Considered two of the best podcast apps for Android, Castbox and Podcast Addict are used by millions of people around the world to listen to their favorite podcast (s).
But as a new podcast listener looking to download a podcast app, which one should you choose?
I have personally been using Castbox for months now and can guarantee this is a great podcast app. I can say the same for Podcast Addict because I spent time with him too.
We compare some of the flagship features of the two apps in the paragraphs below. Find out what they have in common and how they differ from each other.
User interface
In this category, Castbox wins the trophy – effortlessly. Initially, it has a simple interface which is somewhat similar to that of the Google Podcasts app.
During installation, the app will automatically take you to the Discover tab, which also serves as the home page. Here, Castbox recommends a bunch of podcasts (in different categories). The other sticky tabs at the bottom are the Community, Library, and Personal tabs.
If you are not a fan of white backgrounds / dashboards, Castbox allows you to change the app theme to Dark or Black.
Podcast Addict has a black color interface by default, but also gives you the freedom to change it to other shades of black – AMOLED Black, Dark, and Gray.
Unlike Castbox, Podcast Addict lacks sticky quick access tabs at the bottom of the app. You’ll need to launch the menu options on the left side of the app to access things like your podcast library, playlist, settings, etc. Castbox offers quick access to these elements wherever you are on the app.
Player
Readers for both apps are straightforward, easy to navigate, and striking. They share a lot of similarities, but for some reason I prefer Castbox’s player to Podcast Addict’s player.
The Castbox player displays the personalized cover image for each episode. Podcast Addict, on the other hand, uses the generic profile picture of a podcast channel for all episodes of that podcast. It might not seem like a big deal, but it’s a snap for me (and many others, I believe).
Additionally, Castbox’s player has a better user interface and is well labeled. The forward and rewind buttons let you know that it skips the playback by 30 seconds and 10 seconds, respectively. The play buttons on the Podcast Addict player are bland and have no labels.
Notification panel
While using Podcast Addict some time ago, I noticed that the notification panel was not sharpened.
With Castbox, you can see how much time is left until a podcast episode ends. Podcast Addict only displays the full episode timestamp, leaving no information on how long you played the episode or how many minutes you have left to play.
Description and download
Both apps allow you to download episodes to your device for offline listening. Podcast Addict, however, does it better. By default, episodes are downloaded to the app’s parent folder located in your phone’s internal storage.
In the Settings menu of the app, I like that Podcast Addict allows me to select the folders and subfolders that I would like to save the podcast episodes I download. Castbox, on the other hand, is a bit of a constraint when it comes to customizing the storage location.
You can only choose to store episodes in your device’s internal storage or SD card; Castbox does not allow you to select a specific folder.
Moving on to the episode description, both podcast players are awesome, but Castbox trumps Podcast Addict. One thing Castbox does better than Podcast Addict is that it displays the size of each episode directly in the description.
This gives you an idea of how big (or small) a podcast is before you download it. If you have a limited data plan, you’ll find this handy. You wouldn’t want to download a podcast that is draining your mobile data.
Video podcast
Whenever I want to watch a video podcast (also called Videocast), Castbox is my go-to app. The interface of the video player is also very user-friendly (almost as good as YouTube) and easy to use. It comes with a dedicated full screen mode which can be activated by simply tapping anywhere on the video window.
Castbox also lets you download videos, but I don’t recommend doing that if you have a limited data plan. Video broadcasts are usually large and you cannot choose / customize the quality before downloading them.
The Podcast Addict video player is a bit cheesy, but I like that I can filter my podcast search based on the availability of video content. This makes it easier to find podcast channels that have video content.
Cross-platform compatibility
With Castbox, you can resume playing a podcast that you paused on your smartphone on other connected devices. With dedicated apps for Android, iOS, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and web support, Castbox is one of the best cross-platform podcast apps.
It syncs your profile, history, preferences, and playlists across all your connected devices for easy access.
Podcast Addict, on the other hand, lacks synchronization and cross-platform compatibility.
Registration
If you ever want to have your podcast channel or record podcast episodes, Castbox allows you to do so in its app.
The recorder may not produce advanced sound like a proper recording setup, but it’s a nifty and inexpensive alternative to getting started with podcasting.
Podcast Addict does not yet support recording.
Price and subscription
Both Castbox and Podcast Addicts are free. Castbox, however, does offer premium subscriptions that give you unlimited access to certain features. The free Castbox app only allows you to subscribe to 100 channels while displaying graphics and video ads.
Castbox’s premium ad-free subscription starts from $ 0.99 / month.
The Podcast Addict app is free, but with ads. It doesn’t have a paid premium subscription and there is no way to get rid of in-app ads. You can donate to developers through the dedicated “Podcast Addict Donation” app, but this will not eliminate in-app ads.
Castbox takes the crown
If you are looking to easily discover new podcasts and join a community of podcast lovers with similar interests, then you should go with Castbox. To add, Castbox is richer in features and scores more points in terms of design, usability and cross-platform compatibility. If you are more concerned with discovering video broadcasts or customizing where your downloaded podcast episodes are saved on your device, then Podcast Addict is the best choice. Overall tough, Castbox wins.
Next : Pocket Casts is another popular and widely used podcast app. Find out how it compares to Castbox in the article linked below.
Last updated on November 26, 2019
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