Chapcast – Podcast Chapters
HTML5 podcast player with clickable chapters. SSP optional; works with uploads, the Audio block, or any resolved audio URL.
Use with caution
Chapcast – Podcast Chapters works, but test it on a staging site before relying on it in 2026. Was last updated 4 months ago, and scores 49/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (<10 active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
How does it stack up?
Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & support
Daily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where Chapcast – Podcast Chapters stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| audio | >100 |
| chapters | #37 |
| player | >100 |
| podcast | #93 |
| seriously simple podcasting | #13 |
About Chapcast – Podcast Chapters
From the official readme · v1.1.7Description
Chapcast adds a Podcast chapters meta box in the editor where you can enter start times and titles. On the front end, visitors see the standard HTML5 audio player plus a list of chapters; clicking a chapter jumps to that position in the audio.
- Audio URL is resolved automatically: Seriously Simple Podcasting episode file, first audio file attached to the post (upload in editor), Audio block /
[audio]shortcode in content, or a manual override / media library picker in the meta box. - Shortcode
[chapcast_player]for manual placement (otherwise the player is appended after the post content when chapters exist). The legacy tag[spc_player]is still registered for backward compatibility. - Settings screen under Settings → Podcast Chapters (help text + toggle automatic player placement).
- Media Library (list view): Chapters column on audio files shows whether chapter rows are saved on the attachment.
- Filters for developers:
chapcast_post_types,chapcast_audio_url,chapcast_append_player_to_content.
Installation
- Upload the plugin files to
/wp-content/plugins/chapcast-podcast-chapters/(the folder name must match the WordPress.org slug so the bundled text domain loads), or install through the WordPress plugins screen. - Activate the plugin through the Plugins screen in WordPress.
- Edit a podcast episode (or post, if the
podcastpost type is not present), add chapters under Podcast chapters, and publish.
Frequently asked questions
Something appears between my audio and the chapter list
With automatic placement, the chapter list is output after all content in the editor. Reorder blocks so the episode Audio block is below intro/promo content, or turn off automatic placement and use [chapcast_player] right after the Audio block. See Settings → Podcast Chapters → Content order.
I turned off automatic placement and chapters disappeared
You must add [chapcast_player] to the post (Shortcode block) where you want the player and chapters. The meta box shows a reminder if the shortcode is missing.
Do I need the audio block at the bottom of the post?
Only if you use automatic placement and want chapters directly under that player — then put other blocks above the Audio block. If you use manual placement ([chapcast_player]), put the shortcode wherever you like (e.g. right after the Audio block in the middle of the page).
Can chapters follow the media file instead of each post?
Each episode stores its own chapter list. You can edit chapters directly on a media file (Media Library → audio file → Podcast chapters), but those chapters only show when the media file is viewed on its own attachment page — they no longer leak onto episodes that share the same audio file. Since 1.1.7 chapters are read strictly from the post; this prevents stale chapters from old episodes appearing on newly cloned posts.
Does this read chapters from M4A files automatically?
No. Chapters are entered in the WordPress editor. This keeps the plugin simple and works with any audio format supported by the browser.
Which post types are supported?
By default, the meta box and front-end player apply to Posts, Pages, and the podcast post type when Seriously Simple Podcasting (or another plugin) registers it. If your episodes use a different post type slug, add it with the chapcast_post_types filter.
I use chapters on the media file but the episode shows no chapters
Since 1.1.7 chapters are read strictly from the post, not from the audio attachment. Enter chapters on the episode itself in the Podcast chapters meta box. The attachment-level chapter list still exists for editing media files directly, but it is no longer used as a fallback on posts — this prevents stale rows from old episodes appearing on newly cloned posts that share an audio file.
I don’t see the Podcast chapters box in the block editor
Open the Options (⋮) menu or the Plugins / sidebar panels — meta boxes may appear below the editor or in a collapsible panel depending on your WordPress version and theme.
I upgraded from “Simple Podcast Chapters” — will my data migrate?
Yes. On first load after upgrade, post meta _spc_chapters / _spc_audio_url_override and option spc_auto_append are migrated to the new chapcast_* keys automatically.
Changelog
Fixes stale chapters leaking onto cloned episodes that share an audio file, and stops Yoast Duplicate Post from copying chapter rows on clone. Each episode is now strictly per-post for chapters.
