Best Google Podcasts Alternatives
Apr. 4, 2024Unless you were living under a rock this past week, you might know that Google officially shut down the Google Podcasts app on April 2. As announced earlier, Google is focusing its efforts on podcasts within YouTube Music. If you haven’t transitioned yet, here are some of the best Google Podcasts alternatives to keep your listening going.
1. Spotify
This list wouldn’t start without Spotify. The platform has grown immensely over the years and has an extensive library of podcasts alongside the already comprehensive music library. There are lots of different Podcast categories to explore, combined with Spotify’s cross-device playback and sync, and ease of use makes it one of the best podcast apps and alternatives to Google Podcasts.
I’ve been using YouTube Music as my primary service for streaming audio and music, and it hasn’t disappointed me. So far, I haven’t faced any major issues with the app. It also doubles as a music streaming app so that’s great.
The user interface has been improved a lot in the last few months, and overall it’s a breeze to use. The current podcast implementation is not as clean, and I would’ve preferred to use Google Podcasts to have all my Podcasts in one place. Some of the podcasts on Google Podcasts don’t show up when you search for them on YT Music. That’s because podcasts from the previous app haven’t been fully integrated into YouTube Music yet, making it a half-baked app.
Pocket Casts is one of the best podcast apps on Android for two main reasons – a comprehensive library and loads of customization options. Design-wise, it’s a clean app with a snappy user interface, easier navigation, and an Ad-free experience. The attention to detail in some UI elements such as the animations in the play and skip forward buttons in the mini-player and the well-detailed Podcast pages make it a joy to use.Image Courtesy: Pocket Casts on Play Store
Podcast Addict is another feature-rich Android podcast app with so many features that attempting to list them all in this article would be never-ending. It has all the essential features you would expect from a Podcast app and loads of other features that you might never end up using. Such is the density of features in the app.
Castbox has to be the best podcast app for Android UI-wise. It’s extremely clean, interactive, and a joy to navigate. Like other podcast apps, Castbox has an extensive library of podcasts across many categories. What I like about it is there’s a community tab where you can interact, share, and listen to podcasts recommended by others.
Podbean is a podcast hosting app but it also has a good collection of Podcasts to listen to. Its library is not as comprehensive as some other contenders on this list. It’s also not very feature-rich. The user interface could use some work, especially the podcast page but besides that, there’s not much to complain about the app as it gets the job done.
All the apps mentioned above are great for listening to podcasts and you could never go wrong with them. However, if we had to pick the best Google Podcasts alternatives in the business, Pocket Casts, Podcast Addict, and Spotify are excellent choices.
What are your thoughts about Google killing Google Podcasts? Are there any popular apps that we forgot to add to the list? Let us know in the comments below.
