A podcatcher, or podcast client, is a computer program used to download various media via an RSS

RSS

-Mathematics:* Root-sum-square, the square root of the sum of the squares of the elements of a data set* Residual sum of squares in statistics-Technology:* RSS , "Really Simple Syndication" or "Rich Site Summary", a family of web feed formats...

 or XML

XML

Extensible Markup Language is a set of rules for encoding documents in machine-readable form. It is defined in the XML 1.0 Specification produced by the W3C, and several other related specifications, all gratis open standards....

 feed.

While podcatchers are most known for downloading podcast

Podcast

A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...

s (generally audio files in MP3

MP3

MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...

 format), many are also capable of downloading video, newsfeeds, text, and pictures. Some podcatchers can also automate the transfer of received audio files to a portable media player

Portable media player

A portable media player or digital audio player, is a consumer electronics device that is capable of storing and playing digital media such as audio, images, video, documents, etc. the data is typically stored on a hard drive, microdrive, or flash memory. In contrast, analog portable audio...

. Although many include a directory of high-profile podcasts, they generally allow users to manually subscribe directly to a feed by providing the URL.

Although the core concepts had been developing since 2000

History of podcasting

Podcasting began to catch hold in late 2004, though the ability to distribute audio and video files easily has been around since before the dawn of the Internet.-Precursors:...

, the first podcast client software was developed in late 2003, and became popular in 2004.

When Apple added podcatching to its iTunes

ITunes

iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....

 software in June 2004 it almost immediately became the most popular client, and development of many of the others slowed dramatically.

List by operating environment

Sortable and collapsible table

	Creator	OS	Cost	Features
Feedbook	Feedbook.org	Windows Vista/7	Free	RSS Reader, podcatcher, Twitter, Google Buzz, Media Player
Amarok		GNU/Linux KDE KDE KDE is an international free software community producing an integrated set of cross-platform applications designed to run on Linux, FreeBSD, Microsoft Windows, Solaris and Mac OS X systems...  Windows	Free, Open Source	Media Player, iPod updater, podcatcher, built-in directory
gPodder		GNU/Linux, Windows, Maemo Maemo Maemo is a software platform developed by the Maemo community for smartphones and Internet tablets. It is based on the Debian Linux distribution, but has no relation to it...	Free (GPL)	Media Player, iPod updater, podcatcher, built-in directory
Hermes	Hermespod.com	Windows	Free	Can update mp3 players -including iPod and iPhone-, podcatcher, built-in directory, search
iTunes ITunes iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....	Apple Inc.	Mac OS X Mac OS X Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems... , Windows XP Windows XP Windows XP is an operating system produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops and media centers. First released to computer manufacturers on August 24, 2001, it is the second most popular version of Windows, based on installed user base... /Vista Windows Vista Windows Vista is an operating system released in several variations developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs... /7	Free	Media Player, podcatcher, built-in directory
Juice	The Juice Team	Windows, Mac OS X 10.3+	Free, Open Source	Podcatcher, built-in directory
Nimiq	The Nimiq Team	Windows	Free	Podcatcher for windows, built-in Bittorrent client
Odeo	Noah Glass & Evan Williams	Mac OS X 10.4	Free	Mac OS X Widget, Podcatcher, built-in directory (Deprecated)
Podcast.com	Podcast.com	Windows/Mac OS X/ GNU/Linux	Free	Online based, no downloadable client
Yasssu.com	Yasssu.com	Windows/Mac OS X/ GNU/Linux	Free	Online based, no downloadable client, access podcasts through phone call
Podcatcher	Sebastian Brännström	Symbian	Free/€1.99 (same version), Open Source	Podcatcher, search
Podceiver	Podceiver	Windows Phone 7	Free/$1.99 USD	Podcatcher, built-in directory, search, favorites
PodNova	Active8	Windows, Max OS X 10.3+, GNU/Linux	Free	Podcatcher, synchronizes with its web-based counterpart at PodNova.com
PodTower	Elias Puurunen.	Mac OS X Mac OS X Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems... , Windows XP Windows XP Windows XP is an operating system produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops and media centers. First released to computer manufacturers on August 24, 2001, it is the second most popular version of Windows, based on installed user base... /Vista Windows Vista Windows Vista is an operating system released in several variations developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs... /7	Free	Cross-platform podcatcher, built using Silverlight.
Pull	Robert MacLean	Windows Vista & Windows 7	Free	Podcatcher, synchronizes with devices
PodSpider	RapidSoftware Solution	Windows	€14.90, $17.90	Podcatcher
Winamp Winamp Winamp is a media player for Windows-based PCs and Android devices, written by Nullsoft, now a subsidiary of AOL. It is proprietary freeware/shareware, multi-format, extensible with plug-ins and skins, and is noted for its graphical sound visualization, playlist, and media library features.Winamp...	Nullsoft	Windows	Free/14.95 (both have podcast directory)	Media Player, Music Store, can update MP3 players (including iPod)
Wizz RSS News Reader	Wizz Computer	fox extension, fully tested on Windows XP/2000, Mac OS X, Mandrake 10.0	Free	Podcatcher, can read any RSS
Zune Zune Zune is a digital media brand owned by Microsoft which includes a line of portable media players, a digital media player software for Windows machines, a music subscription service known as a 'Zune Music Pass', music and video streaming for the Xbox 360 via the Zune Software, music, TV and movie...	Microsoft	Windows XP/Vista/7/, Windows Phone 7	Free	Media Player, Zune device updater, podcatcher, built-in directory

