Best podcast apps for iPhone and iPad
Podcasts are great, but finding the right podcast app for your needs can be overwhelming. We're here to help!
Do you love listening to podcasts on your commute, or just as some background entertainment while at home? No matter who you are, there's a podcast out there for everyone — after all, they can be about anything! But how do you keep track of multiple subscriptions to the shows you like? What if you want to discover new podcasts?
While Apple has their own default Podcast app, it's fairly barebones compared to other options out there. So what are the best apps for podcast listening on iOS? Let's find out!
Overcast
This one is my personal favorite. It's from Marco Arment, the creator of Instapaper, that popular read-it-later service that Betaworks bought a few years ago.
Overcast features a design that's both beautiful and practical. Everything's laid out and organized in a way that's easy to understand, and navigation's fast and responsive. While you can listen to your podcasts just by tapping on the show and episode you want, Overcast's support for custom playlists is exceptional and provides a seamless listening experience.
Discovery is also a big part of Overcast. You'll get recommendations from Twitter friends, or you can dive into the most recommended podcasts in each category. Searching is quick and easy too, in case you already know what you want. There's also support for chapters and sleep timers.
The standout features of Overcast are Smart Speed and Voice Boost. With Smart Speed, silent moments get reduced, saving you time without distorting the natural flow of the audio. Voice Boost provides full volume and enhances the voices, which is great for shows where someone may not be as loud as others.
Overcast has been a favorite for many due to the fantastic podcast listening experience it provides. It's also available on iPad.
Castro
If you prefer a podcast app just for your iPhone that's stunningly gorgeous but still packs in a good set of features, then Castro is a good contender.
I just went over the new features in the Castro 3 update this week, which brings it more up to line with Overcast. These new features include Trim Silence, chapter support, mix to mono, per-podcast controls, and more.
Trim Silence is the biggest addition for many, as it works just like Overcast's Smart Speed by trimming out unnecessary silence without distorting the natural flow of dialogue. It's great and it works well!
Castro 3 also brings a fresh new coat of paint to the player screen, which is now more streamlined and packs in a lot of information without being overly cluttered. And having per-podcast controls means you can fine tune the settings for each podcast, rather than have a universal "one size fits all" type of setting for everything. After all, not all podcasts are the same.
Castro 3 does move over to a new subscription based model that starts at $2.99 per quarter or $8.99 for a year.
Pocket Casts
Is a subscription-based podcast app not your thing? Then Pocket Casts would be more up your alley.
Pocket Casts is a powerful and premium podcast player. It comes with a clean and streamlined interface that's both aesthetically pleasing as well as functional. Plus, there's themes to modify the appearance of the app to suit your personal style.
Like the other podcast apps mentioned, Pocket Casts also has a trim silence feature. It trims down the amount of silence there is in an episode, saving you time and getting to your next podcast faster than ever before. There's also variable speed for playback, in case some podcasts move too slow. And a voice boost enhancer makes it easier to hear those quieter voices on a show.
There's also great playlist creation and management with Pocket Casts, as you can easily make a new playlist just based on your favorite shows. Podcasts get downloaded directly on your device or streamed over an internet connection, filters help you organize, and there's a ton of show discovery in the app.
If you need a powerful all-in-one podcast app that looks good while bringing you all of the necessary features, then you can't go wrong. Plus, you just pay once and it's all yours, forever.
Instacast Core
Several years ago, Instacast was all the hype. It was a podcast app that felt like Apple's own creation due to the simple and clean interface.
However, after going through many versions and updates, it slowly became something that a lot of people didn't like due to all of the drastic changes. But Instacast Core brings back the good stuff.
With Instacast Core, users get the old-school interface that people fell in love with originally. It's barebones and intuitive to use with no extra frills. Instacast Core works more like a traditional podcast app, like Apple's Podcasts, so it focuses on downloaded episodes stored locally on your device.
Despite the simplistic design, Instacast Core provides you with detailed subscription management and a lot of customization options. Instacast Core even supports video podcasts, in case you prefer visuals over plain old audio. The Night Mode's also great for those who like to listen to or watch podcasts at night, so the usual white isn't blinding you in the darkness.
Instacast Core is a good alternative for those who prefer to have their podcasts offline only. And if you want to migrate over to Instacast, it supports importing from other apps so the process is seamless.
iCatcher!
Looking for a reasonably priced podcast app that's jam packed with features? Then iCatcher! Podcast Player is a good fit.
While iCatcher is pretty basic in terms of aesthetics, there's a lot of other reasons to love it. For one, the Now Playing screen is simple and clean with no frills, just showing you the necessary bits, like show notes and time elapsed. There's even a search function that's accessible from anywhere in the app so you can always find that exact show or episode you want.
Discovering and subscribing to new podcasts is easy with iCatcher. And when you find a podcast but just want to listen to one episode without subscribing, iCatcher lets you do that too. There's support for continuous playback, custom playlists, and much more. iCatcher is one of the most flexible podcast apps available, as you can even use your own images for podcasts. Everything is customizable to best fit your needs and wants.
If you get iCatcher and love it so much that you want to show your support for continued development, there's a tip jar where you can give a few extra bucks in the form of in-app purchases for the developer.
Downcast
If power and functionality are things you're looking for in a podcast app, then Downcast could very well be your best friend. It's incredibly flexible to meet your podcast listening needs, but it won't be winning awards in aesthetics.
One of the great things about Downcast is the fact that it includes support for video podcasts (not all podcast apps do) and there's even a Mac app. If you choose to use Downcast on your Mac as well, all of your subscriptions, playlists, settings, and episode information get synced across all devices through iCloud.
Finding your favorite podcasts and discovering new ones in Downcast is a cinch. And for those private feeds, you can add them via a URL, even if they're protected with passwords. Downcast provides users with a lot of different options for creating smart and custom playlists, and you can have different settings for each podcast you're subscribed to or downloaded.
Even though Downcast doesn't have those cool features similar to Trim Silence or Voice Boost, there's still some great things about playback in the app. Playback can be up to 3x the normal speed, there's chapter support, playback control from external devices, the ability to view embedded images, and much more.
No matter what you're looking for in a podcast app, chances are Downcast has you covered. It's just not the prettiest thing to look at, but you'll mostly be listening instead of looking at it anyway, right?
Procast
If any of the above tried-and-true podcast apps don't pique your interest, then perhaps the recently released Procast app may be more of your speed.
Procast does all of the things you'd come to expect from a podcast app: discovery, subscriptions, and a gorgeous, easy-to-use interface. IT's friendly enough for the podcast novice while also giving power users a great set of features.
The Inbox is a main feature of Procast, where new episodes arrive daily for you to check out. There's a swiping gesture, similar to Tinder, so you can quickly decide what's worth listening to or not.
On the first launch, Procast asks you some questions to automatically get some podcasts for you to listen to based on your interests. Keep in mind that this is optional, but a great way to find something new to listen to.
The standout feature of Procast is definitely the ability to create snippets. With this, listeners are able to cut out any part of a podcast and store it on the device itself. This lets you share it with others, which is pretty darn cool! Plus, this is a great way to let your friends sample a show that you rave about, as long as that clip is amazing.
And for you night owl listeners, Procast comes with a dark theme, and it's all available for free, so why not give it a chance?
Listen up!
So there you have it. We've rounded up some of the best podcast apps out there on the market for you to get your fix on-the-go. The App Store is full of options, we consider these to be the crème de la crème, if you will. These are all offered at various price points to fit any budget, and come packed with a great set of features to suit your needs.
Did we include yours in this roundup? Let me know what app you love using for your podcast listening!
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