AntennaPod
Hacker ApprovedThe most recommended of 4 podcast apps
Free, open-source Android podcast app that people call an excellent player; some with mixed feelings find its polish and defaults behind paid rivals.
12 people recommended AntennaPod in Hacker News comments, 5 had mixed feelings and none criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026.
Summary written by Claude from the comments below.
17 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 12
- mixed feelings
- 5
- warn against or regret it
- 0
The record
Recommended in 9 of 12 months
In 12 different threads.
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
Why it carries the badge
- 12 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 9 of 12 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
- Recommended in 12 threadsNeeds 5 or more, met.
- The biggest thread supplies 17% of its recommendersNeeds half or less, met.
The same rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. Mixed feelings count toward neither side. How the badge works
What people say about it
Reasons grouped from a sample of 17 of the 18 opinions about it, picked in proportion to how many people recommend it, have mixed feelings and criticize it. Each mark is one comment in the sample. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Excellent, well-regarded podcast player
“Antenna Pod is a great podcast player!”
Comment from 17 May 2026 in “I turned a $80 RK3562 Android tablet into a Debian Linux workstation” “Antenna Pod is really good.”
Comment from 25 Jan 2026 in “Google confirms 'high-friction' sideloading flow is coming to Android” “excellent FOSS podcatcher”
Comment from 17 Feb 2026 in “GrapheneOS – Break Free from Google and Apple” Good choice for Android and old phones
“If you're on Android you can use AntennaPod”
Comment from 15 Sep 2026 in “Mullenweg has returned as CEO after attempted board ouster” “Antennapod for podcasts on an old phone”
Comment from 21 Aug 2026 in “Using an old Android phone as a music player” Open-source, Google-free alternative
“Some recent apps I've found that work great and replace google infested stuff”
Comment from 23 Mar 2026 in “GrapheneOS will remain usable by anyone without requiring personal information”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Lacks UX polish and defaults
“AntennaPod is good but it really lacks in UX polish / defaults.”
Comment from 1 Aug 2026 in “Software for One” Missing silence clipping and normalising
“but it's missing all the silence clipping and audio normalising features that Pocket Casts has”
Comment from 1 Aug 2026 in “Software for One” Overcast feels nicer to use
“I still think Overcast is nicer to use than Antenna Pod.”
Comment from 25 Jan 2026 in “Google confirms 'high-friction' sideloading flow is coming to Android” Hard to get others to switch from Spotify
“trying to get them to use AntennaPod instead of Spotify is a much taller order”
Comment from 15 Apr 2026 in “Keep Android Open”
Other podcast apps people recommend
The three most recommended other podcast apps, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Mixed | Criticize | Approval | Months | Had for | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AntennaPodThis page | 12 | 5 | 0 | 100% | 9 | — | Approved |
| Overcast podcast app | 9 | 6 | 3 | 75% | 7 | — | — |
| Apple Podcasts | 7 | 3 | 27 | 21% | 4 | — | — |
| Pocket Casts | 6 | 3 | 2 | 75% | 2 | — | — |
What people said
17 of the 18 opinions about it, picked in proportion to the three counts, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“the wealth of information and interesting topics I've been exposed to via podcasts is hard to overstate”
“If you're on Android you can use AntennaPod”
“apps and devices with good track record and community around them”
“Antennapod for podcasts on an old phone”
“AntennaPod is good but it really lacks in UX polish / defaults.”
“but it's missing all the silence clipping and audio normalising features that Pocket Casts has”
“does make skipping them fairly painless”
“Antenna Pod is a great podcast player!”
“I still miss the apps I gave up - specifically AntennaPod and OpenTracks”
“trying to get them to use AntennaPod instead of Spotify is a much taller order”
“I can change the order and what buttons show up in the app nav bar”
“Some recent apps I've found that work great and replace google infested stuff”
“I also like AntennaPod for audiobooks--fewer apps that way.”
“excellent FOSS podcatcher”
“I've had a good experience getting podcasts through Patreon and then adding them to AntennaPod”
“Antenna Pod is really good.”
“I still think Overcast is nicer to use than Antenna Pod.”
Counts come from 1,791,911 Hacker News comments labeled by Claude, November 2025 to October 2026, with data through October 31, 2026. Counts updated 2 Nov 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.