Pocket Casts - Podcast App vVARY
Automattic, IncAbout this app
Pocket Casts - Podcast App solves the problem of podcast discovery, management, and playback for users, benefiting podcast enthusiasts who want a seamless and organized listening experience. Compared to alternatives in the News And Magazines category, Pocket Casts stands out with its user-friendly interface, robust feature set, and excellent user rating. However, its premium features and in-app purchases may deter some users. Overall, Pocket Casts is a top-tier app that excels in its category.
Pros
- With over 1 million downloads and a 4.9/5 user rating, Pocket Casts has demonstrated its quality and reliability, making it a trustworthy choice for podcast enthusiasts.
- The app's robust feature set, including streaming, downloading, and organizing podcasts, makes it a comprehensive solution for users with diverse podcast preferences.
- The developer, Automattic, Inc, has a reputation for delivering high-quality apps, which adds to the app's credibility and trustworthiness.
- Pocket Casts' offline capability and lack of ads enhance the user experience, allowing for uninterrupted listening and a distraction-free environment.
- The app's regular updates and responsive support team ensure that users receive timely bug fixes and feature enhancements.
Cons
- Some users may find the in-app purchases and premium features to be expensive, which could be a deterrent for those on a tight budget or who are accustomed to free podcast apps.
- Although Pocket Casts has an excellent user rating, some users have reported issues with syncing and playback, which may be frustrating for those with large podcast libraries.
- The app's lack of a free trial or limited free version may make it difficult for new users to test the app's features before committing to a purchase.
- The developer's decision to offer in-app purchases with prices ranging from $3.99 to $99.99 per item may be perceived as aggressive monetization, potentially affecting the user experience.
Best for: The ideal user for Pocket Casts is a tech-savvy podcast enthusiast, likely between the ages of 18 and 45, who values a user-friendly interface, robust features, and a seamless listening experience, and is willing to invest in a premium podcast app to enhance their daily commute, workout, or relaxation routine.
Developer Description
Stream, download, and organize your podcasts
π° Hereβs what the press has to say: π°
π Android Central: βPocket Casts is the best podcasts app for Androidβ
π The Verge: βThe best podcast player for Androidβ
π Named Google Play Top Developer, Editorsβ Choice, and recipient of the Material Design Award
π§ NEW: PLAYLISTS π§ Your listening, your way. Organize your episodes with our powerful new Playlists feature:
- Playlists: Curate your perfect mix. Combine episodes from different podcasts, build collections around specific themes or guests, and even add episodes from podcasts you don't follow.
- Smart Playlists: Weβve upgraded our famous Filters. Build lists that automatically update based on rules you set, like release date, duration, or download status.
BEST PODCAST APP
- Material design: Your podcast player app has never looked so beautiful, colors change to complement podcast artwork
- Themes: Whether you're a dark or light theme person we've got you covered. We even have you OLED lovers covered with our Extra Dark theme.
- Everywhere: Android Auto, Chromecast, Alexa and Sonos. Listen to your podcasts in more places than ever before.
π POWERFUL PLAYBACK π
- Up next: Automatically build a playback queue from your favorite shows. Sign in and have that Up Next queue sync to all your devices.
- Trim silence: Cut silences from episodes so you finish them faster, saving hours.
- Variable speed: Change the play speed from anywhere between 0.5 to 5x.
- Volume boost: Increase the volume of voices, while decreasing background noise.
- Stream: Play episodes on the fly.
- Chapters: Jump between chapters easily, and enjoy embedded artwork that the author has added (we support MP3 and M4A chapter formats).
- Audio & video: Play all of your favorite episodes, toggle video to audio.
- Skip playback: Skip episode intros, jump through episodes with custom skip intervals.
- Wear OS: Control playback from your wrist.
- Sleep timer: We'll pause your episode so you can rest your weary head.
- Chromecast: Cast episodes straight to your TV with a single tap.
- Sonos: Browse and play your podcasts directly from the Sonos app.
