While you can always listen to the podcast on your web browser, having a dedicated podcast app on your Mac comes with its own perks such as better UI, offline downloads, bookmark manager, and much more. But which podcast app is best for Mac? Let’s find out.
Best Podcast Apps for Mac
1. Apple Podcasts
Best for: Seamless Switching between Apple devices
Starting with the native app for the Apple Ecosystem. Apple Podcasts is the app to get if you constantly switch between your Apple devices. You get native control integration that allows you to seamlessly adjust the volume, play pause the podcast with the keyboard shortcuts. Apple Podcasts also lets you save the Podcasts for offline listening.
On the flip side, it’s available on macOS Catalina and above. However, you can still subscribe and listen to podcasts with iTunes on older macOS. Apple Podcasts is free and it comes bundled with the operating system. Just search “podcasts” in Spotlight search.
2. Spotify
Best For: Spotify Exclusives
The only reason to listen to Podcasts with the Spotify app is for its exclusives. As Joe Rogan has signed an exclusive deal with Spotify, it is pretty evident that it is going to be a trend in the future. If you already have a Spotify subscription then you might as well listen to podcasts on that app.
You can discover new podcasts by genre or search your favorite with the search bar. The podcasts play just like the music player and you can control it in a similar way. However, if you don’t have a premium subscription then you can’t download the podcasts on the Mac app. The Spotify app is free on the App Store.
Install Spotify (free, subscription)
3. Mame Cast
Best For: Podcasts with Subtitles
Mame Cast is a decent podcast app that checks all the basic boxes. It lets you search for podcasts from within the app, it lets you subscribe by entering a URL or importing an OPML file which most podcast apps do. The player is clean and simple, the controls are well placed, and it lets you download the podcasts. However, the key feature is the transcription mode that uses macOS’ internal speech recognition system to generate subtitles for your podcast.
The app is free on the App Store but the transcription feature is locked behind an in-app purchase which you can unlock for $9.99.
Install Mame Cast (free, in-app purchases)
4. Mimir
Best For: Customizing every aspect of the podcast app
Mimir is a feature-packed podcast app that allows you to customize your podcast listening experience with the plethora of features this app offers. It offers a genre-based recommendation of podcasts that you might like based on your subscriptions and makes playback really simple. Just drag and drop a podcast tile to start playing, and it even chooses another podcast for you so that the playback doesn’t stop. The app also has features such as automatic silence snip which none of the above apps offer.
Mimir is a subscription-based app that offers a lot of nifty features if you’re an avid podcast user and the subscription would cost you around $2.99/mo. You also get a 14-day free trial to test the waters.
Install Mimir (free trial, subscription)
5. PocketCasts
Best for: Existing Pocket Casts Subscribers
Pocket Casts is one of the most popular podcast apps for smartphones. It offers a ton of features and intuitive features that make the subscription worth it. While you can listen to any podcast for free on the smartphone app, the mac app only works with Pocket Casts Plus which is a paid subscription.
The features include Standalone Apple Watch playback, cloud storage for personal podcasts, desktop app, and themes. Pocket Casts subscription costs around $1.17/mo.
Install PocketCasts ($1.17/mo)
6. PodcastMenu
Best for: Listening to Podcasts from the Menu Bar
The Menu Bar on the macOS is a really convenient place to put your app as it instantly becomes more accessible and doesn’t take a lot of space on the screen. PodcastMenu is an unofficial Overcast port for macOS. As Overcast is not officially available on the macOS, it makes sense to use this app for its sheer ingenuity.
The app sits on the Menu Bar and offers all the features of Overcast, you just need to log in with your app credentials to start using the app. The features include a sleep timer, voice boost, smart speed, etc.
If you like the Overcast app on your smartphone, you’d like it on your macOS as well. PodcastMenu is free but you may have to pay for an Overcast premium on the App Store for all the features.
Install PodcastMenu (free)
7. Downcast
Best for: Premium Podcast features without a subscription
Downcast is another well-known podcast app that is available for mac, officially. It offers different playback speeds ranging from 0.5x to 3x, chapters support, and an auto-download option. You can always create and edit smart playlists with podcasts and the even has support for password-protected podcasts. The app also offers seamless sync between iOS devices using iCloud.
However, the only reason I’ve included the app on this list is that it doesn’t implement a subscription model and charges a flat fee for the app, $5.
Install Downcast( $5)
Best Podcast App for Mac
These were a few of the best podcast apps that you can get for your mac computer. Do keep in mind, that each of the apps offers something unique apart from the standard features such as offline playback, playback speed, etc. Which app do you like the most? Let me know in the comments below.
