Parasocial: A Podcast Player
Listen, Curate, Share Podcasts
Free · In‑App Purchases
Parasocial is free. Listen, curate, and share podcasts. New episodes the second they publish, smart playlists that fill themselves, no subscription required.
The free, feature-rich, blazing-fast podcast player. The optional support subscription adds only a Supporter badge. No ads from us, ever. No invasive tracking.
Native for iPhone, iPad, macOS, and now iPhone Duo. Sync across devices and get new episodes, not hours or days after they are released, but nearly instantly.
Turn Trim Gaps on and remove nearly 15 minutes of dead air in a 2-hour podcast. Studio Sound makes even archival podcasts sound buttery smooth.
*NEW* Level Ads turns down the volume on ads that are significantly louder than the shows they support. Dry your tears and save your ears.
*NEW* Listen, Curate, Share
Gather shows or episodes into a collection and share the set as one link; followers get the shows, not a snapshot, so it never goes out of date. The Curate tab holds everything you follow and share, with Discover underneath: public playlists and collections from Parasocial listeners from across the globe.
*NEW* Native iPhone Duo support from v1.8 on!
Wildly intuitive search. Find shows, episodes, or guests in your library or on any network.
Sharing and superlatives. Forget Collections; you can share podcast clips right to Instagram stories or through the share sheet.
Bookmarks. We've never understood the idea of favorites. Sometimes I just want to save an episode and tag it, so I know what it's about, and I can listen or share it again later. That's why we built bookmarks and tags. No more favorites. Bookmarks and tags.
PLUS: Everything else you'd expect from an expensive player, but for free.
Smart playlists from rules: every show, only the ones you pick, or all but a few; unplayed, in progress, or both; newest or oldest first; grouped by show.
Per-show priorities, ranked in your order.
Force a single episode in or out without breaking the rule that built the list.
Auto-download per playlist. New matches queue themselves.
Manual "Dumb" playlists, a built-in queue, Play Next, and pinning.
Chapters when the show publishes them, tap to jump.
Transcripts one swipe from the artwork, cached so reading never interrupts playback.
Sleep timer by minutes or at the end of the episode.
AirPlay, Bluetooth, lock screen, Control Center, background audio.
Share This Moment: the last 30 seconds as a story card or a short video, made for Instagram stories.
Widgets for the home and lock screen.
INSANE IMPORTING
OPML import, including extended exports with playlists, priorities, bookmarks, played state, and progress. The only player with a Spotify importer.
AND ONE MORE THING
Weekly and monthly Wrapped and Superlatives. Share your unhealthy relationship with friends and enemies.
Optional support: $2.99/month or $14.99/year; renews until canceled. Every feature above is free forever.
Support: support@parasocial.fm
Terms https://parasocial.fm/terms
Privacy https://parasocial.fm/privacy
more I’m really enjoying Parasocial. It was a super easy process to transfer my entire podcast library over from another platform and I appreciate the settings within each show that allows me to customize and enhance my listening experience.
Developer Response We are glad you are enjoying Parasocial and found the transfer process easy! Much more to come!
I’m really enjoying Parasocial. It was a super easy process to transfer my entire podcast library over from another platform and I appreciate the settings within each show that allows me to customize and enhance my listening experience.
We are glad you are enjoying Parasocial and found the transfer process easy! Much more to come!
Have been waiting for something like this to come along! 10/10, have told all my fellow podcast junkies as well.
Developer Response We're glad to hear you're enjoying Parasocial. Thank you for sharing your experience with others.
Have been waiting for something like this to come along! 10/10, have told all my fellow podcast junkies as well.
We're glad to hear you're enjoying Parasocial. Thank you for sharing your experience with others.