Microsoft Windows

• @Podder - a free podcast client designed for the visually impaired.
• AudioShell - freeware MS Windows Explorer shell extension plugin which allows you to view and edit music file tags directly in Windows Explorer.
• BitsCast - freeware RSS/podcast reader that supports both iPods and Microsoft Media PlaysForSure devices.
• BlogMatrix Sparks! - An all-in-one podcasting solution that lets you record, mix, share, publish, store and listen.
• CITA RSS Aggregator - a RSS feed reader includes keyword alerts, support for password login, per-channel settings, proxy support, support for RSS enclosures (Podcasts) and a tool to remove persistent adverts from RSS feeds.
• CustomReader - a customizable podcast client that can be "branded" to match a website.
• Doppler - Doppler is a podcast aggregator. It’s a tool to subscribe to RSS feeds which supply downloadable files. Doppler will go out and fetch the files enclosed in the RSS feed and will automatically add them to your preferred media player.
• Feedbook is a free podcast and social networking client for windows.
• gPodder - Free/GPL Podcast receiver/catcher written in Python, using GTK. Can be used with gpodder.net directory.
• Golden Ear
  Golden ear
  A golden ear is a term in audio circles referring to a person who is thought to possess special talents in hearing. Golden ears claim to be able to discern subtle differences in audio reproduction that most inexperienced and untrained listeners cannot, much like trained wine experts claim to...
  
   - an easy to use old-school style podcast receiver; styled to look like an retro radio and designed to be as easy to use.
• HappyFish - free podcast client that will automatically sync podcasts to most mp3 players (and ipods too)
• Hermes Podcast Downloader - Free podcatcher, designed to be simple and easy to use. Compatible with iPod, iPhone and mp3 players.
• iPodderX - cross-platform media aggregator that handles podcasts, vlogs and other files distributed using newsfeeds.
• iTunes
  ITunes
  iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
  
   - available for Windows and Mac
• Juice - (formerly iPodder) Lets users select and download shows and music and to play whenever they want on their iPods, portable digital media players, or computers automatically.
• Media Go
  Media Go
  Media Go is a video and audio player developed by Sony Creative Software, announced at E3 2009 for Microsoft Windows. Media Go manages content on Sony family products such as Sony Ericsson cellular telephones and the PlayStation Portable; it can also playback multimedia content, serving a function...
  
   - Like iTunes, except for the Sony
  Sony
  , commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
  
   PlayStation Portable
  PlayStation Portable
  The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
  
