Podcasts have gained a ton of popularity in the previous years, and with a good reason is listening to audio shows on the go, helps to use your time better, especially while making a travel. There are few podcast apps available for all sorts of devices the desktop, web and mobile devices. Many users listen to podcasts on the go, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that mobile is the main turf for podcast applications.
1.Overcast
If you’re short of time and need to quickly settle down on a podcast app, look no further than Overcast. Wrapped around with a basic design, it packs a different features that make it the only best podcast app for iOS.
For starters, it gives chance you to search, browse and download podcasts for offline listening. The discovery platform lets you find trending podcasts through Twitter. Maybe the feature is “Smart Speed“, which automatically adjusts the play speed to save time. The “Voice Boost” feature improves voice and reduces the background noise. You can create “Smart Playlists“, so you can prioritize and add multiple podcasts to a list and then listen to it in one go. Playback can be controlled via EarPods so you don’t have to error around with your phone every time you want to play/pause. It also has an Apple Watch app and CarPlay support.
The latest update brings support for widgets, rich notifications and a few 3D Touch specific actions. The free version of Overcast is ad-supported and the premium version is available as a $9.99/year subscription.
[ad type=”banner”]Install: (Free, ad-supported)
2.Downcast
Downcast is powerful podcast app available for the iPhone which lets you search, browse and download podcasts for offline listening. It ticks a lot of boxes when it comes to other features as well. For example, you can create “Smart Playlists“, speed up playback, control playback via EarPods and set a sleep timer. It additionally offers an Apple Watch app and CarPlay support.
It is support for iCloud syncing with other iOS devices, and even with a Mac. Downcast has a paid Mac app which can sync your podcast subscriptions, playlists and other settings.
Install: ($2.99)
3.Pocket Casts
Pocket Cast is another powerful podcast app for iPhone which often goes nip and tuck with Overcast. It breaks down the sections into featured, trending & popular, so you can never run short of great podcast recommendations. Similar its competitors, it features the option to control playback speed, boost volume for better clarity and trim silence automatically, so you can save yourself some time. It supports many iPad-specific features like SlideOver, Split View and Picture-in-Picture.
You can control the playback from the comfort of your Apple Watch or CarPlay. You can additionally create a Pocket Casts sync account wherein you can sync your podcast subscriptions, playback progress and other settings to the cloud and restore whenever required. If you are powerful on listening to podcasts on your desktop, it also offers a web-based version for a one-time purchase of $9.
Install: ($3.99)
4.Castro: Podcast Player
Castro by Supertop is a clean-looking and rich podcast player for iPhone. Castro prides itself in bringing along new concepts like “Episode Triage”. Episode Triage takes a little bit different approach to how you listen to new podcasts by featuring three different sections such as queue, inbox, and archive. we subscribe to a lot of podcasts and might not need to hear each and every episode. This different categorization by Castro can greatly help to reduce the subscription clutter and make it manageable.
It has some features like rich notifications, a sleep-timer, dark mode and CarPlay support. It even offers an iMessage app, so you can quickly share recently played episodes. Unfortunately, now it doesn’t have an Apple Watch and iPad app.
[ad type=”banner”]Install: ($3.99)
5.TuneIn Radio
The early beginnings of TuneIn Radio date way back to 2002 when it was known as RadioTime. Now, it gives chance you to listen over 100,000 radio stations across various types including sports, news, music you name it. The TuneIn Radio app lets you search for stations, podcasts and audiobooks. It lets you set a sleep timer and favourite stations for quick access.
It has an Apple Watch app and support for CarPlay and Google Chromecast. The free version of TuneIn radio is supported with banner advertisements. The premium version does away with advertisements and gives access to exclusive radio stations, all for a monthly subscription of $9.99.
Install: (Free, with in-app purchases)
6. Acast
Acast find new podcasts quickly with the help of curated listings or you can browse through various categories. You can stream podcasts or download them for offline listening. It also offers a subscription program called “Show Pass” that unlocks access to premium content starting $1.99/month.
Install: (Free, with in-app purchases)
7. Stitcher Radio
Stitcher Radio is an award-winning online radio service that provides free streaming of audio shows and podcasts which is founded in 2008. Stitcher Radio for iOS delivers personalized content, lets you “stitch” (read: create) custom playlists and stream/download from over 65,000 sources. It supports Apple CarPlay and has integrations with over 50 car entertainment systems including Ford, BMW, Jaguar and more. The premium version brings ad-free listening and unlocks access to exclusive content.
Download: (Free, with in-app purchases)
8.iCatcher! Podcast Player
iCatcher is used to search, subscribe and stream/download podcasts. We can create custom playlists with numerous filters, set playback speed among several other options. It also offers an Apple Watch and an iPad app. It is a solid podcast player with lots of customizable options and will set you back about $2.99.
Download: ($2.99)
9.Pod Wrangler
Pod Wrangler find and subscribe to various podcasts. It comes with Apple Watch support, playback speed control and a sleep timer. It even gives you a chance to import MP3 files, effectively turning them into podcasts. The free version limits the number of podcasts you can subscribe to and is ad-supported.
[ad type=”banner”]Install: (Free, with a $1.99 in-app purchase)
10.Apple Podcast
Apple packages a stock podcast app with its iDevices. Apple’s podcast app has an easy-to-use interface and has different categories of podcasts to select from. We can subscribe and download podcasts as we want. In case you’re a power user, give some other podcast app an attempt.