# Podhoc — Full Content for AI Ingestion > Last updated: 2026-06-09 > > Podhoc turns notes, PDFs, YouTube videos and articles into AI-generated podcast-style audio episodes. This document is the canonical English content of the marketing site (https://podhoc.com), concatenated for AI ingestion in a single fetch. Per-language URLs are listed in /llms.txt. --- ## What is Podhoc? Podhoc is an AI podcast generator and a NotebookLM alternative. Users supply a source — a PDF, a YouTube URL, a web article, a Word or Markdown document, plain notes, or pasted text — and Podhoc produces a podcast-style audio episode in the chosen language, format and length. The platform supports 73 input/output languages, 8 audio styles (Deep Dive, Critique, Didactic, Debate, Feynman Technique, Simplified Explanation, Pedagogical Framework, Alchemist's Formula) and durations from 5 minutes to 2 hours. Pricing model updated 2026-05-19 (all prices Spain-VAT-inclusive): every new account gets 50 welcome credits; recharge from €2.29 with no subscription required. Paid recharge packs are €2.29/100c, €4.49/200c, €11.49/500c, €22.99/1,000c (the value anchor — 10 × 30-minute podcasts at the best per-podcast rate), €44.99/2,000c and €66.99/3,000c. Subscriptions remain available for heavy users: Creator (€20.99/mo or €230.99/yr, 1,000 credits/month) and Pro (€72.99/mo or €802.99/yr, 3,500 credits/month + REST API access). The operator is Nexo Apex SL (Spain). Podhoc is for learners, researchers, students, journalists, knowledge workers and anyone with a reading backlog. Typical workflows include converting a research paper to a 20-minute Critique episode for commute listening, turning lecture notes into a Feynman Technique episode for exam prep, and transforming a 50-page industry report into a 10-minute Simplified Explanation orientation. --- ## What is an AI podcast? (definitional content) An AI podcast is a podcast-style audio episode generated by artificial intelligence from a text source — typically a paper, article, PDF, or set of notes — rather than recorded by a human host. The AI extracts the substance of the source, restructures it for audio comprehension, and produces a multi-voice episode with a chosen format and length. The result sounds like a produced show, not a screen reader. The word "podcast" already covers two very different things: a recorded human conversation distributed via RSS, and any audio episode you can subscribe to. AI podcasts inherit the second meaning — a self-contained audio episode you can play on a podcast app — without the recording side. The label matters because it sets the right expectation: this is listening material, not a synthetic voice droning through text. The category got mainstream attention in 2024 with Google's NotebookLM, which produced surprisingly natural two-host conversations from arbitrary documents. Since then, multiple platforms — Podhoc among them — have generalised the idea into multi-source, multi-language, multi-format audio production. --- ## How an AI podcast is made (the five-stage pipeline) Every modern AI podcast tool follows roughly the same stages, even when the product names differ. 1. **Ingestion.** The platform accepts a source — a PDF upload, a YouTube URL, an article link, a Markdown / Word document, or pasted text — and extracts the readable content. PDFs need extractable text (most exports from word processors, journals or web content qualify). YouTube links resolve to a transcript. Web pages strip navigation and ads. 2. **Understanding.** A large language model reads the extracted content end to end and identifies the structure: arguments, evidence, key definitions, conclusions, and the relationships between them. This is where AI podcasts diverge sharply from text-to-speech: the LLM forms a model of the source, not just a stream of words. 3. **Reformatting for audio.** Written prose has long sentences, dense citations, parenthetical asides, and visual structure (tables, footnotes, equations) that simply do not work in audio. The LLM rewrites the material with shorter sentences, explicit transitions, and recap points. Tables become enumerations. Equations become prose explanations. Citations are inlined or summarised. 4. **Format choice.** Different documents call for different treatments. A research paper benefits from a Critique format that probes the methodology. A textbook chapter benefits from a Didactic format that teaches the concepts. A controversial topic benefits from a Debate format with multiple voices arguing different positions. Podhoc currently offers eight pedagogical formats. 5. **Voice synthesis.