Downcast

Downcast’s impressive feature list and customizability has made it a favorite among podcast aficionados and, conversely, likely scared off some newbies. While it’s true that Downcast can appear intimidating at first blush, the key to loving it is to focus on the important features (i.e., the features you foresee using regularly) and setting aside the other features for tackling at a later date. Once you’ve gotten the basics down (e.g., autodownloading on or off, mark new episodes for streaming or downloading, etc.) you can dive into the more advanced options, such as importing or exporting feeds, sending media files to Dropbox, marking podcasts for “priority play,” playlists, and podcast-specific settings. Downcast’s most impressive attribute, however, can’t be found in the settings menu. Instead, it's the fact that it is a universal app with iCloud syncing (of subscriptions, episodes, playlists, and settings) that works surprisingly well. Thus, for no additional cost, you can start listening to a podcast on your iPhone and finish it on your iPad without a hitch (provided you’ve turned on syncing in the settings app). The current version of Downcast can take a long time to open (especially if you have a lot of podcasts), but the developer is reportedly working on fixing this issue. Once they do that, Downcast’s only real flaw will be its lack of a comprehensive tutorial for new users, although information is available on the website. Downcast also stands out from the pack for the ease with which it implements features such as viewing show notes without switching apps; finding, importing, exporting, or adding podcasts; playback control via headphones; and marking individual episodes of podcasts for streaming or downloading without subscribing to them. If you’re on the fence about paying for an app that performs the same function as a free, Apple-built app, rest assured that Downcast offers far more functionality than iTunes or Podcasts, and is arguably underpriced for its features.