You've Never Heard of These Android Podcast Apps

On Android, there are a slew of popular podcast apps with millions of downloads, including Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, and PocketCasts. However, there are a few lesser-known podcast apps that have interesting and unique features. These podcast apps for Android are either new or underappreciated. Here are some of the best Android podcast apps that you should check out.

Apps for Android with the Best Podcasts

Let's begin with my personal favourite app from this list.

1.   Luminary

Luminary is great because it has its own original content as well as podcasts from other platforms. Aside from that, the app offers a simple and straightforward way to listen to podcasts. The categories filter in the search was one of my favourites. Luminary does an excellent job of categorising related channels into the respected categories, whereas most podcast apps only recommend a small number of podcasts from each category.

The app's main feature, however, is its originals. They are restricted by the subscription and only offer a seven-day free trial.

Pros

• Luminary originals
• Easy to navigate UI

Cons

• Most expensive premium plans
• App developed with focus on iOS

2. Moonbeam

While Moonbeam allows you to subscribe to and play podcasts, it is primarily focused on short clips. The app's home page is crammed with custom playlists made up of clips from various podcasts. These playlists cover a wide range of topics, including sleep, travel, parenting, Mother Nature, love, and more. Even the Discover feed is made up entirely of clips that play in a TikTok-style layout. Simply swipe up to hear a random segment from a random podcast. If you enjoy what they're saying, you can listen to the entire episode and subscribe to the channel.

The regular podcast features can be found by going to the Library section. You can find all of the channels you subscribe to here and select any episode from them. Basic statistics such as the number of channels you follow, podcasts you've listened to, shows you've discovered, listening time, favourite genre, and so on are also provided by the app.

Pros

• TikTok-style discovery page with clips to find new podcasts Custom playlists for clips on the homepage
• Make use of statastics
• Subscribe to the channel and watch the full episode directly from the clips.

Cons

• For newcomers, the user interface can be a little overwhelming.
• The appearance of a mini player can be annoying.

3. Snipd

Snipd is similar to Moonbeam in that it focuses on small clips from popular podcast episodes, but it differs in two major ways. Snipd is a normal podcast app with a clips section, whereas Moonbean brings the podcast clips forward and makes full episodes as a side feature. To access clips in Snipd, simply tap the Discover tab. The Snips feature, which allows you to create your own clips from a podcast, is the second major difference.

However, live transcription is my favourite feature of this app. The app automatically transcribes and displays the podcast's text in its player. In any case, the transcription only works with English. If the hosts discuss more than one topic in the podcast, it will automatically generate chapters.

Pros

• To jump to your favourite topic in the podcast, use the live transcription Chapters.
• In the discover feed, you'll find clips.
• You'll be able to make your own clips.

Cons

• The clip creation button takes up a lot of room on the player.
• The feature of a sleep timer is not available.
• The chapters aren't entirely accurate.

4. Cast Box

If you want a lot of features, Cast Box is one of the best podcast apps. From the download option to the sleep timer, the app has all of the essential features of a podcast app. It also includes an equaliser and volume boost for improved audio control. It also has a comment section, unlike other podcast apps, where people can discuss the episode. It also supports Chromecast, so you can watch the episode on your TV. Cast Box also allows you to record and create podcasts directly from the app, which adds even more functionality.

All of this is not without its drawbacks. This is the only app on the list that has visual advertisements throughout the app, including the player. It also sends out a slew of random alerts. Premium and premium pro subscriptions remove ads and allow you to subscribe to an unlimited number of channels.

Pros

• Options for equaliser and volume boost
• Sections for comments and community
• Chromecast compatibility
• Ability to record and upload podcasts directly from the app

Cons

• Too many ads
• Too many notifications
• Premium plans are expensive

5. Acast

There aren't many podcast apps that support Chromecast. Unlike Cast Box, Acast podcast player is a great option if you want a simple app with all of the necessary features, including Chromecast. The app is straightforward. You can search for and subscribe to channels. On the home page, you'll find those channels and their episodes. When you start playing, you'll be given all of the options, such as downloading episodes, setting a sleep timer, changing the playback speed, using Chromecast, and so on.

The app's only flaw is that the search is a little slow, and even the search page is difficult to navigate.

Pros

• Simple user-interface to navigate
• Supports Chromecast

Cons

• Clumsy search page

6. Antenna Pod

Another simple podcast player app with a material design is Antenna Pod. Except for advanced ways to import podcasts, the app comes with no bells and whistles. You can subscribe to the RSS feed, create a local folder, search for podcasts using services like gPodder, import OPML-formatted podcast lists, and so on.

The only drawback is the lack of a bottom bar. Navigating with the hamburger menu can be confusing and inconvenient at times.

Pros

• Simple and clean user-interface
• Supports many ways to import podcasts

Cons

• Unintuitive menu

7. Player FM

Player FM is the podcast app for anyone who enjoys dark mode. With the exception of the player, the app has a pitch-black background. It's also one of the most customizable podcast apps, with swipe gestures, album size, style, fonts, themes, shortcuts, and shake options, among other things. You can also increase the volume, skip the silence between podcasts, lower the noise, and so on.

The only drawback is that the UI element for 'Now Playing' isn't very customizable, doesn't support theming, and has an ad at the top. However, if you prefer to listen to podcasts using a mini-player, the experience can be significantly improved.

Pros

• Themeing options
• Insanely customizable
• Skips silence in-between episodes

Cons

• Now Playing screen is just clumsy and has ads

8.Podify

Podify is a service that allows you to listen to podcasts from Spotify. While the Spotify app combines music and podcasts into one app, Podify allows you to listen to Spotify podcasts without being bombarded with music recommendations. This reduces the amount of clutter in the user interface.

Obviously, you'll need to sign in with your Spotify account. The app is always up to date with the Spotify channels you've subscribed to. You can start listening to podcast episodes from any channel you subscribe to. One significant disadvantage is that you cannot search for or subscribe to any podcast directly from Podify. Consider it a companion app.

Pros

• Can I listen to Spotify podcasts?
• Clean and simple UI
• Can you save and listen to podcasts?

Cons

• Can't search for or follow podcasts on their own.
• Nobody has found a feed.
• It doesn't have Spotify connect or a sleep timer.

9. Podcast Republic

Podcast Republic allows you to create tags, unlike other podcast apps that only allow you to subscribe to your favourite podcast channels. As a result, you can manage multiple subscription lists. This is the best app if you follow channels in various categories because you can divide them with tags and better manage your channels.

The UI is also simple and straightforward, with options to create custom playlists, download, and so on. Car mode, which alters the layout and includes larger icons for easier control while driving, is another useful feature.

Pros

• Tags can be used to distinguish and manage subscribed channels.
• Use categories to narrow down your search.
• Automobile mode
• Playlists created specifically for you
• Check out podcast channel reviews.
• While listening to a podcast, take notes.

Cons

• Advertisements are displayed at the bottom of each page of the app.
• Android Podcast Apps That Are Underappreciated

On Android, there are even more podcast apps to choose from. However, the majority of them have ads all over the UI or lack basic features while providing nothing of value. Check out Podcast Addict, Podbeam, and Pocket Cast if you want to try out some more podcast apps. These are some of the more popular podcast players, and many people already prefer them to the ones listed here.