Before you begin download podcasts, you probably want to know how much you need to pay for podcasts. Fortunately for you the answer is not much! Most podcasts are free to download and are paid for through advertisements on their show. The ones that we have here on the libguide offer free to download episodes. Keep in mind that while the majority of these episodes are available for free, some of these content creators may offer extra episodes or early access to episodes for purchase.

There are a few main ways to listen to podcasts:

• Go directly to an individual podcast's website and stream (i.e. listen to the program while your on their website) or download them directly off the website.
• Stream or download them from an aggregator websites. Aggregator website  are websites that will have a large number of podcasts by a number of different creators. Some example include, Spotify, Stitcher, or the Chicago Podcast Cooperative.
• Download a podcast application onto your smartphone or tablet. Some smartphones and tablets have these automatically available on purchase of the phone. Keep in mind that while some podcast apps are free, other may charge yearly fees so consider them carefully.