What’s the very best podcast app for iPhone? (Up to date for 2022)

With regards to listening to podcasts on iOS, there are such a lot of nice choices. The Apple Podcasts app comes constructed into each iOS system with syncing. It’s undoubtedly an awesome app, however is it the very best? On iOS, customers have numerous third-party choices. My purpose for this text is to interrupt down a number of the main podcast apps and enable you decide which is greatest for what you need out of an app. What’s the very best podcast app for iPhone?

Is Apple Podcasts the very best podcast app for iPhone?

Apple Podcasts is the dominant participant within the podcast app market. Utilization-wise, it’s one hottest podcast apps on smartphones.

It’s obtained a whole lot of good issues going for it. It’s constructed proper into each iOS system. It has a local app for tvOS and macOS as effectively. On Apple Watch, it’s among the finest methods to take heed to podcasts when away out of your iPhone because it helps streaming over LTE. I believe it does an awesome job of recommending new reveals as effectively. I want it might embrace a “social” facet just like Apple Music, although.

The general design suits proper into iOS. It’s similar to Apple Music. On the underside menu, it consists of Pay attention Now, Library, Browse, and Search. Pay attention Now reveals you the unfinished podcast episodes from reveals you subscribe to or one-off episodes you could have added.

Library will present you a listing of all of the reveals you could have added to your subscription listing. Browse will mean you can browse the Apple Podcasts listing by featured, prime charts, and by class. Search will mean you can seek for particular reveals.

What's the best podcast app for iPhone? (Updated for 2022)

Syncing playback place and unplayed episodes throughout gadgets is a little bit of a battle on Apple Podcasts. I’m not positive why Apple can’t determine this facet out. If you happen to plan to make use of Apple Podcasts, I counsel that you simply solely apply it to an iPhone and possibly an Apple Watch. I wrote an article again in 2021 that details my frustrations with the service.

Probably the most unsung options of the Apple Podcast app is to create “Stations.” This function is underneath the Library part. If you happen to faucet on the Edit button, you’ll see the New Station possibility. This function will mean you can group podcasts collectively you could set off by way of Siri. If you happen to take heed to a few morning reveals like The Each day and Up First, you may group them in a “Morning Information” station.

I’d like to see Apple put money into including performance like the power to comply with mates, share snippets of a present, extra choices round playback (voice enhance, sensible velocity, and so forth.), password-protected feeds, and simply general stability. As Spotify continues to grow its market share, Apple is hopefully going to put money into not solely unique content but additionally its app, as effectively.

You must use Apple Podcasts if you need the default Apple expertise on macOS, iOS, tvOS, and watchOS. It lacks some superior performance that different apps supply, nevertheless it holds its personal. Is it the very best podcast app for iPhone? In order for you the default Apple expertise, it’s a reasonably strong selection.

Overcast

Overcast has been round since 2013 and has a major following. Within the tech-podcast neighborhood, I’d argue it’s the most well-liked exterior of Apple Podcasts. Overcast’s design strikes a pleasant steadiness between following fashionable iOS design requirements, however remaining distinctive. The default coloration scheme is mild and unobtrusive. The primary navigation features a listing of your playlists, subscriptions, and buttons to handle your subscriptions and playlists additional.

One of many options it dropped at the mainstream was the trim silence function. Earlier than Overcast, just a few smaller apps had applied it, however I favor the way it sounds with Overcast. Good Velocity is described as a solution to “decide up further velocity with out distortion.” Good Velocity “dynamically shortens silences in speak reveals. Conversations nonetheless sound so pure that you simply’ll neglect it’s on — till you see how a lot further time you’ve saved.” For individuals who wish to save a while listening to sure podcasts, but who don’t need the distortion that comes with 1.5x or 2x speeds, Good Velocity is a cheerful medium. Your entire reveals can be shorter, however you probably received’t have the ability to inform any distinction in listening high quality.

Voice Enhance is a function that goals to normalize the amount and make reveals simpler to take heed to when in noisy conditions, akin to a automobile or airplane. For reveals with less-than-ideal enhancing, Voice Enhance could make reveals simpler to take heed to, and it was upgraded to version 2 in early 2020.

