@fahrni @evan There is an Open Directory operated as a non-profit. It’s run by @adam and @dave - and it’s free for everyone. https://podcastindex.org
No podcast apps build their own directory really, except Spotify (and Apple of course). Everyone else uses Apple’s APIs or Podcast Index. Some odd corporate things like iHeart or SiriusXM have their own podcast directories, I guess, but they’re few and far between.
Here’s (I think) a full list of them all.
https://podnews.net/article/all-the-podcast-directories