I found this app via an ad claiming to be free and having the same premium features as Pocket Casts.It might be free now, but you can see at the bottom of this App Store page that they have IAP’s for monthly and annual membership fees.I tried it anyway by exporting my podcasts subscriptions over. I played an episode that I hadn’t listened to yet and found that there wasn’t a Transcript feature which I rely on for saving quotes for later. It then tried to queue up every episode in the history of my podcasts subscriptions. I then uninstalled.I’m not happy with Pocket Casts (e. g. CarPlay shouldn’t require me pressing play on my iPhone to start listening), but this isn’t the replacement that was advertised.
Developer Response Hey Mattui! Those membership fees are optional. All the features remain free, but you can choose to support us. Not only did we fix the transcriptions for you, but we also made them easy to copy and paste large blocks of text. We just submitted it to the App Store for review, so expect it in tomorrow's build.We release a new build almost every day, so check back in a few days for that CarPlay update. It should be live by Monday, the latest.
I found this app via an ad claiming to be free and having the same premium features as Pocket Casts.It might be free now, but you can see at the bottom of this App Store page that they have IAP’s for monthly and annual membership fees.I tried it anyway by exporting my podcasts subscriptions over. I played an episode that I hadn’t listened to yet and found that there wasn’t a Transcript feature which I rely on for saving quotes for later. It then tried to queue up every episode in the history of my podcasts subscriptions. I then uninstalled.I’m not happy with Pocket Casts (e. g. CarPlay shouldn’t require me pressing play on my iPhone to start listening), but this isn’t the replacement that was advertised.
Hey Mattui! Those membership fees are optional. All the features remain free, but you can choose to support us. Not only did we fix the transcriptions for you, but we also made them easy to copy and paste large blocks of text. We just submitted it to the App Store for review, so expect it in tomorrow's build.We release a new build almost every day, so check back in a few days for that CarPlay update. It should be live by Monday, the latest.
Super fast and super simple! Love that you don’t have to sign up…just add your shows and get listening.
Developer Response We are glad you are enjoying Parasocial. We're hoping you find the joy in your pods again!
Super fast and super simple! Love that you don’t have to sign up…just add your shows and get listening.
We are glad you are enjoying Parasocial. We're hoping you find the joy in your pods again!
Various interface improvements and bug fixes.
1.8.6 14h ago
Trim Gaps stays smooth on long episodes, and played episodes sync reliably to a new device.
Various interface improvements and bug fixes.
1.8.5 2d ago
Our smart search just got faster.
Various interface improvements and bug fixes.
1.8.4 4d ago
On a charger, your phone now locks on its own while an episode plays, just like it does everywhere else.
1.8.3 5d ago
Level Ads. We're putting an end to ads that are louder than the podcasts themselves. Save your ears without missing a beat. It's on from the start, and you'll find it in Settings, under Playback.
Made for iPhone Duo. Unfold it and Parasocial opens up with it, sidebar and all. Fold it shut and you're right where you were.
1.8.2 Oct 7
Level Ads. We're putting an end to ads that are louder than the podcasts themselves. Save your ears without missing a beat. It's on from the start, and you'll find it in Settings, under Playback.
Made for iPhone Duo. Unfold it and Parasocial opens up with it, sidebar and all. Fold it shut and you're right where you were.
1.8.1 Oct 5
Level Ads. We're putting an end to ads that are louder than the podcasts themselves. Save your ears without missing a beat. It's on from the start, and you'll find it in Settings, under Playback.
Made for iPhone Duo. Unfold it and Parasocial opens up with it, sidebar and all. Fold it shut and you're right where you were.
1.8.0 Oct 3
New widgets. We've redesigned iOS and macOS widgets to be a little more spacious and easy to control.
Updated Instagram Sharing. Now, when you share a clip to Instagram, it shares from the starting position, not the ending position, which arguably is how it should have always been. Sorry to those who've had trouble.
Next Episode Start Time. Two builds ago, we introduced a playback bug when iPhone screens were locked. We've corrected it in this build.
