Top 10 Best Podcast Apps for Android and iOS

Whether you are traveling home from work, heading towards your gym, or even doing laundry, listening to the Podcast is never a bad idea. With this amazing tool, you can access the latest news, comedy shows, in-depth storytelling, and much more. Besides that, the Podcast can even offer you a lot more features like automatic downloading, sorting of the latest episode of your favorite show, managing your subscription, and much more.

According to sources, almost 36% of the global audience, especially the younger generation, tends to listen to the Podcast more often than any other form of audio content. Here’s a chart by Statista that well describes the popularity of the Podcast amongst the world’s top countries.

As evident from the chart mentioned above, we can see that almost all the top countries of the world leverage podcast to access some amazing audio content. And it’s not that the Podcast became one of the popular audio listening sources within a few days; when we look at the stats, in 2006, the total users of the robust platform in the USA were only 22%. However, with the increase in accessibility and enhancements of the features, the number rose to a whopping 70% in 2019. That’s quite a significant increase! 

However, as we all know, the digital world is full of options, whether for a food item or a mobile app, and podcast apps are not an exception. While there are a few podcast apps that offer you a brilliant listening experience, and access to new podcasts, there are others that can turn your smartphone into a recording and editing studio. And choosing between these hundreds of podcast apps may seem a tedious task. 

But, why worry when we are here! This article will give you the top 10 best podcast apps that are trending in the global market in 2022. So, let’s get started!

Let’s discuss all of them in detail! 

Pocket Casts – The Best of All 

Available For: Android and iOS 

Price: Free/ $0.99 per month for premium.

Pocket Casts always tops the list when it comes to the top podcast apps. It is an awesome app for the people of both Android and iOS platforms, who like to listen to a lot of new podcasts. This amazing podcast app offers great UI, light and dark themes, useful search filtering options, and more. Furthermore, the app also gives you an option to pick up from where you left off last time. Although the app is free to use, PocketCasts has also introduced its paid subscription model in the global market.

Features 

• Volume Boost 
• Trim Silence 
• Variable Playing Speed ( 3X and 5X) 
• Chapter Navigation 
• Apple Watch Controls 

Anchor – Unlimited Hosting

Available For: Android and iOS 

Price: Free 

Anchor is yet another amazing podcast platform that offers unlimited hosting capabilities to its users. Anchor is equally accessible by both Android and iOS users and lets them stream or download their favorite podcasts. While leveraging this amazing podcast platform, you can seamlessly record your audio and can publish them at different places like iTunes and Google Podcast. The app even offers you to upload your favorite Podcast from a device of your choice in a seamless manner. It has a great business model that lets both the app and its users make money effectively. 

Features 

• Seamless Approach for Creating Podcast 
• Unlimited Hosting Capability 
• Audio Upload Facility 
• Clean Interface 
• Accessible by Android and iOS Users 

DoggCatcher Podcast Player – Ultimate Customization

Available For: Android 

Price: $2.99 

When you are an Android user and want a podcast app that is specifically designed for Android users, then DoggCatcher is the perfect option for you. This amazing podcast app has over 10,000 positive reviews, and that’s why it is regarded as the “best podcast app” for Android users. The app offers support for things like Android Wear, Android Auto, and Chromecast. Not only that, but DoggCatcher also offers customization facilities for all its users. 

Features 

• Offers Automation Facility 
• Massive Library of Podcast 
• Playlist Support 
• Variable Speed Playback 
• Interactive Themes 

Spotify – Music, and Podcasts in One

Available For: Android and iOS 

Price: Free/ $2.99, $4.99 or $7.99 per month for premium. 

Well, who doesn’t know Spotify! It is the world’s best and most popular music streaming app that is available on the global platform. And since 2016, Spotify has also started to offer podcast services to its members. Although recently there are not so many podcasts available on the platform when compared to other podcast apps, the number is soon expected to skyrocket. Though, you can seamlessly request the app to list your favorite Podcast on their platform. Now, that’s something different from other apps! 

Features 

• Cross-Platform Podcast App 
• Easy to list your favorite Podcast 
• Effective Services 
• You can also listen to Best Music 
• Everything at One Spot 

Google Podcast – Google all the things

Available For: Android and iOS 

Price: Free 

When it comes to amazing their users, Google never backs off. Be it a virtual assistant or even a podcast app; Google has it all. And when talking about podcast apps, Google Podcast is one such example. Released in 2018, Google Podcast is a one-stop solution for all android users searching for a perfect podcast app. As the name suggests, besides streaming some good podcasts, the platform allows you to seamlessly integrate with all the Google services. And things become quite amazing when you are a podcaster. Why? You can find all the resources and badges for your site here. And the best of all! The app also offers AI-powered capabilities, which are expected to advance in the coming future. 

