4 Free Podcast Clients for My iPhone
The App Store is swimming with podcast clients. I’ve been testing some free podcast clients for my iPhone.
I looked at Overcast, Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud and Stitcher Radio. I had 3 criteria when testing these apps:
- Must be free (really one of the main considerations)
- Overall look/design
- And ease of use and features available on “free” version (exporting, uploading images, etc).
Overcast
First off is Overcast. My initial reaction was that it was easy to log into, had a clean design and it was free.
The app also makes it easy to search and save podcasts.
I can connect Overcast to my Twitter account and get recommendations based on my followers. I can also create playlists.
The app has some cool features. The effects tab allows the user to voice boost and control the speed of the speaker.
It allows for ultimate customization by allowing me to save different effects for different shows.
Apple Podcasts
Apple Podcasts was quick to access (because it was already on my phone).
The app was also fairly easy to use. Although it had a typical Apple design, similar to other Apple apps.
As for features and effects, I can speed up the podcast. But it doesn’t have as many effects as Overcast.
There is a search feature, however, despite this it’s still quote hard to find a new podcast.
However, Top Charts is a neat feature that allows the user to see which podcasts are ranking the highest.
The Featured tab has podcasts from different categories but it doesn’t have have any rhyme or reason for the order shown.
SoundCloud
SoundCloud is not easy to navigate.
As seen in the picture on the left, when a podcast is selected to play it takes over the whole screen.
In order to search podcasts, I need to know the name of the specific podcast I want hear, because the only other option is to check Trending Audio.
I like using SoundCloud for uploading my audio, and even finding new soundtracks but not for listening to podcasts.
Stitcher Radio for Podcasts
Sitcher was a bit…clunky.
I’m not a huge fan of the hidden navigation (swipe to see the menu? No thanks).
Stitcher lacks a certain design flow. The eye doesn’t travel easily over the screen. Although, Stitcher did have many features available.
I really liked the Listen Later option which allows me to do just that.
I can like and even add comments easily to any podcast, which is different and new compared to other apps.
Spotify
Just Google “Spotify + podcasts”, my reason enough to have only spent a few minutes on this app. The music selection is a much better option for using this app.
Let me know if you have any suggestions for other podcast clients in the comments below.