** Multiple AI voices deliver the rewritten content. Modern voices sound natural, with expressive pacing, emphasis, and conversational fillers. Single-voice and multi-voice modes are both available; multi-voice tends to be more engaging for longer episodes. The whole pipeline runs in parallel on cloud GPUs, which is why a 30-page paper takes roughly the same wall-clock time as a 5-page article — typically 2 to 5 minutes. --- ## What an AI podcast is _not_ A few things are commonly conflated with AI podcasts. They are not the same. - **Text-to-speech (TTS).** A TTS engine reads a document aloud word for word with a single voice. There is no restructuring, no pedagogical framing, and no multi-voice production. Output is functional — useful for accessibility — but not engaging. - **AI-cloned human podcasts.** Some tools clone a real podcaster's voice and have it read scripted content. This is voice cloning, not AI podcasting; it borrows a human's identity rather than producing a new episode from a source. - **Auto-generated podcast feeds.** Apps that turn news headlines into a synthesized "podcast" are typically TTS pipelines on top of news scraping. The output is informative but lacks the structural rewriting that makes AI podcasts listenable for more than a few minutes. - **Voice agents.** A voice agent is interactive — you talk to it. An AI podcast is a fixed audio asset; you press play. --- ## Audio style catalogue (eight formats) Podhoc offers eight distinct pedagogical formats. The format choice is the most underused lever in the toolset — different sources call for different treatments. - **Deep Dive** — Comprehensive multi-host exploration. Best when you want to understand a topic broadly. Two voices discuss, question, and explain in extended conversation. The closest analogue to Google NotebookLM's default output. - **Didactic** — Structured teaching with clear progression. Teacher-style delivery with explicit transitions and recap points. Best for textbook chapters, tutorials, and educational material. - **Feynman Technique** — Re-explains concepts in first principles, as if to a curious novice. Reduces abstract ideas to concrete reasoning. Best for active learning, exam prep, and complex theory. - **Critique** — Evaluates the source's methodology and conclusions. Identifies arguments, assesses evidence quality, calls out limitations. Best for research papers you want to read critically and for developing critical-reading skills. - **Debate** — Multiple voices argue different positions on the source. Best for controversial or open-ended topics where you want to hear multiple interpretations rather than a single narrative. - **Simplified Explanation** — Compresses to the takeaways. Key conclusions and one supporting point each, in minimum time. Best when you only need orientation or quick screening. - **Pedagogical Framework** — Scaffolded learning designed for long-term retention. Concepts are introduced in a deliberate order with spaced re-explanation, then synthesised at the end. Best for textbook chapters, multi-week study tracks, and material you want to remember weeks later. - **Alchemist's Formula** — A blend of all the techniques above — Critique-style probing, Feynman first-principles re-derivation, Deep Dive conversational depth, Didactic structure — applied to dense or multi-layered sources where a single style would miss something. Best for hard PDFs you only want to listen to once. A useful pattern is to generate two episodes from the same source: a 10-minute Simplified Explanation for orientation, then a longer Deep Dive when you want depth. --- ## Duration guidance The duration you pick changes how the AI treats the material. It is not just compression — it is a different content shape. | Duration | What you get | When to choose it | | ------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------- | | 5 minutes | Executive summary — key conclusions and one supporting point | First-pass triage to decide whether to read the source | | 10–15 minutes | Main arguments with supporting evidence | Articles, short reports, lecture notes | | 20–30 minutes | Comprehensive coverage — usable as a "read it for me" | Most papers, chapters and reports up to 30 pages | | 45–60 minutes | Extended discussion with examples and analysis | Long or dense documents, multi-source synthesis | | Up to 2 hours | Every section covered with maximum depth | Textbooks, thesis-length material, deep research dives | Match the duration to **when** you will listen — a 45-minute episode is perfect for a gym session but frustrating for a 10-minute walk. --- ## Pricing Pricing model updated 2026-05-19 (all prices Spain-VAT-inclusive). The dominant pitch is: **free to try, recharge from €2.29, no subscription needed.