Pocket Casts vs Podcast Republic

Pocket Casts is a podcast listening and discovery service from Pocket Casts, a maker founded in 2010. Listeners can search for shows, play episodes and browse recommendations curated by experts. The service supports offline downloads, video podcasts, episode transcripts, private feeds and cross-device sync. It is available on Android, iOS, macOS, web and Windows, as well as Apple TV, Apple Watch, Wear OS, CarPlay, Android Auto, Android Automotive, Sonos, Alexa and Chromecast. The free plan includes podcast listening and discovery with web and desktop access; no limits for the free offering are specified. Pocket Casts Plus adds folders, Up Next Shuffle, bookmarks, wearable apps, themes and icons. For new subscribers, Plus costs USD 3.99 per month or USD 39.99 per year. Taxes and fees may apply based on location. Support is available through the help center, forums and direct contact.

Podcast Republic is a customizable app for podcasts, online radio, audiobooks, and RSS news and blog feeds. It is available on Android, iOS, and the web, and the maker says its catalog contains over 1 million podcasts and 500 million episodes. Listeners can browse top charts, search by show name, or add a feed by URL. Automatic downloads can run in the background and be configured per podcast; Smart download fetches newer unplayed episodes for offline listening. Playback options include seven modes, a sleep timer, audio boost, alarm scheduling, Chromecast support, and Smart rewind. Users can make multiple playlists and use an Up Next queue that updates with playlist changes. Signing in with a Podcast Republic or Google account syncs subscriptions, playback state, favorites, and other app data across devices. The maker says all app features are available for free; the listed plan is free. Downloaded files are not included in app data backups and must be transferred separately between devices. The maker is based in Diamond Bar, California.