Unless you found yourself in a bind last week, you may know that Google officially shut down the Google Podcasts app on April 2nd. As previously announced, Google is focusing on podcasts within his YouTube Music. If you haven't made the transition yet, here are some of the best Google Podcasts alternatives to keep listening.
1. Spotify
This list wouldn't be complete without Spotify. The platform has grown significantly over the years and now features an extensive library of podcasts in addition to its already comprehensive music library. Combined with Spotify's cross-device playback and syncing, there are many different podcast categories to explore, and its ease of use makes Spotify one of the best podcast apps and an alternative to Google Podcasts.
Spotify's free tier has a lot of ads, but if you don't mind, you can keep using it. However, features such as offline listening and skipping between sections of podcasts and music may no longer be available. However, subscriptions are fairly affordable, and Spotify doubles as a music app, so you're essentially killing two birds with one stone.
| Strong Points | Cons |
|---|---|
| great UI | seek is locked behind subscription |
| Rich library | advertisement |
| Great cross-device sync | |
| Can also be used as a music streaming app | |
2. YouTube Music
I've been using YouTube Music as my primary service for streaming audio and music, and I've never been disappointed. So far, I haven't faced any major issues with the app. It is very convenient because it can also be used as a music streaming app.
The user interface has been significantly improved in recent months, making it easier to use overall. The current podcast implementation isn't very clean, so I'd like to use Google Podcasts to have all my podcasts in one place. Some podcasts on Google Podcasts won't show up when you search for YT Music. That's because podcasts from the previous app aren't fully integrated into YouTube Music yet, making it a half-baked app.
| Strong Points | Cons |
|---|---|
| Great UI | Background playback not possible without subscription |
| Can also be used as a music streaming app | Libraries are very limited at the moment |
3. Pocket Cast
Pocket Casts is one of the best podcast apps on Android for two main reasons: its comprehensive library and rich customization options. Design-wise, it's a clean app with a lightweight user interface, easy navigation, and an ad-free experience. The attention to detail in some of his UI elements, such as the in-play animations, mini-player skip button, and detailed podcast page, make it a joy to use.
It has all the features you'd find in a regular podcast app, including a sleep timer, bookmarks, favorites, listening stats, and downloads for offline listening. Some features, such as access to Wear OS apps, themes, folders, bookmarks, and desktop and web apps, are locked by your subscription. But even without that, we see users enjoying the experience.
| Strong Points | Cons |
|---|---|
| Great and intuitive user interface.There are no ads even in the free version | Some great features are locked by subscription |
| Attention to detail; lots of features | |
| customization | |
| Extensive library of podcasts |
4. Podcast addiction
Podcast Addict is another feature-rich Android podcast app with so many features that it would be impossible to list them all in this article. It has all the important features you'd expect from a podcast app, and plenty of other features you might not end up using. This is the density of functions within the app.
Highly customizable, but requires a subscription to unlock. However, the subscription is quite cheap when compared to other apps on this list. There are two tiers of subscription: ad-free and premium. The former removes all ads for his one-time fee of $10. The latter gives you full features and an ad-free experience for $1 per month or $10 per year. If you don't want to pay, you'll see a small advertising banner at the bottom, which is very unobtrusive.
| Strong Points | Cons |
|---|---|
| countless features | User interface could use some work |
| Extensive library of podcasts | No iOS app |
| Endless customization options | |
| Very affordable subscription model | |
5.Cast box
Castbox has to be the best podcast app for Android in terms of UI. It's very clean, interactive, and fun to navigate. Like other podcast apps, Castbox has an extensive library of podcasts across various categories. What I like is that there is a community tab where you can interact, share, and listen to podcasts recommended by others.
Unfortunately, the free version does not allow you to subscribe to more than 100 channels. This app also has annoying ads and requires you to purchase a slightly expensive premium subscription. There are two levels of him: Premium and Premium Pro. The difference between the two is that Zen mode is available in the latter. A premium subscription disables ads, enables advanced playback settings, offers an unlimited subscription, and lets you host for free on the web.
| Strong Points | Cons |
|---|---|
| Beautiful UI | expensive subscription |
| Rich library | annoying ads |
| Exporting and importing features | |
| Rich customization options | |
6. Podbean
Podbean is a podcast hosting app, but it also has a collection of good podcasts for you to listen to. Its library is not as comprehensive as some of the other candidates on this list. Also, it is not very feature-rich. The user interface could use some work, especially the podcast page, but otherwise the app gets the job done, so there's not much to complain about.
Podbean also has a subscription, and for $10 a year you can remove ads, add unlimited playlists, set the podcast page as your default homepage, and feedback is a priority. is accepted.
| Strong Points | Cons |
|---|---|
| decent user interface | Not very customizable |
| large library | advertisement |
| podcast hosting | |
All of the above apps are great for listening to podcasts, and you can't go wrong with any of them. However, if you have to choose the best Google Podcasts alternatives in the industry, Pocket Casts, Podcast Addict, and Spotify are great choices.
What do you think about Google discontinuing Google Podcasts? Are there any popular apps we forgot to add to the list? Let us know in the comments below.
