Pocket Casts, a podcast aggregation app, has switched to a freemium model which includes a free version for listeners and a premium version, Pocket Casts Plus, for subscribers. Previously, Pocket Casts ranged in price from $4 to $10 to download from the Google Play Store or the App Store. Instead of a one-time download fee, podcast fans can listen for free, or pay $0.99 per month or $9.99 per year for the premium version. Pocket Casts Plus allows subscribers to listen from a desktop app. It also gives them exclusive app icons and themes, as well as 10GB of cloud storage space.

Take your podcasting experience to the next level with exclusive access to features and customization options. Everything you love about Pocket Casts, plus more, says Pocket Casts on its Pocket Casts Plus landing page.

Pocket Casts CEO Owen Grover told The Verge that it was time to move beyond the one-time download business model which he feels is outdated.

Not because were trying to move users to Pocket Casts Plus and regain that revenue, but so we can better align with the open-access philosophy of our public media ownership, Grover told The Verge. In fact, we predict only a small percentage of power users will opt for Pocket Casts Plus.

Initially, Pocket Casts was going to give customers who had previously purchased the app three years of the premium service. After customers complained, Pocket Casts pivoted, giving customers who had paid for the app previously free lifetime access to Pocket Casts Plus. Grover talks about it in a September 19 blog post titled We heard you. Here is an excerpt:

We made some pretty big changes this week, and weve heard your feedback loud and clear. Although we intended to demonstrate our appreciation to our most loyal users, we know many of you feel we missed the mark. With that in mind, today weve decided to provide any user who previously purchased our web version with lifetime access to Pocket Casts Plus.

This includes the Mac and Windows apps as well. No renewal, no monthly charge, no questions asked. This means Desktop App purchasers will also gain access to all of the Pocket Casts Plus features on their mobile devices.

Hopefully, this gesture eliminates confusion and demonstrates our commitment to you, the loyal listeners whove helped build Pocket Casts into the platform it is today. We simply wouldnt be here without you. Well make this change as soon as we can, but please note that, until we do, you wont see it reflected in the app, wrote Grover.

Pocket Casts has a number of competitors, though this is not an apples to apples comparison. They dont all provide the same service or access to the same podcasts. (Ratings and number of downloads refer to the Google Play Store.)

• Google Podcasts (Android), 4.6 stars, 5M+ downloads
• Spotify (Android and iOS), 4.5 stars, 500M+ downloads
• Castbox (Android and iOS), 4.6 stars, 10M+ downloads
• Podcast Addict (Android), 4.7 stars, 5M+ downloads
• Stitcher (Android and iOS), 4.6 stars, 5M+ downloads
• Pocket Casts (Android and iOS, 3.1 stars, 1M+ downloads

In April, Android Central rated Pocket Casts its top staff pick for a podcast app. Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict, Castbox and Scout FM also made the list.

Insider Take:

Pocket Casts new business model may eliminate the companys revenue from one-time downloads, but it is replacing it with more sustainable income. Hopefully, this will help the company grow its customer base to better compete with other top podcasting apps. Though Pocket Casts announcement did not go over well with previous customers, we love that the company pivoted within two days, realizing they had made an unpopular decision that could cost them listeners. Listening to your customers and making necessary adjustments is critical to the long-term success of any subscription company.