Features 

• Access to all Google Services 
• Offers Direct Linking to Podcasters 
• Simple and Interactive Design 
• Playback Control 
• Supports Google Assistance 

Podcast Addict – Super Powerful

Available For: Android 

Price: Free/ $0.99/month for premium.

For the past few years, Podcast Addict has been the favorite podcast app for most android users. It has some great functionalities, though the UI part is a bit outdated as compared to the other mentioned podcast apps. However, when it comes to working, Podcast Addict never disappoints anybody! From Chromecast and Sonos support to advanced playback features and sleep timer, the app offers everything to make your streaming experience a hit. 

Features 

• Different Discovery Options 
• Advanced Playback Features 
• Live Radio Streams 
• Access to Youtube Channels 
• The podcast can be downloaded

Castbox – Hidden Gem

Available For: Android and iOS 

Price: Free/ $0.99/month for premium.

Castbox is comparatively a new podcast app as compared to all the podcast apps that we have mentioned in our list. That’s why many times it gets unnoticed by people, but we strongly suggest you have a look at this super-amazing podcast app. The Castbox app has some amazing user-friendly features and has also won many ‘best of’ awards from Google and Apple in the past couple of years. The app allows you to explore all the amazing content and enables you to access some unique and original audio content that cannot be found anywhere else. 

Features

• Integrated Community Hub 
• Live Radio Streams 
• Amazon Echo Skill 
• Apple Watch and CarPlay Support 
• In-Audio Search 

Podbean – Podcasts and Audiobooks

Available For: Android and iOS 

Price: Free 

Podbean is a popular podcast hosting company that also offers podcast apps and now comes with Alexa skills. It is regarded as one of the most seamless podcast apps that is easy to navigate and utilize. Maybe that’s why most of the users of this robust app have given Podbean 5-star ratings. The app lets you organize the amazing podcasts into various categories to make them more accessible for its users. Furthermore, it also comes with lock screen controls, Chromecast Support, and Android Auto support, which makes the app more effective for its users. 

Features 

• Provides Streaming and Download Facility 
• Offers Amazing Audio Effects 
• Integrates with Amazon Alexa 
• Sorts Podcasts into Categories 
• It can be used Virtually Anywhere 

Castro 3 – Unique Podcast Player

Available For: iOS 

Price: Free/ $2.99 per quarter or $8.99 per year for premium. 

Finally, a podcast app that is specifically built for iOS users. Castro 3 is a unique podcast app in a good way. Meaning it uses a different subscription approach for its users. When you subscribe to any show, it automatically adds all of its episodes in the form of a queue. Now, that thing is very effective if you watch a show that has daily episodes. So, when you put that favorite show in an automatic queue, you never miss an episode. Also, you can achieve any show or its episode to watch them later. All in all, if you are someone who finds it difficult to manage new episodes of your favorite shows, then Castro 3 is the perfect fit for you.

Features 

• Innovative Library Management Approach 
• iMessage and Apple Watch Support 
• Night Mode Option 
• Ability to Queue New Episodes 
• You can Achieve any Podcast 

Stitcher – Exclusive Podcasts and Shows

Available For: Android and iOS 

Price: Free/ $4.99 a month for premium. 

Last but not least, we have yet again a popular cross-platform podcast app called Stitcher. Now, this amazing podcast app offers a unique opportunity to search for a particular episode instead of the whole Podcast. And like all the other podcast apps mentioned above, Stitcher also enables you to search for the latest news, create your playlist, and listen to your favorite podcasts. Although the app is free for its users, you can utilize its paid version to access some of the exclusive podcasts and shows available on the platform. 

Features 

• You can Search Episodes 
• Offers Exclusive Content 
• Has won many “Best of” Awards 
• Free to Use 
• Cross-Platform App 

Since podcasts are the new buzz among people of all age groups, choosing the podcast service that suits your needs is also vital.  

While starting a podcast, you should go for the RSS podcast websites that offer you unlimited storage and multiple integration features that will help you grow faster. Make the most out of easy-to-use podcast hosting services and enjoy a smooth sail to your growth with RSS podcast hosting. 

Final Takeaway!

So, these were some of the most popular podcast apps that are gaining huge momentum in the year 2022. As you all know, things change very rapidly in today’s digital world, and so are podcast apps. Hence, apart from all the above-mentioned podcast apps, there are more that have not been mentioned in the list. Reasons may be because of their lower popularity or because of some other advanced features that the ones mentioned above provide. So, although we have tried to cover all the popular podcast apps, if you feel you have some great options, then we are always happy to listen. Also, if you have any ideas regarding your mobile app development, then we are always here to transform them into reality. We have more than 15 years of experience in developing software applications and mobile apps for various industry verticals. Reach us today to book your free 30-min consultation!