Best Podcast Listening Apps on iOS : Our Top 10 Picks

What are we really looking for in a Podcast listening app?

We want a good search and podcast discovery experience, we want a nice and user-friendly design where we can find everything quick and easy, a nice player with lots of features, good sound quality and much more.

If you are using any of the Apple devices and are on iOS, then you do have a variety of good podcast listening apps available for you. Let’s take a look at some of the Best Podcast listening apps on iOS.

If you are interested in recording your own podcast then you can read our post on Online Podcast Recording : 10 Best Tools

Pocket Casts: Perfect balance of design and features

Pocket casts has the perfect balance of design and features. It’s got everything that you traditionally would want in a podcast listening app in a pretty good design. Its one of the best podcast listening apps on iOS.

It can feel kind of plain to many but times but it’s hard not to recommend this app if you’re serious about podcast because it does so many things so well.

For starters, the home screen is really well designed, which is just your podcast screen because not only Is there a search bar up at the top to search through your episodes which is a big, but you can completely change how your podcast appear.

You can sort the episodes by episode release date or recently updated. You can also turn on badges for each podcast to see how many episodes you’ve missed out. The app is dynamic, and it keeps things a lot more interesting and also helps you to remember some podcasts that you might have forgotten about.

The playback controls are also very good, and you can increase the speed to two, three times faster. And of course, you can also trim silence to shorten the play times. There’s a sleep timer too.

So, if you click on a podcast and click on the gear icon, you can then set defaults for each podcast.  There is a cool profile tab, which will show you how many minutes you’ve listened to, how many minutes you saved etc.

If you’re really going to get into your podcast and take them seriously, then you’ll love the ability to create custom episode filters.

The app is available on iPhone, iPad, Apple watch, Carplay, and there’s even a browser version. If you want to listen to this while you’re at your desk.

Here is the list of pocket casts features and devices that it supports.

• Cross Device Sync: You can sync across Android and iOS devises.
• Discovery
• Episode Search
• Android Auto and CarPlay
• Trim Silence
• Airplay and Chromecast
• Chapter Support
• Apple Watch dedicated features
• Themes: Dark or light themes.
• Play Without Subscribing
• Variable Speed Playback

Overcast: One Of The Best Podcast Listening Apps on iOS

So many people love Overcast, It’s so popular. It is not the most good-looking app for sure, it is a bit clunky and not so intuitive. However, it certainly covers all the functional aspects.

You can import podcast from other apps which makes switching a little bit easier and searching for podcast is definitely quite a bit quicker here. Its one of the best podcast listening apps on iOS from this point of view.

There’s also a bit of a social aspect here, you can connect your Twitter account to see recommendations by episode or by podcast and you will find that to be pretty useful.

You can also search within podcast for specific episodes and it’s great. Here is the list of main features for this app.

• Download podcasts for playing anytime, even when offline.
• Search and browse for new podcasts, plus get personalized recommendations.
• Create custom Playlists with smart filters and per-podcast priorities and rearrange the list whenever you want.
• Receive optional notifications when new episodes arrive.
• Subscribe to a podcast, or just add an episode: try new shows without committing.
• Download podcasts over cellular, set a sleep timer, or use Voice Boost to enhance and normalize speech volume.
• Adjust playback speed and use Smart Speed to shrink silences and pick up extra speed without distorting the conversation.
• Apple Watch app with standalone podcast playback
• Carplay support

Overcast is ad-supported and if you want an ad free experience and some other pro features then you can upgrade to the pro version. Current price for Overcast Premium is $9.99 USD per year and may vary from country to country.

Breaker: The Social Podcast App.

The next Super Innovative podcasting app that we want to share with you is called breaker. It’s a social podcast app, which is kind of its big thing.

So, you sign up with Twitter for instance then you can see what your friends are listening to and this is kind of cool. Inbox feature that lets your friends send you episodes that they think you’re going to like which is interesting as well.

It’s also nice to see the activity of friends, so I can see specific episodes they are listening to and who they’re following which in turn is kind of like a rabbit hole. You can just keep following it and discovering more stuff.

This app is actually designed to move away from subscriptions in the first place and to concentrate more on personalized and social podcasts discovery.

Here are some of the features for Breaker.

