2y ago

I need Podcast app recommendations for Android/PC

So I'm in the process of switching from Spotify to Tidal for my music streaming (since Tidal pays artists like three times more than Spotify does). The only problem is, Tidal doesn't support podcasts, which is another big thing I used Spotify for.

So what are some good apps for podcasts? I listen both on my PC and my Android phone, and I'm not really thrilled about the idea of paying for another subscription (so now I'm making two payments to cover the functionality I got with a single, cheaper payment). I'm cool with paying a one-time up-front fee, though.

Any suggestions?

20 comments

Old post, but if you connect your phone to your PC using bluetooth, you can play audio to your PC from your phone, at least this works for me on KDE plasma. I use this to continue listening to music/podcasts from my phone without having to set up any sort of sync solution.
Previously, I was usin scrcpy, an adb based solution to route audio from my phone to my computer.

I've been using Pocket Casts on Android and it works well. I think that I started using it 2 years ago and I haven't encountered any issues. I use the free version and it hasn't asked me to pay and hasn't shown me ads. I'm a light user when it comes to podcasts though.
They have a web player for PC, but I haven't tried it.
- I think you pay if you want to use the desktop app. I paid. Works pretty everywhere. 😊👍
  
  @skellener @VoxAdActa @fdisk not if you use web
- I've been using Pocket Casts for like 10 years at this point, great app

I support Pocket Casts because it's made by Automattic, the makers of WordPress, Tumblr, and WooCommerce. Their CEO, Matt Mullenweg, is someone who seems to really care about the freedom and diversity of the internet. As far as players go, it's got all the features you'd want for an Android app.
I seldom listen on my PC, but if I want to I can usually find the stream on whatever service the podcast has chosen (their own site, or whichever embedded player they elect to use).
- I too love PocketCasts and love what Mullenweg has done, but want to point out that Automattic bought PocketCasts from NPR - https://www.theverge.com/2021/7/16/22580023/automattic-pocket-casts-podcast-app-tumble-wordpress
  Automattic themselves didn't/don't make PocketCasts.
  Edit: Fixed type (lost > love)

I moved from Google Podcasts (which is pretty good) to AntennaPod, which is FOSS and honestly, pretty damn solid

I know it's kind of niche, but I absolutely love many of the features of Podcast Republic.
Being able to have multiple queues and have them automatically chain together by priority is an irreplaceable feature for me.

I'm using PocketCasts and I paid a one-time fee before it became subscription based (but there's still a free tier), in order to be able to listen to podcast using the web app on PC. Thus I now have lifetime premium access.
I'm very satisfied with their service, I did not find any problems with both the Android app and the web app, moreover it has almost every feature I need, except voice to text conversion in order to be able to share slices of audio in text format (but there are dedicated apps for that).
- 💯 this. Pocketcasts is and has been outstanding for the years I've had it. Great UI, and will remember your position on a specific episode cross-platform.

Google Podcasts app works well enough for me
- And it's accessible from both your computer and your mobile devices.

Podcast Addict is amazing. No complaints.
https://podcastaddict.com/app
- I like the app and I've used it for over a decade. I absolutely hate the UI. It's extremely confusing.
  I just keep the player widget on my home screen, but everytime I go to search for podcasts or to unsubscribe from one it takes me a few minutes to figure out what to do to get there.
  
  Prior to Podcast Addict I used Spotify for my podcasts. So, for me at least, it's been a big improvement; though I'll concede that's a low bar to clear.

On desktop I use Tildes. It's fairly minimalistic in terms of features, but very smooth and attractive UI. It does what I need with no headaches and looks great doing it. Like many others here I use AntennaPod on mobile.
- What's Tildes? Please share a link to try it.
  
  I actually noticed recently that it's no longer maintained so I'll have to find another desktop solution.

20 comments