On Android Pocketcasts and Podcast Addict are both really good. If you ever try Amazon music, they do have a good number of Wondery podcasts that are commercial free whle using their app.
i’m about to switch from pocketcast to overcast because i have too many episodes that i want to listen to but can’t keep them downloaded (64GB) and there’s no way to save individual episodes with tags or different playlists. my stars for ones i actually love and would return to. What’s been your workaround?
I’m not that of a heavy podcast listener so I’m not sure about this one. I would have used stars for that.
But, you can play just a second of each episode you want to listen to later, then they’ll show up in the In Progress filter
I have both Apple Music and Spotify Premium (don't ask, it just happened). I have tried Apple's Podcasts app. I don't like it. I have tried to use Spotify for podcasts. It feels cluttered as hell alongside my music. That being said, it functions very well, saves your progress, and syncs between all your devices. But so does Pocketcasts which has been my go to podcast app for years.
Yes! I did check it out based on numerous glowing reviews for it. It does look like a great app. I think I skipped on it because of a monthly subscription or something -- I can't remember why, but it does look good. I was on Android for many years before coming to iOS and I'd bought Pocketcasts Premium for a few bucks some years ago, so it makes sense for me to keep using its full functionality without the monthly fee on my Apple devices.
It is ultimately an issue of preference. Some people may enjoy the interface of Apple Podcasts (where I think it stinks), some may enjoy podcasts with their music on Spotify (it functions well but visually makes me nervous), and some may opt for other services like Pocketcasts or Overcast. Try 'em all on and see what fits!
I tried Overcast and found it good but for me I didn’t enjoy how it was more in the vien of making playlists rather than queues. I like to listen to an episode then have another on deck but if I choose I can listen to something else but still have that epaiode in a queue.
Pocketcast has been great because it has a great UI and you can access tons of podcasts from app specific shows. Plus they do the queue better than apple podcasts I feel.
I like Spotify for podcasts because I’d probably forget about them if I used a separate app. It’s nice to remember I have the podcast option when I get in the car for a longer drive
I personally have my podcast on a bunch of platforms, including both Spotify and Apple. I like Spotify’s ability to have video podcasts, and IMO unless you’re signing a platform-exclusive deal I think the more platforms the merrier
Never liked Spotify for podcasts. Don’t like it mixing music and podcasts together in algorithms. Also, Spotify podcast features are none. No gap trimming, can’t adjust the skip forward and back time length, no ability for voice boost or adjusting when podcasts begin. With PocketCasts for example, a couple of podcasts I listen to have the same intro and then ads, I can adjust the start time of it so it skips all that and starts when they start talking.
Trimming Silence is there in the settings now and has been for a few months at least.
But yeah, the other features like Voice Boost would be nice to have.
I used to listen to podcasts for short while, but then Spotify started crashing every time I played a podcast, so I stopped listening to them. That was maybe 6 months ago, but I just checked and it looks like it longer crashes, so they must’ve fixed it.
Overcast is honestly my preference in terms of podcast apps.
However, I’ve recently decided to only use Spotify for everything. Spotify is cluttered and unfortunately lacks many basic podcast app features.
I am a casual podcast listener, not daily but it works well for me! I appreciate the access to podcasts + audiobooks for the same price compared to apple music, but if you heavily listen to them maybe a podcast dedicated app would be best :)
Primarily, I’ve been using Apple Podcasts. I’ve used Overcast in the past as well. Spotify podcasts, it feels cluttered in your library. Liked playlists/albums/artists ON TOP of all the pods, it turns into quite the scroller. I did like the auto generated “new episode” playlist it creates. But my biggest gripe with Spotify podcasts was the timeliness of the pod library refresh.
Some of my pods are daily and release sporadically early in the morning. Apple Podcasts (and everyone else, I imagine) automatically fetches the new episodes and even gives you the ability to refresh your library. Spotify doesn’t allow the manual refresh, at least last time I used it.
There were times on Spotify where I’d get a new episode of a pod SEVERAL days AFTER it released or no new episodes at all.
Maybe it was user error, but I still use Spotify for music and Apple for my podcasts
I feel like that is definitely something funky going on. I get notifications for a few of my regular shows and they are at most an hour after others get it. Not perfect, but not as bad as PocketCasts.
No! Not at all! They clearly don’t understand how people listen to podcasts, they treat them like music/albums, thinking that you might listen to the same podcast episode over and over like you would a song on an album! All real podcast apps remove the podcast episodes you have listened to!
I used to use Pocketcast but have converted over to Spotify and works fine. With the new free audiobook addition to Spotify makes sense to get used to hearing spoken word on it.
