6 best podcast listening apps for iOS and Android 2021

Podcasts: always there to entertain (Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Whether it’s for easing back into a life of commuting, or for company while relaxing, many of us love a podcast.

From true crime, to football analysis, to deep dives into your favourite TV show from years gone by, there’s sure to be a programme suited for everyone’s taste.

But as much as there’s variety in the types of content you can get in a podcast, the same exists for the ways it’s possible to consume your shows, too.

Here’s our latest rundown of the best apps to enjoy podcasts on.

Podcast apps for iOS and Android

If you have an Apple device, there are a plethora of ways that you can access your favourite shows, whenever you want, including:

Apple Podcasts (iOS)

Users of Apple Podcasts have free access to over 30 million episodes, along with Siri voice search capabilities – a worthwhile tool for hands-free use.

Apple Podcasts is many iOS users’ first port of call for podcasts (Picture: Getty Images)

Home to more than 1 million different shows, Apple Podcasts also has the benefit of exclusive podcasts that don’t appear elsewhere.

This is only available to those with an iOS 10.0 device, or later – for example, iPhones and iPads.

Spotify (Android and iOS)

Though first known as an app purely for music, Spotify has become one of the biggest players in the podcasting arenas.

You can access 2.2 million different podcasts with this app, and some are even exclusive to Spotify.

From serious news to jokes about pop culture, there’s a podcast out there for everyone (Picture: Shutterstock / fizkes)

You can access Spotify Premium for £9.99 per month.

Google Podcasts (Android and iOS)

Never a company to miss out on a hot trend, Google are also deep into the world of podcast hosting with their own free app.

This is particularly useful for those who use Google Home or Mini devices, as playback can resume from your phone to your smart speaker, smoothly – meaning you can continue listening when entering the home, earphone-free.

Stitcher (Android and iOS)

Home to over 260,000 shows, Stitcher is a free platform that is solely dedicated to podcasts.

A top benefit of Stitcher is that it lets users ‘stitch together’ podcasts into a customised playlist, which will update with the latest episodes as they are released without downloading or syncing.

True crime podcast lover? You have plenty of options on how to hear your favourite show (Picture: Getty)

Audible (Android and iOS)

If you thought this app was only for audiobooks, think again – as there’s now a whole world of podcasts to enjoy there, too.

A top feature of listening to one of Audible’s 100,000 podcasts is that you can view other users’ reviews of the show as you listen, including star ratings for the host’s performance, the story, and the overall podcast.

Audible memberships cost £7.99 per month.

MORE : 13 best true crime podcasts for 2021

MORE : 10 of the best podcasts for sleep

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