Apple Podcasts

Apple Podcasts is the platform that established podcasting as a distribution format, and it remains a primary channel for English-language shows.

It works on an open model: the directory points at RSS feeds hosted elsewhere, so submitting a show does not hand over control of the files or the audience. That openness is why podcasting never became a single-platform medium.

Its charts and category rankings carry weight in the industry, and its subscription support gives shows a route to paid content without leaving the app.