5 self-hosted options
Open-source alternatives to Pocket Casts
The best open-source alternative to Pocket Casts is Audiobookshelf (GPL-3.0, 14,795 GitHub stars, Docker image). AzuraCast stands out for the longest track record (since 2016), and Pinepods follows.
About Pocket Casts: A podcast player and discovery app.
Updated · data from GitHub, refreshed daily
Top picks
- Rank 1:
Audiobookshelf
advplyr/audiobookshelf
Audiobook and podcast server. It streams all audio formats, keeps and syncs progress across devices. Comes with apps for Android and iOS.
Active · last commit Oct 23, 2026
Music StreamingJavaScriptDockerStands out for the most GitHub stars.
- Rank 2:
AzuraCast
AzuraCast/AzuraCast
Modern and accessible web radio management suite.
Active · last commit Oct 25, 2026
Music StreamingPHPDockerStands out for the longest track record (since 2016).
- Rank 3:
Pinepods
madeofpendletonwool/PinePods
Podcast management system with multi-user support. Pinepods utilizes a central database so aspects like listen time and themes follow from device to device.
Active · last commit Oct 24, 2026
Music StreamingRustDocker
At a glance
Pocket Casts alternatives compared
Open-source apps come first, then source-available ones and apps whose license appsgit could not verify; within each group, projects with at least 12 commits in the last 12 months come before less active or archived ones, then by GitHub stars.
| App | Stands out for | License | GitHub stars | Commits (12 mo) | Last commit | Docker image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audiobookshelf | the most GitHub stars | GPL-3.0 | 14,795 | 505 | Oct 23, 2026 | Yes |
| AzuraCast | the longest track record (since 2016) | AGPL-3.0 | 4,075 | 325 | Oct 25, 2026 | Yes |
| Pinepods | – | GPL-3.0 | 1,030 | 487 | Oct 24, 2026 | Yes |
| LibreTime | – | AGPL-3.0 | 938 | 122 | Oct 25, 2026 | Yes |
| PodFetch | the most commits in the last 12 months (632) | Apache-2.0 | 519 | 632 | Oct 24, 2026 | Yes |
Full list
All 5 Pocket Casts alternatives
Open any app for live stats, license details and a deploy option.
- 1
Audiobookshelf
Audiobook and podcast server. It streams all audio formats, keeps and syncs progress across devices. Comes with apps for Android and iOS.
Music StreamingDockerStands out for the most GitHub stars. Audiobookshelf has 14,795 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 505 commits in the last year.
- 2
AzuraCast
Modern and accessible web radio management suite.
Music StreamingDockerStands out for the longest track record (since 2016). AzuraCast has 4,075 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 325 commits in the last year.
- 3
Pinepods
Podcast management system with multi-user support. Pinepods utilizes a central database so aspects like listen time and themes follow from device to device.
Music StreamingDockerPinepods has 1,030 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 487 commits in the last year.
- 4
LibreTime
Broadcast streaming radio on the web (fork of Airtime).
Music StreamingDockerLibreTime has 938 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 122 commits in the last year.
- 5
PodFetch
Sleek and efficient podcast downloader.
Media ManagementDockerStands out for the most commits in the last 12 months (632). PodFetch has 519 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 632 commits in the last year.
Is there a free alternative to Pocket Casts?
Yes. All 5 apps on this page are open source and free to self-host, so you can replace Pocket Casts without per-user fees. You pay only for the server.
Can I self-host an alternative to Pocket Casts with Docker?
Yes. All 5 apps here publish a Docker image, including Audiobookshelf, AzuraCast and Pinepods, so you can run them on a home server or VPS with Docker Compose.
Which Pocket Casts alternative is the most actively developed?
PodFetch (Apache-2.0), with 632 commits in the last 12 months. Activity is a good sign that bugs and security issues get fixed.
How is this list ranked?
Open-source apps come first, then source-available ones and apps whose license appsgit could not verify; within each group, projects with at least 12 commits in the last 12 months come before less active or archived ones, then by GitHub stars.