• ½x up to 3x speed
• Skip Silences to save time
• Dark mode and landscape mode
• Offline mode
• Download new episodes automatically
• Like and comment on episodes
• Discover hot episodes that everyone is listening to
• Chat about episodes with friends
• Create playlists and share them
• Create profile with your favorite podcasts
• Share on Twitter and Facebook

Listen: Best Looking Podcasting app on iOS

There is a brand-new app called listen, which describes itself as the most beautiful podcast app. There are many podcast apps that do the job but don’t look great doing it. Listen is certainly a very good-looking app.Its one of the best podcast listening apps on iOS from looks point of view.

The queue management is amazing. The new episode section lists new episodes by day instead of giving you just an endless list and you can swipe left on episode to add it to the top or bottom of your queue.

We really like the way one can change how shows are sorted in your library, there are many ways in which you can do it. Recently updated, most listened, alphabetical Etc.

Now playing screen is also very cool. It is different and certainly pretty. If you swipe up on it, you’ll see your queue which you can then drag and drop to rearrange. In terms of playback speeds, you can increase your speed up to three times faster.

You will really appreciate that there is an import feature to get your podcasts from Apple Podcast app. It did not get all the podcasts imported in our case.

Basically, the listen app just nailed the interface. It’s gorgeous. It’s simple, its intuitive, the developers have tried to ensure that you can use the app one handed.

So unlike other apps, the play button is within reach of your thumb and there are lot of gestures. If you tap on find something new at the top of your home page, then you also get a gorgeous and well-organized search and discover page.

It has some top picks, some new podcasts, a trending section and a list of topics. You can just browse this app very almost perfectly without any hustle, but there’s one major thing that’s kind of missing, and that’s cross-platform support.

Listen is only available on your iPhone right now, but if it ever expands to the Apple watch and to Apple car play and if it can add a few of those more advanced features than it would be just about perfect.

CASTRO

Castro is a beautiful, full-featured podcast player that makes it easy to track and manage lots of podcasts at the same time. Only listen to the episodes you want and easily skip the rest, queue up hours of podcasts at a time and enjoy a seamless listening experience with carplay compatibility, chapter support, trim silence and much, much more!

If you’re unfamiliar with the app, Castro’s main feature is a GUI system involving an inbox and queue.

Considering that there are a large number of podcasters coming online and there are more great podcasts available more than ever before. If you subscribe to lots of shows, the standard episode management tools found in most other apps are just not sufficient.

With Castro, by default new episodes of shows land in your inbox and can then be sorted to the top or bottom of your queue and downloaded or archived if they’re not of interest to you.

It’s a great system that solves the problem of podcast overdose and makes your favourite episodes populate top or bottom of the queue as per your wish.

HOW IT WORKS

1. New episodes land in the NEW tab. Read their descriptions, add episodes you like to your queue, and clear the rest.
2. Press play to listen to episodes from your queue in order. Queued episodes are downloaded automatically.
3. Re-order your queue to plan your next few hours of listening at any time.
4. Browse your library to review the back catalogue, quickly access starred shows, and see your listening history.
5. Subscribing to a podcast is no longer a commitment to listen to every episode. You don’t have to manage a huge list of subscriptions or choose a few shows and miss the rest.

Playback Features:

• Drag and drop podcasts to plan your listening with Castro’s unique queue
• An elegant dark mode and thoughtfully designed sleep timer offer the best in night time podcast listening.
• CarPlay support makes it easy to pick up where you left off while driving.
• Apple Watch app to control playback and select another episode from your queue.
• Episode notifications include a summary of the episode to help you decide if it interests you. Play, queue or clear the episode directly from the notification without opening the app.

CASTRO PLUS

Castro Plus is an optional paid subscription available for $18.99/year (includes a one-week trial). Plus unlocks a range of advanced features:

• Trim Silence — With this option on, the app will analyse audio as it plays to detect silent parts and accelerate those parts. Get through more episodes faster.
• Enhance Voices improves the listening experience for many podcasts and makes it easier to hear in loud environments. Under the hood, Enhance Voices applies a dynamic compressor to increase volume just where it’s needed.
• Sideloading: Import audio files directly, just by dropping them in iCloud Drive
• Mono-Mix — Mixes a stereo podcast to mono, which makes it easier to hear podcasts that pan some guests on left/right channels.
• Chapter Support: Artwork, Skipping & Pre-selection.
• Custom settings per-podcast: Episode Limit, Trim Silence, Enhance Voices, Mono Mix, Skip Intros, Playback Speed.

Castbox

Castbox also has a lot of important features which helps it’s users to get the best out of this podcasting app. The free version comes with everything and has no ads. The in-app purchases are basically optional. Here are some of the features.

