There was a time when the only way we could listen to DJs talking to each other was through the radio. Now, most standalone radios are outdated with the Internet. We can now use the World Wide Web to our calling to help us listen to our favorite talk shows. With that in mind, you need to use the best podcast apps for Android devices.
Listen to talk shows anywhere you want!
Podcasts are popular as of late because of the topics discussed in these shows are near endless. You can listen to popular celebrities talk about their favorite workout routines or take a peek inside the world of video game news. With the right app at your disposal, you no longer have to trouble yourself in looking for online articles when you can just subscribe to a particular channel and listen. All that’s left is to press the play button, wear your headphones, and you’re good to go! Many Android podcast apps even allow you to listen without having to rely on an Internet connection.
So, which podcast app to choose?
Search through the Google Play Store for the right podcast app and you’re bound to waste your time and effort in trying them all. Instead of going through all the apps for your Android device, you should just spend a few minutes in reading through this page. We’re here to help you out as we give you a list of our top recommended podcast apps for Android devices.
1. Castbox: Free Podcast Player, Radio & Audio Books
- Installs – 5,000,000+
- Size – 16 MB
- Avg.Rating – 4.7/5
- Price – Free & Contains In-app purchases
One of the leading Android podcast apps is Castbox. This application was even nominated for the Google Play awards back in 2017. It even landed a spot in the best 50 podcatchers nominated by TCC.
Downloading and opening this app allows you to gaze upon its simple and user-friendly user interface. A clean layout greets anyone who uses this app. Searching for topics allows you to stream just about any content you desire. You can even download your favorite podcast or an entire album without paying a single cent. Downloading your preferred podcast allows you to listen to it without relying on an Internet connection.
Using Castbox means taking advantage of over 50 million streamable and downloadable podcast episodes. You can also listen to radio channels and audiobooks for free! Podcasts found in the database of this app are found in over 70 different languages found in at least 16 different categories. Some might even think the choices are endless when browsing through the selections in this mobile application.
Keep in mind that using this Android app requires some permissions from your phone. You have to make the app access your device’s storage, Bluetooth, microphone, and camera for smooth streaming experiences.
2. DoggCatcher Podcast Player
- Installs – 100,000+
- Size – Varies with device
- Avg.Rating – 4.4/5
- Price – Paid
DoggCatcher allows an easy way for new users to gain access to hundreds to thousands of podcasts found in their database. Open the app and greet yourself to a sleek design. It even has Android Auto and Chromecast support. Furthermore, you can even set the app to auto-download podcasts and radio shows from a certain channel so that you’ll never miss out on updates.
Additionally, you can also categorize all your subscriptions. Arranging your subscribed channel lists from the app allows you to look at your podcasts in a neat and orderly manner. The app also sets an alarm and notification for you whenever the latest shows from one of your subscribed channels start a live stream. With these features, it’s no wonder why DoggCatcher is one of the best podcast apps for Android.
3. Pocket Casts
- Installs – 1,000,000+
- Size – 7.3 MB
- Avg.Rating – 4.6/5
- Price – Paid
Most podcast apps for Android phones are free to download and use. However, their features are limited and you might have to pay a premium price to unlock all of their functions. While Pocket Casts require you to pay before downloading the app, you will get all of its premium features without letting you be teased by small offerings in the first place.
A one-time purchase will let you enjoy a series of award-winning features chosen by the folks at Google Play. This application even won a coveted Editor’s Choice award along with winning a Google Material Design Award. Now, let’s stop beating around the bush and tell you what you can get when using this paid podcast app.
First, its design lets newbie and power users seamlessly scan through thousands of available podcasts without a sweat. The application also has a theme color-changing feature wherein you can let the app do the theme changing for you while you listen to your favorite shows (or perhaps while even tying your shoes). Also, you can build a playback queue from your favorite podcast channels to prepare yourself for those long commutes.
This Android application for listening to podcasts even lets you control playback with the use of a compatible Android Wear device. Now you won’t have to fumble around your bags or pockets to grab hold of your phone just to skip to the next podcast show.
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4. Podcast Addict
- Installs – 5,000,000+
- Size – 11 MB
- Avg.Rating – 4.6/5
- Price – Free
With Podcast Addict, you might even say you’re an addict (to podcasts). The Android application lets you listen to over 8 million downloadable podcast shows. You can also access over 400 hundred thousand reviews and over 1 billion streamable content. With these figures, it might even take an eternity just to listen to all its available content.
While there are some podcast apps that require you to use complicated keywords to search for a particular show, Podcast Addict makes the entire process easier than many other similar apps. It lets you use names and specific keywords to help you acquire results that number about 550,000 per search result.
Plenty of popular podcasts await you from famous channels like BBC, Gimlet, NPR, Ted Talk, Serial, and many more. You can even control the playback of the app using third-party applications.
