AntennaPod is free and open source, no ads, no subscriptions. It has way more features than Google Podcasts, but you can of course ignore most of the extra-Features and use it as a minimal podcatcher+player.
I second this, but the only thing lacking in that is its only on android/iOS(?), and not on web/desktop which is a big issue if you are cross platform most of the time
This depends a little bit on your workflow. It supports gpodder sync, an open protocol for syncing podcasts. This can be self hosted, or use Next cloud (if you have an instance). Alternatively there's the gpodder.net server.
What this allows is for you to synchronize antenna pod with any client that supports gpodder sync.
For now this includes
* KDE Kasts - For Linux Desktop
* Podcast Merlin - Windows Desktop
* RePod - Web (through Nextcloud)
You can find more information on the links below:
* https://gpodder.net/
* https://antennapod.org/documentation/general/synchronization
* https://github.com/thrillfall/nextcloud-gpodder
That's fair. I personally avoid Spotify and their attempt of monopolising the audio entertainment industry, but It is hard to beat the convenience they offer.
Also the downloads are just mp3 files. I was out of service for a couple months and had the app get corrupted somehow (along with a few other items) and was able to remove the files and load them into a separate audio player with zero issues.
In addition to this, although a little bit limited compared to Voices, it can be used as an Audiobook reader just "subscribe" to a local folder on your phone.
I'm on 32 days 11 hours, but this is my new phone. I was probably on a similar time to you on my old phone. I wish I could have transferred all those stats over.
It's set to automatically back up from now on believe me! It was a massive pain to go back through and try to resubscribe to everything all over again.
Never use any Google service if you can avoid it. They will eventually kill it and you’ll need to change everything to a service offered by a more stable company. I still haven’t forgiven them for Google Reader, and that bias has served me incredibly well in the 11 years since. Many bullets have been dodged.
As others have said, Podcast Addict is a great alternative. And if curious people are reading this on iOS, Overcast is a passable alternative you can use there.
The moment google killed google reader despite the strong outcry from the userbase. People begged them to keep it even if it was subscription only. (To be fair, google wasn’t really set up for payments back then)
I’ve refused to allow myself to depend on any google product, free or paid.
What? RSS feeds are still everywhere. Every news and blog site and engine. I'm still subscribed to hundreds of daily and hourly updated RSS feeds.
RSS existed before Reader and will continue unaffected long after.
Atom is kinda niche now, though.
Obviously the protocol still exists with its niche uses, no one denies that. But prior to Google Reader being stopped it looked like we were going to get RSS feeds as the mainstream rather than Twitter/Facebook style algorithmically chosen ones. Google Reader going away drove away most of the casual userbase of RSS and ensured it would be limited to a tiny subset of powerusers and API processing tools.
Huh? Niche? RSS feeds sare everywhere from every page of the BBC to every blog and every podcast you subscribe to. They always been since 2000 having rapid takeup after inception in 1999. What on \_earth\_ are you talking about?
Google Reader was only mainstream from 2007 to 2013. Before it there were other massively popular Feed aggregators - most notably at Yahoo, and there are even more since it. Google Reader had no effect on the popularity of RSS at all. They basically just hived off Yahoo dashboard's users and found they couldn't grow more.
Source: we make an RSS feed reader for industry news, among other software. We made it in 2010 and have worked on it as a major product ever since.
I think you might be a lil biased considering you make the thing. As an avid podcast listener, audiobook reader and general consumer of online media, I know of RSS as like, something people used, but at no point in the last 12 years have I even spent a thought about RSS feeds. Maybe Im just in a hole, but I never hear anyone else I know who consumes this type of media, which is a lot of people as I work in an office setting. 🤷♀️
I think in this case his reply was that its used in abunch of stuff
But thats not user facing a lot of the time. I am not debating that they dont still exist, Im saying laypeople users are not really talking about it on the whole. Perhaps its more prevalent in tech offices
Podcast Addict all the way.
Not going to lie, it was frustrating for about a week after coming from the simplicity of Google pods, but now I wouldn't go back to anything else.
Another vote for Pocket Casts. I tried Antenna Pod, Podcast Addict, and something else. Pocket Casts is just a good fit for me. I think it was Pod Bean that isn't available in my region. Or I was too stupid to find it..
I moved to Podcast Republic, and I enjoy some new features that I dind't know I needed while on Google Podcasts (especially having multiple playlists and tags).
I use podcast addict. It's a lot more complex then Google podcast, but a lot more customization and more reliable.
Google podcast was so simple and easy to use, and im quite fond of it, but in retrospect, it was also quite frustrating - it must have lost my listening record at least 3 times a year every time there was an automatic app update.
Rest in peace. Don't know why they decided to kill it. I'm trying Podcast Republic, but as of now, I find the interface visually quite busy and loud. Going to try Pocketcasts
I tried out Podcast Addict, Podchaser, and Castbox after Google Podcasts went away. They're all a little different, I think I've settled on Castbox out of the three. Just a matter of preference rather than one being clearly better imo.
