4 alternativesPocket Casts: Free to start
The best Pocket Casts alternatives
For most people the best alternative to Pocket Casts is Overcast, and the best free one is Castro.
OvercastPick it if you listen to hours of talk shows each week and want them shorter without sounding sped up.Free to startCompare at a glance
Pocket Casts is highlighted, so you can see what you give up and what you gain.
| App | Price | How you pay | Mac | iPhone | iPad | Watch | App Store | Developer | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Pocket Casts | Free to start | Free, with paid upgrades | 4.5 | ||||||
| Overcast | Free to start | Free, with paid upgrades | 4.5 | ||||||
 Castro | Free to start | Free, with paid upgrades | 4.6 | ||||||
 Spotify | Free to start | Free, with paid upgrades | Too few ratings | ||||||
 Matter | Free to start | Free, with paid upgrades | 4.6 |
Swipe the table sideways to see more
The alternatives, in order
-
Pick it if you listen to hours of talk shows each week and want them shorter without sounding sped up.
The podcast player that trims dead air and evens out volume, built and run by a single developer.
-
Pick it if you follow lots of shows and want new episodes held in an inbox until you choose them.
A podcast player where new episodes wait in an inbox until you pick the ones worth hearing, so nothing piles up.
-
Pick this if you already pay for Spotify and want podcasts and music in the same app.
Your Spotify playlists, podcasts and downloads on the Mac, free with ads or ad-free with Premium.
-
Pick it if you'd rather listen to saved articles read aloud than to more podcasts.
A read-later app that reads saved articles aloud in natural voices and turns podcasts into synced transcripts.
Pocket Casts head to head
When Pocket Casts is still the right pick
You listen across an iPhone, a Mac and maybe an Android phone and want 1 queue everywhere.
Pocket Casts prices and verdictFree to start