Popular Podcast Listening Apps 2025

What's the best podcast app in 2025? This guide breaks down the most popular podcast apps for both iOS and Android users, with expert recommendations based on features that matter most to serious podcast listeners.

Most popular podcast apps

This data comes from Transistor podcast hosting and is an aggregate form of podcast analytics for all podcasters on their platform. These stats represent downloads that occurred during April 2025.

What about YouTube?

While the table above shows traditional podcast listening apps, it's important to note the rising popularity of YouTube for podcast consumption, as illustrated in this chart:

Podcast hosting platforms can't track podcast consumption on YouTube the way it's normally done. This is because YouTube doesn't use the traditional method of tracking podcast downloads, which relies on request headers that show the user agent. YouTube's video-based platform operates differently from conventional podcast RSS feeds, making it challenging to integrate into standard podcast analytics.

The growing popularity of video podcasts on YouTube presents both opportunities and challenges for podcasters and hosting platforms. While it opens up a new avenue for audience growth, it also complicates the process of gathering comprehensive listener data across all platforms. Podcasters may need to use a combination of analytics tools to get a complete picture of their audience engagement across audio and video formats.

Learn more about how to do an audio and video podcast at the same time.

Best Podcast Apps for 2025

Looking for the perfect podcast app that matches your listening style? Popularity doesn't always equal quality! We've tested dozens of podcast players to bring you our expert recommendations for both iOS and Android users.

Best Podcast Apps for Android (2025)

Best Podcast Apps for iPhone iOS (2025)

Why Pocket Casts Stands Out in 2025

Pocket Casts continues to be a top-tier podcast app in 2025, offering a seamless experience across multiple platforms, including iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, and web browsers. Its cross-platform synchronization ensures that your listening progress and preferences are consistent, whether you're on your phone, tablet, desktop, or smartwatch.

For podcast power users, Pocket Casts offers a suite of advanced features that enhance the listening experience:

• Variable Speed Controls (0.5x to 3x): Adjust playback speed to suit your preference, allowing for faster consumption or more deliberate listening. ​

• Intelligent Silence Trimming: Automatically removes extended pauses in episodes, saving you valuable time.

• Customizable Skip Intervals: Set personalized skip durations to bypass intros, outros, or any other segments. ​

• Volume Boost: Enhances audio levels for episodes with lower sound quality, ensuring consistent volume across all your podcasts. ​

• Chapter Support with Timestamps: Navigate episodes with ease using chapter markers, allowing you to jump directly to specific segments.

• Organize Podcasts into Folders: Categorize your subscriptions into folders for better organization and quicker access. ​

• Generated Transcripts: For Plus and Patron subscribers, Pocket Casts offers automatically generated transcripts, making it easier to follow along or search for specific content within episodes.

• Smart Storage Management: Features like Auto Archiving help manage your device's storage by automatically removing played episodes.

• Cross-Device Syncing: Your subscriptions, playback positions, and preferences sync seamlessly across all devices

• Integration with Smart Devices: Supports playback through CarPlay, Android Auto, Sonos, and Alexa, allowing you to listen wherever you are. ​

Additionally, as of March 2025, Pocket Casts has made its web player freely accessible to all users, removing the previous subscription requirement.

Apple Podcasts: Best Native iOS Experience

Apple Podcasts remains the go-to choice for iOS users, offering a seamless integration within the Apple ecosystem. Recent updates have introduced significant enhancements to improve user experience:​

• Enhanced Search Functionality: The app now features real-time suggestions as you type, along with filters for Top Results, Shows, Episodes, and Channels, making podcast discovery more intuitive.

• Personalized Recommendations: With iOS 18, users can select favorite categories, which influence show recommendations across the Home, Categories in Library, and Search sections.

• Siri Integration: Apple Podcasts supports Siri voice commands, allowing users to play specific podcasts, control playback, and navigate the app hands-free. ​

• Apple Watch and CarPlay Support: The app is compatible with Apple Watch, enabling users to listen on the go, and integrates with CarPlay for a safer, hands-free listening experience while driving.

• Improved Playback Controls: Users can now share specific timestamps within episodes, making it easier to highlight and revisit particular segments. ​

• Chapter Support: The app displays chapter segments when scrubbing through episodes, allowing for easier navigation within longer podcasts.

• Interactive Transcripts with Creator Support: Apple Podcasts now offers interactive, searchable transcripts for episodes, enhancing accessibility and navigation. These transcripts are automatically generated for new episodes in English, French, German, and Spanish. Additionally, creators have the option to provide their own transcripts using the <podcast:transcript> RSS tag or through Apple Podcasts Connect. This allows for greater accuracy and the inclusion of features like speaker labels, ensuring a more tailored listening experience.

These updates solidify Apple Podcasts' position as a top-tier podcast app for iOS users, offering a rich set of features that cater to both casual listeners and podcast enthusiasts.

Overcast: independent iOS-only app

Overcast remains a top choice for iOS users in 2025. Developed by independent developer Marco Arment, this app focuses on delivering superior sound quality and listening efficiency.​

Key Features:

• Smart Speed: Dynamically shortens silences in talk shows without distorting the audio, allowing listeners to save time while maintaining natural-sounding speech. Users have reported saving an average of 2-3 hours weekly with this feature.

• Voice Boost: Normalizes and enhances volume across all podcasts, ensuring consistent sound levels and clarity, especially in noisy environments.

Additional Highlights:

• Redesigned Interface: In 2024, Overcast underwent a significant redesign, offering a cleaner, more intuitive user interface with improved navigation and accessibility. ​9to5Mac liked the new changes. However, we should note that many users weren't happy with the redesign.

• Custom Playlists: Create and manage playlists with smart filters and per-podcast priorities, tailoring your listening experience to your preferences.

• Chapter Support: Easily navigate episodes with chapter markers, allowing you to jump to specific segments of interest.

• Apple Ecosystem Integration: Compatible with Apple Watch, CarPlay, and Siri voice commands enhances convenience for users deeply invested in Apple's ecosystem. ​

Pricing:

Overcast is free to use, supported by unobtrusive ads promoting other podcasts. For those seeking an ad-free experience and additional features, Overcast Premium is available for $10/year.

AntennaPod: Android's Open-Source Champion

AntennaPod stands out in the Android ecosystem as a completely free, open-source podcast player built by volunteers. Despite its $0 price tag, the app delivers premium features that rival paid alternatives:

• Advanced playback controls

• Robust subscription management

• OPML import/export

• Variable playback speed

• Volume boost and silence skip

Privacy-conscious listeners particularly appreciate that AntennaPod collects no user data and requires minimal permissions. Its lightweight design also makes it perfect for older Android devices or users with limited storage.

Spotify

If you're already a Spotify user for music, their podcast integration offers a compelling one-stop audio solution. Available on both iOS and Android, Spotify excels at blending your music and podcast worlds seamlessly.

The platform's algorithm-driven recommendations become increasingly accurate as you use the app, suggesting new podcasts based on your listening habits. Spotify's growing library of exclusive podcast content also makes it the only destination for certain popular shows.

The interface prioritizes discovery, making it particularly good for casual listeners who enjoy exploring new content rather than managing an extensive podcast library.