Your Guide to Premium-Costless Audio Streaming Platforms on Smartphones

10+ Best Podcast Player Apps for iPhone and Android

Benjamin Arango

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

It has been a little over fifteen years since Ben Hammersley coined the term podcast. During this time, radio and TV stations, as well as people from all walks of life, have embraced this new medium of spreading information through either audio or video files.

Even though podcasts often have the form of a talk show, the topics podcasters cover in their shows range from presenting the latest music releases to discussing political topics. Listening to a podcast from a Smartphone without a player is not an option, which is why we made a selection of some of the best podcast player apps for iPhone and Android devices.

Best Free Podcast Player Apps for iOS and Android Devices

Nearly all podcast player apps have similar features. You can discover new shows, limit how many episodes can be downloaded to your device or reduce silences to the very minimum.

The list of features a podcast player provides should help you determine if that app is the right choice for you. Here are some of the best free podcast player apps for iOS and Android devices you can find on the market in 2019.

1. Breaker

Price: Free, but offers in-app purchases

Compatibility: iOS

Discovering new podcasts, connecting with friends who use Breaker or sharing the latest episode of the podcast you’re following on Facebook or Twitter is easy with this podcast player. Moreover, the app lets you see which podcasts your friends like the most so you can send them messages and start conversations about an episode you like.

Breaker enables you to create your own playlists and customize them in any way you want. The Sleep Timer feature can be useful if you’re going to set up the episode playing time before your iPhone goes to the Sleep mode.

2. Castbox

Price: Free, but offers in-app purchases

Compatibility:iOS , Android

Castbox lets you browse through million podcast episodes and choose from a variety of podcast genres. So, if you would like to follow the latest episodes of music and news related podcasts or talk shows, Castbox may be one of the best options on the market.

This cross-platform app is equipped with the tools that enable you to adjust the audio playback speed, trim silence or customize the sleep timer. You can subscribe to any podcast you discover with Castbox with a single tap, but you must make in-app purchases if you want to access to all features.

3. Himalaya

Price: Free

Compatibility:Android , iOS

This app for Android and iOS devices lets you listen to radio shows, audiobooks, podcasts and allows you to stream shows from a single app. You can customize your homepage or create as many playlists as you want. Each podcast you discover with Himalaya can be shared with your accounts on Instagram, Twitter, and other popular social media platforms.

The app grants you access to more than 500, 000 shows that are organized into 30 categories so you can easily choose a topic and search for an episode you’d like to listen to. Himalaya features a sleep timer, which means that you can listen to your favorite podcast before you fall asleep.

4. Downcast

Price: $2,99, offers in-app purchases

Compatibility: iOS

This podcast player provides all the features you are going to need for a superb podcasting experience. Subscribing to a new podcast with this app is a straightforward process which can be completed in an instant. You can also choose if you want to download episodes to your device automatically or browse through old episodes of podcasts you subscribed to.

Downcast also lets you adjust the playback speed, and it offers chapter support for enhanced podcasts. Organizing and customizing podcasts with Downcast requires a minimum amount of effort, which makes this app an excellent choice for anyone who listens or watches a large number of podcasts daily.

5. Stitcher

Price: Free, offers in-app purchases

Compatibility: iOS , Android

Politics, sports, or comedy are just a few topics podcasts available on Stitcher cover. You can use the app’s on-demand feature if you want to follow a particular show. Select your favorite genres and tap on the play button to listen to an episode of your choosing.

The app is compatible with more than fifty car models, which enables you to enjoy podcasts while driving. However, the free version of the app offers limited capabilities, and you must upgrade to the premium version if you want to have the full scope of the app’s options.

6. Pocket Casts

Price: Free, but offers in-app purchases

Compatibility: iOS , Android

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The app’s functional design makes it easy to find and manage podcasts by enabling you to create playback queues effortlessly. Trimming silence, skipping intros or streaming episodes without downloading them are just a few among countless options the Pocket Casts app offers.

Moreover, the Car Play feature enables you to play audio and video podcasts wherever you go. You can also download podcasts if you want to listen to them while you are offline.

Besides, you can play all episodes on your TV or your sound system using the Airplay and Chromecast integrations. The only downside is that you have to purchase the annual or monthly plan if you want to use all of the Pocket Casts’ podcasting options.

