Podcast Guru

Podcast Guru is one of the more comprehensively Podcasting 2.0-implementing cross-platform players in this directory, built by Really Bad Apps LLC (the name is intentionally ironic). It's a straightforward player at first glance, but the depth of open-standard support underneath is unusual.

Origins

Podcast Guru is developed and maintained by Really Bad Apps LLC, which has been shipping cross-platform iOS and Android releases with genuine feature depth for several years. The app has become one of the reference clients other developers cite when they need to see what a new Podcasting 2.0 spec tag looks like in a real player.

Podcasting 2.0 depth

Podcast Guru supports the modern podcasting stack about as thoroughly as any cross-platform app on the market. That includes transcripts, chapters with clickable in-episode links and images, funding links (Patreon and similar), podcast:location, podcast:person credits for guests and hosts, Podping for real-time episode notifications, Podroll (publishers recommending other podcasts inside their feed), and Live Item support for streaming shows going live. Podcast Guru also integrates directly with Podchaser, so ratings, show creator profiles, and community reviews live alongside the episode metadata.

Search runs against the Podcast Index directly, so discovery isn't beholden to a proprietary catalogue.

Value-for-value

Lightning-based value-for-value payments are supported through both Alby and Strike wallets, so listeners can stream sats to hosts and contributors as they listen or send one-off boosts with a comment. The wallet integration is optional; the app works fine as a normal RSS player if you don't opt in.

What else it does

Beyond the Podcasting 2.0 features, Podcast Guru does what a modern player should: OPML import and export, cross-device cloud backups, sleep timer, playback-speed control, silence-skip, offline downloads, and per-podcast configuration. Cross-platform sync means your subscriptions and history follow you between iPhone and Android.

Where you get it

iOS App Store, Google Play, and a web player. Free with an optional VIP one-time purchase that unlocks a few premium features. No subscription.

Current stance

Actively developed by a small team, deeply committed to the Podcasting 2.0 spec, and the pick for listeners who want maximum open-standard support without giving up cross-platform sync. Its natural comparisons are Podverse (open source, wider platform coverage) and Castamatic (iOS-only, more boutique). If cross-platform matters, Podcast Guru is the reasonable choice among the three.