Ziepod is an easy-to-use toolkit to reach and manage audio-based content published through podcasts. You can easily subscribe to podcasts and get notified of new episodes. Then you can directly listen to podcast episodes or download them for your iPod or MP3 player. You can even search podcast episodes on the Internet fast from inside Ziepod without touching your browser. This version is the first release on CNET Download.com.
I like that it will do my automatic downloads and I can play them in the interface. I haven't had any issues like with other programs where it downloads every single episode. Ziepod you can configure and not worry about weird extra downloads.
Cons
My gripe is more with podcasters than with Ziepod. A lot force me to go into Itunes for their podcast, and copy the URL. That's a con that is the podcasters fault. Just list your feed URL, don't make me rabbit hunt in stupid slow Itunes for it.
Summary
I'm a fan. Best podcatcher I've seen out of 10 or so tried.
Started well, but...
Pros
1. Streams or downloads podcast. User choice.
2. Worked flawlessly for several months.
Cons
1. Started doubling up on my feeds.
2. "Forgot" about all the previously listened to feeds.
3. Now it has forgotten that I have any feeds at all.
Summary
I'm still looking for a good podcatcher that does not suck.
Great alternative to ITunes
jeffk464
Pros
Well designed user interface, absolutely stable in vista64, easy to subscribe to and download podcasts. It does exactly what I want,
Cons
Havent run into any so far.
Summary
It shouldn't have to be this hard
JoeyJoeJoeJr
Pros
File post-processing, ID3 tag auto-renaming, folder organization, auto-queuing without downloading, supports feed authentication, special file handling/processing (based on extension), files can be played/streamed without downloading
The Good:
Files can be processed by external programs after downloaded. ID3 tags can be automatically renamed, but options are short here (unless external processing is used). Feeds can be organized into folders. New files can be auto-queued for downloading (actual downloading can be activated later). Supports authentication for commercial/private feeds. File processing can also be performed based on file extension, in case one feed posts multiple file types.
The Bad:
Columns don't always stay the same. Sometimes there's no 'duration' column or no 'file size' column (changes from feed to feed). The only way for a feed item to become "played", aside from manually marking it, is to play it in Ziepod. When I download a file to my MP3 player I consider it "played". If you select "delete" and then cancel it (by closing the popup) the item is still deleted. I used the program for 3 hours straight and the bottom pane never changed. Ziepod doesn't detect if a file has already been downloaded, using a different program for instance. If the same file already exists the duplicate will be renamed. The browser never worked, nor did I care to use it. I kept waiting for the Export button to ungrey, but it never did. You export the OPML file through the top right drop-down menu. The Help should've sent me to their website (I suspect) but it never worked within Ziepod. I typically run as a User, the settings are stored in the program folder, therefore my settings were never saved. The settings should've been stored in my Documents and Settings folder, where I have permission to write. This is done because the program is portable... I downloaded it as an EXE... I had to install it... it pointed to Program Files by default... but it's a portable program. They should be packaging this in a ZIP file.
Now that I've warned the crap out of you I think your opinion of this program will be better than mine. A lot of the program behavior is very bass ackward and non-intuitive in my opinion. Again, once you get used to it it's pretty good, I just think the learning curve is steep and rocky.
Great looks, great functionality
Sebobaso
Pros
Wonderfully designed interface, program does what it's supposed to and more.
Cons
none so far
Summary
This comes highly recommended.
Can batch download all mp3s in a list of podcasts.
Interface great to look at. Two thumbs up!
Best podcatcher I've used.
t26l
Pros
No feed barfing!
Extensive options
Automatic feed renaming
Very lightweight, hardly uses any memory when minimized in system tray or when synchronizing
Very slick interface
Comes with an integrated podcast player
Cons
Podcast directory that uses feedzie seems to have died 12 months ago and has been abandoned, so the directory is never updated and has a limited selection of podcasts. Not a big deal though to just import all of your podcasts into Ziepod with opml
Summary
Juice, the second best podcatcher I have used, was giving me alot of feed barfing, i.e. it would randomly download old podcasts for no apparent reason. I guess it was a bug, but it wasn't going to be fixed anytime soon as that program hasn't been supported since 2006. So I started an exhaustive search for a new podcatcher. I was surprised that I found this gem called Ziepod. Ziepod was everything I was looking for in a podcatcher: lightweight, and no bugs. I am surprised that Ziepod is not one of the most popular podcatchers out there, as it is certainly the best I've ever used.
Really useful software
armandinho
Pros
Great features easy to use love it... love the ability to choose which folders to save specific podcasts to.
Cons
Could be a bit more intuitive but don't give up on it if you get stumped initially.
Summary
Best podcast aggregator I've used
davidsogden
Pros
Ziepod is very easy to use and feature rich. It does everything I need it to do and more. I'd used Doppler for a couple of years but had problems with it hanging, so tried Ziepod. No problems with Ziepod at all. I'm really happy with it. Highly recommended.
Cons
Summary
Good but unfortunately podcast variety is limited
django123
Pros
Free
<p>Works well
<p>Can stream podcasts
<p>Attractive design with several resize modes