Popular Podcast Listening Apps
On Transistor podcast hosting
Justin Jackson
Which app do most people use to listen to podcasts? These are the top podcast-listening apps for Apple iOS and Android. The data comes from Transistor podcast hosting and is an aggregate form of podcast analytics for all podcasters on their platform.
These stats have been updates as of August 2024.
Most popular podcast apps
| Listening App | % of Downloads |
|---|---|
Apple Podcasts
|
40.442% |
Spotify
|
33.22% |
Desktop Browser
|
3.775% |
|
Mobile Browser
|
2.496% |
CastBox
|
2.35% |
Overcast
|
2.322% |
Pocket Casts
|
1.763% |
|
Embed Player
|
1.609% |
PodcastAddict
|
1.542% |
|
iTunes
|
1.144% |
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
Just because a podcast app is the most popular doesn't mean it's the best! Here are our favorite apps for iOS and Android.
Best podcast apps for Android
Best podcast apps Apple iPhone (iOS)
Pocket Casts
Way more people should use Pocket Casts to listen to podcasts. It's a cross-platform listening experience that works on iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, and the web.
They have great features for power users: increase listening speed, automatically skip intros/outros, trim silences, and boost volume. It also does a great job of displaying show notes and audio chapters. If you're looking for new podcasts, they have a "Discover" section. My favorite feature is the ability to categorize your podcasts into "folders."
Apple Podcasts
Apple Podcasts is the default podcast app for iOS and MacOS users, and they've recently made several improvements. Most notably, they've improved podcast search results: "Listeners will be able to more easily find the podcasts they’re searching for with new filters for Top Results, Shows, Episodes, and Channels." Apple Podcasts also provides good recommendations for other podcasts you might like.
Overcast (iOS)
Overcast is the podcast listening app that most of our team uses. It's only available on Apple's iPhone and is built by an independent developer, Marco Arment. Our favorite features are Overcast's "Smart Speed," which automatically discards breaks and pauses in an episode, and "Voice Boost," which boosts and normalizes the volume of all the shows you listen to. It also has intuitive player controls (skip ahead, support for chapters and timestamps, sleep timer). It's free in ad-supported mode or $10/year without ads.
AntennaPod (Android)
AntennaPod is frequently cited as the best podcast app on Android. It's ad-free and is an open-source project built by volunteers.
Spotify
If you already use Spotify for music, it will likely become your default podcast-listening app. It's available for both Apple iOS and Android and has a good interface for finding and playing episodes. Spotify will also make personalized recommendations based on your listening preferences.