Best Podcast Apps for Android
Let’s start with my favorite app on this list
1. Podify
Podify displays podcasts from Spotify. While the Spotify app combines music and podcast into one app, Podify offers a way to listen to Spotify podcasts without all the music suggestions you get all over the app. This makes the UI less cluttered. You need to log in with the Spotify account, obviously. The app always stays in sync with the channels you follow on Spotify. You can open any channel you follow and start listening to their podcast episodes. One major drawback is that you cannot search or follow any podcast directly from Podify. Think of it as a companion app. Pros
Can listen to Spotify exclusive podcastsClean and minimal UI Can bookmark and access podcasts
Cons
Cannot search or follow podcasts directly No discover feedLacks features like Spotify connect and sleep timer
2. Moonbeam
While you have the option to subscribe to and play podcasts on Moonbeam, it focuses more on small clips instead. The home page of the app is filled with custom playlists curated with clips from different podcasts. These playlists are created on different topics like sleep, journey, parenting, Mother Nature, love, and more. Even the Discover feed is nothing but clips playing in TikTok style layout. Just swipe up and listen to a random clip from a random podcast. If you like what they are talking about, you can play the full episode and subscribe to the channel. Moving to the Library section will reveal the regular podcast features we need. Here you will find all the channels you follow and select any episode from the same. The app also provides basic statistics like the number of channels you follow, podcasts you listened to, shows discovered, listening time, favorite genre, etc. Pros
Custom playlists for clips on the homepageTikTok style discovery page with clips to find new podcastsUsage statasticsSubscribe, play full episode directly from the clips
Cons
UI can be bit overwelming for newcomersMini player pop-up can be a distraction
3. Snipd
Snipd is just like Moonbeam and focuses on small clips from popular podcast episodes but with two major differences. While Moonbean brings the podcast clips forward and makes full episodes as a side feature, Snipd is a normal podcast app that also features a clips section. Just tap on the Discover tab to access clips in Snipd. The second major difference is the Snips feature which lets you create your own clips from a podcast. But among all, my favorite feature of this app is live transcription. The app automatically transcripts and shows you text for the podcast in its player. Anyhow, the transcription only works with the English language. It also automatically generates chapters if the hosts are talking about more than one topic in the podcast. Pros
Live transcriptionChapters to skip to your favorite topic in the podcastClips in the discover feedAbility to create your own clips
Cons
The button to create clips takes up a lot of space on the playerSleep Timer feature is not availableChapters are not completely accurate
4. Cast Box
Cast Box is one of the best podcast apps if you prefer to have a lot of features. The app supports all the basic features of a podcast app that you expect from the download option to sleep timer. As an added bonus, it adds an equalizer and volume boost for better audio control. Unlike other podcast apps, it also has a comment section where people can talk about that episode. It also has Chromecast support to stream the episode to your TV. To make this even more feature-rich, Cast Box actually allows you to record and create podcasts directly from the app itself. All of it comes with a few downsides too. This is the only app in the list with visual ads all over including the player. It also sends a lot of random notifications. To remove ads and subscribe to unlimited channels, you can opt for premium and premium pro subscriptions. Pros
Equalizer and volume boost optionsComment and community section Chromecast supportAbility to create podcast and upload directly from the app
Cons
Too many adsToo many notificationsPremium plans are expensive
5. Acast
Not many podcast apps support features like Chromecast. Unlike Cast Box, if you are looking for a simple app that also has all the necessary features that include Chromecast, you should definitely check out Acast podcast player. The app is fairly simple. You can search and follow channels. Those channels and their episodes will be available on the home page. Upon playing, you get all the options like downloading episodes, sleep timer, playback speed, Chromecast, etc. The only downside of the app is that the search is a bit slow and even the search page feels clumsy to navigate. Pros
Simple user-interface to navigate Supports Chromecast
Cons
Clumsy search page
6. Antenna Pod
Antenna Pod is another simple podcast player app with a material design. The app comes with no bells and whistles except for providing advanced ways to import podcasts. You can subscribe to the RSS feed, add a local folder, search on various services like gPodder for podcasts, import podcast lists in OPML format, etc. The only downside is that it lacks a bottom bar. Using the hamburger menu to navigate can feel a bit confusing and inconvenient at times. Pros
Simple and clean user-interfaceSupports many ways to import podcasts
Cons
Unintuitive menu
7. Player FM
Player FM is the podcast app for every dark mode enthusiast out there. It comes with a pitch-black background all around the app except for the player. Also, it is one of the most customizable podcast apps where you can manage swipe gestures, album size, style, fonts, themes, shortcuts, shake options, etc. You can also boost volume, skip silence in between podcasts, reduce noise, etc. The only disadvantage is that the ‘Now Playing’ UI element isn’t much customizable, does not support theming, and has an ad placed at the top. But if you prefer to listen to podcasts just by using a mini-player, the experience can be much better. Pros
Themeing optionsInsanely customizableSkips silence in-between episodes
Cons
Now Playing screen is just clumsy and has ads
8. Luminary
Luminary is awesome because the app has its own originals to offer along with podcasts available on other platforms. Apart from that, the app provides a clean and straightforward podcast listening experience. I personally liked the categories filter in the search. While most podcast apps recommend a small list of podcasts from each category, Luminary does a great job in listing the related channels into the respected categories. But the key feature of the app is its originals. They are locked down under the subscription and only provide you with a 7-day free trial. Pros
Luminary originals Easy to navigate UI
Cons
Most expensive premium plans App developed with focus on iOS
9. Podcast Republic
While other podcast apps allow you to subscribe to your favorite podcast channels, Podcast Republic lets you create tags. So you can maintain multiple lists for your subscriptions. If you follow channels in different categories, this is the best app as you can divide them with tags and manage your channels better. Also, the UI is clean and easy-to-use with options to create custom playlists, download, etc. Another good feature is car mode which changes the layout and features bigger icons for easier control while driving. Pros
Use tags to seperate and manage subscribed channelsFilter by categoriesCar mode Custom playlistsCheck reviews of podcast channelsTake notes while listening to podcast
Cons
Ads placed at the bottom of every page of the app
Underrated Podcast Apps for Android
There are even more podcast apps on Android to choose from. But most of them have ads all over the UI or miss out on basic features without offering anything of importance. If you are willing to try some more podcast apps, check out Podcast Addict, Podbeam, and Pocket Cast. These are some of the more popular podcast players than the ones listed here and are already preferred by many.