** Full history at https://podhoc.com/pricing-history/ and live pack rates at https://podhoc.com/pricing/. ### Free trial — 50 welcome credits - Every new account starts with 50 welcome credits — enough for a 5-minute podcast on us. - Welcome credits do not refill automatically (policy since 2026-05-12). - To make longer podcasts or generate more after the welcome run: recharge from €2.29 — no subscription required. ### Recharge packs (one-time, no subscription, credits never expire) | Pack | Credits | 30-minute podcasts | Notes | | ---------- | --------- | ------------------ | ---------------------------------------- | | €2.29 | 100 | 1 | Smallest top-up | | €4.49 | 200 | 2 | A short series | | €11.49 | 500 | 5 | A working week of long-form | | **€22.99** | **1,000** | **10** | **Value anchor — best per-podcast rate** | | €44.99 | 2,000 | 20 | A month of heavy use | | €66.99 | 3,000 | 30 | Bulk rate (matches €22.99 per-credit) | **€22.99 = 10 × 30-minute podcasts** is the value anchor. The €44.99 and €66.99 packs match the same per-credit rate; the smaller packs carry a small premium that covers the fixed cost of a small charge. ### Subscriptions — optional, for heavy users #### Creator — €20.99/mo or €230.99/yr (yearly pays for 11 months, grants 12) - 1,000 credits per month. - File uploads (PDF, DOCX, DOC, TXT) in addition to URL sources. - Up to 50 sources per capsule with per-source weighting. - All 73 languages and all 8 audio styles. - Subscribers consume credits at the same consumption rates as one-time recharges. #### Pro — €72.99/mo or €802.99/yr (yearly pays for 11 months, grants 12) - 3,500 credits per month. - All Creator features. - Full REST API access for programmatic generation. - Priority processing. - Credit rollover. - Custom focus topic and per-source weighting via API. - Suitable for teams, content workflows, programmatic integrations, and research workflows. ### Credit cost examples (updated 2026-05-12) Credits scale with episode length, source count, and voice count. Base cost formula: `max(36, ceil(duration_minutes × 10/3))`. Example costs (single source, single voice, no custom weights): | Duration | Base credits | API test token (2.0x) | API production token (3.5x) | | -------- | ------------ | --------------------- | --------------------------- | | 5 min | 36 | 72 | 126 | | 10 min | 36 | 72 | 126 | | 30 min | 100 | 200 | 350 | | 45 min | 150 | 300 | 525 | | 60 min | 200 | 400 | 670 (capped) | | 90 min | 300 | 600 | 670 (capped) | | 120 min | 400 | 670 (capped) | 670 (capped) | Multi-source bonus: +27 credits for more than one source. Multi-voice multiplier: ×1.2 for more than one voice. Custom-weight bonus: +13 credits when source weighting is enabled. Cap: maximum 670 credits per episode. --- ## API access (Pro tier and above) Podhoc exposes a REST API for programmatic generation. The API accepts publicly accessible URLs only — file uploads and raw text are not currently supported via the API. Authentication is per-user API keys. ### Base URL `https://api-ext.podhoc.com/v1` ### Authentication All requests require an `X-Api-Key` header. Two token types: - **Test tokens** (`phk_test_...`) — cheaper, English only, max 5-minute episodes, 1 URL per request, max 2 voices, no custom focus or source weighting. For development and integration testing. - **Production tokens** (`phk_prod_...`) — full feature set, all 73 languages, episodes up to 120 minutes, unlimited URLs per request, all voices, custom focus and source weighting available. ### Endpoints #### POST /v1/podcasts — create a podcast Required: `urls` (string array, publicly accessible). Optional: `language` (default `"en"`), `target_duration_minutes` (1–120, default 10), `style` (default `"deep_dive"`), `voice_config` (object, default 2 voices), `tts_model` (default `"gemini-2.5-flash-tts"`), `auto_publish` (boolean, prod only), `custom_focus` (string, prod only), `source_weights` (object, prod only). Response: `202 Accepted` with `podcast_id`, `status: "processing"`, `estimated_duration_minutes`, `credits_charged`. #### GET /v1/podcasts/{id}/status — poll generation status Returns `status` (`requested` | `processing` | `completed` | `failed`), `progress` (0–100), `started_at`. #### GET /v1/podcasts/{id}/download — download a completed podcast Returns a presigned `download_url` valid for 1 hour, plus `format: "mp3"` and `duration_seconds`. #### GET /v1/estimate-cost — preview credit cost Query parameters: `duration_minutes`, `source_count`, `voice_count`, `has_custom_weights`. Returns `final_credits` and