The Best Podcast Player Apps for 2022
In 2002, two years before the word "podcast" was coined, I stumbled on an iTunes station that sounded like an amateur talk radio show. A couple of friends got together each week, recorded an hour or more of their conversation, and posted it as The Great Radio Tiki Experiment. (The show is long gone, but archives of it are still available.) It was one of the earliest podcasts, and I was hooked.
It took another decade for the medium to catch on widely, and now it seems like anyone can create a podcast. Today the podcast market is so overrun with content that the only way to find shows you love, organize episodes you want to hear, and listen to them is to download a dedicated podcast app.
Recently, some Spotify users started looking for an alternative podcast player app after pleas from the medical community and music legends to stop Joe Rogan from spreading false or misleading ideas about COVID-19 went largely unanswered. If you do decide to leave Spotify behind, just know that the company does carry some exclusive podcasts, so you won't necessarily be able to find all your favorite shows elsewhere. Then again, maybe you'll discover new shows that are even better.
Having tested around 25 podcast players, I've picked nine that offer a great overall experience or something unique. Among these, I have a few personal favorites.
If you're looking for a streamlined podcast player that isn't littered with ads and recommendations, and you only have to pay for it once, my recommendation is Downcast for iPhone and DoggCatcher for Android. For a similar experience that's cross-platform, Pocket Casts takes the cake. Overcast gets an honorable mention for having a loyal and dedicated following for years, and for having some of the
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