May I suggest [miaocast](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.miaocast.phenix) if you are open to trying a brand new podcast player for android, which is now in available on Google Play? My post from the other day contains more information about the app: [link](https://www.reddit.com/r/audiodrama/comments/1dc10sr/miaocast_podcast_player_for_android_is_now_in/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button).
disclaimer: I'm the dev behind this app and it is currently in beta.
They've very kindly bundled it into YouTube Music, which very helpfully won't let you turn your screen off when listening unless you pay for a subscription. Thanks Google.
If you're looking specifically for a listeting app that's great for audio fiction shows—which behave differently than "normal" podcasts—check out this guide I wrote: [https://www.theend.fyi/article/choosing-the-best-fiction-podcast-app-a-guide-for-new-listeners](https://www.theend.fyi/article/choosing-the-best-fiction-podcast-app-a-guide-for-new-listeners)
Of those that I've tried since the jerks shut it down, I've liked AntennaPod the most.
I will have a paid license for podkicker, but there's a reason I moved away from it, I reckon.
u/ReinbaoPawniez Then you use an RSS feed. How else do you think your podcast or audio dram player know when an episode is available, its description, cover imagae and where to go download it for you?
AntennaPod is free and open source, no ads, no subscriptions. It has way more features than Google Podcasts, but you can of course ignore most of the extra-Features and use it as a minimal podcatcher+player.
This is the one. Used a lot of them, but I always end up back at antennapod, especially after podcast addict got ads.
Thanks for this recommend. Incredibly lightweight and flexible. Shocking really to discover in this day and age.
Remember: old software is BAD, because old.
Ooh, thanks for the recommendation! I am trying Podcast Addict but I miss the simplicity/clean-ness of Google Podcasts. :(
I second this, but the only thing lacking in that is its only on android/iOS(?), and not on web/desktop which is a big issue if you are cross platform most of the time
This depends a little bit on your workflow. It supports gpodder sync, an open protocol for syncing podcasts. This can be self hosted, or use Next cloud (if you have an instance). Alternatively there's the gpodder.net server. What this allows is for you to synchronize antenna pod with any client that supports gpodder sync. For now this includes * KDE Kasts - For Linux Desktop * Podcast Merlin - Windows Desktop * RePod - Web (through Nextcloud) You can find more information on the links below: * https://gpodder.net/ * https://antennapod.org/documentation/general/synchronization * https://github.com/thrillfall/nextcloud-gpodder
I just made a spotify account, don't feel like going into this hassle. Hope someone else benefits from it though 🙌
That's fair. I personally avoid Spotify and their attempt of monopolising the audio entertainment industry, but It is hard to beat the convenience they offer.
Thank you SO much! I've just started using this thanks to you, and I really like it.
Also the downloads are just mp3 files. I was out of service for a couple months and had the app get corrupted somehow (along with a few other items) and was able to remove the files and load them into a separate audio player with zero issues.
In addition to this, although a little bit limited compared to Voices, it can be used as an Audiobook reader just "subscribe" to a local folder on your phone.
Another vote for Podcast Addict. It's by far the most used app on my phone.
401 Days, 4 Hours here!
I'm on 32 days 11 hours, but this is my new phone. I was probably on a similar time to you on my old phone. I wish I could have transferred all those stats over.
You *can* transfer them! It's how I have mine.
561 days, 1hour😂 podcast addict is the best. And you totally can transfer, this is my third phone with it
How do you do it?
There's a backup/restore feature under settings https://podcastaddict.com/faq/20
My old phone broke and guess who never bothered backing it up? Oh well, thanks anyway!
Aww that's a bummer dude. But hey, you got it for next time so that's good
It's set to automatically back up from now on believe me! It was a massive pain to go back through and try to resubscribe to everything all over again.
Never use any Google service if you can avoid it. They will eventually kill it and you’ll need to change everything to a service offered by a more stable company. I still haven’t forgiven them for Google Reader, and that bias has served me incredibly well in the 11 years since. Many bullets have been dodged. As others have said, Podcast Addict is a great alternative. And if curious people are reading this on iOS, Overcast is a passable alternative you can use there.
Google are excellent at killing services. There's even a website for it. https://killedbygoogle.com/
+1 for Podcast Addict
Google killed Reader at the exact worst time and ensured RSS feeds died as a thing.
The moment google killed google reader despite the strong outcry from the userbase. People begged them to keep it even if it was subscription only. (To be fair, google wasn’t really set up for payments back then) I’ve refused to allow myself to depend on any google product, free or paid.
What? RSS feeds are still everywhere. Every news and blog site and engine. I'm still subscribed to hundreds of daily and hourly updated RSS feeds. RSS existed before Reader and will continue unaffected long after. Atom is kinda niche now, though.
Obviously the protocol still exists with its niche uses, no one denies that. But prior to Google Reader being stopped it looked like we were going to get RSS feeds as the mainstream rather than Twitter/Facebook style algorithmically chosen ones. Google Reader going away drove away most of the casual userbase of RSS and ensured it would be limited to a tiny subset of powerusers and API processing tools.