  . It offers a catalog of various podcasts as well as the ability to input a podcast URL.
• Newzie - A feed reader that allows you to create your own news catalog from your preferred sources, that is automatically kept up to date with the latest headlines that are sent from the sources. Newzie features system tray notification (on feed updates), feed statistics, color coding, filtering, search, and support for enclosure (podcast) files.
• NewzCrawler  - news aggregator with built-in podcast receiver
• nimiq - Nimiq is Windows podcasting client. Subscribe to a podcast and Nimiq automatically downloads audio and video enclosures. Subscribing is easy using the build in podcast directory browser. Download bittorrent files using the built-in bittorrent support.
• Podcast Amp - free tool that lets you preview and play podcasts.
• PodNova - offers a custom version of iPodder that supports OPML and integrates with the PodNova site.
• Podsage - freeware podcast client with large directory of podcasts.
• Podspider - podcast client with integrated podcast directory
• PodTower - Cross-platform podcatcher built using Silverlight 4.
• Prime Time Podcast - features all in the same application an embedded media player, WMP/iTunes playlist support, Automatic AAC bookmarkable conversion for iTunes/iPod users, podcast directory browsing and media list browsing.
• Pull - a Windows 7 focused podcatcher which is built in .NET and is free and open source.
• Replay Radio - lets you capture podcasts, broadcast radio shows and XM Radio.
• RSSRadio - easy to use podcasting software for Windows.
• Synclosure - Synclosure is a RSS aggregator to flexibly download files in enclosures. It supports filter keywords, custom actions and a caching mechanism. (Source code available for other platforms).
• Winamp
  Winamp
  Winamp is a media player for Windows-based PCs and Android devices, written by Nullsoft, now a subsidiary of AOL. It is proprietary freeware/shareware, multi-format, extensible with plug-ins and skins, and is noted for its graphical sound visualization, playlist, and media library features.Winamp...
  
   - commercial audio app with free Lite option, supports podcasts
• Yamipod - freeware application to efficiently manage your iPod under Mac OS X, Windows and GNU/Linux.
• Ziepod - an easy-to-use toolkit to reach and manage audio-based content published through podcasts.
• Zune
  Zune
  Zune is a digital media brand owned by Microsoft which includes a line of portable media players, a digital media player software for Windows machines, a music subscription service known as a 'Zune Music Pass', music and video streaming for the Xbox 360 via the Zune Software, music, TV and movie...
  
   - similar to iTunes; added podcast support in version 2.2. Works with Windows 7 libraries starting with version 4.2.

Apple OS X

• iPodderX - cross-platform media aggregator that handles podcasts, vlogs and other files distributed using newsfeeds.
• iTunes
  ITunes
  iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
  
   has supported podcasts and automatic downloading since 2004. Provides a large catalog of podcasts in addition to the ability to add by URL.
• Juice - (formerly iPodder) lets users select and download shows and music and to play whenever they want on their iPods, portable digital media players, or computers automatically.
• NewsFire
  NewsFire
  NewsFire is an RSS newsreader developed by David Watanabe for Mac OS X. It supports Atom, RSS, and Podcasting. NewsFire features groups, labels, smart groups, search, and integration with iTunes, Spotlight, and weblog editors...
  
   - Freeware news reader and podcast client.
• NetNewsWire
  NetNewsWire
  NetNewsWire is a news aggregator for Mac OS X and iOS, and was one of the first desktop RSS readers on any platform.- History :NetNewsWire was developed by Brent and Sheila Simmons for their company Ranchero Software. It was introduced on July 12, 2002, with NetNewsWire Lite, a free version missing...
  
   - an RSS and Atom newsreader for Mac OS X. Its familiar three-paned interface—similar to Apple Mail—can fetch and display news from thousands of different websites and weblogs, making it quick and easy to keep up with the latest news.
• NewsMacPro - OS X newsreader that supports podcasting & Palm and iPod sync.
• Playpod - designed exclusively for Mac OS X.
• Podcast Studio - beta OS X podcasting app
• Poddumfeeder - Applescript-based podcast client.
• PodNova - offers a custom version of iPodder that supports OPML and integrates with the PodNova site.
• PodTower - Cross-platform podcatcher built using Silverlight 4.
• PulpFiction - easy-to-use, powerful RSS/Atom feed reader. Featuring a familiar Mail-like interface, PulpFiction will fetch, organize, and display news and articles from thousands of weblogs and websites.
• Yamipod - freeware application to efficiently manage your iPod under Mac OS X, Windows and Linux.

GNU/Linux / Unix

• Amarok - music app and podcast client
• Banshee - music player and podcast client
• BPConf - a podcatcher for KDE on GNU/Linux
• gPodder - Free/GPL Podcast receiver/catcher written in Python, using GTK. can be used with gpodder.net directory.
• Liferea
  Liferea
  Liferea is an abbreviation for Linux Feed Reader, a news aggregator for online news feeds. It supports the major feed formats including RSS/RDF and Atom and can import and export subscription lists in OPML format...
  