- Android Auto: browse your podcasts and filters to find an interesting episode, then control playback. All without ever touching your phone.
- Used Google Podcast in the past? Pocket Casts is the perfect next step
π§ SMART TOOLS π§
- Sync: Subscriptions, Up Next, listening history, playback and filters are all securely stored in the cloud. You can pick up where you left off on another device and even the web.
- Refresh: Let our servers check for new episodes, so you can get on with your day.
- Notifications: We'll let you know when new episodes arrive, if you like.
- Auto download: Automatically download episodes for offline playback.
- Smart Playlists: Organize your episodes using custom rules.
- Storage: All the tools you need to keep your podcasts tamed.
- Audible audiobooks podcasts
β€οΈ ALL YOUR FAVORITES β€οΈ
- Discover and subscribe to our podcast player app on iTunes and beyond. Explore top charts, networks, and categories with ease.
- Share: Spread the word with podcast and episode sharing.
- OPML: Jump on board without any hassle with OPML import. Export your collection at any time.
- Looking for an Apple podcast app for iPhone or for Android? Pocket Casts is your go-to choice.
There are many more powerful, straight-forward features that make Pocket Casts the best podcasts app for android. Visit pocketcasts.com for more info about the web and other platforms supported by Pocket Casts.
β¬οΈ Download Pocket Casts, the best free podcast app for Android. β¬οΈ
Privacy
Since Pocket Casts requires no permissions, users can be assured that their personal data is not being collected or shared. However, users should still be cautious when creating an account or making in-app purchases, as this may involve sharing personal and payment information. To ensure secure transactions, users should only use trusted payment methods and keep their device's operating system and apps up to date.
Tips
To get the most out of Pocket Casts, users should explore the app's settings to customize their podcast experience, including setting up automatic downloads and creating playlists. Additionally, users can optimize their battery life by adjusting the app's settings to limit background data usage and downloads. By regularly updating the app and providing feedback to the developer, users can also contribute to the app's improvement and ensure a seamless listening experience.
What's New
We are back and refreshed after the end of year break, and we hope you are too. We are really looking forward to another year of making Pocket Casts even better!
In-app purchases
$3.99 - $99.99 per item
Version Information
- Version
- -
- Downloads
- 1M+
- Updated on
- Jan 2, 2026
- Released
- Mar 6, 2011
- Requires
- Android Varies with device
Statistics
Google Play Rating History
Rating Distribution
Downloads Over Time
Pocket Casts - Podcast App has been downloaded times. Over the past 30 days, it averaged downloads per day.
Shaded area shows 30-day prediction based on historical trends
Historical data collection started recently. More data points will be available over time.
Pocket Casts - Podcast App - Google Play Rankings
Top Rankings
| Rank | Country | Category | List | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| β |
Ranking History in
No ranking data available yet. Rankings are updated daily.
#18 in Top Grossing News And Magazines in United States
#31 in Top Free News And Magazines in United States
#11 in Top Grossing News And Magazines in Netherlands
#14 in Top Grossing News And Magazines in Canada
Pocket Casts - Podcast App users say on Google Play
Edited End of Nov 25; since you added the smart list it's annoying. why change a good thing that is easy and just works? now everytime I need to go back and forth between played and unplayed. much better than Spotify and the rest. just what I was looking for. please don't change or try to "improve" , it is great as it is.
great interface. would get 5 stars if it could sort current and archived episodes separately.
Something changed with this app in 2025. It used to be easy to use. Follow a podcast and it's episodes showed up in a list. Play an episode from the list and all was fine. It played straight through then I would have to select a new episode to hear that. Loved it. Now it has various playlists (just tries to create one but it didn't appear on the list of playlists), so that's no fun. The up next queue is a nightmare. My episodes now play straight through one after another. How in the heck do
uninstalled because it kept playing in the background for no reason.
Used to be half decent. last update killed it for me Paid App with Ads. Get Real///
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