Best Podcast Listening Apps for iOS & Android [2022]
Podcast apps function mainly as a podcast player and a warehouse of RSS feeds. Directories also help listeners discover new content and some let podcasters pay to promote their show within the app.
Most people are familiar with major platforms like Apple Podcasts, but lots of third-party apps exist with more robust search features and settings. In this blog, we share our favorite podcast listening apps for iOS and Android devices.
Best podcast app for iOS | Overcast
• Price: Free or $9.99 a year
• Exclusive content: No
• Ads: Yes (podcasts only)
Overcast has one of the most simple and efficient user interfaces for iPhone users. The app includes a podcast player, Smart Speed, Voice Boost, and Smart Playlists to help you control your listening experience.
This app also lets you download episodes on wifi so you can preserve cell data. Overcast's ads are all podcast-related, paid for by podcasters, and tailored to help connect you with great content.
You can upgrade to Overcast Premium to remove adds from the app.
Other excellent iOS podcast apps:
Best podcast app for Android | Podcast Addict
• Price: Free or $0.99 a month
• Exclusive content: No
• Ads: Yes (podcasts only)
Podcast Addict is the #1 podcast app for Android, with more than 500K reviews and average ratings of 4.7 out of 5 stars.
This listening app is highly customizable, includes cloud backup via Google Drive and access to podcasts and audiobooks, YouTube channels, etc.
And if you enjoy having more control over your audio, you can use the audio effects to manage Playback speed, Skip Silence, add Volume boost, Mono audio, etc.
Another bonus of this app: a reviews section. Not many podcast apps have a place for listeners to rate and review their favorite content (except Apple Podcasts and hubs like Podchaser).
Other Android podcast apps:
Best podcast app with social features | Goodpods
Goodpods
• Price: Free
• Exclusive content: No
• Ads: No
Brother and sister team JJ and Ken Ramberg designed Goodpods to act as a social podcast network.
The social app lets listeners see what their friends and family listen to, recommend content to people in their network, and form Goodpods Groups around their favorites podcasts.
Goodpods has an intuitive design and users give it 4.8 stars for ease of use, and robust social features.
Our Goodpods review and walkthrough can help you get a better feel for the app's interface and features!
Best app with crypto payments | Castamatic
• Price: Free or $8.99 a year
• Exclusive content: No
• Ads: Yes
Castamatic is one of the only apps that lets listeners support their favorite podcasters with crypto payments. Users appreciate the clean interface, smart playlists, and organization features.
Castamatic is compatible with Apple Watch and CarPlay. It also syncs subscriptions and playback spot to the Cloud.
Runner up:
Other apps we considered
Apple Podcasts
• Price: Free and various paid subscriptions (price set by creators)
• Exclusive content: Yes
• Ads: No
Apple Podcasts is the number one podcast app for iOS and the second most popular podcast app overall.
The latest iOS update came with a total redesign of episode pages, exclusive content, and the ability to follow content and share it with friends. Apple also added a Smart Play feature that starts serial shows from the latest episode.
Apple Podcasts doesn't have playlists or an advanced search option. But the Channels and Subscriptions features help listeners find shows and get access to exclusive content.
Castro
• Price: Free version or Castro Plus $8.99 a year
• Exclusive content: No
• Ads: Yes
Castro released their upgraded podcast app in 2018 with an improved UI. The app functions as a single playlist called "the Queue" that lets you easily manage your content.
Other features include:
- Custom playback speeds
- Advanced chapter support
- Podcast sharing
- Car Play and Apple Watch playback
Castro does not have playlists. When you subscribe to a show, new episodes appear in your feed, and you can give them a quick scan to see which one interests you!
Stitcher
• Price: Free or $4.99 for Stitcher Premium subscription
• Exclusive content: Yes
• Ads: Yes (removable)
Stitcher is a great podcast player, especially if you value making playlists with your favorite podcast episodes.
