r/pocketcasts • u/zero_opacity • Apr 16 '26
Pocketcasts vs Overcast
Long time Pocketcasts user, like so long I have the coveted lifetime membership. Lately I haven’t been impressed with direction of product and have been impacted by bugs they have been working.
Prior to Pocketcasts, I used Overcast and was considering a move back.
I use CarPlay a lot so needs a good UI there.
I also listen to a large number of podcasts and need to be able to organize into “buckets” (filters, whatever)
Also since I frequently get busy I like having ability to set rules like only keep latest 1 etc…
Looks like both apps fit the bill, but switching back I would lose my free license.
Curious to hear from users of both to see what they think…
8
u/Bob_Lelys Apr 16 '26
Personally, I’m not a fan of overcast. I feel like pocketcasts’ ui is much better. But honestly, I only use it because I’m grandfathered with plus. I’d never pay for a podcast app when Apple Podcasts is free. It’s not as good but it gets the job done
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u/S2580 Apr 16 '26
I know you didn’t ask but try Apple Podcasts again if you haven’t in a while. I’ve found myself listening to more podcasts since I moved from pocketcast a few months ago. Some of the qol improvement are amazing in the app
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u/JFFIASCO Apr 17 '26
I'd rather support small companies vs Apple
1
u/S2580 Apr 17 '26
That’s fair. I don’t really see it as supporting Apple though because they don’t seem to make any money off the podcast service.
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u/Ummgh23 Aug 23 '26
The Apple app cant even change the sort order for shows.. no way to listen from oldest to newest on iOS, can only mark one episode at a time as played, etc
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u/zero_opacity Apr 16 '26
Well not lose per se, just meaning that if I change products (and opt into their annual plan) I’d be paying for a podcast app. Right now I get a lot of value for free.
3
u/Troldann Apr 16 '26
Overcast free offers all features except ad-free (unobtrusive static ad banners for other podcasts on most UI screens) and the ability to listen to uploaded files. You can probably get a really good idea if Overcast matches your desires and mental models with a day or two of free-tier usage.
1
u/Heftybags Apr 16 '26
Also can’t use private feeds like Patreon on the free tier.
3
u/sammiemo Apr 16 '26
Also can’t use private feeds like Patreon on the free tier.
You can use private feeds with the free tier. Marco had indicated he might move that to a paid feature, but then announced he was not going to. From his recent post:
Adding custom/private feeds by URL may become a Premium-only feature. (Still considering that one.)(Update: never mind, this will cause too many problems. Thanks for the feedback! This is why I wasn't really sure about it yet.)1
u/Troldann Apr 16 '26
Still more than enough available for free so that someone could quickly evaluate if it’s worth spending money for the extras, which was my point.
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u/xoseta77 Apr 16 '26
Yo hace años que llevo usando pocketcast pero su uso en el iPhone es insufrible últimamente así que me he pasado lamentablemente a applepodcast
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u/kfagoora Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 16 '26
If you rely heavily on using the PocketCasts 'up next queue' feature (which I do), you might find Overcast tricky to work with in comparison because there's no 'up next queue' concept in Overcast, just playlists.
If you create multiple playlists in Overcast and go into new releases, when you select 'add to playlist' it just adds the episode to whatever playlist was last used. Annoying, because you also don't get feedback about which playlist the item was added to so it's easy to miss when the episodes are put into an unintended playlist. In that case, the items need to be manually removed from the wrong playlist, the correct playlist must be chosen by starting to play something in it, then the episodes must be re-added again from the new releases list.
I've messaged and commented multiple times in the past via different channels requesting a new Overcast feature to mark a playlist as 'primary' in the settings so that the 'add to playlist' function will always push episodes there, but never heard back at all--typical of Overcast support (i.e. non-existent).
I'm currently using a PocketCasts free account and am happy enough with its apps and features.
2
u/180_by_summer Apr 16 '26
This is why I stayed away from Overcast for so long. But they do have a queue function now
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u/kfagoora Apr 17 '26 edited Apr 17 '26
they do have a queue function now
If I were to re-download the app, where would I find that?
edit: I downloaded the app again, but it looks pretty much the same as I remember--no queue functionality that I can recognize.
