Podchaser

Podchaser is a podcast database and search engine for finding shows, episodes, creators, audience insights, and sponsorship information. Its site lets users search and browse more than 5.5 million podcasts and find episodes by topic. Podcast credits show hosts, guests, voice actors, and crew, while community lists can be browsed or created and shared. Podchaser Pro provides reach and listener demographic information for research and campaign planning. It can also monitor custom keywords, people, or organizations in podcast transcripts; new users who sign up after requesting a demo receive five free alerts. The API offers metadata, creator credits, audience data, transcripts, charts, contacts, sponsor information, and brand safety ratings, with higher tiers unlocking more data types. Access includes a self-serve REST API and an Enterprise GraphQL API, with enterprise options such as S3 delivery, custom data, bespoke SLAs, and dedicated support. Starter costs $30 a month for 1,000 requests, 25 results per search, and medium rate limits. Podchaser is available on web, Android, and iOS through an installable progressive web app, but has no native app-store app.

Podchaser combines podcast discovery and credits with professional audience data and API options. Starter has defined request and search limits, and mobile access is through its progressive web app rather than a native app-store app.

Podchaser suits podcast listeners who want to explore shows, episodes, credits, and community lists. Podchaser Pro and the API are aimed at marketers, brands, PR teams, networks, and other users working with podcast data.

Podchaser is a large podcast directory that combines show and episode search with creator credits, audience intelligence, and data services. It fits listeners, researchers, marketers, PR teams, and podcast networks, but the value rises sharply once you need professional audience or API access.

Its broad catalog and unusually detailed credits make discovery and outreach more useful than a basic podcast index; the main compromise is that serious analytics and meaningful API capacity sit behind paid plans.

Overview

Founded in 2016 in the United States, Podchaser organizes more than 5.5 million podcasts and their episodes. Search by show or topic, inspect the people involved, and use community lists to find programming through other listeners’ recommendations. The service also covers audience insights and sponsorship information, so it can serve both everyday discovery and commercial research.

That range makes Podchaser a better fit for someone researching a market, guest, competitor, or campaign than for a listener who only wants a simple playback catalog. Free access handles discovery, while professional work depends on Podchaser Pro or its API products.

Key features

Episode discovery by topic gives researchers a way into the catalog beyond podcast titles. Credits identify hosts, guests, voice actors, and crew, creating a practical starting point for guest booking, media outreach, and creator research. Community-curated podcast and episode lists add human organization, and users can publish and share lists of their own.

Podchaser Pro supplies podcast reach and listener demographic information for campaign planning and research. Its monitoring tools track custom keywords, people, or organizations in podcast transcripts. A new user who requests a demo receives five free alerts, enough to judge whether transcript monitoring is relevant before adopting it for ongoing work.

The API exposes podcast metadata, creator credits, audience data, transcripts, charts, contacts, sponsor information, and brand-safety ratings. Higher tiers unlock more data types. The self-serve REST API suits a defined integration, while the Enterprise GraphQL API is aimed at larger data operations and can add S3 delivery, custom data, bespoke service-level agreements, and dedicated account support. Enterprise authentication uses OAuth 2; regular access tokens should not be exposed to end users.

Live integrations listed by Podchaser include TeePublic, My Podcast Reviews, Podnews, Pod Status, and PodcastGuru. Support is offered through live chat messenger or email.

Pricing

Podchaser uses a freemium model. The free plan is appropriate for browsing shows, episodes, credits, and community lists, but it does not provide the paid service’s professional capacity.

Starter — $30.00 per month

Starter is the entry API plan for a small integration or a team validating a data workflow. It includes 1,000 requests per month, a maximum of 25 results per search, and medium rate limits. Those caps are manageable for lightweight lookups, but restrictive for bulk collection, broad discovery, or applications with many users.

Enterprise — custom pricing

Enterprise removes the Starter quotas with unlimited requests and unlimited search results, plus enterprise rate limits. It includes the GraphQL API, S3 delivery, custom data, bespoke SLAs, and enterprise support. This is the sensible choice for production-scale data delivery or organizations that need contractual support and tailored outputs; the trade-off is a sales-led, custom-priced purchase rather than a predictable subscription.

Platforms

Podchaser is offered on the web, Android, and iOS, with API access for software teams. It has no native app-store application. Instead, its progressive web app can be installed from Android, iOS, and desktop browsers, providing cross-platform access without a conventional mobile download.

Who it's for

Listeners get a broad discovery catalog, topic-based episode search, credits, and community lists. Marketers, brands, PR teams, and networks are better served by Pro’s reach, demographic, and transcript-monitoring tools for advertising, guest booking, content acquisition, and outreach. Developers and data teams should consider Starter for modest API usage and Enterprise when quotas, data delivery, or support requirements exceed a self-serve setup.

Pros and cons

• Pro: More than 5.5 million podcasts provide substantial discovery breadth.
• Pro: Credits cover hosts, guests, voice actors, and crew, supporting detailed outreach research.
• Pro: Pro combines audience demographics with transcript monitoring and five demo-request alerts.
• Pro: The API spans metadata, transcripts, charts, contacts, sponsors, and brand-safety ratings.
• Con: Starter limits usage to 1,000 requests monthly and 25 search results, which can constrain growing products.
• Con: Enterprise capabilities require custom pricing and a sales process.
• Con: Mobile access is through an installable web app rather than a native app-store app.

Alternatives

For a listener focused on Apple-device playback and a large free catalog, choose Apple Podcasts instead; it runs on iOS, macOS, web, and Windows, with millions of free shows and creator-set premium subscriptions.

Podash is an alternative for users seeking a freemium podcast app centered on Apple platforms.

Mondo Metrics is better suited to organizations prepared for analytics plans starting at $1,000 per month and a demo-led purchase.

Choose Hypecast Analytics instead when desktop production support matters, including its free Windows plan with three cameras and three microphones.

Magellan AI is an alternative for API and web users seeking verified download data or a full platform through a custom demo.

Podtrac offers a free basic measurement option and paid growth features for show promotion and attribution.

OP3 is a free, independent podcast-prefix analytics service with public stats and no signup requirement.

PodcastStats.com suits smaller publishers wanting a free tier with up to 10,000 downloads per month and seven-day retention, or a $19 monthly Premium plan.

For a broader comparison, see Podcast Analytics Software.

Verdict

Choose Podchaser if you need podcast discovery joined to creator credits and professional audience or API data, especially for outreach, campaign planning, or network research. Look elsewhere if you only want a native mobile app, unrestricted entry-level API usage, or a simpler analytics service with transparent low-cost limits.