Lesson #2
How do the charts work?
In the first lesson, you discovered what charts are, what they’re for, and how they’re structured on listening platforms. Now, it’s time to dive into how these rankings actually work and how they are calculated. This understanding will help you make the necessary adjustments to help your podcast climb the charts.
January 19, 2026 • About 12 min. read
There isn’t just one single algorithm behind every Top Podcast, Top Episode, or category ranking. Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other platforms each use their own rules, criteria, and dynamics. As a result, the same podcast can climb quickly in one ranking, stay steady in another, and not appear anywhere else.
In this Lesson #2 of the “Podcast Charts Guide,” we will cover:
- Common misconceptions about rankings that you should leave behind
- The difference between Charts (rankings) and search (PSO)
- The criteria used by Apple and Spotify to rank podcasts in their Tops
Enjoy the read!
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Common Misconceptions: What the Charts Don’t Measure
Apple Podcasts and Spotify rankings are not based on your podcast’s total lifetime listens or the overall size of your audience.
They only measure activity generated within their own specific apps.
In practical terms:
- đź’ś Apple Podcasts only takes into account listens made within the iOS app. Listens from the Apple Podcasts website (web/desktop version) are not counted.
- đź’š Spotify counts listens made within the Spotify app on both the mobile and desktop versions.
Listens from any other source (Deezer, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, websites, embedded players, etc.) have zero impact on your Apple or Spotify rankings.
This means that if you naturally have more subscribers—and therefore more listens—on one of these platforms over the other, your podcast is more likely to be ranked higher on that specific platform.
Ratings, Reviews, and Shares are not Factored In
Apple has officially confirmed this: the platform does not use ratings (stars), the total number of ratings, or written reviews to rank its podcasts.
As for Spotify, while users can give star ratings to a show, there is no public evidence suggesting that these ratings are used as a direct signal for their rankings.
However, these elements can still have an indirect impact. The more attention a podcast attracts, the more likely it is to gain new downloads and subscribers—and those are the factors that can actually help a show climb the charts.
The Difference Between Charts and Search (Podcast Search Optimization)
Apple Podcasts and Spotify rankings are often confused with the search function within the platforms’ search bars. However, these are two completely distinct mechanisms. Each serves a different purpose and operates under entirely different rules and criteria.
Understanding this difference is essential, as it determines how a podcast can gain visibility.
Charts: A System Based on Your Podcast’s Momentum
Charts primarily measure the recent activity surrounding a show or an episode. They reward traction.
An episode or a podcast that generates a spike in interest can climb the ranks very quickly, even if its overall audience size is limited. This is why a modest podcast can suddenly appear in the Top Episodes chart, while a much more popular but steady podcast might not show up at all.
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See exactly where your show and your competitors rank on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, with filters by show, country, category, and subcategory.
Search (PSO): A system based on keywords
The internal search engine of these platforms—commonly referred to as Podcast Search Optimization (PSO)—operates using a completely different logic. PSO relies on:
- Keywords within your metadata.
- Their relevance to the listener’s specific search query.
- Your overall popularity.
- The thematic consistency of your show.
PSO rewards relevance. If your podcast covers a specific topic and your metadata is properly optimized, you can be highly visible in search results even if you aren’t currently appearing in the charts.
To learn more about Podcast Search Optimization (PSO), head over to the dedicated PSO guide on the Ausha Academy.. Access is free!
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How does Apple Podcasts calculate its rankings?
Apple doesn’t disclose the exact ins and outs of its rankings, but the platform has confirmed several key points that help explain what actually influences your position in the charts.
Here are the most important criteria for Apple Podcasts:
New Subscriptions: The most decisive factor
Apple confirmed back in 2020 that new podcast subscriptions are the most powerful signal in their rankings. The more new subscribers a podcast attracts over a short period, the more likely it is to climb the charts.
This criterion specifically explains:
- Why a newly launched podcast can enter a ranking very quickly,
- Why a highly popular but stable podcast might not necessarily appear there,
- Why a one-time event (interview, campaign, or media coverage) can lead to a meteoric rise.
👉 In short, Apple prioritizes acquisition momentum over total audience size.
Listening Activity
By now, it should be clear: it’s not the RSS downloads that count, but the actual listens recorded directly within the Apple Podcasts mobile app.