   - news aggregator for online news feeds, features podcast support.
• Miro
  Miro
  Miro may refer to:* Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization, a reformist Iranian political organization* Prumnopitys ferruginea, an evergreen coniferous tree endemic to New Zealand.* Miro Technologies, an MRO supplier from California...
  
   - an integrated video player with podcatcher capabilities.
• Peapod - a podcast client for GNU/Linux. Supports HTTP and BitTorrent.
• PenguinTV - RSS feed reader designed to work with podcasts and video blogs.
• Podcast Maker - easy to use app that features drag and drop support
• PodGrid - personal internet radio news receiver, podcast receiver.
• Podracer - podcast aggregator/downloader. It supports BitTorrent, http and even ftp distribution of podcasts and runs best as a cron job to automatically retrieve podcasts throughout the day.
• Rhythmbox
  Rhythmbox
  Rhythmbox is an audio player that plays and helps organize digital music. Originally inspired by Apple's iTunes, it is free software, designed to work well under the GNOME Desktop using the GStreamer media framework. However, Rhythmbox functions on desktop environments other than GNOME.-Music...
  
   - the music management application for GNOME
• StreamTuned - plays and records audio and video streams using mplayer as backend, acts as a podcast client.
• Yamipod - freeware application to efficiently manage your iPod under Mac OS X, Windows and GNU/Linux.

BeOS

• BePodder - a media aggregator (and more) for the BeOS/Zeta Operating System.
• http://www.tunetrackersystems.com/ - a radio automation system that features time-corrects, fades, exact-time starts, configurable silence-sensor, live network joins, live-assist for dj'ing, music-selection software, background (delayed broadcast) recording, a built-in streaming server for broadcasting over the Internet, unlimited format design, and a user-friendly control interface.

Java-Based Podcast Software

• FeedPod - a Text-To-Speech RSS/ATOM Newsfeed reader.
• jPodder - one of the first programs to be created for podcasting.

Pocket PC

• FeederReader - a full-featured RSS aggregator with podcast enclosure support, running on Windows Mobile.

Android

• BeyondPod - A podcast Manager and RSS Feed Reader for Android Phones. Syncs with Google Reader and uses a built in media player.
• DoggCatcher - Android podcatcher - supports audio/video/news, auto-download, streaming, integrated audio player, playlists.
• Podkicker - A podcast player/downloader/manager for Android. Supports audio.
• dPod - a podcatcher for Android mobile platform. It supports Google Reader import and uses Android media player for audio/video playback.
• Listen - Google Labs podcatcher for android phones. Allows searching, subscription, downloading and streaming of audio podcasts only.
• ACast - A podcast player for Android.
• MyPOD - A podcast manager & player, supports audio/video, auto-download (wifi and power controllable), podcast management on the desktop via a browser interface.
• SwallowCatcher - A free, open-source podcast manager released under GNU Affero General Public License.
• Hapi Podcast - A free podcast player/downloader/manager for Android.

iOS

• Podcaster - iPhone and iPod touch podcatcher. "Over the Air" podcast management for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.
• Podcatcher - iPhone and iPod touch podcatcher. Allows users to download or stream podcast episodes of any size, thus side-stepping the restrictions imposed by Apple's existing podcast functionality on these devices.
• Downcast - Downcast allows you to download and listen to your favorite podcasts directly from your iOS device without the need to sync with iTunes.
• PodCruncher - PodCruncher allows to find, subscribe, and manage podcasts directly from iPhone or iPod touch. Streams audio and video over 3G and WiFi.

Windows Phone 7

• Podceiver Podcast App - Windows Phone 7 podcast app that streams podcasts directly to the phone. Allows searching, browsing directory, and subscribe to favorites.
• Zune
  Zune
  Zune is a digital media brand owned by Microsoft which includes a line of portable media players, a digital media player software for Windows machines, a music subscription service known as a 'Zune Music Pass', music and video streaming for the Xbox 360 via the Zune Software, music, TV and movie...
  
   - like Zune for Windows, called ZuneWP7.

Bada

• podsurfer - podcatcher for the Samsung bada
  Bada (operating system)
  Bada is an operating system for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers. It is developed by the Samsung Electronics. Its name is derived from " ", meaning "ocean" or "sea" in Korean...
  
   platform. Allows searching, downloading, plays audio and video using an integrated player. Users can also share feeds and media using bada
  Bada (operating system)
  Bada is an operating system for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers. It is developed by the Samsung Electronics. Its name is derived from " ", meaning "ocean" or "sea" in Korean...
  
