Castopod or Audiobookshelf?

Castopod if you publish a show (the published Apple Podcasts path). Audiobookshelf if you subscribe and listen — /replace/audible.

AzuraCast is a radio station, not episode RSS. Put it on /best/podcast-hosting so a stream is not sold as a podcast.

Castopod and AzuraCast are AGPL-3.0. You pay hosting and storage. Template users never pay c17.

Same published show — /replace/buzzsprout. Funkwhale if the job is a federated library — /compare/castopod-vs-funkwhale.

Same published show — /replace/transistor.

Stacks / Newsletter

Medium

Castopod

A podcast you host. Castopod is AGPL-3.0 — Apple Podcasts without the hosted show seat.

The problem

Apple Podcasts is a hosted directory and a player. Buzzsprout and Transistor are the same hosted show-and-RSS seat. You wanted RSS, episodes, and a public show on hardware you control. Castopod is AGPL-3.0 (ad-aures/castopod is a GitHub mirror of code.castopod.org/adaures/castopod; last push 21 Oct 2026) — ActivityPub podcast hosting. Funkwhale is AGPL-3.0 federated audio (dev.funkwhale.audio/funkwhale/funkwhale; last push 24 Oct 2026) if the job is a library rather than episode RSS — /compare/castopod-vs-funkwhale. AzuraCast is AGPL-3.0 web radio, not an episode RSS feed. Audiobookshelf is the listener library already on /replace/audible — not a show you publish. Owncast is live — /replace/twitch. This is not Apple's every subscription SKU, Buzzsprout's every dynamic-ad SKU, Transistor's every private-podcast SKU, or Spotify exclusive distribution.

Replaces

Apple Podcasts / Buzzsprout / Transistor

Replace Apple Podcasts Replace Buzzsprout Replace Transistor See all best open-source podcast hosts

Estimated SaaS saved

$1,200

per year, small team, before lock-in

Start on Railway

Audiobookshelf if this is a library you listen to, not a show you publish

Sponsor this stack Tip jar

Placeholder: Castopod (PHP + a database + a volume for audio) as castopod.org documents. The GitHub repo is a read-only mirror of code.castopod.org. No one-click template in this repo yet — Start on Railway. A listener library stays on /stacks/audiobookshelf-books.

The stack

Castopod
AGPL-3.0 podcast host (Codeberg-shaped GitLab origin; GitHub is a mirror) — the published Apple Podcasts path
Catalog entry →
Funkwhale
AGPL-3.0 federated audio library (GitLab origin)
Catalog entry →
AzuraCast
AGPL-3.0 web radio if the job is a station, not episode RSS
Catalog entry →

Cost table

You stop paying	Typical / year	Self-host instead
Apple Podcasts / hosted show (small team)	$1,200	Castopod + an audio volume

Agent setup prompt

Replace Apple Podcasts hosting with Castopod (https://castopod.org).

- Official docs. GitHub ad-aures/castopod mirrors code.castopod.org. Persist the database and audio volume. Publish one episode RSS. Do not claim Apple subscriptions or Spotify exclusives.
- Audiobookshelf if the job is a library you listen to — /stacks/audiobookshelf-books. AzuraCast if the job is live radio.
- Write AGENT_PROMPT.md.

Also as markdown: /stacks/castopod-podcasts.md

FAQ

Castopod or Audiobookshelf?: Castopod if you publish a show (the published Apple Podcasts path). Audiobookshelf if you subscribe and listen — /replace/audible.
Is this AzuraCast?: AzuraCast is a radio station, not episode RSS. Put it on /best/podcast-hosting so a stream is not sold as a podcast.
Are these free?: Castopod and AzuraCast are AGPL-3.0. You pay hosting and storage. Template users never pay c17.
Buzzsprout?: Same published show — /replace/buzzsprout. Funkwhale if the job is a federated library — /compare/castopod-vs-funkwhale.
Transistor?: Same published show — /replace/transistor.