With podcasting destined to be a force to be reckoned with in the media and entertainment industry, it’s no wonder that there are so many entrepreneurs and app designers hopping on the bandwagon and looking to create the next big must-have podcast-related product! And we are here for all of it! We’ve compiled a list of our current absolute favorite podcast-related sites and apps. From some of our favorite ways to listen to our podcasts, to a fun and innovative use for podcasts, we’ve got you covered on all that is hip and happening in the podcasting world.
Related read: 21 of the Best Podcast Directories of 2021
Some of Our Favorite Ways To Listen
It should come as no surprise that a post about our favorite podcast apps will feature quite a few of our favorite ways to listen to our shows. While there are many podcast apps available, for the purpose of this list, we’ve picked our top six favorite apps for getting our podcast fix. So here’s our list – in no particular order!
Related read: 7 Free Podcast Hosting Platforms
1. Spotify
Spotify is rapidly asserting its dominance in the podcast world, which can be evidenced, as one example, by their spending hundreds of millions of dollars over the past year on three separate podcast companies! Spotify is truly proving to be king when it comes to audio delivery. One of the reasons we love it is because Spotify gives us all the music and podcasts our little hearts desire and all conveniently in one place. Few can deny that Spotify has really honed its niche in the playlist department, and this happily extends to its podcasts.
It’s easy to create podcast-focused playlists, or you can even mix and match your favorite songs and your podcast episodes for a listening experience that’s truly your own. With the launch of Your Daily Podcast in certain countries, Spotify is also attempting to use its algorithms as a way to meet your podcast needs, as they’ve done in the music arena, by curating new listens based on your past preferences. This saves you from the panic of looking for your next great listen after you’ve just binged your favorite show! Spotify is a great way to keep all the audio content you love all in one place and with a variety of plans, there’s something to fit everyone’s wallet.
Related read: How to Find New Podcasts to Listen To
2. Apple Podcasts
While it might not be the sleekest podcast app out there, Apple Podcasts will most likely always get a feature on listicles such as this because, more than likely, for a vast number of podcast listeners, Apple Podcasts was their gateway into the wonderful world of podcasts. It also gets kudos for its consistency and the fact that it always gets the job done. It tends to still be a favorite platform for those podcast listeners who know which shows they like and just want to listen to those with no frills and no fuss. Whatever drawbacks Apple Podcasts may have for some listeners, these are of no real consequence to those loyal users. Apple faithfully provides them with their favorites podcasts, downloads new episodes automatically, all with little to no glitches or hiccups. For all that, Apple Podcasts land a solid spot on our list.
3. Overcast
Besides the above big players, we’re currently loving Overcast – a third-party podcast app – right now because it makes podcast listening so effortless! It has a really user-friendly, ergonomic design and a bunch of great features to boot! I’m a particular fan of the listening-enhancing features the app offers. First of all, the Smart Speed feature cleverly removes silences between audio, which can actually speed up your listening substantially!
Another clever feature is Voice Boost, which levels out the sound, ensuring that any voice on any given podcast is not too loud or too quiet. Overcast also makes sharing podcasts easy, by making it possible to share not only the whole episode link, but also a link at a specific time, or making it possible to share an audio clip from the episode. And while Overcast does not provide a streaming option – all episodes must be downloaded – its intuitive design and other features make it a firm favorite in my book!
(Overcast is only available for iOS users.)
4. Pocket Casts
Pocket Casts is another great third party podcast app that is beautifully designed and easy to use. It can best be described as an aesthetically focused app as it just looks great – the app features even change color to match the artwork or logo of the podcast you’re currently listening to! It’s also got great sound-focused features and curates great potential listens depending on what you’re searching for. It’s user-friendly and really intuitive, and just consistently works smoothly. Pocket Casts is available for both Android and iOS users, and gets two thumbs up for sure!
5. Laughable
Laughable is another great podcast listening app, but it’s unique in that it focuses, as you can probably guess from the name, on comedy. But it’s not exclusive to comedians, as you can also listen to all your other favorite podcasts on the app as well. Another great feature of Laughable is its artist’s profiles, where you can, in a sense, “subscribe” to a person and not only to a podcast. These profiles also allow you to view any and every podcast that person – whether its Michelle Obama or Bradley Cooper – has been on, either as a host or a guest, so you’re always up to date with all that’s going on with your favorite personalities from every and any field. Laughable is, quite literally, a good laugh, but it’s also a very sleek app that gives its users an abundance of great content. Fancy a laugh, give this app a go!
(First 10 days are free, after which, if you’d like continued access to unlimited episodes, you can join Laughable Insider for $2.00/per month. You’ll still have access to all your previous content, even if you don’t sign up.)