5. Podcast Go
- Installs – 1,000,000+
- Size – 13 MB
- Avg.Rating – 4.7/5
- Price – Free & contains In-app purchases
If you are up for elegance then Podcast Go might be the answer to your minimalist needs. Not only is it free but it allows you easily to find podcasts artist, shows, and radio programs. This Android application is also Chromecast-ready. Download the app today so you can easily subscribe to your favorite shows. Some users even find this application as one of the best podcast apps for Android because it allows you to stay updated to the rarest podcast shows.
Using this mobile application means accessing over 300,000 shows and they’re all free for your listening pleasure. You can even sort your subscriptions by comedy, news, games, music, education, and other categories. Users of this app can even set it to auto-download shows so you won’t have to miss out on your favorite programs.
6. SoundCloud – Music & Audio
- Installs – 100,000,000+
- Size – 23 MB
- Avg.Rating – 4.5/5
- Price – Free
If you know your music, then you know about SoundCloud. There was even a time when many audiophiles associated music streaming with this website. Now, this audio streaming portal is now available at the palm of your hands by way of a mobile application.
Not only that you can access thousands of music from the SoundCloud app, but you can also listen to a large database of podcasts. Many content creators both indie and professional opt to upload their talk shows, news, and other related content to this desktop and mobile audio-listening platform. Also, many cannot deny it’s “handsome-looking” user interface.
Even though SoundCloud has a humongous database of different types of audio, its search function does need to get some getting used to. Beginner users are advised to tinker with its search feature first before attempting to locate difficult to find podcasts and audio channels.
7. Spotify – Music and Podcasts
- Installs – 100,000,000+
- Size – Varies with device
- Avg.Rating – 4.6/5
- Price – Free
Spotify is popularly known as a music streaming platform but it recently dipped its toes in podcast rivers. Now, thousands of users across the globe now have access to their favorite tracks AND radio shows without having to use a separate app. Despite being new to the podcast sector, this highly popular music streaming platform is still easily one of the best places to go to listen to new and old podcast shows.
You can save your favorite podcasts in playlists and even sort them out in the order you wish. However, keep in mind that Spotify does contain ads that will play in between tracks or shows. You can play a very small monthly fee to get rid of these advertisements. Additionally, you also gain access to other premium features like skipping tracks and offline listening when you opt for the monthly subscription.
8. Google Podcasts
- Installs – 1,000,000+
- Size – 111 KB
- Avg.Rating – 4.0/5
- Price – Free
It was not too long ago when Google introduced podcast support for their Google Play Music app back in 2016. However, the popularity of listening to podcasts from their music app surged since the launch of the support. Now, Android users around the globe can now take advantage of the Google Podcasts app to listen to all their news, lists, radio shows, and talk shows all they want.
Considered as one of the best podcast apps for Android, Podcasts boasts a similar minimalist design to its sister application. Accessing its database gives you a chance to listen to over 2 million podcasts that increase in number by the day. This mobile application is even compatible with the integrated Android AI, Google Assistant. Just say “OK Google” and you can play, pause, or resume podcasts with your voice.
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9. RadioPublic: Free Podcast App For Android
- Installs – 100,000+
- Size – 7.0 MB
- Avg.Rating – 3.9/5
- Price – Free
RadioPublic app is a relative newcomer to the mobile podcast application sector. Still, despite it being a “newbie” in the field, it already boasts features that can rival many of its competitors. For one thing, its developer is the known nonprofit organization Public Radio Exchange. The team behind this associated created the podcast app to allow listeners to directly connect with their favorite content creators.
Aside from casually listening to podcasts, you can send out suggestions and comments that will notify content creators. This feature ultimately gives you a near-hands on approach to talk to radio DJs, celebrities, and audio content creators in general.
10. Podcast App & Podcast Player – Podbean
- Installs – 1,000,000+
- Size – 32 MB
- Avg.Rating – 4.7/5
- Price – Free & Contains In-app purchases
Last but definitely not the least for this list is the Podbean app. Open the app and you may see nothing too different with the rest of Android podcast apps available on the Google Play Store. It has a user-friendly user interface and it can grant you access to thousands of podcasts with the tap of a button. However, the trait that makes it unique as compared to its competitors is its Alexa support.
That’s right – if you have an Amazon Alexa integrated device like an Amazon Echo or Echo Dot, then you can play your podcasts to that device from the app. Checking its Google Play Store page will also give you hundreds of 5-star reviews from verified users.
With everything said and done in this page, you now have a glimpse of the 10 best podcast apps for Android. After reading through this list, you should now have access to thousands if not millions of free content for hours-and-hours of listening pleasure. So put on your favorite pair of headphones or turn on your speakers for pure audio-listening pleasure with these Android applications.