What Listen Notes does

Listen Notes operates a podcast search engine and metadata database serving three primary user groups: podcast listeners (free discovery, Listen Later playlists, Listen Clips, Listen Alerts), developers and businesses (Podcast API used by 12,500+ companies, bulk Podcast Datasets in CSV or SQLite), and podcasters (podcaster profiles, Podcast Classifieds, Podcast Academy, plus adjacent services MicroFeed for free hosting and Listen411 for transcription). The platform indexes 3.8M+ podcasts and 190M+ episodes maintained by 24/7 automated scripts and human moderators, with explicit exclusion of AI-generated content as a quality differentiator. Underlying technology comprises the search engine, a RESTful Podcast API, real-time listening analytics, and dataset export pipelines, with a registered 'The Best Podcast Search Engine' trademark and integration into Apple Podcasts, Buffer, Zapier, and Google preferred-source distribution.

The business model is multi-stream and primarily self-serve: recurring Podcast API subscriptions (pricing not publicly disclosed), one-time and enterprise-recurring Podcast Dataset sales (self-service CSV/SQLite exports plus multi-year enterprise contracts), Premium Membership subscriptions for advanced consumer search, and pay-as-you-go bulk transcription via Listen411. Go-to-market is API-first and product-led growth, with the consumer-facing free tools acting as top-of-funnel for Premium upgrades and the API serving as the core revenue engine for developer and enterprise customers. Geographic reach is global, with active usage documented across 26+ countries spanning North America, Europe, Asia, Oceania, South America, Africa, and the Middle East. Listen Notes, Inc. operates as a privately held, founder-led company (CEO Wenbin Fang) headquartered in San Francisco, bootstrapped without disclosed venture capital, suggesting a capital-efficient but sub-venture-scale operating profile.

Name

Listen Notes

Legal name

Listen Notes, Inc.

Website

https://listennotes.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Listen Notes operates a curated podcast search engine and metadata database indexing 3.8M+ podcasts and 190M+ episodes, serving listeners, developers, podcasters, and enterprise data buyers via API subscriptions, bulk dataset exports, premium membership, and transcription services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Podcast Data and Search Platform

NAICS

Software Publishers (513210), Other Sound Recording Industries (51229)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Podcast Analytics, Measurement & Attribution Platforms (MPAIADAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Podcast Distribution Directories & Listening Apps (MPACADAC), Audio Production & Podcasting (BPAFAIAE), Podcast CMS, Workflow & Collaboration Tools (MPACADAL)

Keywords

• Podcast search engine
• Podcast metadata API
• Podcast datasets
• Podcast analytics platform
• RSS playlist curation

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Podcast API Subscriptions: Developers and companies pay for API access to search and access podcast data. Pricing tiers exist for different usage levels.
2. Podcast Datasets Sales: One-time fees for batch export of podcast metadata. Self-service options for keyword, category, playlist, and iTunes ID-based exports. Enterprise sales for full database access.
3. Premium Membership: Subscription for advanced search features on the Listen Notes website.
4. Bulk Transcription Services: Concierge transcription service for large volumes of podcast audio to text.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Listen Notes operates a podcast search engine and database indexing 3.78M+ podcasts and 190M+ episodes, delivered through a RESTful Podcast API trusted by 12,500+ developers, bulk podcast metadata datasets in CSV/SQLite for enterprise data buyers, Premium Membership subscriptions for advanced search, and free consumer tools (Listen Later playlists via RSS, Listen Clips, Listen Alerts, real-time listening analytics, and a similar-podcasts explorer).

Product overview

Listen Notes operates as a podcast search engine platform offering both free consumer tools and paid business services. The core platform (Listen Notes) provides podcast discovery through search, browse, and explore features. Free offerings include Listen Later (playlist curation with RSS export), Listen Clips (clip creation), and Listen Alerts (mention monitoring). Paid tiers include Premium Membership for advanced search and Podcast Datasets for bulk metadata export in CSV or SQLite. The Podcast API enables developer integration with over 12,500 companies using it. Supporting tools include Podcast Real-Time analytics, curated content collections (Best/Hot/Curated Podcasts), community features (playlists, classifieds), and educational resources (Podcast Academy). External services include Listen411 for transcription and MicroFeed for free hosting.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Podcast API RESTful API that lets developers and companies search podcasts and access directory and insights data for building podcast-related applications; trusted by 12,500+ companies and developers.
• Podcast Datasets Bulk export of podcast metadata in CSV or SQLite format, with options covering all podcasts, keyword searches, category filtering, playlist-based exports, and iTunes ID-based exports for marketing, PR, sales intelligence, journalism, education, alt data, and AI/ML use cases.
• Premium Membership Subscription tier offering advanced search features on the Listen Notes website beyond the free basic tier.
• Listen Later Free tool for curating personal podcast playlists by saving individual episodes, exporting the playlist as an RSS feed into any podcast player; supports collaboration with friends, notes, custom audio, and automation through Buffer and Zapier.
• Podcast Real-Time Real-time analytics tool showing podcast episodes currently being listened to via Listen Notes, with geographic distribution, device types, and episode-level listening data similar to a real-time web analytics view.
• Listen411 (Transcription Service) External podcast transcription and summarization service that converts 1-hour podcast audio to text in under 1 minute using pay-as-you-go pricing.
• MicroFeed (Free Podcast Hosting) Free self-hosted podcast hosting service hosted on Cloudflare, offered to podcasters as a free hosting solution.

Quantifiable outcome

• 460+ million podcast listens tracked
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability2 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• GooglemoderateGTM or Marketing PartnerListen Notes is available as a preferred source on Google search, increasing visibility and credibility for podcast search functionality.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Spotify: Spotify is the largest music and podcast streaming platform with bundled discovery, analytics (Spotify for Podcasters), and exclusive content — a broad incumbent competing across Listen Notes' entire surface area.
• Apple Podcasts: Apple Podcasts is the dominant podcast directory and player integrated into the Apple ecosystem, offering free search, charts, and editorial curation that overlap with Listen Notes' consumer discovery products.

Direct peers

• Podchaser: Podchaser is a crowdsourced podcast database with search, ratings, and credits — the most direct functional competitor to Listen Notes' podcast search engine and dataset offerings.
• Rephonic: Rephonic is a podcast search and database platform with audience, reach, and contact data — overlapping Listen Notes' discovery and dataset products for marketing and PR use cases.
• Pocket Casts: Pocket Casts is an independent cross-platform podcast player with discovery and listening features that overlaps with Listen Notes' consumer-facing listening and playlist tools.
• Podtrac: Podtrac offers podcast measurement, audience analytics, and IAB-certified downloads data — a direct comparator to Listen Notes' real-time podcast listening analytics.
• Podcast Index: Podcast Index is an open, decentralized podcast directory and API that competes directly with Listen Notes on API access to podcast metadata for developers.
• Chartable: Chartable provides podcast attribution, analytics, and SmartLinks that overlap with Listen Notes' tracking, measurement, and discovery capabilities.
• Overcast: Overcast is an independent podcast player with smart playlists, discovery, and recommendation features that compete with Listen Notes' playlist and discovery tools for iOS listeners.

Others

• Listen411: Listen411 is Listen Notes' own fast podcast transcription and summarization service; included as an ecosystem product to illustrate the adjacent audio-to-text offering alongside the core podcast search and data products.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ListenNotes
• GitHubgithub.com/listennotes
• Facebookfacebook.com/listennotes
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/listen-notes

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Listen Notes