Voice Enhance 2 is a mastering-quality audio-processing pipeline that applies broadcast-standard loudness normalization, mild compression and EQ, and a true-peak lookahead limiter to your podcasts, in actual time, with out sacrificing high quality or battery life. And it runs at lower than 1% CPU utilization on an iPhone SE.

Overcast, like most apps, is pulling from the Apple Podcasts listing to energy its listing. One of many locations Overcast excels is with its Now Taking part in display. It’s the best to make use of in my expertise. I can shortly see present notes, change chapters, or regulate the audio settings. A number of the different nice options are clip sharing (sharing a snippet for a present) and AirPlay 2 assist, which is useful for HomePod and Sonos utilization.

In March of 2022, Overcast shipped a significant new replace that overhauls a lot of the design. If you happen to’ve used the app earlier than, you’ll discover the brand new design instantly if you open the app for the primary time after updating. The house display options a much more fashionable design, with an emphasis on new colours, rounded corners, and customization. Macro Arment describes this because the “largest redesign” within the practically eight-year historical past of Overcast. The Overcast residence display options your created playlists on the prime, which are actually totally customizable with colours and icons. Beneath your playlist, you’ll discover a new part for lately performed and newly revealed podcast episodes.

Overcast is a free obtain, and it’ll have adverts (offered by the developer) within the Now Taking part in and Listing screens. The adverts are usually for different reveals, and I’ve discovered them helpful. If you happen to subscribe to the yearly subscription ($10), you may disable adverts. You additionally get a file uploads possibility in case you subscribe. If you end up downloading lectures from YouTube (and changing to MP3) or listening to DRM-free audiobooks, you’ll love this function. You get to get pleasure from all of Overcast’s playback options with no matter audio you add as effectively.

Overcast may be downloaded on the App Store free of charge.

Spotify

Spotify probably has the second largest market share of all of the podcast apps on iOS. If you’re a person of its music service, I may see why you’d wish to use it for podcasts as effectively. Whereas it lacks options of a number of the different functions, it’s performing some thrilling issues with playlists and podcast episodes. General, it provides naked minimal performance in comparison with different apps, although. Spotify is spending a lot of money on content material, so it stays to be seen in case you’ll must no less than have it downloaded with the intention to get pleasure from a few of your favourite reveals.

Is Spotify the very best podcast app for iPhone? You must use Spotify for podcasts if you’re a premium subscriber already and also you need every thing to be inside of 1 software. In any other case, there’s no cause to make use of it. One key factor it lacks is the power so as to add your individual RSS feed. If a present isn’t within the listing, you can not add it except the present is working immediately with Spotify. This consists of premium reveals from locations like Relay FM.

Breaker

Breaker is among the extra revolutionary podcast apps I’ve used, and a whole lot of apps may be taught one thing about integrating social performance into their present apps. As I discussed earlier with Apple Podcasts, we’re lacking a social facet to podcast listening. With Breaker, you may comply with mates to see what they’re listening to, new reveals they subscribe to, and reveals they “favourite.” You too can touch upon reveals you take heed to and your pals can see it. It’ll present you episodes which can be getting a whole lot of traction as effectively.

If you’re a podcaster, you may even “declare” your present so individuals who take heed to your present can “comply with you” and interact additional. I believe it is a nice solution to construct out the neighborhood additional. Breaker additionally consists of the power for podcast hosts to generate revenue from their podcasts within Breaker. I’d like to see Apple construct a solution to assist creators within Apple Podcasts, as I’d like to have the ability to assist the reveals I like.

Breaker’s general design is beautiful. I like how every thing is laid out. It appears like a contemporary reimagining of what a podcast app ought to seem like. From a playback perspective, it consists of speeds as much as 3x with the choice to “skip silences” to hurry up reveals.

I can’t consider a single factor I don’t like about Breaker. Of all of the apps I’ve tried, it’s the most unusual. If you’re bored of all the present podcast apps, you must positively try Breaker. It’s a free download on the App Retailer.