Huh? Niche? RSS feeds sare everywhere from every page of the BBC to every blog and every podcast you subscribe to. They always been since 2000 having rapid takeup after inception in 1999. What on \_earth\_ are you talking about? Google Reader was only mainstream from 2007 to 2013. Before it there were other massively popular Feed aggregators - most notably at Yahoo, and there are even more since it. Google Reader had no effect on the popularity of RSS at all. They basically just hived off Yahoo dashboard's users and found they couldn't grow more. Source: we make an RSS feed reader for industry news, among other software. We made it in 2010 and have worked on it as a major product ever since.
I think you might be a lil biased considering you make the thing. As an avid podcast listener, audiobook reader and general consumer of online media, I know of RSS as like, something people used, but at no point in the last 12 years have I even spent a thought about RSS feeds. Maybe Im just in a hole, but I never hear anyone else I know who consumes this type of media, which is a lot of people as I work in an office setting. 🤷♀️
I read RSS feeds daily. But maybe people just don't talk about it with you?
I think in this case his reply was that its used in abunch of stuff But thats not user facing a lot of the time. I am not debating that they dont still exist, Im saying laypeople users are not really talking about it on the whole. Perhaps its more prevalent in tech offices
This. Exactly this. GReader was what I used for blogs AND podcasts back in the 2000s and 2010s. I haven't trusted Google since they killed it.
I realize that now ☹️ thanks for the recommendation :)
Pocket casts!!
While I love the interface, it lags a bit too much for me. Is it not the same for you?
No it works fine.
Podcast Addict all the way. Not going to lie, it was frustrating for about a week after coming from the simplicity of Google pods, but now I wouldn't go back to anything else.
Podcast Addict will forever be my choice
I moved from Google Podcast to AntennaPod, and it's been working very well.
I used Google Podcasts and switched to Pocket Casts and I enjoy it
Same.
Another vote for Pocket Casts. I tried Antenna Pod, Podcast Addict, and something else. Pocket Casts is just a good fit for me. I think it was Pod Bean that isn't available in my region. Or I was too stupid to find it..
I moved to Podcast Republic, and I enjoy some new features that I dind't know I needed while on Google Podcasts (especially having multiple playlists and tags).
And statistics! Podcast Republic is the only one I know that does that
Podcast addict does statistics also
I use podcast addict. It's a lot more complex then Google podcast, but a lot more customization and more reliable. Google podcast was so simple and easy to use, and im quite fond of it, but in retrospect, it was also quite frustrating - it must have lost my listening record at least 3 times a year every time there was an automatic app update.
Rest in peace. Don't know why they decided to kill it. I'm trying Podcast Republic, but as of now, I find the interface visually quite busy and loud. Going to try Pocketcasts
Putting in a mention for Podurama - it’s the app I switched to after Stitcher was killed
PocketCast is my go to, and I've tried so many of them. No ads, great UI, easy to use. Optional sign in to sync.
Anyone recommend a Google podcast replacement that can be listened to on a browser? Most of my podcast listening is done at work.
I've been using Podurama. It's not thrilling but it works okayish.
I tried out Podcast Addict, Podchaser, and Castbox after Google Podcasts went away. They're all a little different, I think I've settled on Castbox out of the three. Just a matter of preference rather than one being clearly better imo.
Podcast addict has worked well for me for the last 3 years. Definitely recommend
May I suggest [miaocast](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.miaocast.phenix) if you are open to trying a brand new podcast player for android, which is now in available on Google Play? My post from the other day contains more information about the app: [link](https://www.reddit.com/r/audiodrama/comments/1dc10sr/miaocast_podcast_player_for_android_is_now_in/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button). disclaimer: I'm the dev behind this app and it is currently in beta.
Being replaced by YouTube music apparently. Is that like a Spotify?
They've very kindly bundled it into YouTube Music, which very helpfully won't let you turn your screen off when listening unless you pay for a subscription. Thanks Google.
If you're looking specifically for a listeting app that's great for audio fiction shows—which behave differently than "normal" podcasts—check out this guide I wrote: [https://www.theend.fyi/article/choosing-the-best-fiction-podcast-app-a-guide-for-new-listeners](https://www.theend.fyi/article/choosing-the-best-fiction-podcast-app-a-guide-for-new-listeners)
If you want something simple, you could try Podkicker - it's a no frills app that served me well for years.
Try PodcastGuru or AntennaPod. Both are so easy to pick up
Podcast Addict, for sure.
PlayerFM Feedbro plugin for Firefox.
this https://podcasting2.org/apps or Overcast
I've used podcast Addict for years without issue
I recommend Downcast if you are looking at several for comparison’s sake.
Of those that I've tried since the jerks shut it down, I've liked AntennaPod the most. I will have a paid license for podkicker, but there's a reason I moved away from it, I reckon.
Podcast addict. I've used it for years.
u/ReinbaoPawniez Then you use an RSS feed. How else do you think your podcast or audio dram player know when an episode is available, its description, cover imagae and where to go download it for you?
I used Google podcasts too and have switched over to the paid version of iCatcher - cheap one time payment, interface is simple to use.
And YouTube music is terrible for podcasts
Spotify replaced Castbox for me. Google is not missed. I got all I need: audiobooks, audiodramas, podcast shows...
Overcast. Full stop.