This app was one of the first-ever podcast players for Android and is now one of the largest third-party directories available.
Stitcher also has episode search, filtering, and sorting capability that lets you find, manage and sort through content.
You can also customize audio settings so you can listen to episodes how you like. Other features include:
- Sleep Timer
- Listen on Web
- Connect via Bluetooth
- Up Next Queue
Fountain Podcasts
• Price: Free or $2.99 a month for Premium
• Exclusive content: No
• Ads: Yes
Fountain Podcasts lets listeners share podcast clips with friends and support their favorite creators with Bitcoin.
Listeners can organize their feed with tags and playlists and send messages directly to creators. Podcasters get access to listener insights and instant payouts to withdraw earnings.
TuneIn Radio
• Price: Free or $9.99 a month
• Exclusive content: No
• Ads: Yes
If you're a sports, music, and podcasts fan, TuneIn Radio has you covered.
While TuneIn offers all your favorite podcasts, it started as a radio-based app and includes 100,000+ stations plus access to live news channels and sports talk radio.
TuneIn Premium also has commercial-free music, podcasts, sports, and fewer ads on radio stations.
You can use this app on Alexa or Google Home, CarPlay, Android Auto, as well as hundreds of portable devices.
PodBean
• Price: Free or tiers starting at $9 a month
• Exclusive content: No
• Ads: Yes (podcasts only)
Podbean's player gets 4.8 stars for ease of use and has several unique, built-in features for listeners.
You can search podcasts by title, episode, or author name and get customized recommendations based on your listening history.
The app also offers episode notifications, advanced playback features and audio effects, and Amazon Alexa and CarPlay Support integration.
Castbox
• Price: Free or $0.99 a month
• Exclusive content: No
• Ads: Yes (podcasts only)
Castbox started in 2016 to help podcast listeners discover new shows.
The app is an easy-to-use podcast player with a clean layout, intuitive interface, and even a unique social media element that lets users follow threads and contribute to the conversation around content.
Castbox is compatible across platforms and with Apple Watch, CarPlay, and Amazon Echo.
PlayerFM
• Price: Free or $3.99 for PlayerFM Premium
• Exclusive content: No
• Ads: Yes (podcasts only)
If you feel frustrated at the process of finding new podcast content, PlayerFM is a great option.
This player is cloud-synced and has helpful built-in search features for tailored recommendations on niche topics.
PlayerFM Premium offers unique features like a download space saver to help you conserve your data, custom themes, bookmarks and annotations, priority episode delivery, and even relaxing sleep soundscapes.
Spotify
• Price: Free or $9.99 a month
• Exclusive content: No
• Ads: Yes (removable)
Spotify had a big year in 2020 and recently outranked the Apple Podcasts app in number of downloads.
Spotify is primarily a music streaming service, but it added podcasts to its streamlined app in a practical and user-friendly way, especially for those who want their music and podcasts in the same place.
The main drawback to this platform is the Streaming Ad Insertion, which some users feel detracts from the podcast experience.
Amazon Music
• Price: Free
• Exclusive content: No (unless you have subscription)
• Ads: Yes
In the summer of 2020, Amazon Music added podcasts to its listener base of 41.8 million and even included podcasts alongside audiobooks within Audible.
Amazon Music lets users follow a podcast, download to listen offline, and listen on iOS and Android devices.
The app's interface is functional and similar to Spotify. It's a great option for people who want their digital audio and music all in one app.
Audible Plus
• Price: Free and tiers starting at $7.95 a month
• Exclusive content: Yes
• Ads: No
If you decide you want an ad-free listening experience, plus tons of original podcast content and audiobooks, Audible is the way to go.
Audible offers free podcasts with an Amazon membership and an Audible Plus subscription includes unlimited access to thousands of audiobooks, Audible originals, and podcasts.
If you upgrade to Audible Premium Plus ($14.95 a month), you also get one premium selection title per month (yours to keep).