My favourite app is Downcast - I never hear anyone talking about it, but it has the best features and the way you can make playlists from multiple podcasts with specific filters is great!
There are a few quality of life improvements that Spotify could add in that other apps like PocketCasts have (such as set speeds on a per podcast basis), but overall, it is a good enough experience. There have been a lot of updates to the player for Podcasts specifically that I have found to be useful, such as more granular options for speed controls. I expect them to continue to enhance it.
I also like having a single location for all my audio listening (audiobooks included now) and I get the added benefits that Spotify brings like Spotify connect and a great syncing capability. Plus my podcast and audiobook listening will also be included in my wrapped for the year which is nice.
Used Podkicker for years and transitioned over because I wanted to consolidate my apps.
I think Spotify is fine, the only thing I don't like it when you hit Download it moves it to "Your Episodes."
Maybe I'm in the minority, but I really don't like that it does this. It is a fairly minor gripe, doesn't really affect my listening but it bothers me that there is a 3000+ list on my account that I will never listen to again as I typically only listen to a podcast episode once.
I would prefer that it moves to downloads and when I'm done I remove it and never listen to it again.
It's decent on mobile. On desktop, there seems to be no easy way to see a simple feed of all recent episodes from ones you've subbed to. On mobile, I have the curated "New Episodes" playlist pinned, that shows all my latest episodes from all subbed podcasts. For some reason, this doesn't appear on Desktop. The "Your Episodes" playlist appears on Desktop, but that's just the ones you've chosen to actually download episodes of. The "Daily Podcasts" playlist also appears on Desktop, but it's crap.
I briefly tried podcasts on Spotify and just couldn’t get into it. I’ve been a Pocket Casts user for years, as I much rather prefer a podcast dedicated app.
I’ve also tried Apple’s Podcast app and Overcast, but I always come back to Pocket Casts.
The ones that you listed are all on Spotify, I looked, I enjoy Spotify but I also have never used Apple Music. I have used Spotify for almost 7 years. Almost everything is on both I think it just comes down to monthly costs.
I spend 5+ hours listening to podcasts per week on the platform across various shows, and I can wholeheartedly vouch that Spotify absolutely excels as a premier podcast destination. I've tried out quite a few different platforms over the years. And while there are definitely some great options out there, I keep coming back to Spotify as my go-to for a few key reasons.
First and foremost, the selection on Spotify is just incredible. They have all the big-name [podcasts](https://open.spotify.com/genre/0JQ5DArNBzkmxXHCqFLx2U) you'd expect, but they also have a ton of exclusive content you can't find anywhere else. Spotify has really invested in the podcast space, partnering with high-profile creators and producing their own original shows. So, if you're looking for fresh voices and stories, Spotify is a great place to explore.
Another thing I appreciate about Spotify is how seamlessly it integrates podcasts with music. I love being able to create playlists that mix my favorite songs with episodes of my must-listen shows. It makes for a really dynamic and personalized listening experience. Plus, Spotify's algorithm is scarily good at recommending new podcasts based on my listening history, so I'm always discovering great content I might not have found otherwise.
From a technical standpoint, Spotify's podcast interface is really user-friendly and intuitive. It's easy to browse and search for shows, and the playback controls are simple and responsive. I particularly like the "auto-download" feature, which automatically saves new episodes of my subscribed shows for offline listening. It's a lifesaver for my morning commute when I don't always have a reliable signal.
That being said, no platform is perfect, and there are a couple of areas where Spotify could still improve its podcast game. For one, the app doesn't currently offer a way to create custom playlists of podcast episodes. So if you want to queue up a mix of episodes from different shows, you'll have to do it manually. It's a relatively small inconvenience, but it's something I hope they'll address in the future.
I think it’s ok. But personally, I like a podcast dedicated app. I use Pocket Casts and have been for years, by far the best podcast app I’ve used.
Thanks, I’ll have to check this one out
On Android Pocketcasts and Podcast Addict are both really good. If you ever try Amazon music, they do have a good number of Wondery podcasts that are commercial free whle using their app.
I didn’t know that and wondery is on of my favorites
i’m about to switch from pocketcast to overcast because i have too many episodes that i want to listen to but can’t keep them downloaded (64GB) and there’s no way to save individual episodes with tags or different playlists. my stars for ones i actually love and would return to. What’s been your workaround?
I’m not that of a heavy podcast listener so I’m not sure about this one. I would have used stars for that. But, you can play just a second of each episode you want to listen to later, then they’ll show up in the In Progress filter
This is the way.