• A powerful search engine that allows you to find your favourite podcasts effortlessly
• Smooth streaming and downloading of podcasts, radio, FM, and audiobooks
• Smart speakers supported, including Apple Home Pod, Amazon Alexa
• Fully support cross-device syncing for iPhone/Apple Watch/Google Devices
• Daily top podcasts list
• One-click subscription and never miss an episode for every podcast
• Sleep timer to fall asleep soundly
• Adjust playback speed during the podcast to accommodate your listening habits
• Volume Boost
• Trim Silence
• CarPlay Support
• Podcast Community
• Live cast: live audio streaming service
• Import your favourite podcasts with OPML from Google podcast, Overcast, iHeartradio, Pocket Casts, Podbean, Podcast Addict, Spotify, Stitcher, the Podcast app, Tunein, and apple podcast app!

Spotify

Spotify is known for its music services. It now has a podcast section as well. It is available for both paid and free users and can be a great way to listen to podcasts if you are looking to subscribe to a few shows at a time.

Here are some of the features offered by Spotify. It must be said though that, since it is not a dedicated podcasting app, it has certain limitations.

• Get recommended and featured shows.
• Save the podcasts you like. New episodes are then automatically saved for you.
• Save podcasts offline for when you don’t have an internet connection.
• Skip foreword or backword
• Playback speed control
• Share what you are listening on social media
• Spotify Does not allow subscription to any RSS feed like some of the dedicated podcasting apps.
• Customized playlists, charts, ratings are also some of the missing features currently.

PodBean

PodBean is a podcast hosting company. They also have an app for listening to podcast free on Android and iOS.

Allowing you to listen to millions of episodes of podcasts, the PodBean podcast app will enhance your podcast listening experience with intelligent speed control, volume boost, customizable playlist and all the best features.

Here are some of the features it offers to the listeners.

• Search by podcast name, episode name, or author name.
• Browse new/trending/top podcasts by topics or categories.
• Get customized recommendations based on your play history.
• View your play history and favourite episodes.
• Choose audiobooks from bestsellers and classics for free. Instantly stream or download podcasts to play offline.
• Stay organized with customizable playlists.
• Intelligent speed removes silences from an episode without distortion.
• Volume boost: normalize the volume and make shows easier to listen to.
• Advanced playback features like auto-play next and Sleep timer.
• CarPlay Support.
• Integrates with Amazon Alexa.
• Stay updated: Get new episode notification from followed podcasts
• Automatic download and option to delete after being played.
• Supports batch mode to download, delete, and add playlist.
• Settings can be customized by podcast.

PodBean Podcast app now supports English, German, Portuguese, Swedish, Chinese, French, Spanish and Japanese.

PodBean podcast app & player is ad-supported.

User can choose to purchase PodBean VIP Subscription to remove ads, and get advanced features including: customize homepage, unlimited playlist and priority support.

Current price for PodBean VIP Subscription is $9.99 USD per year and may vary from country to country.

Stitcher

One of the useful things with Stitcher is the ability to search for episodes, not just entire podcasts. You can create playlists, find new podcasts, listen to news, and more.

Stitcher is basically a free app but also has a paid version which removes adds and provides access to exclusive original content.

KEY FEATURES

• Listen on Demand download podcasts for later
• Personalized Front Page: Use Stitcher as your news app and podcast hub to receive updates in real-time based your favourites and recommendations based on your listening
• Custom Playlists: Create personal radio station type playlists of your favourite podcasts for long drives, commuting, or other hands-full activities
• Smart Speaker Integrations: Now features an Amazon Alexa skill and connects to Sonos speaker systems.
• Supports CarPlay and integrations with over 50 other car models from Ford, GM, Mazda, BMW, Jaguar, Land Rover and many more

Downcast:

Downcast is among the best podcast apps for iPhones and Macs. It also works with Apple Watch and CarPlay. You pay once for the apps and own them forever with no subscription fees. It’s easy to subscribe to podcasts, whether you browse or search for them or add them via a URL feed.

Rich settings let you automatically start your favourite shows a set number of seconds in, or end them early, letting you bypass lengthy intros or closing ads.

There’s a great list view of shows that you’ve either subscribed to or downloaded that gives you details such as how many episodes are in your queue, when the most recent episode debuted, and an icon indicating if you are not subscribed to automatically download the next release.

If you’re an Apple-only user and don’t need a web app, Downcast is one of the best podcast apps for you.