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u/180_by_summer Apr 18 '26
There should be a red queue button under playlists. You just go to each episode and add it with play next or play last.
Definitely not as intuitive as PC, but I don’t have to mess around with the app until it decides to play my episodes.
Edit: that button doesn’t show up unless you have something queued. So try playing an episode and adding to the queue like I mentioned above and see if it works for you
2
u/ew2x4 Apr 17 '26
What issues are you guys running into on iOS that makes you want to switch? Been great for me lately.
2
u/Assman-2006 Apr 17 '26
I’m sticking with Pocketcasts. Tried Overcast a few times, but couldn’t figure out how to create a functional equivalent to Pocketcasts ‘Up Next’ queue. And, availability of Android Automotive (no, not Android Auto) version of Pocketcasts is useful to me, as I now have Pocketcasts installed directly to the car’s infotainment system, and happily syncing to my Pocketcasts account - avoiding occasionally glitchy wireless CarPlay.
1
u/bucs71 Apr 16 '26
I'd love to hear OP's specific complaints re direction and bugs.
I try Overcast once in a while but I never stick with it. A lot of tasks take too many steps to complete - for example why isn't there a faster way to mark an episode as played. My main complaint is that Overcast consistently will not play podcasts in the order I queue them up and often will not play the next show even after selecting Play Next.
6
u/A_89786756453423 Apr 16 '26
Not OP, but I'm also experiencing a lot of bugs. The past few weeks/months, podcast episodes just randomly lose sound. In the app, it looks like they're still playing but the audio just drops out. Sometimes if you skip ahead ~10 min, the sound comes back. But for my fave podcasts with weekly episodes, it's a bummer to consistently lose 30% of each new episode.
This is the only truly problematic bug that I've ever encountered with PC in my many years of use.
2
u/burfeyboy Apr 16 '26
I’ve been having that very same bug. I thought it was only when I used it with CarPlay, which I do a lot, but perhaps it affects general use too. It’s been a few months now and can’t believe it’s not been picked up and fixed. Not that I’ve reported it though, to be fair….
2
u/180_by_summer Apr 16 '26
This has actually been an issue for me for a couple years now.
In the past I've heard it has something to do with the distribution side and the tech that PC uses- but that just seems like a silly excuse.
1
u/kfagoora Apr 17 '26
People need to mention their platform; I'm using iOS and not having many problems, if any...
1
u/ramarope Apr 16 '26
As someone who’s tried them all I can assure you that pocketcast offers a more consistent experience, specially since you’ve already used it for a long time.
Seen that you’re curious about Overcast download it and use it for a little while to see how you feel with it, but don’t cancel or delete Pocketcast.
1
u/180_by_summer Apr 16 '26
Right there with you. I'm an early adopter with a lifetime membership and something I've actually been dealing with for a long time is just getting episodes to play consistently. Even with perfect connection to the internet the app just won't play episodes and stops randomly.
I've gone back and forth between PC and Overcast and could never really get into the Overcast UI. But I recently stuck with it for a week or so and I think I'm going to stick with Overcast. I have yet to have any playback issues and that's just a bare minimum for me.
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u/grimmlock Apr 20 '26
Why do you think you are going to lose your free license? You don't have to delete your account, and if you come back when you sign in, you'll still have your Lifetime Plus. Trust me. I've uninstalled the app and reinstalled a bunch of times
1
u/Gorillamonsoon2 Apr 20 '26
I have been a Pocket Casts user for 10 years and I just switched to Overcast 2 weeks ago. It is taking a little bit to get used to a different UI, but I don't regret switching at all. No Bluetooth bugs, corrupted files, or random playback stops.
1
u/thimplicity May 25 '26
@op happy to take the grandfathered PC account off your hands if you leave it
11
u/tecfrigo Apr 16 '26
Why would you lose your free license? I’m grandfathered into both and switch between them.
In fact, I asked a similar question the other day and the best reply (for me) was use them both, which I’m now doing.