This reflects my journey as well. Castro helps me to avoid podcast overwhelm.
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I’m happy with Downcast using on multiple devices.
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This may not be important to you, but I believe the Overcast app sounds the best. Once I got accustomed to how the Overcast app processes the audio of podcasts, I can’t go back to another app because it just doesn’t sound as good.
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For me Downcast works great. I have a few video podcast I watch which rules out many options.
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+1 for Overcast.
Not yet mentioned (unless I missed above – forgive me) is the feature on the paid version of Overcast to be able to upload any MP3s via your account. I often have audio files to review that aren’t public podcasts and Overcast makes it super easy to fit those into my listening workflow.
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I have been using iCatcher for years. It is feature rich and well looked after by its developer.
Pocket Casts is the best I have tried several. Overcast I could never get used to the adverts and the orange theme.
Overcast is a subscription (or see adverts) model. Pocket Casts is pay once and use.
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Agreed: I pay for Overcast as a matter of principle.
I use it on the phone and on the watch. There are still a few syncing issues between them but overall I’m very happy with it. (The watch usage is generally when I’m running as I don’t want to take my phone.)
I also like Marco’s experimental attitude. So I want to encourage that - with money. Plus I get enormous value out of podcasts so I feel inclined to pay.
(Similarly, when I’ve bought t-shirts I’ve genuinely wanted them but also felt justified in that some money goes into the pockets of people whose podcasts I value and enjoy.)
Overcast all the way. Best one out there.
Pocket cast is the best by far
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…unless you want better sorting or smart playlist features, or you watch video podcasts, or you don’t like subscriptions, or you also own Android gear…
I use Castro to manage what I wanted to listen on a particular day since I can easily set with drag and drop which episodes I wanted to listen to. You don’t need to pay for a subscription but I do subscribe for 3 months at a time to give them more financial support rather than paying for a whole year.
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I chose Pocketcast when I switched from the apple podcasts app as it works with my Sonos speakers which is something I valued highly when choosing a podcast app which overcast didn’t at the time.
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I prefer Castro’s triage feature (the concept didn’t sound appealing until I tried it), but currently use Overcast because of its standalone Watch support. If Castro ever added standalone Watch support, I might switch back. It’s great for yard work, the gym, or anywhere you don’t want your iPhone
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I’m also a big Castro supporter mainly because of the Inbox feature. And it has a really good interface. I listen to podcast mainly in the car and I really like that I could configure Castro to “skip to next chapter” when I press the Forward button and “backtrack 45s” when pressing the Back button. However, this requires subscription.
Castro also does not seem to have sync functionality, which I find useful as I listen on multiple device.
And when it comes to subscription, I was caught off guard by how Castro is double the price of Overcast. Considering Overcast is a stronger competitor, I am surprise at how Castro is pricing it. I wouldn’t mind paying $1/month just to get the Chapter feature but $1.50/month is too rich for me.
I will try Pocket Cast which seems to be highly recommended here. Does it has the skip to next chapter option for CarPlay? I know it has syncing and I like that it’s a one-off payment for the app.
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The only reason I am using triage or skipping chapters is because my commute is short and I don’t have any other quiet time for podcast except during my drive to work. That’s why I appreciate Castro’s ability to skip to the next chapter at a press of a button.
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Inbox is a great feature I wish were on Pocket Casts. Part of my daily ritual with PC is opening the app, seeing which podcasts got updated, then manually popping from one podcast to the next, doing a manual Inbox review to see which episodes I want to download. While Pocket Casts has rich and powerful filters, those are only for downloaded episodes. If there’s one feature I could use in PC it would be Castro’s Inbox.
Yes, very useful. PC does that too. Interestingly I’ve noticed that a most podcasts I listen to with ads will leave in the last several seconds of the ad in the chapter marker of the next chapter. (Sneaky chaps.)
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I’ve been a long time user of Overcast and enjoy it. That said, I am looking to make a move. I am spending more time at home and we have Sonos speakers everywhere, and I’d rather listen through that than AirPods.
It looks like the only two options are PocketCasts and the native Apple app. Does that sound right?
Maybe I am make more to do about nothing, with wanting Sonos playback given that to control a podcast i would need to unlock my device and use the Sonos app as the lock screen controls are gone (which are really nice for pausing and skipping forward/backwards.
When i tested apps a while ago, i really liked Castro’s inbox feature, and almost switched for that alone.
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If your Sonos speakers support AirPlay then I’d have thought overcast should be fine?
I use it with my Bose 500 Home and works really well.
Only one of our Sonos supports airplay, its in my office which is where I often listen to podcasts, but I listen in other rooms as well. When i do the 2 sec delay in AirPlay is annoying.