7. Apple Podcasts

Price: Free

Compatibility: iOS

This is one of the most popular destinations for all iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch owners who listen to podcasts frequently. Apple Podcasts lets you browse through more than 750.000 shows and 20 million episodes that are organized into categories. You can subscribe to any show you find on Apple Podcasts for free, download episodes you like to your Apple devices and listen to them wherever you go.

The platform’s editor recommends the shows based on your browsing history and helps you discover content that you are going to enjoy watching and listening to. Even so, Apple Podcasts lack the tools that enable its users to control the playback speed, skip intros or set timers before they go to sleep.

8. Spotify

Price: Free

Compatibility: web-based , iOS , Android

People from all over the world have been using Spotify to enjoy music from virtually any genre ever created. This Swedish-American company has been investing a lot into its podcasting services in the last couple of years.

Today Spotify offers access to podcasters to one of the most massive online audiences. Finding new shows and following the latest episodes your favorite podcasters share on this platform is as easy as discovering a new band. There are thousands of podcasts to browse through on Spotify, and some of them can only be played through this podcast player, either online or on iPhone or Android devices.

9. Overcast

Price: Free

Compatibility: iOS

Overcast was launched just five years ago, but today it is recognized as one of the best podcast player apps for iPhones, iWatches, and iPads. If you are looking for an app that will shorten the silences in podcasts, normalize the volume of the voices or enable you to adjust the playback speed of the audio files, then Overcast is probably one of your best options.

The app also provides CarPlay support and allows you to listen to your favorite podcasts even while you are on the road. However, Overcast contains ads, and you must purchase the Premium version of the app if you want to remove them.

10. Castro

Price: Free, but offers in-app purchases

Compatibility: iOS

Managing large numbers of episodes with Castro won’t take much more than a few moments of your time. Subscribe to a podcast you like, and all of the latest episodes will land in the New tab. You can then decide if you want to add them to the queue and listen to them while you are driving or on your iPhone.

The free version of the app doesn’t allow you to skip intros, enhance voices or reduce silence, and you must purchase Castro Plus to access these options. Before you decide to install Castro or Castro Plus on your device, you must make sure that the app is compatible with the version of iOS you have.

11. Podbean

Price: Free but offers in-app purchases

Compatibility: iOS , Android

With the selection of over 50 million episodes, Podbean is easily one of the most versatile podcast player apps on this list. You can search for podcasts based on the topic you are interested in, or browse through different categories, and use the name of the podcast, or the author’s name to find the episode you are looking for.

Podbean is equipped with an audio recorder that features a rich selection of audio effects and a versatile set of audio editing tools. Moreover, the app provides support for live audio streaming so you can create or listen to live broadcast directly from your Smartphone.

12. Laughable

Price: Free, offers in-app purchases

Compatibility:iOS , Android

Keeping in touch with the latest trends in the comedy world is going to become easy if you install Laughable on your device. The app hosts the world’s largest database of comedy artist profiles and enables you to discover and follow comedians effortlessly. Each time they release a new episode of their podcast or make a guest appearance, you’ll receive a notification, which enables you to follow their latest work.

Besides an impressive collection of comedy podcasts, Laughable also lets you browse through podcasts featuring celebrities like Jordan Peterson, Barak Obama or Oprah. The app is free for just ten days, afterward, you must upgrade to Laughable Insider if you want to have access to all the shows and episodes this podcast player has to offer.

How to Pick the Right Podcast Player App?

The majority of podcast players offer a similar set of options, which complicates the process of finding an app you can use to listen to podcasts on your Smartphones. The operating system your Smartphone supports or whether the app you’re considering offers podcast streaming options can influence your choice of a podcast player app.

Ultimately, the selection of shows and episodes an app offers, as well as its playback control options can help you determine which podcast player is the best option for you. In case you listen to podcasts on a daily basis, purchasing a monthly or annual subscription is a much better option than listening to podcasts with a free version of the app.

Below is a brief summary of the podcast player app listed above. Hope it can help to find out the best podcast app on your iPhone or Android phone.

Conclusion

Listening to your favorite podcasts wherever you are, has never been easier, even if you don’t have access to the Internet. Podcast player apps like Spotify or Himalaya grant you access to millions of episodes, but each app we featured in this article can provide a superb experience. Which app are you using to listen to podcasts on your iOS and Android devices? Leave a comment and let us know.

Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Benjamin Arango

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