Life & fun · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to The Program – A fictional podcast inspired by Hacker News stories

The Program is a sci-fi anthology podcast launched in 2018 that presents standalone stories set in a future where Money, State, and God have merged into a single entity called the Program. Each episode follows ordinary… Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. The Program – A fictional podcast inspired by Hacker News stories launched in 2018; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

1
StartUp▲380
Alex Blumberg's (Planet Money/NPR) new startup podcast.
2014 · podcasts.apple.com · its alternatives →
2IM
I made a Hacker News for podcasts▲367
2016 · podcastrank.co · its alternatives →
3
Y Combinator Podcast▲531
Y Combinators new podcast on starting a startup
2017 · ycombinator.com · its alternatives →
4
PodSnap.AI▲393
Get summaries of podcast episodes as they go live
2024 · podsnap.ai · its alternatives →
5HD
Hacker Daily, a daily podcast for Hacker News readers▲199
2018 · hackerdaily.co · its alternatives →
6
Future Is Podcast▲104
A podcast discussing the future of tech, a subject at a time
2015 · its alternatives →
7
Spika.ai▲343
Your voice, your ideas, your podcast—just a prompt away
2025 · spikalabs.com · its alternatives →
8
TIL Reddit Recap - Thu. Jan 28▲80
A podcast created entirely by a computer program
2016 · sleepybandit.github.io · its alternatives →
9
TheProdcast▲145
A podcast featuring impactful technology & product stories
2021 · open.spotify.com · its alternatives →
10HM
Help me launch a weekly HN podcast▲105
2012 · hnpod.com · its alternatives →
11
Planet Money▲153
A podcast covering the global economy
2014 · its alternatives →
12
Just the Beginning▲126
A new podcast from Kickstarter talking about indie creators
2019 · podcasts.apple.com · its alternatives →
13
HackToStart▲82
A podcast on interesting people & how they achieve success
2015 · hacktostart.com · its alternatives →
14
Segfault, a podcast mapping the field of computer science▲42
Straight talk for a twisted world. Click to read Honesty Is Best, a Substack publication. Launched a year ago.
2020 · honestyisbest.com · its alternatives →
15
The Creator Economy▲126
Podcast that covers the techier side of creators.
2021 · creatoreconomypodcast.com · its alternatives →
16
I made a podcast featuring true stories about hackers and cyber crime▲55
A podcast featuring true stories from the dark side of the Internet.
2018 · darknetdiaries.com · its alternatives →
17
Beyond the Screen▲73
The first podcast that's 100% made by AI
2023 · open.spotify.com · its alternatives →
18
Prehype Podcast▲107
Entrepreneurs speaking to people they think are interesting
2015 · podcasts.apple.com · its alternatives →
19
The Podglomerate▲70
A hybrid podcast network and production house
2017 · thepodglomerate.com · its alternatives →
20
Founder's Journey Podcast▲108
A weekly podcast about building a startup from the ground up
2015 · podcasts.apple.com · its alternatives →
21
Zen Founder▲131
A weekly podcast about staying sane while starting up
2015 · zenfounder.com · its alternatives →
22
The Message - Episode 1▲64
Cyphercast, the podcast within a podcast
2015 · w.soundcloud.com · its alternatives →
23
Seedcamp Podcast▲118
A weekly podcast from Europe's leading Acceleration Fund
2015 · soundcloud.com · its alternatives →
24
Hunt the Truth — S1E1: A hairline fracture▲88
The intro to Microsoft's "Serial"-style Halo podcast
2015 · soundcloud.com · its alternatives →

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Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →