So I’m in the process of switching from Spotify to Tidal for my music streaming (since Tidal pays artists like three times more than Spotify does). The only problem is, Tidal doesn’t support podcasts, which is another big thing I used Spotify for.
So what are some good apps for podcasts? I listen both on my PC and my Android phone, and I’m not really thrilled about the idea of paying for another subscription (so now I’m making two payments to cover the functionality I got with a single, cheaper payment). I’m cool with paying a one-time up-front fee, though.
Any suggestions?
I’ve been using Pocket Casts on Android and it works well. I think that I started using it 2 years ago and I haven’t encountered any issues. I use the free version and it hasn’t asked me to pay and hasn’t shown me ads. I’m a light user when it comes to podcasts though.
They have a web player for PC, but I haven’t tried it.
Plus it is multiplatform. Windows, Linux, Mac, Android, iOS, web - and syncs between them.
I’ll add my vote to Pocket Casts. Been my goto podcast app for… Forever. The app is all around solid on every plattform, and you can easily upload your own sound files and they will sync between devices.
I’ve used Pocket Cast for a long time now. I bought it probably about 10 years ago. It recently went open source.
I also use PocketCasts. Paid 4 bucks for it back in 2013. Highly recommend it.
Another vote for Pocket casts, been a user since 2011. Best release notes of any app as well.
This is the one for me. I just checked and I’ve been using the premium version since May 2016 and it cost me £2.50. Only issue I’ve had in that time is the web player was failing to buffer episodes for streaming, but that has since resolved for me.
That was most likely caused by a limitation or rather security feature of the browser regarding cross-domain resources. They offer a desktop Electron-based app that works around this.
I think you pay if you want to use the desktop app. I paid. Works pretty everywhere. 😊👍
@skellener @VoxAdActa @fdisk not if you use web
Yes. Using the web is not using the desktop app, hence it is free. I preferred the app and supporting the developer, so I paid.
I’ll second this. It’s less than $20 USD per year so I think it’s worth it. Also, I’m on iOS and have used it on there, Android and Windows.
I was an early adopter and paid like $20 once, so worth it
@fdisk @VoxAdActa love for Pocketcasts
I’ve been using Pocket Casts for like 10 years at this point, great app
Using antennapod on Android, can fully recommend. For other apps and platforms check https://podcastindex.org/apps
Ideally, you would donate to the project you choose :)
Agreed, AntennaPod is the most feature complete podcast app I’ve ever used.
Have been using Antennapod on Android for some months now. It is by far the best app I have used. Feature rich and no ads is the best one can hope for.
After seeing your note, I thought, “damn, I’ve used AntennaPod a LOT, I’ll donate!”
If you go to donate they basically say that all their costs are covered right now, but ask if you can help in non-financial ways (translations, help on the forum, beta test, code if you can, spread the word, UX work). I’ll be honest, that level of transparency makes me love the app more than I already did!
Get Fdroid on Android and use Antenna Pod. Idk about podcasts on PC.
Podcast Addict is amazing. No complaints.
I like the app and I’ve used it for over a decade. I absolutely hate the UI. It’s extremely confusing.
I just keep the player widget on my home screen, but everytime I go to search for podcasts or to unsubscribe from one it takes me a few minutes to figure out what to do to get there.
Prior to Podcast Addict I used Spotify for my podcasts. So, for me at least, it’s been a big improvement; though I’ll concede that’s a low bar to clear.
That’s a fair criticism. It can be counter-intuitive with forward/back/menus. I’m probably just used-to-it.
It’s never hindered me from adding anything or using the podcast/rss protocol how I need to. That said, there may be some other super-useful podcast apps out there that are better.
I had been using Podcast Addict for a couple of years after switching from BeyondPod which I used for many years.
But now I’m using the open source, community-built AntennaPod. There are a few quirks I had to get used to, but that is true of every app and especially something I use so frequently throughout the day. Performance has been great, especially with audio casting which has always been buggy and inconsistent for me with other apps.
Second this, I love Antenna Pod. Similarly, I too started with Podcast Addict and switched a year ago. Antenna Pod got a facelift quite recently and it looks and feels better than ever. You get all the stuff you want from a podcast app, plus you can customise it a little and its open source without ads. It really doesn’t get much better than that.
came here to give the same suggestion
Do you need to host a server to sync? I just downloaded the app. I don’t have a server.
came here to give the same suggestion
@VoxAdActa AntennaPod. I’ve been using it for years now. Instantly works and has exactly the features you need. No ads, no bullshit.
And it’s Free and Open Source!
(Meaning their primary motivation is making a good app, not monetising through enshitification)
And you can sync with nextcloud. Thats great.
On Android, I use AntennaPod. Does everything I want from a podcast app and more.
+1 to antenna pod. Been using it now for about a year and it works very well. App has a nice clean UI and it lets me organize podcasts
Agreed - I swapped from Pocketcasts to AntennaPod and have been very happy with it. The UI is excellent, and it works quite well. There’s no sync with a web interface for subscriptions/queue/etc. but it’s great as an android-only option. 10/10, would recommend!
As a side-note, I tried Podverse on Android between Pocketcasts and AntennaPod. It just wasn’t polished enough for me to fully buy in - even though it has great features and the premise of the app’s licensing and features is something I could get behind. For now, AntennaPod is for me!
Since OP wants to listen on PC as well: Antennapod can also sync via gpoddersync and nextcloud.
Works really nice and can be self-hosted if you want to.
Can you do it without self-hosting?
I use AntennaPod, love it but I haven’t got it to work on Android Auto yet. That’s the only gripe I have with it.
I’m throwing in another vote for Pocket Casts. Bought it back in 2015 and the web player as a separate purchase. It’s had ups and downs over the years, but I’ve always returned on the rare occasions I tried something different in hopes of finding something better–granted I’m grandfathered into premium at this point. It ticks all the boxes for me and I’d probably buy it again if I didn’t already have it.
I’m using PocketCasts and I paid a one-time fee before it became subscription based (but there’s still a free tier), in order to be able to listen to podcast using the web app on PC. Thus I now have lifetime premium access.
I’m very satisfied with their service, I did not find any problems with both the Android app and the web app, moreover it has almost every feature I need, except voice to text conversion in order to be able to share slices of audio in text format (but there are dedicated apps for that).
💯 this. Pocketcasts is and has been outstanding for the years I’ve had it. Great UI, and will remember your position on a specific episode cross-platform.
I paid too and I don’t get to use the web app. That’s the main reason I stopped using Casts
Paid for the mobile app (back before it was free)? Or paid for Pocket Casts Plus, which inclued access to the desktop/webapp?
I paid before it was free for sure, I know there wasn’t a subscription model back then. I know I tried using the webapp later and it asked for more money. It’s ok, lots of decent free options for all of that, just felt like they were touching my butt feeling for the wallet
I stand behind AntennaPod, it does what I need.
I am very happy with podcast addict on android. Powerful, not the cleanest ui though.
Podcast addict was perfect for me, the ability to automatically add things to your queue based on priority was great. I used it to play a 10 minute news podcast every morning then jump back to whatever podcast I was listening to and have other weekly podcasts jump in after that
I also use Podcast Addict, I recommend it.
Me too, lots of functionality and options to customise it to your needs.
I moved from Google Podcasts (which is pretty good) to AntennaPod, which is FOSS and honestly, pretty damn solid
@Nyanix love me some AntennaPod!
@VoxAdActa@Nyanix @VoxAdActa Looks good! Is there anything like this for internet radio?
@Nyanix @VoxAdActa I’m only on this because FOSS. If your cast isn’t there I’m not likely to hear you, sorry 😐
I’ve been using Pocketcasts for years, and I’ve been very happy with it. Works on Android, PC, and through web browsers. I’ve never had to pay for it.
I’ve also been using the app for user and got grandfathered into a lifetime membership, although I think it’s been inserting ads in my podcasts. I only say that because I have a VPN on my phone and suddenly my phone will play a Swedish ad I can’t understand.
Fwiw I don’t think pocket casts is doing that, but rather your podcasts themselves. A lot of podcasts use dynamic ad insertion that allow them to inject ads into the podcast at download time as opposed to them being baked into the episode. It lets the hosts have relevant ads in their entire backlog of episodes rather than just ones released during the campaign window.
I support Pocket Casts because it’s made by Automattic, the makers of WordPress, Tumblr, and WooCommerce. Their CEO, Matt Mullenweg, is someone who seems to really care about the freedom and diversity of the internet. As far as players go, it’s got all the features you’d want for an Android app.
I seldom listen on my PC, but if I want to I can usually find the stream on whatever service the podcast has chosen (their own site, or whichever embedded player they elect to use).
I too love PocketCasts and love what Mullenweg has done, but want to point out that Automattic bought PocketCasts from NPR - https://www.theverge.com/2021/7/16/22580023/automattic-pocket-casts-podcast-app-tumble-wordpress
Automattic themselves didn’t/don’t make PocketCasts.
Edit: Fixed type (lost > love)
Who got it from Shifty Jelly :)
