Podcasts, an open format
A podcast is an RSS feed put out by its publisher: a list of episodes with their audio files. No account is needed to play it, and your subscriptions don’t depend on any platform. A free, open source player respects that principle all the way.
- RustMusic is released under the GPL v3 license: its code is public and anyone can check what it does.
- Your subscriptions, progress and downloads stay on your computer.
- You can take them with you at any time in an OPML file, the exchange format shared by all podcast players.
Subscribing to a show
- 1
Turn podcasts on
In Settings → Online listening, turn on “Enable podcasts”. They are off by default: as long as they stay off, no feed is contacted.
- 2
Search for a show
On the Podcasts page, type its name: the search queries the Apple Podcasts directory. You can also paste an RSS feed address and click “Add this feed”.
- 3
Open it
One click opens the show’s page with its episodes, and subscribes you. To just take a look, a right-click offers a “Preview” without subscribing.
Discovering the top podcasts
“Top podcasts” follows the Apple Podcasts chart for the country of your choice, by category: News, Society, History, True crime, Comedy, Science, Education, Business, Sports, Arts or Tech. The chart can be sorted by chart position, name or latest episode.
Listen without waiting, resume without searching
- Listening while downloading: an episode starts within a few seconds, and jumping far ahead doesn’t wait for the download to finish.
- Resume: each episode picks up where you left it, and is marked as played at the end. “Up next” offers the episode you started, or the most recent one, for each show.
- The unplayed episodes that follow play next, in a queue separate from the music. “Play next” and “Add to queue” put an episode in it.
- Playback speed: from 0.5× to 3×, with no distorted voices, remembered show by show.
- Chapters: when the show provides them, they appear on the progress bar and in a list to jump to.
Unstable connection? Choose “Deferred” playback in Settings → Online listening: the episode is fully downloaded first.
Downloading and freeing up space
An episode downloads in one click so you can listen without a connection. Show by show, “Download new episodes” does it automatically. Played episodes are deleted after 24 hours (or when you choose), and the Downloads page shows the space taken by each show. Files have a readable name, for example “Show/2026-10-21 Title.mp3”.
Coming from another app
Export your subscriptions as OPML from your current app, then import the file in Settings → Online listening → “Subscriptions (OPML)”. The other way round, “Export” creates rustmusic-podcasts.opml.
What goes over the network
Searches are sent to the Apple Podcasts directory. Feeds and episodes are downloaded directly from each publisher, with no middleman. While RustMusic is open, your subscriptions are checked every 6 hours by default (or every hour, once a day, or never), and “Check all” does it on demand.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an account to listen to podcasts with RustMusic?
No. Neither a RustMusic account nor an Apple account: searching the directory and listening work without signing in to any account.
Can I import my subscriptions from another app?
Yes, with an OPML file: export it from your app, then import it in Settings → Online listening.
Why can’t a show be followed?
Some shows don’t publish a public RSS feed, for example when they are exclusive to a platform. Without a feed, no independent player can follow them.
Can I listen to a podcast offline?
Yes: download the episode, or turn on “Download new episodes” for the show. It stays on your computer until you delete it or the played-episode cleanup removes it.
Your podcasts, in a free and open source player
Charts for every country, listening while downloading, resume and OPML. Free, open source, no account.