Verdict
Castro's Inbox triage and simple design win people over, but a wave of reviews describe crashes, slowdowns, and stalled playback, plus anger over a recent price hike after an ownership change.
Best for
Someone who wants a clean, low-friction way to triage a big pile of podcast subscriptions and doesn't mind paying more if they want sync and extra features.
Dealbreaker
Multiple reviewers report crashes, freezing, and slowdowns getting worse over time, and a subscription price increase followed a change in ownership.
The facts.
Pulled from the App Store, not written by hand. unverified
Price
Free
In-app purchases
Unknown
Ads
Unknown
Platforms
iPhone, iPad
Rating
4.6★ (9,198)
Version
2026.7.2
Last updated
Sep 24, 2026
Released
Aug 15, 2016
Attributes
Native app
Category
News, Entertainment
What reviews consistently say.
Themes grouped from 200 App Store reviews. Source feed ›
Praised for
Subscription pricing and paywalls24 reviews
Ease of use and design16 reviews
Sync and multi-device6 reviews
Import and export5 reviews
Battery and performance3 reviews
Complained about
Subscription pricing and paywalls15 reviews
Crashes and stability9 reviews
Customer support6 reviews
Battery and performance6 reviews
Misses some ads3 reviews
Import and export3 reviews
Bugs after updates2 reviews
Where this comes from
24 of 200 recent reviews raised: Subscription pricing and paywallsApp Store reviews ›
16 of 200 recent reviews raised: Ease of use and designApp Store reviews ›
9 of 200 recent reviews raised: Crashes and stabilityApp Store reviews ›
6 of 200 recent reviews raised: Sync and multi-deviceApp Store reviews ›
6 of 200 recent reviews raised: Customer supportApp Store reviews ›
6 of 200 recent reviews raised: Battery and performanceApp Store reviews ›
5 of 200 recent reviews raised: Import and exportApp Store reviews ›
Listed at Free on the App StoreApp Store listing ›
Where we recommend it
The best podcast players ›Podcast apps that are well rated and still maintained, with the reason you might not want each.
Alternatives with the same rule.
Every app here is rated 4.2 or better, has been updated in the last eighteen months, and has no significant number of reviewers reporting it broken. Price is not the rule on this list — some are free, some are not. Also with a catch.
Free · 4.9★ (200,746) · Updated Oct 12, 2026
Verdict. Castbox has a loyal following but the reviews show real friction: crashes after recent updates, ads showing up even for paying subscribers, and playlist/download behavior that doesn't work as expected.
Best for. Someone who wants a free podcast app with a wide catalog and doesn't mind occasional stability hiccups or in-app ads.
Dealbreaker. Multiple reviewers report crashes and freezing after recent updates, and some paying subscribers still see ads.
Free · 4.7★ (6,801) · Updated Oct 26, 2026
Verdict. Studio for Podcast is easy to use for recording and publishing across platforms, but the paid tiers and subscription costs frustrate a meaningful slice of users, including complaints about upload glitches even on paid plans.
Best for. Someone just starting a podcast on their phone who wants a simple all-in-one recorder and distribution tool, and doesn't mind eventually hitting a paywall as their show grows.
Dealbreaker. Multiple reviewers say the monthly subscription is expensive relative to what it delivers, and some report losing episodes or hitting upload bugs even while paying for it.
Free · 4.7★ (4,680) · Updated May 29, 2026
Verdict. Player FM's cross-device sync is genuinely liked, but a chunk of reviewers report sync errors that wiped their libraries and account data, plus recurring crashes and paywall complaints from paying subscribers.
Best for. Someone who listens across phone and web and wants their place saved automatically, and who keeps a backup of their subscription list in case sync goes wrong.
Dealbreaker. Multiple reviewers report sync errors deleting their entire podcast library and account data, with no export option to protect against it.