Question 1

Do I need an account to listen?

Accepted Answer

No. You can browse, discover, and listen to any public episode without creating an account. If you want to follow shows, build playlists, or sync your listening across devices, a free account takes under a minute to set up.

Question 2

Are there ads on episodes?

Accepted Answer

No. Onion Podcasts never injects ads into episodes. What creators publish is exactly what you hear. No pre-rolls, no mid-rolls, no platform-inserted advertising of any kind.

Question 3

What languages are supported?

Accepted Answer

The platform works in 3 languages: English, Spanish, and Catalan. The interface, discovery tools, and notifications are all localized. You can find and listen to podcasts in any of these languages.

Question 4

Is this a Spotify alternative?

Accepted Answer

For listeners: yes, if you want a podcast experience without ads, tracking, or algorithmic manipulation. For creators: yes, if you want to own your content and keep 90% of subscription revenue instead of giving Spotify 30%. Onion Podcasts is not trying to replace your music player. It is a focused podcast platform built on open standards.

Question 5

Is it really free for creators? What is the catch?

Accepted Answer

Hosting, publishing, and distributing your podcast is completely free with generous storage and bandwidth limits. No trial period, no credit card. The platform sustains itself through a 10% platform fee on Stripe subscription payments when creators choose to monetize. If you never set up subscription tiers, you never pay anything. High-volume creators who need extra storage may have optional upgrades available in the future.

Question 6

How is this different from other free hosting platforms?

Accepted Answer

Some platforms offer free hosting, but the trade-offs are real. They insert forced pre-roll ads before every episode play -- advertising your listeners never chose. Your podcast lives under their brand, not your own. And many are built for a single language, with limited reach beyond one market. Onion Podcasts offers free hosting with a 10% platform fee, and that fee gets you: no forced ads on your episodes, full RSS ownership, your own brand identity, and a platform that works in 3 languages from day one. You keep control of your show and your audience, wherever they are.

Questions? Good.