Sorry. Our polling server got stuck on a bad feed for a few hours on September 29. We've introduced a safeguard so one bad feed doesn't stop the whole poll.
1.7.12 Oct 2
Small improvements behind the scenes.
1.7.11 Sep 30
Easier on your battery. Listening with the screen off now costs far less.
Instant notifications. The switch that used to say New episodes now says what it does: near-instant delivery of new episodes from your shows.
Play from search. Found a show you don't follow yet? Play any of its episodes right from the results. Shows now come before episodes.
Bug fixes. Resuming an episode continues the list it was played from.
1.7.10 Sep 28
Up Next plays next. Your queue is now the one thing that decides what plays after this episode, from any screen. When it is empty, the playlist or show you were listening to carries on.
See what is coming. The player shows the next episode and where it comes from. Tap it to open Up Next without leaving playback, reorder it, or clear it.
One name. The section on Home that used to share the Up Next name is now New from your shows: the newest unstarted episode from the shows you play most.
Search now finds episodes from any show, not just the ones you follow. Type a guest's name to see every episode they're on.
Bug fixes.
1.7.9 Sep 26
Search now finds episodes from any show, not just the ones you follow. Type a guest's name to see every episode they're on.
Bug fixes.
1.7.8 Sep 25
Transcripts are easier to find and read. When a show publishes one, tap Transcript in the player to follow along, and tap any paragraph to jump there. Fixes a bug where importing your library filled All Episodes with years of old episodes. Libraries already affected are cleaned up on the next refresh. An episode that can't load now says so instead of playing silence.
1.7.7 Sep 24
This release fixes several problems in the Mac app.
Bug fixes and usability improvements.
1.7.6 Sep 23
Collections can now share a name with the playlist they came from.
Deleting a collection removes it everywhere, including from your public page.
Home is simpler: Latest has moved to Library.
Playlist sync between your devices needs every device on this version. Update now.
Bug fixes and usability improvements.
1.7.5 Sep 21
Sort a show or a smart playlist by Longest first or Shortest first to find something that fits the time you have.
We Made A User Guide: Find it in Settings, in the Mac Help menu, and after every import.
Suggestions: just in case you don't know what to listen to next.
Bug fixes and usability improvements.
1.7.4 Sep 20
Downloaded episodes now appear in their own playlist. Plus, more updates that make managing your downloaded episodes easier.
1.7.2 Sep 17
Parasocial is now free. Every feature, on every device: iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Downloads, smart playlists, Curate, sync, all of it. The subscription is now an optional supporter tier; supporters wear a heart beside their name. Already subscribed? Thank you. You are a supporter now; cancel any time and keep everything.
Collections hold episodes now. Gather the exact episodes you pick into a collection, in your order. Playing one never removes it, and followers get the same list. Add to Collection sits in every episode menu and in the player.
Listed, or link only. A listed collection goes on your page and into Discover. An unlisted one opens only for the people you send the link to, and needs no username.
Share a playlist as a collection. Share on a playlist makes a collection from it and leaves the playlist exactly as it was.
Curate. Secure your username and allow your friends to follow along. Anyone with a link can follow and listen as you do.
Collections. Gather shows into a collection and share the set as one link. Followers get the shows, not a snapshot of episodes, so it never goes out of date. Add them all in one tap, or one at a time.
The Curate tab. Everything you follow and everything you share, in one place. Discover underneath lists public playlists and collections from every listener on Parasocial. Follow one and it stays in step with its curator.
Share a playlist as a story. A card with the first five episodes, ready for Instagram.
Awards. Milestones and every card you have earned, on one shelf, each one shareable. A notification when you earn one, and when a listener follows your playlist.
Bookmark folders. Your tag folders open from the Bookmarks page, with every bookmark listed under them.
Catch up on a whole show. A show's own menu marks every unplayed episode played in one step.
Select many at once on the Mac. Select turns a playlist into checkboxes: mark played, bookmark, download, or clear out a dozen episodes together.
