Pocket Casts
Ranked 4 of 4 podcast apps by recommenders
Recommended as a reliable, well-liked podcast app for daily listening, especially on Android. Critics mainly object to its subscription model and limited RSS feed adding.
Recommended as a reliable, well-liked podcast app for daily listening, especially on Android. Critics mainly object to its subscription model and limited RSS feed adding.
11 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 9
- criticize it
- 2
- approval share
- 82%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 9 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 4.5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Liked for everyday podcast listening
“the podcast app I typically use (PocketCasts) is really good”
Comment from 1 Aug 2026 in “Software for One” “I'm a fan of PocketCasts as my podcast app on Android.”
Comment from 14 Sep 2026 in “Mullenweg has returned as CEO after attempted board ouster” “I use Pocketcasts and I'm very happy with it.”
Comment from 26 Dec 2025 in “The Program 2025 annual review: How much money does an audio drama podcast make?” - Comment from 14 Sep 2026 in “Mullenweg has returned as CEO after attempted board ouster”
- Comment from 10 Sep 2026 in “Automattic's board forces CEO Matt Mullenweg into leave of absence”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Monthly SaaS subscription model
“I don't want it to be a monthly SaaS, I guess was my point.”
Comment from 1 Aug 2026 in “Software for One” Cannot add RSS feed URLs locally
“it didn't have the ability to easily add an RSS feed URL locally without submitting it to their index”
Comment from 1 Aug 2026 in “Software for One”
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 | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AntennaPod | 18 | 0 | 100% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Overcast podcast app | 17 | 3 | 85% | 11 | — | Approved |
| Apple Podcasts | 10 | 27 | 27% | 5 | — | — |
| Pocket CastsThis page | 9 | 2 | 82% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
10 of the 12 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“All I care about is my favourite podcast app”
“I'm a fan of PocketCasts as my podcast app on Android.”
“it's a perfect app I use every day”
“You'll notice the ads because they won't be in English. This happens to me on Pocket Casts every time I travel.”
“I don't want it to be a monthly SaaS, I guess was my point.”
“it didn't have the ability to easily add an RSS feed URL locally without submitting it to their index”
“the podcast app I typically use (PocketCasts) is really good”
“I've had absolutely zero problems using Pocket Casts to add custom Patreon feeds”
“I tried Pocketcasts. It's what helped make up my rant above.”
“I use Pocketcasts and I'm very happy with it.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.