


The listening experience itself is also lacking. Since music and podcasts are mixed up, users need to tap the Podcasts & Shows filter to only see their subscribed podcasts and not music. Only then can users browse through recommended shows and filter them by specific categories, making the experience feel a bit clunky from the get-go. While podcast recommendations are often surfaced on the Home page, finding new podcasts to listen to requires tapping the Search tab and then tapping the Podcasts shortcut. That means music and podcasts coexist in a single application, and unfortunately, that's the biggest downside to the Spotify experience. While Spotify is primarily marketed as a music streaming app, it's quickly tried to push itself as a go-to destination for podcasts, too. And, last but not least, Overcast can be used on the iPad and Apple Watch. There's also a neat feature called Share Clip, which allows users to cut out a specific part of a podcast and then turn it into an audio or video file for easy sharing on social media. Users can control playback speed, use Smart Speed to shorten silence during podcasts, enable Voice Boost for higher-quality audio, set a sleep timer, and favorite specific episodes so they're easier to find later on. While Overcast's design may not be anything special, the app has it all when it comes to functionality. There's a search bar at the top for finding new podcasts and toggles to view downloads, create a new playlist, or browse through podcasts by different categories. It's not as visually striking as Pocket Casts, but for users who want to keep things as simple as possible, that may be a good thing. The home page shows a list of playlists, subscribed podcasts, and nothing more. Design-wise, Overcast is about as minimalistic as it gets. Created by developer Marco Arment in 2014, Overcast is one of the simplest iPhone podcast apps that doesn't skimp on useful features.
#Pocket casts vs overcast for free
It's 100 percent worth downloading and using Pocket Casts for free to get a feel of what it has to offer, and if it ends being a good fit, $10 a year is a steal for everything it brings to the table.įor folks who find Pocket Casts a bit too much for their needs, Overcast might be a better option. However, the good news is that it only costs $0.99/month or $9.99/year. The core experience is available completely free to use and without any in-app ads, but to access the desktop app, Apple Watch support, the ability to upload files, and additional themes/app icons, users need to pay for Pocket Casts Plus. If there's one downside to Pocket Casts, it's that accessing all of its features requires a paid subscription. Related: How Facebook Podcasts Work & What To Expect
#Pocket casts vs overcast download
Other features include the ability to auto-download episodes, download podcasts to the Apple Watch, syncing across devices, and support for Sonos, Alexa, and Google Assistant. If a podcast has a description and/or chapters, Pocket Casts shows those as well. They can adjust playback speed, automatically trim any silence from episodes, enable a volume boost, set a sleep timer, and quickly skip forward 30 seconds or go back 10 seconds (with users also able to customize these times in the settings page). From the Now Playing screen, users have access to an incredible amount of controls. The foundation of Pocket Casts is rock-solid, but where the app really shines is with all of the smaller features. The app is fast, responsive, and presents everything in a very visually pleasing way. Not only do all of these pages make navigating Pocket Casts a breeze, but the look and feel of them are also top-notch. The Filters tab allows users to browse through their podcasts by specific characteristics (new releases, unplayed, in progress, etc.), the Discover page makes it incredibly easy to find new shows to listen to, and the Profile tab houses things like listening stats, downloads, and app settings. The home page shows all of the podcasts someone is subscribed to, and while it's in a grid layout by default, it can also be changed to a list view. Out of all the podcast apps on this list, Pocket Casts is subjectively the best-looking and most practical of them all. As a one-to-one replacement for Apple Podcasts, it's one of the best options out there. Pocket Casts has been around for quite a few years as a podcast player for iOS, Android, and desktop. Kicking off this list, let's talk about Pocket Casts.
