Pocket Casts app icon

Pocket Casts

A podcast player with smart playlists and synced queues

MaciPhoneiPadWatch4.516K ratingsFree to start

The verdict

Free covers nearly everything here, including smart playlists, silence trimming, voice boost and sync across iPhone, Mac, the web and Android. That cross-platform sync is the reason to pick it over Apple Podcasts, especially if you also listen on an Android phone or a Windows PC through the web app. The Apple Watch app is part of Plus at $3.99 a month, along with folders and bookmarks, so Watch listeners have to pay.

The Useful TechResearched and written with AI under our rulesUpdated 14 Oct 2026

Get it if

You listen across an iPhone, a Mac and maybe an Android phone and want 1 queue everywhere.

Skip it if

You follow a few shows on your iPhone alone, where Apple Podcasts already does the job free.

Screenshots 4

What it helps you do

  • Pick up an episode where you left off anywhere
  • Finish episodes faster by trimming silence
  • Build playlists that update themselves
  • Import your shows from another app with OPML

What it really costs

Pay once or subscribe? Drag to see the total after each year.

  • Yearly plan
  • Monthly plan

Pay-once totals leave out paid upgrades to future major versions.

Plans and prices

  • Free

    Podcast player with playlists and smart playlists, trim silence, variable speed, voice boost, sync, and the Mac and web apps

  • Plus

    $3.99

    $3.99 a month or $39.99 a year, adds folders, bookmarks, Up Next shuffle, the Apple Watch app, 20 GB of cloud storage for your own files, and extra themes and icons

  • Patron

    $9.99

    $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year, everything in Plus plus 100 GB of cloud storage, early access to features and supporter icons

What changed

  1. Version 8.23.2

    Pocket Casts is getting ready for the iPhone Duo! We’ve been working on making better use of larger screens, with improvements for iPad users too. Discover now shows multiple columns of podcasts, while the full-screen player gets a new side-by-side layout on supported devices. We’ve also improved CarPlay playback, fixed an issue that could clear your Apple Watch’s Up Next queue, and made sure skipped chapters no…

  2. Added to The Useful Apps

Pick something else if

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Pocket Casts head to head

The details

Runs on
Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires
iOS 17.0 or later
Version
8.23.2
Size
167 MB
Made by
Automattic
Rating
4.5 from 16K ratings on the App Store
Free trial
Try the paid version first

Developer's websiteSpot a wrong price or fact?