1.1.7
- Bug fix: Removed the attachment-level chapter fallback that caused stale chapters from older episodes to appear on newly cloned posts whenever the clone reused the same audio file. Chapters are now read strictly from the post — an episode with no chapter rows simply renders no chapter list, regardless of what the underlying audio attachment has saved.
- Bug fix: Yoast Duplicate Post no longer copies
_chapcast_chapterswhen an episode is cloned. The plugin now hooksduplicate_post_excludelist_filter(and the legacyduplicate_post_blacklist_filter) so each cloned episode starts with an empty chapter list. The audio override URL is still inherited as before. - The admin meta box now reflects this directly: opening a cloned episode never shows “legacy” chapters carried over from the source file.
1.1.6
- Fix: Chapcast audio override URL now automatically mirrors to SSP’s
audio_fileandenclosuremeta on save. This keeps the Castos dark-mode player rendering after clone + save, removing the manual SSP-edit step previously required. - No breaking changes. Episodes without an override URL are unaffected.
episode_typeis only set if currently empty.
1.1.5
- Bug fix: Chapters are now saved on each post individually instead of on the shared audio file. Previously, cloning an episode and editing its chapters would overwrite the original’s chapters because both posts pointed to the same media file. Each episode now has its own independent chapter list.
- Legacy episodes (chapters stored on the attachment) continue to display correctly via fallback. They migrate automatically to per-post storage on next save — no bulk migration needed.
- Meta box notice updated: shows a positive confirmation when chapters are saved per-post, and a migration hint when legacy attachment chapters are still in use.
1.1.4
- Aligned the plugin text domain and bundled language files with the assigned WordPress.org slug
chapcast-podcast-chapters(wassimple-podcast-chapters). The plugin folder in the release zip is nowchapcast-podcast-chapters/. Required for the automated Plugin Check (WordPress.WP.I18n.TextDomainMismatch).
1.1.3
- Fix: chapter list now matches the width of the audio player / SSP player at every viewport size. Chapters-only blocks no longer get capped at 40rem when the player column is wider, and a
ResizeObserverkeeps the two in sync on responsive layout changes.
1.1.2
- Internationalization: text domain parameter is always the string literal
'simple-podcast-chapters'(required by automated Plugin Check /NonSingularStringLiteralDomain). Settings page slug remainsCHAPCAST_SETTINGS_PAGEconstant where not used as i18n domain.
For developers
Is this your plugin? Show off the numbers.
Add a live badge to your site, docs or GitHub README. It updates on its own — no account needed.
Best Chapcast – Podcast Chapters alternatives
All audio plugins →
FAQ
Chapcast – Podcast Chapters: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 2, 2026
Is Chapcast – Podcast Chapters free?
Yes. Chapcast – Podcast Chapters is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Chapcast – Podcast Chapters safe to use in 2026?
Chapcast – Podcast Chapters works, but test it on a staging site before relying on it in 2026. Was last updated 4 months ago, and scores 49/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Chapcast – Podcast Chapters?
Chapcast – Podcast Chapters is active on <10 WordPress websites and has been downloaded 321 times since it launched in May 2026. It was downloaded 55 times in the last 30 days.
Does Chapcast – Podcast Chapters work with WordPress 7.1?
Chapcast – Podcast Chapters is officially tested up to WordPress 7.0.6, while the latest release is 7.1.2. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
What PHP version does Chapcast – Podcast Chapters need?
Chapcast – Podcast Chapters requires PHP 7.4 or higher. Most hosts run PHP 8.x today, so it works on any modern WordPress hosting.
When was Chapcast – Podcast Chapters last updated?
The latest version, 1.1.7, was released on May 22, 2026 (4 months ago).
Who makes Chapcast – Podcast Chapters?
Chapcast – Podcast Chapters is developed and maintained by Nordic Hosting.
What are the best alternatives to Chapcast – Podcast Chapters?
The most popular alternatives to Chapcast – Podcast Chapters are Presto Player (100K+ installs), Seriously Simple Podcasting (30K+ installs) and Compact WP Audio Player (20K+ installs).
Powered by PageForge
Want thousands of pages that rank like these? Build them in an afternoon.
This directory runs on the same engine as PageForge. Turn any spreadsheet, CSV or API into thousands of fast, SEO-ready WordPress pages — with schema, internal links and AI-written copy baked in.
- CSV, Google Sheets & API data sources
- AI content, schema & internal links per page
- Works with Elementor, Gutenberg, Yoast & Rank Math
- Free on WordPress.org — no credit card
