long been considered one of the best podcast apps, but some of its best features are locked behind a paywall. But in an attempt to compete with Spotify and YouTube, one of them—its web player,

In a rare recent example of a product becoming more affordable (rather than moving full-speed in the opposite direction), the popular podcast service Pocket Casts no longer requires a subscription to access its web player and desktop apps.

"The future of podcasting shouldn't be locked behind walled gardens," writes the team at Pocket Casts. To push that point forward, Pocket Casts, owned by the company behind WordPress, Automattic Inc.,

As Spotify, Apple, and YouTube reshape the podcasting landscape, Pocket Casts is embracing the old tenants of freedom and decentralization.