Castbox Review | Android Podcast Listening App

iPhone users are lucky – along with their smartphone of choice comes, arguably, the most popular podcasting app in the world. Yes, that’s right. The almighty iTunes.

Despite the fact it wants to me to install a new version almost every time I load the darn thing on my laptop, it’s admittedly a powerful tool indeed.

However if, like me, you have an android smartphone, then iTunes is of course unavailable to you.

This leaves us non-Apple users to deliberate over a wealth of podcasting apps available to us. But which one should we choose?

I recently went looking for one that suited my needs, and I found Castbox. So, here’s my Castbox review for your most excellent reading pleasure.

SPOILER ALERT: I think it’s great!

PS. If you’re here just trying to figure out how it all works, you can find our full ‘How to Listen to a Podcast’ guide here.

So What Does Castbox Offer me

Podcasts

At the last count, Castbox offered over 340,000 free podcasts, covering as many different genres as you’d expect.

Arts, Business, Drama, Spirituality, Health & Fitness, Science & Medicine, you name it, there’s a podcast talking about it.

Radio Stations

Modern podcast fans may wonder why anyone still needs radio these days, but the fact is that people still like to hear what’s going on in the world.

Radio can deliver news and commentary in real-time, and local stations have the advantage of real potential connectivity with their audiences.

I’m an avid podcast listener but I still listen to local and national radio every time I’m in the car, and I’m not alone.

That’s why Castbox offers over 60,000 radio stations, both online and FM.

Again, the genres are massively diverse, from contemporary news to pop compilations.

Other Castbox Features

Playlists and Subscription

Simple enough. Choose your podcasts and line them up to be either streamed or played from your phone if you’ve already downloaded them.

You can set your playlist to play continuously which allows you to carry on doing what you’re doing, whether it’s drive, jog, relax in the bath or do the housework – all without interruption.

Subscribing on Castbox is easy. Just click the icon next to the podcast title to subscribe and/or download.

Widgets

This is something not every app has going for it – convenient widgets that allow you to control playback, as well as adjust the play speed.

Great if you want to listen to something in a hurry, or simply to get back to your place if you want to hear something again.

What are the Alternatives to Castbox?

Yes, of course, there are a bunch of alternatives, from the always-popular Pocket Casts, to the power-user friendly BeyondPod.

You can find a full list of the podcast listening apps we recommend here.

And remember, if you want to upgrade your listening experience in another way, a good set of headphones are a great option!

You wont believe the difference it makes when you shift up from your default smartphone earbuds to a nice set of AKGs. Check out our favourite headphones for podcast listening here.

Of course, if you can get enough of podcasting, you can always join us at Podcraft Academy. There. you’ll find plenty of courses, downloadable resources, and live Q&A sessions to provide all the podcasting knowledge you could ever want.