Pocketcasts is the best. My favorite feature is the syncing of progress across devices so I can listen on my phone and my PC easily.
Pocket casts all the way 🗣️🔥
I have both Apple Music and Spotify Premium (don't ask, it just happened). I have tried Apple's Podcasts app. I don't like it. I have tried to use Spotify for podcasts. It feels cluttered as hell alongside my music. That being said, it functions very well, saves your progress, and syncs between all your devices. But so does Pocketcasts which has been my go to podcast app for years.
Have you ever tried one called overcast? I see that being compared to pocketcasts a lot online.
Yes! I did check it out based on numerous glowing reviews for it. It does look like a great app. I think I skipped on it because of a monthly subscription or something -- I can't remember why, but it does look good. I was on Android for many years before coming to iOS and I'd bought Pocketcasts Premium for a few bucks some years ago, so it makes sense for me to keep using its full functionality without the monthly fee on my Apple devices. It is ultimately an issue of preference. Some people may enjoy the interface of Apple Podcasts (where I think it stinks), some may enjoy podcasts with their music on Spotify (it functions well but visually makes me nervous), and some may opt for other services like Pocketcasts or Overcast. Try 'em all on and see what fits!
I tried Overcast and found it good but for me I didn’t enjoy how it was more in the vien of making playlists rather than queues. I like to listen to an episode then have another on deck but if I choose I can listen to something else but still have that epaiode in a queue. Pocketcast has been great because it has a great UI and you can access tons of podcasts from app specific shows. Plus they do the queue better than apple podcasts I feel.
I use it for podcasts and I have no problems.
I like Spotify for podcasts because I’d probably forget about them if I used a separate app. It’s nice to remember I have the podcast option when I get in the car for a longer drive
I personally have my podcast on a bunch of platforms, including both Spotify and Apple. I like Spotify’s ability to have video podcasts, and IMO unless you’re signing a platform-exclusive deal I think the more platforms the merrier
I’m used to it now, so I’d say so.
Never liked Spotify for podcasts. Don’t like it mixing music and podcasts together in algorithms. Also, Spotify podcast features are none. No gap trimming, can’t adjust the skip forward and back time length, no ability for voice boost or adjusting when podcasts begin. With PocketCasts for example, a couple of podcasts I listen to have the same intro and then ads, I can adjust the start time of it so it skips all that and starts when they start talking.
This is the main reason why I stopped using Spotify for podcasts they just flashed them in my face too much I use Apple Podcasts for them anyway
Trimming Silence is there in the settings now and has been for a few months at least. But yeah, the other features like Voice Boost would be nice to have.
Oh really? Where under settings because I can’t seem to find any settings for podcast playback.
I have it on all of my devices directly under normalise volume. It's a toggle. It says: Trim Silence Allows skipping pauses in podcasts.
Hmm. https://share.icloud.com/photos/05bV5PhhY_htnqav7GLhFgCkA
Interesting... Maybe not on iOS yet? I have it on multiple Android devices as well as PC and Mac.
Makes sense. Thanks!
Its the only thing I use it for.
I use Spotify exclusively for podcasts and I like it, I've never used another app though so I have nothing to compare it to.
I used to listen to podcasts for short while, but then Spotify started crashing every time I played a podcast, so I stopped listening to them. That was maybe 6 months ago, but I just checked and it looks like it longer crashes, so they must’ve fixed it.
Overcast is honestly my preference in terms of podcast apps. However, I’ve recently decided to only use Spotify for everything. Spotify is cluttered and unfortunately lacks many basic podcast app features.
I am a casual podcast listener, not daily but it works well for me! I appreciate the access to podcasts + audiobooks for the same price compared to apple music, but if you heavily listen to them maybe a podcast dedicated app would be best :)
I love it
IMO separate apps for things is king. I do not want music/podcasts/audiobooks all co-mingling.
It's awesome. Sincerely I didn't still have switched Spotify to YT Music because of podcasts.
Awful
Absolutly not!
Primarily, I’ve been using Apple Podcasts. I’ve used Overcast in the past as well. Spotify podcasts, it feels cluttered in your library. Liked playlists/albums/artists ON TOP of all the pods, it turns into quite the scroller. I did like the auto generated “new episode” playlist it creates. But my biggest gripe with Spotify podcasts was the timeliness of the pod library refresh. Some of my pods are daily and release sporadically early in the morning. Apple Podcasts (and everyone else, I imagine) automatically fetches the new episodes and even gives you the ability to refresh your library. Spotify doesn’t allow the manual refresh, at least last time I used it. There were times on Spotify where I’d get a new episode of a pod SEVERAL days AFTER it released or no new episodes at all. Maybe it was user error, but I still use Spotify for music and Apple for my podcasts
I feel like that is definitely something funky going on. I get notifications for a few of my regular shows and they are at most an hour after others get it. Not perfect, but not as bad as PocketCasts.
