Music and radio have come a long way since their inception. Today, music can be streamed on your smartphone, while radio talk shows can be enjoyed practically anywhere. But what if you want the experience of a radio show, but can’t only match your time with your favorite shows. This is where podcasts come into the picture. You can listen to these shows from anywhere, even from your smartphones, and you get to choose the content that you want to hear. Sounds great, right?
Well, if you’re enticed by the idea of podcasts (although most of you probably know about it already), you will be hard-pressed to find decent content on the market. To make the job easier, we’re going to talk about five of the best podcast player apps that are available for Android in 2018. These apps are available from the Google Play Store, and they come for free. So if you’re new to podcasts or if you are in search of a good podcast player for Android, we have you covered. So without waiting any longer, let’s get to our list.
5 best podcast player apps for Android
Podcast Go
The developer markets this as the highest-rated Android podcast player right now. There might be some truth to it as well, given the kind of features it offers. The user interface is the first thing that strikes you. It’s intuitive, easy to navigate, and the content on offer is incredibly vast. There are over 300,000 shows for you to choose from. So, if you’ve zeroed in on a podcast recently, the chances are that it’s already there. A slew of customization options are available here as well. Users can modify the appearance of the app by picking a specific theme while also control many aspects of playback. You can slow down the speed, which can be handy in some situations.
When you subscribe to new podcasts, you will receive notifications when new episodes are added, allowing you to be in sync with new content. You can also save your podcasts onto the SD card, which is helpful if you’re switching your smartphone or tablet. The developers assure the customers that Podcast Go is frequently updated so that any new features will be added immediately with a software update. The app is free to download, and so is the content on offer. There are in-app purchases and ads; however, so not everything is free here. The app is compatible with devices running Android 4.1 and up, covering a wide range of smartphones and tablets. Be sure to check it out.
Podcast Addict
This is an independently developed podcast app that comes with the same set of features as the app we discussed above. You can get a wide range of content here, with the developer claiming that users have collectively downloaded a billion episodes using the app. In addition to listening to your favorite podcasts, the app also allows you to get detailed information on your YouTube, RSS feeds, live streams, and many more making this a pretty well-rounded app overall. It consists of 450,000 podcasts with episodes north of 10 million, so it’s safe to say that you’re going to be spoilt for choice. You can customize playback settings by speed, which is a feature that we find on most podcast apps.
The auto-download feature ensures that customers get new podcasts downloaded automatically before they wake up in the morning. You can even backup your subscriptions if you’re looking to change your device. Everything works pretty seamlessly here, and we can’t complain. The developer makes it clear that the app will come with a banner ad on the top. Users will have to make an in-app purchase to remove the ads and support the developer financially. It doesn’t seem like a hard bargain, given what the app offers. It’s a free download, however, and you will need an Android device with Android 4.1 or above to use this.
Spotify Music
You might have heard about this particular app as it is immensely popular as a music streaming service. However, Spotify also supports podcasts, which can be accessed from the web player or the mobile app. It’s an incredibly sophisticated music application with support for thousands of podcasts. If you were contemplating getting a subscription, this might just be the push you need to go through with the purchase. Spotify also has a free trial for a month, after which you will be required to make a monthly payment from one of Spotify’s many tiers tailored for every user.
The app doesn’t need any more commendations for its design, as it is personally one of my favorite music streaming apps. Things just work the way they’re supposed to, and the fact that it has a web player with podcast support makes it an even better offering in my book. The app is free to download, so you can probably take it for a spin and make up your mind about getting the subscription. If you’re using it for free, however, you might have to get used to ads. But getting a subscription will remove all ads from the app. A variety of Android devices work with this device, although the developer hasn’t specified a particular version.
SoundCloud
SoundCloud is yet another popular platform to find and discover several original podcasts that you probably can’t find elsewhere. The reason it’s popular is that it’s mostly a free platform, meaning you can upload your stuff on its servers without spending a dime. They have even set up a platform for creators to check their statistics on the platform, which is just as exciting. Naturally, there are paid tiers on SoundCloud as well, but you can be assured of getting a good enough experience even if you don’t shell out a hefty amount of money into the app. The app is free to download, although there are ads. You can use this app on any device running Android 4.1 or up.
CastBox
This is an incredibly popular podcast app and currently the Editor’s Choice app on the Google Play Store. While this gives it all the eyeballs it needs, the app is extremely functional and has a wide array of features to keep you hooked onto podcasts. The app has a multitude of content on offer and is free to download, which is the best part. It also has a neat little game that lets you win cash prizes for answering trivia questions, which is smart too. But as far a the podcasting experience goes, this is a pretty solid app and has almost every top podcast that you can think of. It also comes with support for the Amazon Echo, which is pretty decent. The app is entirely free to download, although there are in-app purchases. The app is compatible with phones and tablets running Android 4.1 or better.