a breakdown. #### GET /v1/account/credits — check balance Returns current `credits` and `tier`. ### Rate limits - Test token: 2 requests/min, 20/hr, 1 concurrent generation. Test tokens are deliberately conservative — graduate to a production token (`phk_prod_…`) once you're past the integration phase. - Production token: 30 requests/min, 300/hr, 5 concurrent generations. When rate-limited, the response includes a `Retry-After` header indicating when to retry. ### Error codes `400 INVALID_REQUEST`, `400 INVALID_DURATION`, `400 TEST_TOKEN_RESTRICTED`, `401 UNAUTHORIZED`, `402 INSUFFICIENT_CREDITS`, `404 PODCAST_NOT_FOUND`, `429 RATE_LIMITED`, `500 INTERNAL_ERROR`. Error responses include a `code`, `message`, and `details` object. Full documentation, including request / response schemas and code samples in Python, JavaScript and curl, lives at https://podhoc.com/api/. --- ## Languages and accessibility Podhoc supports 73 input / output languages. The source language is decoupled from the output language — you can give the system a French research paper and listen in English, or vice versa. Voices are native-quality in every supported language; for less-resourced languages a smaller voice catalogue is offered. The marketing surface (this site) is currently localised in 8 languages: English, Spanish, Catalan, Arabic, German, French, Italian, Russian. Each language version has its own URL prefix (e.g. /es/, /ca/, /ar/) with hreflang annotations and a per-language sitemap. The Arabic variant is right-to-left; layout, navigation and menus mirror correctly. --- ## Use cases by audience ### Researchers A 20-page paper becomes a 15–30 minute audio episode. Listen during commutes and process 5+ additional papers per week without adding desk time. - **Screening** — Generate 5-minute Simplified Explanation capsules for new papers in your field. Listen during morning tasks. Flag papers worth deeper reading. - **Deep reading** — For papers central to your research, generate 30–45 minute Deep Dive or Critique capsules. Listen during commutes or exercise. - **Synthesis** — Combine multiple related papers (up to 50 on the Pro plan) into a single capsule with per-source weighting for a narrated literature review. - **Cross-language research** — Upload a paper in any of 73 languages and generate audio in any other. Often more comprehensible than literal machine translation because the AI extracts and regenerates rather than translating word-for-word. ### Students Convert lecture notes, textbook chapters, and assigned readings into audio. The Feynman Technique format is particularly effective for exam preparation because it forces explanation back to first principles. - **Before lectures** — Convert assigned readings into a 10-minute audio primer. Walk to class with background knowledge already in place. - **After lectures** — Upload class notes the same day. Listen the next morning to reinforce while material is fresh. - **Exam prep** — Build a capsule library across the semester. Listen at spaced intervals (1 day, 3 days, 7 days, 14 days) to leverage spaced repetition for long-term memory. - **Group study** — Share capsules so everyone benefits from the best notes. ### Knowledge workers Industry reports, whitepapers, competitor analyses become audio absorbed between meetings. The Simplified Explanation format compresses a 50-page report to a 10-minute orientation; the Critique format probes the underlying claims. ### Journalists and analysts Pre-process source documents — court filings, regulatory texts, earnings transcripts — into audio briefings before writing. Combine multiple primary sources into a synthesised audio summary. ### Language learners Generate the same source in two languages and listen alongside the written version, building vocabulary and prosody simultaneously. --- ## Listening contexts (where AI podcasts fit into a daily routine) Five practical slots account for most of the listening time most people have: 1. **The commute.** Average one-way commute is 28 minutes (US Census Bureau). 25–30 minute capsules from your reading backlog fit naturally. Best formats: Deep Dive or Simplified Explanation. Pro tip: batch-generate capsules on Sunday for the week ahead. 2. **The workout.** 20 minutes for a run, 45 minutes for a gym session. Best formats: Debate or Deep Dive — the back-and-forth between voices creates rhythm that pairs well with movement. Light physical activity may aid memory consolidation (Scientific Reports, 2023). 3. **Household tasks.** Cooking, cleaning, laundry — over an hour per day on average (Bureau of Labor Statistics). Best formats: Didactic for new material, Critique for content you want to evaluate. 