Which one is better in the battle between Google Podcasts and Apple Podcasts?
Whoever owns an iPhone most probably listens to Apple Podcasts daily. Or that was the case before Google announced that its Google Podcasts would be made available on the iPhone.
And if there is something we all know, it is that Google develops some of the finest third-party iOS apps. And they are available for free.
Because many of you Apple users will want to stay faithful to Apple Podcasts, we are not going to ask you to give Google Podcasts a shot. At least, not before you read this article in which we will compare the two podcast apps.
Before we dig right into the subject, we want to mention right away that we were greatly impressed by Google Podcasts.
And yet, whether they were that good to convince us to drop Apple Podcasts once and for all, you are about to find out below.
So, keep on reading to get a glimpse of the best podcast apps with our Google Podcasts vs Apple Podcasts detailed comparison.
User Interface
Same as all the other Google apps, Google Podcasts (see also ‘Google Podcast Vs. Spotify‘) were created using the Material Design visual language.
Not only does this make it visually appealing, but it also allows the app to include a large number of features without crowding the UI (user interface).
The buttons and menu items are also responding great and there is no delay in loading times.
Moreover, the Google Podcasts app is very simple to navigate thanks to its three main options at the bottom of the screen. You can choose Home, Explore, or Activity. Simple as that.
“Home” displays all your channel subscriptions and their new episodes.
“Explore” makes new shows and searching options for things like exclusive content easily accessible, while “Activity” and its sub-option make it easy to manage subscribed channels, the playing order, the podcasts you have downloaded, playing history, etc.
On the contrary, the typefaces, symbols, and thumbnails in Apple Podcasts appear to be enormous.
If you go to the ” Browse” and “Library” tabs, you’ll have to scroll and dive into the menu a lot before finding what you need. Simply put, this can be too confusing for many people.
As you can tell, Google Podcasts is the winner in this category.
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Finding New Podcast Apps
Apple Podcasts is not good at assisting users to find podcasts, old and new. It does display some recommended titles, such as exclusive podcasts, and podcast categories but trying to scroll and wade through those massive thumbnail images quickly becomes irritating.
This is also true when you are looking for a certain show, your favorite podcasts, or exclusive episodes, as you need to be very specific in order for the app to find exactly what you were looking for.
Google Podcasts has a “For You” sub-tab in the “Explore” section where you can find a curated podcast library that are recommended for you.
The app’s algorithm provides you with things that are similar to what you have already listened to, and there is also another option at the top of the app for different podcast categories you can easily access.
Does your listening history include news podcasts or are you a fan of the scientific-educational ones? Your favorite podcasts are all there, under the right category!
Google Podcasts’ search functions also far outperform those of Apple Podcasts. Google’s specialty is exploring shows… and it goes to show. It does a great job of generating useful results and recommendations instantly.
Again, Google Podcasts is the best podcast app in this category!
Grow your podcast using the Fusebox Podcast player, developed by Pat Flynn and his SPI team.
Maximize your show’s exposure today!
Playback Options
Google Podcasts has 3 options under each one of the episodes that allow you to play, queue, or start downloading the episode you have opened at that moment for offline listening.
On Apple Podcasts, tapping on your favorite podcast episodes makes them play instantly. Therefore, if you want to queue or download an episode, it is not as simple as it will be with Google Podcasts.
And if you want to see more information about a new episode, like its notes or size, that can be easily done by tapping anywhere else on your iPhone’s screen.
Regarding the actual playback options, on Apple Podcasts, you can skip episodes (or parts of it) both by going backward and forward.
There’s also a seek bar, as well as some speed customization options, which gives you a decent amount of control over your listening history on Apple Podcasts.
A quick look and you can see that the playback display in Google Podcasts (see also our comparison of Stitcher and Google Podcasts) appears to be identical to Apple Podcasts. However, upon closer inspection, several functions bring more value and make it different from Apple Podcasts (see also ‘Stitcher Vs Apple Podcasts‘).
If you click on the playback speed symbol, for instance, you can even adjust the minutes instead of relying on the preset podcast player settings.
Moreover, Trim Silence is a feature in Google Podcasts that strips away pauses and inconsistencies from the podcast you are listening to. The best part is that you can get a customizable sleep timer too.
All these functions are pretty cool and make Google Podcasts the best podcast app for the third time in a row.
ALSO SEE: How To Create Google Podcast
Multi-Device Access
Apple Podcasts are deeply embedded in the Apple ecosystem. It’s compatible with multiple devices IOS devices such as Apple Watch, iPad, Apple TV, and Mac, allowing users to play podcasts from all their Apple devices.
Of course, as you can imagine, Apple Podcasts are not available on any Android devices and Windows devices.
Because of their cross-platform accessibility, Google apps frequently win the battle in scenarios like this one. However, this is not the case with Google Podcasts.
Apart from the iPhones, Google Podcasts is only compatible with Android users as a standalone free app. And that’s pretty much it.
Google Podcasts is available as a web application too, so you can play any episode from a PC or Mac. However, its setup looks nothing like the one on the iPhone, so you’ll most probably be disheartened by the experience.
So, when it comes to multi-device availability, Apple Podcasts app is much better than Google Podcasts.
The Bottom Line: Google Podcasts Vs Apple Podcasts
We have a clear winner here on which is the best podcast app, and that is Google Podcasts. While Apple Podcasts is compatible with all IOS devices, something that Google Podcasts fails at, the latter is way more user-friendly and better at navigating and using.
So, give it a try and let us know what you think!
