Podcast Wednesday: Best Podcast App on Android

didic (68)in #podcast • 6 years ago

I've been using Podcast Republic for a while, but it was draining my battery, so I decided it's time to switch. I tested a bunch of options, and I'm here to tell you what I picked. It's software time on Podcast Wednesday.

The contenders

After reading up, I decided to test several apps:

Google Play Music

Stitcher Radio

Podcast Addict

I picked these three after reading several reviews and narrowing down. I considered Pocket Casts, but their recent acquisition by NPR and other radio stations has soured me on them. Plus, it's a paid app, and there are great free options. Stitcher is on here because they have a bunch of exclusive content which I found appealing. Finally, Podcast Addict is built for a power user, as it is extremely configurable.

Google Play Music

Google Play Music was selected because, well, I already have it installed. It's a core Android app. And I already have an account for their music service. Using it would mean I could control the player via Google assistant, and listen on the phone or the browser with everything being synced.

It's certainly an option that's very simple and easy to use. But the list of supported podcasts, while certainly impressive, is incomplete. The podcasts from the big podcast networks were all there, but the little indie podcasts? My wrestling and science fiction chat podcasts? Many of those were missing.

In addition, there is very little configuration possible. Simple is an advantage and a disadvantage. I think that for Android users who want to try podcasts, GPM is a great starter option. It's like a tricycle for podcasts.

Stitcher Radio

Wow. I haven't listened to most of these in years.
Stitcher is probably the biggest streaming service and app for podcasts. When the service started, it was all about streaming. Optimizing everything so you didn't have to wait for a download. But here's the thing, in 2018, podcasts download very fast for most people. And if you're on any kind of limited data plan, being able to download podcasts to the phone is better than streaming. So now, of course, much like any other mobile service that's streaming based, there's a download option.

The new differentiation for Stitcher is content. Stitcher Premium offers back catalogs of many podcasts - notably WTF and podcasts from the Earwolf network, and also has exclusive originals, including the Long Night, which is the first ever Marvel podcast, starring Wolverine. But much like Play Music, Stitcher have their own directory, so smaller podcasts get left out. I would recommend it only for users who are specifically interested in the premium content, and are willing to pay for it.

Podcast Addict

Podcast Addict is the most popular dedicated podcast app for Android. It is very similar in functionality to Podcast Republic, which I was using before. This is not a tricycle in any way. The ui is more complex, and you can configure and customize just about anything. While PA does have its own very robust podcast directory, it also allows searching Apple Podcasts, which means you can have access to all those podcasts that aren't available for the other two services/apps.

Unless you're a technical person, I wouldn't recommend Podcast Addict to a podnoob, but this is the app you move up to when you say goodbye to the simpler apps. To my mind, it is the best podcatcher out there for Android right now.

To Sum Up

If you're a podcast listener looking for a more robust app, I definitely recommend Podcast Addict, as I consider it the best overall. If you're a new listener who won't want to muck about to much with the technical stuff, go with Google's default app unless you want the premium content offered by Stitcher's premium service.

#podcasts #software #stitcher #podcastaddict

6 years ago in #podcast by didic (68)

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Podcast Wednesday: Best Podcast App on Android

The contenders

Google Play Music

Stitcher Radio

Podcast Addict

Google Play Music

Stitcher Radio

Podcast Addict

To Sum Up

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