Castro

Castro takes a novel strategy to subscription administration. You subscribe to reveals, however then it makes use of a queue system to handle the reveals. As new episodes are available in, you may select to queue a present or archive it. This function is useful in case you take heed to reveals which have day by day episodes. When you have favourite reveals, you may set them to auto queue, so that you by no means miss them. I like Castro’s revolutionary strategy to library administration. If you’re somebody who struggles with maintaining with new episodes, Castro can be an awesome match. Like a whole lot of the opposite apps, it consists of the power to make use of totally different playback speeds and trim silences (Castro Plus required).

One other certainly one of Castro’s options is the power to import MP3 information by way of iCloud Drive. This function means that you can side-load DRM-free audiobooks or lectures. One of many different apps I checked out (Overcast) helps an identical perform, however it’s restricted to 2GB in whole file measurement (Castro Plus required).

Castro is a free obtain, nevertheless it requires a subscription ($18.99 per yr) to unlock extra options like trim silence, improve voices, night time mode, customized app icons, and extra. Castro’s general design is exclusive and effectively achieved. If you’re the sort that subscribes to a whole lot of podcasts however solely grabs a handful per week, Castro’s performance is ideal for you.

Castro may be downloaded on the App Retailer.

Pocket Casts

Pocket Casts has been across the iPhone podcast app scene for about so long as any app has been. One of many options it pioneered was storing your feeds on a server so refreshing is quick and has minimal results on battery life, and virtually all apps have copied it at this time.

From a design perspective, Pocket Casts is simply stunning. I like the colours it makes use of together with the fonts. Like a whole lot of the opposite apps, it accommodates a number of playback speeds, a trim silence possibility, and a voice enhance possibility. In my years of utilizing the app, Pocket Casts’ playlist system might be probably the most sturdy and laid out the very best.

Outdoors of Apple Podcasts, Pocket Casts in all probability has the very best listing format. Whereas a lot of the third-party apps merely pull from the Apple Podcasts listing API, how they lay it out is as much as them. Pocket Casts’ listing seems to be nice, and it makes it straightforward to search out new reveals.

If you’re searching for an iPhone app with a local macOS app, Pocket Casts is your greatest resolution. I’ve discovered its macOS app to be extra simple to make use of than the Apple Podcasts app for desktop choices. Different apps can now be run on macOS due to Apple Silicon, however none of them can match the native macOS really feel of Pocket Casts.

Pocket Casts is a free obtain on the App Retailer, and Pocket Casts Plus provides free desktop apps, cloud storage for audio, new icons, and extra. Pocket Solid Plus is $.99/month or $9.99/yr.

Participant FM

Player FM is among the latest apps I’ve been testing. It has an awesome design with a slick person interface. It’s a free obtain however provides a premium subscription to unlock some helpful options. Just like Pocket Casts, it provides cross-platform performance, so you may play your reveals from iOS, Android, the net, and even on Chromecast.

In testing the app, one of many points I believed was very effectively achieved was how one can create classes (playlists) to prepare your podcasts. If you happen to bounce round. from numerous genres like sports activities, information, and expertise, the classes assist preserve them separated. The listing from Participant FM is extraordinarily well-curated, so in case you’re the kind of one who is all the time asking for suggestions, Participant FM is a superb place to start out.

Wrap-up on greatest podcast app for iPhone

General, there are many nice choices for podcast apps. In order for you a default Apple expertise, use Apple Podcasts. In order for you social options, Breaker is the very best app for you. In order for you the very best general audio expertise, Overcast is palms down the very best. If you happen to subscribe to a whole lot of reveals, Castro might help you handle your now taking part in listing. In order for you an Android app or a wonderful macOS app expertise, try Pocket Casts.

So what’s the very best podcasts app for iPhone? I believe Overcast and Pocket Casts are my favorites, however I bounce round between all of them to continue learning about new options. I’m an influence person, and so they supply probably the most power-user options. Breaker has social options that no different app can contact. Castro’s triage system might help you retain up with a whole lot of reveals directly. There are alternatives for every type of customers. If you happen to aren’t proud of Apple Podcasts, try the options. What are your favorites? Let me know within the feedback under.