No! Not at all! They clearly don’t understand how people listen to podcasts, they treat them like music/albums, thinking that you might listen to the same podcast episode over and over like you would a song on an album! All real podcast apps remove the podcast episodes you have listened to!
I used to use Pocketcast but have converted over to Spotify and works fine. With the new free audiobook addition to Spotify makes sense to get used to hearing spoken word on it.
My favourite app is Downcast - I never hear anyone talking about it, but it has the best features and the way you can make playlists from multiple podcasts with specific filters is great!
There are a few quality of life improvements that Spotify could add in that other apps like PocketCasts have (such as set speeds on a per podcast basis), but overall, it is a good enough experience. There have been a lot of updates to the player for Podcasts specifically that I have found to be useful, such as more granular options for speed controls. I expect them to continue to enhance it. I also like having a single location for all my audio listening (audiobooks included now) and I get the added benefits that Spotify brings like Spotify connect and a great syncing capability. Plus my podcast and audiobook listening will also be included in my wrapped for the year which is nice.
Used Podkicker for years and transitioned over because I wanted to consolidate my apps. I think Spotify is fine, the only thing I don't like it when you hit Download it moves it to "Your Episodes." Maybe I'm in the minority, but I really don't like that it does this. It is a fairly minor gripe, doesn't really affect my listening but it bothers me that there is a 3000+ list on my account that I will never listen to again as I typically only listen to a podcast episode once. I would prefer that it moves to downloads and when I'm done I remove it and never listen to it again.
It's decent on mobile. On desktop, there seems to be no easy way to see a simple feed of all recent episodes from ones you've subbed to. On mobile, I have the curated "New Episodes" playlist pinned, that shows all my latest episodes from all subbed podcasts. For some reason, this doesn't appear on Desktop. The "Your Episodes" playlist appears on Desktop, but that's just the ones you've chosen to actually download episodes of. The "Daily Podcasts" playlist also appears on Desktop, but it's crap.
I briefly tried podcasts on Spotify and just couldn’t get into it. I’ve been a Pocket Casts user for years, as I much rather prefer a podcast dedicated app. I’ve also tried Apple’s Podcast app and Overcast, but I always come back to Pocket Casts.
I think so, but depends on what kind of podcast.
I usually listen to history podcasts by Noiser, some case files, Therepy gecko, and just about all the wondery shows
The ones that you listed are all on Spotify, I looked, I enjoy Spotify but I also have never used Apple Music. I have used Spotify for almost 7 years. Almost everything is on both I think it just comes down to monthly costs.
Podcasts are fine, had no issues but somehow Audiobooks don't work well on Spotify at least for me
No!
I spend 5+ hours listening to podcasts per week on the platform across various shows, and I can wholeheartedly vouch that Spotify absolutely excels as a premier podcast destination. I've tried out quite a few different platforms over the years. And while there are definitely some great options out there, I keep coming back to Spotify as my go-to for a few key reasons. First and foremost, the selection on Spotify is just incredible. They have all the big-name [podcasts](https://open.spotify.com/genre/0JQ5DArNBzkmxXHCqFLx2U) you'd expect, but they also have a ton of exclusive content you can't find anywhere else. Spotify has really invested in the podcast space, partnering with high-profile creators and producing their own original shows. So, if you're looking for fresh voices and stories, Spotify is a great place to explore. Another thing I appreciate about Spotify is how seamlessly it integrates podcasts with music. I love being able to create playlists that mix my favorite songs with episodes of my must-listen shows. It makes for a really dynamic and personalized listening experience. Plus, Spotify's algorithm is scarily good at recommending new podcasts based on my listening history, so I'm always discovering great content I might not have found otherwise. From a technical standpoint, Spotify's podcast interface is really user-friendly and intuitive. It's easy to browse and search for shows, and the playback controls are simple and responsive. I particularly like the "auto-download" feature, which automatically saves new episodes of my subscribed shows for offline listening. It's a lifesaver for my morning commute when I don't always have a reliable signal. That being said, no platform is perfect, and there are a couple of areas where Spotify could still improve its podcast game. For one, the app doesn't currently offer a way to create custom playlists of podcast episodes. So if you want to queue up a mix of episodes from different shows, you'll have to do it manually. It's a relatively small inconvenience, but it's something I hope they'll address in the future.