Castopod is free, open-source podcast hosting software with ActivityPub, Podcasting 2.0 support, and self-hosting. See features, pricing, and use cases.
Castopod is a free and open-source podcast hosting platform created by the French company Ad Aures. Released under the AGPL-3.0 license and built on the CodeIgniter4 PHP framework, it can be installed on any server the podcaster controls, deployed through one-click hosting providers, or accessed via Ad Aures' own managed hosting service at Castopod.com.
The platform is best known for pairing full Podcasting 2.0 support with native ActivityPub integration, making every hosted podcast a Fediverse account that listeners on Mastodon and similar networks can follow and comment on directly.
Castopod supports the modern Podcasting 2.0 RSS tags — persistent GUIDs, locked feeds, transcripts, chapters, funding links, contributor/person tags, episode locations, and soundbites — and distributes episodes to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Deezer, Podcast Addict, and the Podcast Index. Every podcast is also a native ActivityPub (Fediverse) account, so listeners can follow shows and reply to episodes from Mastodon or other federated networks, and those interactions display as comments inside Castopod. The platform includes built-in download analytics, a plugin architecture for extending functionality, and full data portability since self-hosted installations keep all media files and subscriber data under the podcaster's control.
Castopod's core software is free and open source with no license cost. Self-hosters pay only for their own server or a third-party managed-hosting provider's fee. Ad Aures also runs Castopod.com, a managed hosting option that includes a set number of free downloads per plan with additional bandwidth and storage billed at a small usage-based rate, letting creators avoid running their own infrastructure while still using the open-source platform.
The Castopod software itself is free and open source under the AGPL-3.0 license. Self-hosting costs only what your server or hosting provider charges; Ad Aures' managed Castopod.com service adds a small usage-based fee for storage beyond the free allowance.
Each podcast hosted on Castopod is automatically given a Fediverse (ActivityPub) account, so users on Mastodon and similar networks can follow the show and reply to episodes, with those replies appearing as comments in Castopod.
Yes. Castopod is open source and designed to be self-hosted on your own server, and it is also available through one-click hosting providers such as Elestio, Cloudron, and Klutch.
Yes, Castopod supports Podcasting 2.0 RSS tags including transcripts, chapters, funding, soundbites, persons, locations, and locked GUIDs.
Castopod is developed by Ad Aures, a French podcast technology company.