  's social services.

Amiga OS

• AmiPodder - a utility that lets you to download podcasts to an Amiga, play it and, optionally, copy it onto a portable MP3 player.

RISC OS

• spc
  SPC
  SPC may refer to any of the following:in business and law,* Segregated portfolio company, a specialised form of offshore company* Special purpose company or Special purpose vehicle, a subsidiary usually created solely for isolating a financial risk, or for Financial Reporting reasons* Strategic...
  
   - GPL'd podcast client. You need wget (cli), Perl and FrontEnder II. Use of the command line is possible.

WebOS

• drPodder - Open Source podcast client for Palm's WebOS
• PodCatcher Deluxe - Another Open Source podcast client for Palm's WebOS on Tablets, also offers free and video versions

Maemo

• gPodder - Free/GPL application to manage podcasts, can be used with gpodder.net directory.

Command Line

• Armangil's Podcatcher - Armangil's podcatcher is a podcast client for the command line. It provides several download strategies (new shows only, back-catalog allowed, etc.), supports Bittorrent, offers cache management, and generates playlists for MP3 player applications. Windows, GNU/Linux (any OS supported by Ruby).
• BashPodder - Bash-based podcast client that works on OS X, Solaris, AIX, GNU/Linux, Net Open and FreeBSD, even Windows.
• grabpod - A ksh script which only parses podcasts to fetch the files for you. No more, no less.
• Podget - a Bash script to automate the downloading of podcast content from RSS feeds, storing it in categories and folders, and automatically creating a playlist for new content. Compatible with Windows, OS X & Unix variants.
• hpodder - hpodder is a command line tool for Linux and other POSIX systems (FreeBSD, MacOS X, etc) written in Haskell.

Perl - Command Line

• CastGrab - a podcast download application written in Perl, which can be run from a cron job.
• PerlPod - used from the command line and written in perl. It checks if the pod has been downloaded, if not it gets the file.
• w98podfetch - is a PERL script for fetching podcasts. It has advanced features, like skipping any files older than a certain date, and limiting download options per feed such as "only download a maximum of 5 files at a time" or "don't download more than 25MB from this feed", etc.
• mpodder - The intent is for mpodder to be called from cron. It will notify the user of new content by email or a kdialog/xmessage popup. mpoddercan download only feed items from the last n days, and feeds can be brought up to date withouot having to download all old items (using the "catchup" command).
• GoldenPod is a command line podcast client written in perl. It allows you to easily manage and download podcasts from the command line. It can download podcasts from standard RSS(-like) feeds, or it can attempt to parse any other cleartext document (i.e. XML or HTML) for a list of audio files and download those. For users already using BashPodder, it can function as a more feature-rich drop-in replacement for it.

PHP

• Gregarius - a web-based RSS/RDF/ATOM feed aggregator, designed to run on your web server, allowing you to access your news sources from wherever you want.
• PodPress - a WordPress plug-in that adds advanced podcasting support.
• WordPress
  WordPress
  WordPress is a free and open source blogging tool and publishing platform powered by PHP and MySQL. It is often customized into a content management system . It has many features including a plug-in architecture and a template system. WordPress is used by over 14.7% of Alexa Internet's "top 1...
  
   - includes basic built-in support for podcasts

Python

Python (programming language)

Python is a general-purpose, high-level programming language whose design philosophy emphasizes code readability. Python claims to "[combine] remarkable power with very clear syntax", and its standard library is large and comprehensive...

 / Gtk - GUI

• Miro - an integrated video player with podcatcher capabilities (cross-platform for: Windows, GNU/Linux, Mac OS X
  Mac OS X
  Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
  
  )

Online Services

• MirPod - podcast client with a "virtual iPod" interface.
• PodFeeder - an online service for searching for and sharing podcasts.
• Podcast Sender - podcast email notification service
• podcast.de - Online podcatcher with subscriptions and media player
• YASSSU.com - Online Netcasting service with podcast curation and semantic search functions.

Symbian

• Podcatcher - an open source podcast client and player for S60 3rd and 5th edition and Symbian^3. It allows you to subscribe to RSS feeds, download audio and video shows and play them through its simple and attractive user interface.

External links

• www.podcastingnews.com A comprehensive list of podcatchers