6. Castro
Castro is our final entry for our favorite podcast listening apps. Castro makes the cut, not only because of its great design but because it has a feature that most other podcast apps lack. Castro has a unique feature that enables you to take the episodes in your Inbox and arrange them in the Queue in the order that you want to hear them. You can also archive episodes you’re not really feeling at present, which you can then peruse at a later stage. Castro also has a host of other handy features, such as the Trim Silence feature, which cuts out any ‘empty’ or silent spaces in the audio whilst maintaining the quality and integrity of the audio. This really helps you get through your podcasts that much faster. And if your “to listen” list is as ever-growing as ours, this feature will really come in handy!
Related read: 8 Top Interview Softwares for Recording Your Podcast Remotely
Podcast-Related Websites and Apps
7. Podcast Alarm
I’m not going to lie, I have always had a REALLY strong aversion to my morning alarm. So when I was given the opportunity to try Podcast Alarm, I was really excited to see if this could change that morning dread. The app allows you to find and pick your favorite podcasts and have these be the first thing you hear when you wake up in the morning. It has all the standard favorites, but it has also curated some great podcast suggestions under a vast variety of really fun headings.
The lists have been curated so well, in fact, that I’ve found some of my new favorites just by scrolling through the options, and found some gems I had no idea existed! (Who knew David Tennant had a podcast?!) I’ve found that having a podcast play first thing in the morning has helped me get to all those episodes I had downloaded by hadn’t yet had the chance to listen to. And I’m also pleased to report that it seems to have cured me of my habit of perpetually hitting ‘snooze’ in the morning! That’s a win for sure! The podcast starts, I’m gently awakened (and I stay awake!) and I’m ready to tackle the day! I (obviously) highly recommend Podcast Alarm!
($1.99, currently only available for iOS)
8. Podchaser
I don’t know about you, but I love making lists! I really do! I make lists for everything! So a site that keeps lists of my favorite podcasts and episodes? You know I’m going to love it! And that’s just one of the many offerings of the Podchaser website. Podchaser’s origin story lies in a Reddit thread where the lack of a way to rate and review individual podcast episodes was the hot topic of conversation. But Podchaser became way more than just a podcast rating site!
Not only does it feature universal ratings of episodes, and both creator and podcast profiles, but the newly released feature The Feed is a content treasure trove, keeping you up-to-date with new releases and re-introducing you to old favorites. Podchaser is my go-to site when I’m looking for new listens or when people ask me for recommendations. It’s also a great way to connect with other avid podcast listeners from all over the world through your shared favorite podcasts and episodes.
Sign up for your free profile today and start creating your own lists to share with friends and family.
9. Headliner
Chances are you’ve seen those fancy audio-based videos featuring those fun waveforms dancing across your screen when you’re scrolling through your social media pages. That, dear reader, is an audiogram, and they are all the rage right now! They are also incredibly easy to make, thanks to sites like Headliner.
Headliner is a website that takes your audio content and turns it into eye-catching audiograms for you to share quickly and easily across your social media platforms, which is a great way to expand your reach and strengthen your authority. Best of all, the process couldn’t be simpler! The site does all the hard work for you! Once you’ve uploaded your selected podcast episode, you can select your desired audio clip. The online editor gives you multiple styles and colors of waveforms to choose from, uploads the podcast’s background image (or you can use your own) and it can even transcribe the clip for you!
There are a number of pricing options, as well as a Forever Free option which gives you access to 10 watermark-free videos a month.
10. VEED Video Editor
Another great audio to video site we’re loving right now is VEED Video Editor. VEED Video Editor features a clean, user-friendly interface that makes turning your podcasts into video effortless and intuitive. Their features page is quite extensive! You can add stickers, emojis, and free-hand drawings to your videos or audiograms, not to mention the numerous filters and other special effects. The end result is an exceptionally visually-appealing video which will really give your content a boost!
VEED Video Editor offers two different pricing options as well as a Forever Free option where the videos will contain a watermark.
Even if you’re not a podcaster but an avid podcast listener, sites like Headliner and Veed are for you too! Heard a great episode and want to share it with everyone you know? Turn a snippet into an audiogram and post it to your feed! Not only will you get to share this amazing content with your friends and followers, but it will also look super cool on your feed, and have people asking, “Did you make that yourself?”
Related read: How to Use Podcast Audiograms to Engage Your Audience on Social Media
Closing Thoughts
With the podcast movement showing no signs of slowing down, the field is ripe for the picking in terms of new and innovative ideas for podcast-related products. Whether you’re looking for great platforms for podcast listening, or you want to try something new in the podcasting realm, why not give some of these apps and websites a try?
Do you know of a great app or website we missed? Let us know in the comments below! Are you the creator of a great new podcast product? Get in touch with us! Who knows, you could be the star of a future post!