Apple specifically tracks several key signals:
- Number of listening sessions: how many times a listener starts episodes of a podcast within the app.
- Listening frequency: do they return several times a week? Do they listen to multiple episodes of the same show?
- Recency of listens: an episode that records a spike in listens today “weighs” more in the algorithm than an episode listened to several weeks ago.
- Overall engagement: this includes not only listening duration but also the consistency of the overall behavior surrounding your podcast.
Apple’s rankings essentially reward active podcasts. The more actual listens your show accumulates within the app, the stronger the signal sent—and the better your podcast’s chances of being featured in the charts.
Please note: While Apple mentions this criterion in its documentation, as this as this Podnews article points out, its exact weight within the algorithm is unknown. Market observations show that new subscriptions remain the primary driver behind rapid climbs.
The Completion Rate
Apple also takes listening quality into account, meaning the way listeners actually consume your episodes. The idea is simple: the further listeners get into an episode, the more Apple considers your content to be relevant, engaging, and appreciated.
Concretely, the platform tracks several factors:
- How far listeners get in each episode (the well-known completion rate).
- Your podcast’s ability to retain listeners starting from the very first minutes.
- The regularity with which listeners move from one episode to the next.
- Signals of early abandonment, which can indicate a lack of interest in a topic, tone, or audio quality.
A high completion rate sends a positive signal: it shows that your content captures attention and makes people want to stay until the end. While this criterion carries less weight than new subscriptions when it comes to climbing the charts, it plays a vital role in maintaining your ranking.
In other words: subscriptions help you climb; completion rate helps you stay there.
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Apple Podcasts’ “Momentum” Logic
Apple Podcasts rankings are updated several times a day and are primarily driven by recent activity surrounding a show. They reward podcasts that generate a sudden burst of interest, whether it is triggered by a new episode, a marketing campaign, a high-profile guest, or media coverage.
This explains why:
- A launch can lead to a dramatic climb in just a few hours.
- Rankings can shift significantly from one day to the next.
- Even a smaller podcast can break into the Top lists if it creates a strong surge in subscriptions or downloads.
How Spotify calculates its rankings
Spotify is currently the most transparent platform regarding its rankings. All of its Charts are publicly accessible via The Podcast Charts by Spotify, and the platform clearly outlines the signals used to rank both episodes and shows.
Unlike Apple Podcasts, Spotify relies on criteria primarily based on unique listens recorded within the app.
Here are the most important signals:
Unique Listens: The foundation of Spotify rankings
In the Spotify Charts, a listen is counted as soon as a listener tunes in for more than 60 seconds of an episode. This is the official threshold provided by Spotify.
Each listener is only counted once per episode within a 24-hour window. If a person listens to the same episode five times in one day, Spotify will only count a single unique listen for that day.
This is why Spotify rankings reward:
- Episodes that generate a high volume of actual listens.
- Shows or episodes capable of attracting unique listeners (rather than just repeat plays from loyal fans).
- Podcasts that drive significant traffic in a short timeframe (such as a spike immediately following an episode’s release).
👉 The more unique daily listeners you generate, the higher you will climb in Spotify’s rankings.
New Subscriptions (Follows): A Complementary Signal
Spotify does not explicitly disclose the exact weight of “follows” in its rankings. However, both market observations and industry reports— like this article from Podnews—indicate that they do play a role.
A podcast that suddenly gains a large number of followers may appear in the trending charts even if its daily audience remains modest.
👉 Follows act as a strong signal of interest, but they aren’t the primary driver for climbing the “Top Podcasts” chart.
Not All Spotify Rankings Measure the Same Thing
The unique thing about Spotify’s rankings is that each one is based on specific, well-defined signals. To interpret them correctly, you must understand how each Chart is calculated and what it actually measures.
The “Trending Podcasts” Chart
Spotify offers a dedicated chart for Trending Podcasts. Unlike the “Top Podcasts” chart, which highlights the most-listened-to shows at any given moment, this ranking specifically rewards a podcast’s growth velocity.
The goal of the Trending chart is to identify podcasts that are starting to gain traction, whether they are brand new or experiencing a resurgence of interest. It specifically highlights:
- Podcasts experiencing rapid growth in listens over a short period.
- Shows that users have been discovering in large numbers over the last few days.
- Content that suddenly generates significant activity (listens, follows, word-of-mouth, or social media virality).
