In a rare recent example of a product becoming more affordable (rather than moving full-speed in the opposite direction), the popular podcast service Pocket Casts no longer requires a subscription to access its web player and desktop apps.

"The future of podcasting shouldn't be locked behind walled gardens," writes the team at Pocket Casts. To push that point forward, Pocket Casts, owned by the company behind WordPress, Automattic Inc.,

Pocket Casts announced that its flagship podcasts player is now free on Windows, Mac, and Web without restrictions.

As Spotify, Apple, and YouTube reshape the podcasting landscape, Pocket Casts is embracing the old tenants of freedom and decentralization.