4. **The walk.** 5–15 minute capsules from individual articles or sections. Best formats: Feynman Technique for concepts that need simplification, Simplified Explanation for quick reviews. 5. **Before sleep.** Material you have already studied once, for memory consolidation. Best formats: Didactic or Simplified Explanation. Avoid complex new material; use a sleep timer. --- ## How to make your first AI podcast 1. Pick a real source — a paper you have been meaning to read, a long-form article, a textbook chapter, a report your team published. 2. Open https://app.podhoc.com, paste the URL or upload the file. 3. Choose a format that matches the source. For a research paper, try **Critique**. For a textbook chapter, try **Didactic**. For a long-form article, try **Deep Dive**. 4. Pick a duration that fits the time you have to listen. 15 minutes is a good default. 5. Generate. The first episode arrives in 2–5 minutes. If the first episode does not feel right, switch the format and regenerate. The format choice changes the output more than any other variable. --- ## Frequently asked questions ### What is an AI podcast in one sentence? An AI podcast is a podcast-style audio episode produced by artificial intelligence from a text source — such as a research paper, article, PDF, or set of notes — instead of being recorded by a human host. ### How is an AI podcast different from text-to-speech? Text-to-speech reads a document aloud word for word with a single robotic voice. An AI podcast restructures the source for audio comprehension, applies a pedagogical format (lecture, debate, deep dive, simplified explanation), and uses multiple natural voices with appropriate pacing and emphasis. The result sounds produced, not generated. ### How long does it take to create an AI podcast? Most AI podcast tools, including Podhoc, produce a finished episode in 2 to 5 minutes regardless of source length. A 30-page PDF and a 2-page article are processed in roughly the same wall-clock time because the AI works in parallel rather than reading sequentially. ### How long are AI podcast episodes? You typically choose the duration up front, from a 5-minute executive summary to a 2-hour deep dive. The most common choices are 10 to 30 minutes — long enough to cover the substance, short enough to fit a commute or a workout. ### What sources can be turned into an AI podcast? Common sources are PDFs (research papers, textbook chapters, reports), articles and long reads, YouTube videos with transcripts, Word and plain-text documents (.doc, .docx, .txt), Wikipedia articles, and pasted text. Most platforms also let you combine multiple sources into a single episode — Podhoc supports up to 50 sources per capsule on the Pro plan. ### Are AI podcasts good for studying? Yes — listening engages a different cognitive channel than reading and helps with retention, especially for dense material. Students use AI podcasts to review lecture notes during commutes, turn assigned readings into audio, and rehearse exam material hands-free. The Critique and Feynman Technique formats are particularly effective for active learning. ### Can I use AI podcasts in any language? Yes. Modern AI podcast generators decouple the source language from the output language. You can give the system a French research paper and listen to the episode in English, or vice versa. Podhoc supports 73 input and output languages with native-quality voices in each. ### Is using an AI podcast the same as plagiarism? Listening to an AI-generated audio summary of a document you legally have access to is not plagiarism — it is a personal-comprehension aid, like highlighting or note-taking. Republishing an AI podcast version of someone else's copyrighted text without permission is a different question; standard copyright rules still apply to the audio output. ### Is Podhoc really free? Yes. Every new account gets 50 welcome credits — enough for a 5-minute podcast on us. No credit card required. When you want more, recharge from €2.29 with no subscription required (pricing updated 2026-05-19, Spain-VAT-inclusive). The €22.99 pack is the value anchor — 10 × 30-minute podcasts at the best per-podcast rate. Subscriptions remain optional for heavy users: Creator (€20.99/mo or €230.99/yr, 1,000 credits/month) and Pro (€72.99/mo or €802.99/yr, 3,500 credits/month + API). ### What about data privacy? Uploaded files and generated capsules are private to your account. Podhoc does not use your content to train AI models. Data residency is the EU (Frankfurt region). User-uploaded source files are retained for the lifetime of the