Every toolbar and player button now says its own name to VoiceOver.
Smart playlists start from the shows you pick.
Moving from Spotify? parasocial.fm/export-spotify-podcasts reads your library and opens the list in Parasocial. One Subscribe adds every show.
Plus bug fixes and usability improvements.
1.7.0 Sep 14
Collections hold episodes now. Gather the exact episodes you pick into a collection, in your order. Playing one never removes it, and followers get the same list. Add to Collection sits in every episode menu and in the player.
Listed, or link only. A listed collection goes on your page and into Discover. An unlisted one opens only for the people you send the link to, and needs no username.
Share a playlist as a collection. Share on a playlist makes a collection from it and leaves the playlist exactly as it was.
Curate. Secure your username and allow your friends to follow along. Anyone with a link can follow and listen as you do.
Collections. Gather shows into a collection and share the set as one link. Followers get the shows, not a snapshot of episodes, so it never goes out of date. Add them all in one tap, or one at a time.
The Curate tab. Everything you follow and everything you share, in one place. Discover underneath lists public playlists and collections from every listener on Parasocial. Follow one and it stays in step with its curator.
Share a playlist as a story. A card with the first five episodes, ready for Instagram.
Awards. Milestones and every card you have earned, on one shelf, each one shareable. A notification when you earn one, and when a listener follows your playlist.
Bookmark folders. Your tag folders open from the Bookmarks page, with every bookmark listed under them.
Catch up on a whole show. A show's own menu marks every unplayed episode played in one step.
Select many at once on the Mac. Select turns a playlist into checkboxes: mark played, bookmark, download, or clear out a dozen episodes together.
Every toolbar and player button now says its own name to VoiceOver.
Smart playlists start from the shows you pick.
Moving from Spotify? parasocial.fm/export-spotify-podcasts reads your library and opens the list in Parasocial. One Subscribe adds every show.
Plus bug fixes and usability improvements.
1.6.0 Sep 12
Curate. Secure your username and allow your friends to follow along. Anyone with a link can follow and listen as you do.
Collections. Gather shows into a collection and share the set as one link. Followers get the shows, not a snapshot of episodes, so it never goes out of date. Add them all in one tap, or one at a time.
The Curate tab. Everything you follow and everything you share, in one place. Discover underneath lists public playlists and collections from every listener on Parasocial. Follow one and it stays in step with its curator.
Share a playlist as a story. A card with the first five episodes, ready for Instagram.
Awards. Milestones and every card you have earned, on one shelf, each one shareable. A notification when you earn one, and when a listener follows your playlist.
Bookmark folders. Your tag folders open from the Bookmarks page, with every bookmark listed under them.
Catch up on a whole show. A show's own menu marks every unplayed episode played in one step.
Select many at once on the Mac. Select turns a playlist into checkboxes: mark played, bookmark, download, or clear out a dozen episodes together.
Every toolbar and player button now says its own name to VoiceOver.
Smart playlists start from the shows you pick.
Moving from Spotify? parasocial.fm/export-spotify-podcasts reads your library and opens the list in Parasocial. One Subscribe adds every show.
Plus bug fixes and usability improvements.
1.5.7 Sep 11
Curate. Secure your username and allow your friends to follow along. Anyone with a link can follow and listen as you do.
Collections. Gather shows into a collection and share the set as one link. Followers get the shows, not a snapshot of episodes, so it never goes out of date. Add them all in one tap, or one at a time.
The Curate tab. Everything you follow and everything you share, in one place. Discover underneath lists public playlists and collections from every listener on Parasocial. Follow one and it stays in step with its curator.
Share a playlist as a story. A card with the first five episodes, ready for Instagram.
Awards. Milestones and every card you have earned, on one shelf, each one shareable. A notification when you earn one, and when a listener follows your playlist.
Bookmark folders. Your tag folders open from the Bookmarks page, with every bookmark listed under them.