Pocket Casts
• Price: Free or $0.99 a month for Pocket Casts Plus
• Exclusive content: No
• Ads: Yes (podcasts only)
Pocket Casts' intuitive design makes it simple to listen to, manage, and find new podcasts. It's also compatible with CarPlay AirPlay, Chromecast, and Sonos.
Being a cross-platform app, you can also sync your favorite podcasts and playlists across multiple devices. So, if you have a Samsung Galaxy and an iPad, you can seamlessly switch back and forth.
The app also has helpful audio customization features like auto download, volume and speed control, and trim silence.
Google Podcasts
• Price: Free
• Exclusive content: No
• Ads: No
Google released their podcast app in 2018 and recently phased out Google Play Music to Google Podcasts.
While Google Podcasts does not have playlists, you can set up a queue to listen to podcasts in a particular order.
This app features an "explore topics" section that uses Google's search technology to pull podcast content based on your keywords.
Google Podcasts is also an ad-free platform, making it an excellent option for people who want a simple podcast player without much fuss.
Podcast Republic
• Price: Free
• Exclusive content: No
• Ads: Yes (podcasts only)
Podcast Republic shares a lot of the same features as Podcast Addict and a similar user experience.
Both apps manage podcasts, radio, audiobooks, YouTube, and SoundCloud channels. One way these apps differ from each other: Podcast Republic's "Gesture-Operated Car Mode."
This mode allows you to control playback without the screen controls using simple gestures (like gently shaking your phone).
Podcast Republic gets a slightly lower rating than Podcast Addict at four out of five stars. Some users say it's clunky, but most give it high praise as one of the best podcast apps for Android.
Podkicker
• Price: Free + in-app purchases
• Exclusive content: No
• Ads: Yes
Podkicker gets 4.4 stars on Google Play and for being one of Android's best third-party podcast players.
Users can subscribe to shows, create playlists, add their RSS feeds of choice, select a theme to customize the layout visually, and browse an extensive catalog available for online and offline listening.
AntennaPod
• Price: Free
• Exclusive content: No
• Ads: No
AntennaPod is a simple, open-source podcast player built by volunteers with no financial interests; the creators just wanted to make an app that supports podcasters and keeps the podcasting ecosystem healthy.
The non-commercial nature of this app makes it a community effort and gives the listener complete control over their listening experience.
If you have ideas on improving the app, you can discuss them on the AntennaPod community forum.
ListenApp
• Price: Free
• Exclusive content: No
• Ads: No
ListenApp is an innovative new podcast player already backed by creators like Pat Flynn and Jordan Harbinger.
This app is great for connecting listeners to niche content by independent creators and closing the communication gap between listeners and podcasters.
Although this app is new, it has huge promise for the podcasting community.
PodCruncher
• Price: $3.99
• Exclusive content: No
• Ads: No
PodCruncher offers a complete iTunes podcast catalog along with the best of news, sports, tech, and comedy talk radio.
The app features robust playback control, organization tools like playlists, auto-download, and easy sharing via email, Twitter, or Facebook.
Users generally rate this app generously for its ease of navigation, several saying it's more intuitive than Apple Podcasts.
iCatcher!
• Price: $2.99
• Exclusive content: No
• Ads: No
iCatcher! boasts an impressive array of settings that you can either leave on default or customize to fit your preferences.
Playlists are entirely customizable, there are an extensive set of playback features, including Gesture Support, and you find new podcasts by searching title, keyword, or author.
Listeners give this app 4.7 stars for usability and its rich feature set.
Castaway 2
• Price: Free
• Exclusive content: No
• Ads: No
This app is a straightforward player with minimal features. It offers episode timelines for browsing unplayed episodes, a fairly basic search function, and an adjustable playback rate.
Users give it 4.3 stars, loosing points for some bugs the app is working through.
Let us know your favorite podcast app!
If you have a favorite podcast app we didn't list, email us at support@buzzsprout.com so we can include it in this post!