This explains why a small podcast can appear in the Trending charts even if it isn’t in the Top Podcasts list, why a very established but stable show might never appear there, or why a viral episode, a high-profile guest, or external promotion can propel a podcast into this ranking in just a few hours.
Appearing in “Trending Podcasts” means a show is rising quickly—not necessarily that it is already among the biggest in the country.
Track your rankings at a glance with Ausha Charts In-App
See exactly where your show and your competitors rank on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, with filters by show, country, category, and subcategory.
The “Top Podcasts” Chart: The Most Listened-To Podcasts
This is undoubtedly the most important ranking on Spotify. It is based exclusively on the number of unique listens a show generates each day.
As a result, this chart is naturally dominated by major shows that remain there for the long haul. Progress is also slower than in the “Trending” chart because it requires convincing a significant volume of unique listeners to move up.
While a rapid ascent is still possible, it almost never happens without a massive and sudden surge in the number of listeners.
This is the ranking that most accurately reflects the actual size of the Spotify audience.
The “Top Episodes” Chart
Here, Spotify doesn’t measure a show’s overall performance, but rather the performance of a specific episode. The ranking is calculated solely based on the number of unique listeners who have tuned in for more than 60 seconds of that episode during the day.
This means that:
- An exceptionally successful episode can outperform much larger podcasts.
- A powerful topic, a high-profile guest, or a particularly engaging format can generate an immediate spike.
- Even podcasts with a modest audience can climb the ranks if an episode creates real buzz.
This ranking is very useful for testing how well a topic resonates, measuring a guest’s impact, identifying episodes that attract the most new listeners, or understanding what serves as your show’s primary entry point.
👉 “Top Episodes” highlights what’s creating buzz today, rather than what is most popular in the long term.
Category Charts
In addition to the global charts, Spotify offers rankings by category (and sub-category in certain countries). These Charts provide a more granular view of a podcast’s standing within its specific editorial niche.
They operate on the same principle as the Top Podcasts chart: unique daily listens recorded within the Spotify app serve as the foundation for these rankings.
Just like Apple Podcasts, thematic rankings vary by market. A highly competitive category in France might be much more accessible in Belgium or Canada, for instance.
Summary: Apple Podcasts vs. Spotify
Apple Podcasts and Spotify both measure podcast performance, but each relies on a different logic:
- Apple primarily values acquisition—the ability of a podcast to quickly attract new subscribers and create a spike in activity within the app. Listening signals, such as completion rate, mainly influence the stability of your position.
- Spotify relies mainly on the volume of unique daily listeners. The platform reacts immediately to the number of people actually listening to an episode over a short period.
In short: Apple rewards momentum, while Spotify rewards actual listener volume. Understanding this difference allows you to adjust your strategies depending on which ranking you want to influence.
Congratulations! đź‘Ź
You’ve just completed Lesson #2 of this guide dedicated to how rankings work. Here are the key takeaways:
- Rankings do not measure RSS downloads, ratings, or reviews. They are based exclusively on actual activity within the Apple Podcasts and Spotify apps.
- Apple Podcasts prioritizes new subscriptions above all else. Recent activity, listening quality (completion rate), and your ability to retain listeners then help stabilize your ranking positions.
- Spotify primarily relies on unique daily listens recorded in the app. “Follows” play a secondary role but contribute to being featured in the Trending chart.
- Each Spotify chart measures something different: The Top Podcasts reflect actual audience size, the Trending chart highlights podcasts growing rapidly, and Top Episodes showcase the specific content people are talking about today.
- Apple and Spotify operate under different logics: Apple rewards current momentum, while Spotify rewards the actual volume of unique listeners. Understanding this difference allows you to tailor your actions to influence the right chart at the right time.
The question now is: How do you track your positions across all these rankings? That is the subject of the next lesson (#3) in this Charts guide.
Boost your visibility with Podcast Search Optimization Discover how PSO works in under 5 minutes
Watch a short video to understand how the PSO Control Panel can improve your podcast’s visibility. See how to activate PSO, track performance, and maximize your podcast’s visibility across platforms.
DĂ©couvrez comment fonctionne le PSO Control Panel en 5 minutes
Regardez une courte vidéo pour comprendre comment le PSO Control Panel peut transformer la visibilité de votre podcast.