Catch up on a whole show. A show's own menu marks every unplayed episode played in one step.
Select many at once on the Mac. Select turns a playlist into checkboxes: mark played, bookmark, download, or clear out a dozen episodes together.
Every toolbar and player button now says its own name to VoiceOver.
Plus bug fixes and usability improvements.
1.5.6 Sep 10
Curate. Secure your username and allow your friends to follow along. Anyone with a link can follow and listen as you do.
Collections. Gather shows into a collection and share the set as one link. Followers get the shows, not a snapshot of episodes, so it never goes out of date. Add them all in one tap, or one at a time.
The Curate tab. Everything you follow and everything you share, in one place. Discover underneath lists public playlists and collections from every listener on Parasocial. Follow one and it stays in step with its curator.
Share a playlist as a story. A card with the first five episodes, ready for Instagram.
Awards. Milestones and every card you have earned, on one shelf, each one shareable. A notification when you earn one, and when a listener follows your playlist.
Bookmark folders. Your tag folders open from the Bookmarks page, with every bookmark listed under them.
Catch up on a whole show. A show's own menu marks every unplayed episode played in one step.
Select many at once on the Mac. Select turns a playlist into checkboxes: mark played, bookmark, download, or clear out a dozen episodes together.
Every toolbar and player button now says its own name to VoiceOver.
1.5.4 Sep 9
Curate. Secure your username and allow your friends to follow along. Anyone with a link can follow and listen as you do.
Collections. Gather shows into a collection and share the set as one link. Followers get the shows, not a snapshot of episodes, so it never goes out of date. Add them all in one tap, or one at a time.
The Curate tab. Everything you follow and everything you share, in one place. Discover underneath lists public playlists and collections from every listener on Parasocial. Follow one and it stays in step with its curator.
Share a playlist as a story. A card with the first five episodes, ready for Instagram.
Awards. Milestones and every card you have earned, on one shelf, each one shareable. A notification when you earn one, and when a listener follows your playlist.
Bookmark folders. Your tag folders open from the Bookmarks page, with every bookmark listed under them.
Catch up on a whole show. A show's own menu marks every unplayed episode played in one step.
Select many at once on the Mac. Select turns a playlist into checkboxes: mark played, bookmark, download, or clear out a dozen episodes together.
Every toolbar and player button now says its own name to VoiceOver.
1.5.3 Sep 8
Curate. Secure your username and allow your friends to follow along. Anyone with a link can follow and listen as you do.
Collections. Gather shows into a collection and share the set as one link. Followers get the shows, not a snapshot of episodes, so it never goes out of date. Add them all in one tap, or one at a time.
The Curate tab. Everything you follow and everything you share, in one place. Discover underneath lists public playlists and collections from every listener on Parasocial. Follow one and it stays in step with its curator.
Share a playlist as a story. A card with the first five episodes, ready for Instagram.
Awards. Milestones and every card you have earned, on one shelf, each one shareable. A notification when you earn one, and when a listener follows your playlist.
Bookmark folders. Your tag folders open from the Bookmarks page, with every bookmark listed under them.
Catch up on a whole show. A show's own menu marks every unplayed episode played in one step.
Select many at once on the Mac. Select turns a playlist into checkboxes: mark played, bookmark, download, or clear out a dozen episodes together.
Every toolbar and player button now says its own name to VoiceOver.
1.5.2 Sep 8
Share the moment. Share from the player and the link opens right where you were: friends with Parasocial land on that exact second, and everyone else hears a preview from there on the web.
Episode previews carry the row's actions. Add to Playlist, Play Next, Add to Queue, Bookmark, Share, and Mark Played are all there, so an episode you found in Search files into a playlist without playing it first.
1.0.8 Sep 3
Various interface improvements and bug fixes.
more Version 1.8.6 14h ago
Data Linked to You The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:
Contact Info User Content Identifiers Usage Data Diagnostics 