What we think of as podcasting today actually goes back to the 1980s, with the concept of ‘adioblogging’. But, starting with more widespread access to higher speed internet and then the launch of the iPod, the updated name Podcasting began to pick up steam around 2004. Today, podcasting has become mainstream for many people around the world. In 2019, over 12 billion hours were spent listening to podcasts. By 2024, forecasts say there will be over 100 million podcast listeners in the U.S. alone.
If you’re new to podcasts or just interested in learning about different ways to access and listen to shows and episodes, here are a few podcast apps to consider adding to your collection.
Apple Podcasts
Apple’s Podcasts app is still the most comprehensive source of podcasts available, with over 30 million episodes and counting. Apple’s offering wasn’t the first mobile app to access podcasts, but it was likely the first one to gain mass popularity, when it branched off of iTunes in 2012. So, for many podcasts listeners with iPhones or other Apple devices, this has been the go-to source for podcast access for many years.
Apple made a substantial update to the Podcasts app in late April. That update made some significant changes to the user experience, which not all users have been particularly excited about.
Pros - Huge library of podcasts and episodes to choose from. Access through Siri to search for a podcast.
Cons - Only available to Apple device users. While the previous UI gained favorable reviews, the latest update seems to have created some discontent.
Google Podcasts
Google is also a player in the podcast arena with it’s own Google Podcsasts app, which can be used on both iOS (Apple) devices, as well as in a web browser or on Android devices. Despite being available across a wider range of devices than Apple’s Podcasts app, it hasn’t gained the same level of usage.
While it does include many of the same podcast titles as Apple Podcasts, the library isn’t as large. The Google app does include some different ‘explore’ options, along with an ‘activity’ tab to easily find episodes you may have started but never finished.
Pros - Some easy search functionality. Accessible on both Apple and Android devices.
Cons - A smaller library than some other options.
Spotify
Spotify is best known as one of the top streaming music apps available to consumers, delivering access to a massive catalog of music (over 70 million tracks). While the app has built its reputation on music, it began delivering podcast content in 2018.
Once Spotify got into the podcast arena, the company wasted no time in working out deals with content creators to develop exclusive shows and content only available on the Spotify platform. Like the other major podcast apps, Spotify lets you search for shows by name or genre, and the listening experience is similar with the ability to pause, speed up or slow down, rewind and fast-forward content. Spotify is still playing catch up on its content library, with only 2.2 million episodes as of the end of 2020.
Pros - Easy user interface and simple integration right into the immensely popular music streaming app. Available on a wide array of devices, including gaming consoles and smart TVs. Access to several exclusive shows, not available on other podcast apps.
Cons - A small library compared to Apple. While Spotify is free, you need the Premium version to actually download podcasts, rather than simply streaming them.
Audible
Wait a minute, isn’t Audible all about audiobooks? Indeed it is, but the app has also been working on creating a library of original podcasts. To date, there are over 100,000 podcast episodes on Audible, and counting.
Audible is available on numerous devices, including Apple/iOS, Android, Windows 10 Tablets, Fire Tablets, web players, and more.
Pros - Access to some high-quality podcast content, exclusive to Audible.
Cons - A very limited library compared to other podcast apps.