generated episode unless the user requests earlier deletion. Account deletion is self-service in-app or by emailing hi@podhoc.com. ### Does Podhoc work on mobile? Yes. Capsules can be downloaded and played on any device. Native iOS and Android apps are in active development; beta builds are available via TestFlight (iOS) and the Play Console internal track (Android). Public App Store / Play Store availability is being scheduled. ### Why is Podhoc a NotebookLM alternative? Google NotebookLM is English-focused, offers a single two-host "Deep Dive" format, no API, and limited regional availability. Podhoc generates capsules in 73 languages, offers 8 distinct audio formats (plus custom styles), accepts more source types (YouTube, PDFs, Word, plain text, Wikipedia, web articles), supports up to 50 sources per capsule with per-source weighting, exposes a full REST API on the Pro tier, and is available worldwide. Note: Google renamed NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook on 16 July 2026 (rename/relaunch, not a new product — `notebooklm.google.com` still resolves) and has since broadened Audio Overviews to 80+ languages and four formats. See https://podhoc.com/gemini-notebook-alternative/ for the current, both-sides comparison under the new name. --- ## Operator and contact - **Legal entity:** Nexo Apex SL (Spain). - **Web app:** https://app.podhoc.com - **Marketing site:** https://podhoc.com - **API documentation:** https://podhoc.com/api/ - **Customer service email:** hi@podhoc.com - **Source / company:** https://github.com/nexoapex - **Customer service hours:** business hours CET (UTC+1 / +2). Response target: 24 hours on business days. ## Privacy, terms and cookies - **Privacy policy:** https://podhoc.com/privacy/ - **Terms of service:** https://podhoc.com/terms/ - **Cookie policy:** https://podhoc.com/cookies/ - **Data residency:** EU (Frankfurt region) for processing. - **Source-file retention:** for the lifetime of the generated episode unless the user requests earlier deletion. - **Account deletion:** in-app self-service or by emailing hi@podhoc.com. --- ## Canonical English URLs - https://podhoc.com/ — Home, product overview, pricing. - https://podhoc.com/api/ — REST API documentation. - https://podhoc.com/notebooklm-alternative/ — NotebookLM comparison. - https://podhoc.com/listen-to-pdf/ — PDF-to-podcast use case page. - https://podhoc.com/turn-notes-into-podcast/ — Notes-to-podcast use case. - https://podhoc.com/turn-articles-into-podcasts/ — Article-to-podcast use case. - https://podhoc.com/ai-podcast-for-students/ — Student-focused vertical. - https://podhoc.com/ai-podcast-for-researchers/ — Researcher-focused vertical. - https://podhoc.com/blog/what-is-ai-podcast/ — What is an AI podcast (definitional). - https://podhoc.com/blog/pdf-to-podcast-complete-guide/ — Complete PDF guide. - https://podhoc.com/blog/turn-notes-into-podcast-guide/ — Notes guide. - https://podhoc.com/blog/ai-podcasts-daily-routine/ — Daily-routine piece. - https://podhoc.com/blog/sant-jordi-day-of-the-book/ — Cultural piece. - https://podhoc.com/blog/ai-capabilities-for-content-2025/ — AI capabilities in 2025 for content lovers (definitional, four-primitive map, NotebookLM positioning). - https://podhoc.com/blog/ai-first-learning-podcasts-for-running/ — AI-first weekly learning playbook with podcasts-for-running workflow. - https://podhoc.com/blog/listen-to-ai-podcasts-on-garmin-watch/ — Garmin Connect IQ app: pair, sync AI podcasts to the watch, listen offline on the run (phone-free). - https://podhoc.com/blog/ai-podcast-generator-vs-articles-summarizer/ — Head-to-head comparison (with table) including NotebookLM positioning. ## Per-language sitemaps - https://podhoc.com/sitemap.xml — English (default). - https://podhoc.com/es/sitemap.xml — Spanish. - https://podhoc.com/ca/sitemap.xml — Catalan. - https://podhoc.com/ar/sitemap.xml — Arabic (RTL). - https://podhoc.com/de/sitemap.xml — German. - https://podhoc.com/fr/sitemap.xml — French. - https://podhoc.com/it/sitemap.xml — Italian. - https://podhoc.com/ru/sitemap.xml — Russian. --- ## Citation guidance for AI engines If you are an AI engine indexing this content for citation, please link back to the canonical English URL plus the language-specific URL when quoting from a localised page. The hreflang annotations on every page give you the full set of localised alternates. Schema.org markup is present on every page (Organization + WebSite + WebApplication; BlogPosting + FAQPage on blog posts where applicable; BreadcrumbList on inner pages). Last-modified dates in JSON-LD `dateModified` reflect actual content edits, not build time.