My top 6 Podcast Listening Apps – PHD154

Podcast Help Desk™

There are lots of apps you can use to play podcasts. As a podcaster I’m sure you are also a podcast listener. Here is my top 6 (in reverse order of use).

#6 Podcast Addict (Android) – I don’t use Android every day, but when I do, I use either Podcast Addict or Google Podcasts. Being that I have to test in a lot of apps, I have just about every app for podcast listening on Android. This one is the best and as a bonus, they get their directory listings from the Podcast Index (as well as other places).

#5 Stitcher Radio (Android, IOS, Web and Car) – Stitcher is a steaming podcast app. Not a download and listen later app. That being said, they are very good with shorter newsy type podcasts. (in my use anyway). Stitcher works on the web, IOS, Android AND on Android Auto / Apple Car Play. If data usage isn’t an issue, this is a good ‘steaming’ way to get new content on the go.

#4 Google Podcasts (Android and IOS) – Google podcasts has been getting better and better since they dumped “Google Play Music Podcasts”. It now allows you to subscribe to any RSS feed and is now truly a real podcast app. The IOS version of it is still a little clunky (but better than Apple’s own app).

#3 Apple Podcasts (IOS) – Apple Podcasts is the default app on any IOS Device (iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and iPod). I’m not a huge fan of how it works, but I do use it a lot. Mainly because if something works in Apple Podcasts, it’s likely to work everywhere. Also they are the fastest at getting subscribed podcasts after a feed is updated. (I check it there first when I release an episode). Being in the podcast industry for my job, I have to know how it works (and doesn’t work).

#2 Podfriend (PWA) – Podfriend is the first app (PWA = Progressive Web App) built using the Podcast Index. It’s a great place to listen to podcasts on your desktop while working without having to install anything. It just works and works quite well as long as the show you want to listen to is in the Podcast Index (podcastindex.org)

AND My #1 go to Podcast App (For my personal listening) Overcast (IOS and Web) – Marco Arment is the brains behind Overcast. He is a very passionate podcast supporter. On top of that, his app works great. It’s well-designed, easy enough to use (much better than Apple’s app if you ask me). It has all the features an avid podcast listener would need and some you don’t but are cool anyway. He has a security feature when you look up podcasts to listen to that tells you if the show is tracking you and where it’s hosted. The “Smart speed” function is quite nice and will cut some time out of your listening without it sounding weird. On some shows I listen to, a 1 hour show is cut down to 50 minutes by getting rid of pauses and whatever magic Marco does with it.

I’m sure this is no surprise, but Spotify (in any form) is my least favorite podcast playing app.