Podcasts are a fantastic way to keep up to date with local news, sports, business, technology, and any other special interests. There is a dizzying array of podcasts out there that cater to every interest. But which Android apps are the best to use for listening to them? This short guide will provide a list of the best podcast players of 2022:

1. Pocket Casts
2. PodBean
3. Google Podcasts
4. AntennaPod
5. Spotify

Pocket Casts

Don’t let the simplicity of the interface fool you, Pocket Casts is fully featured. It is multiplatform, so you can sync your podcast listening positions across devices from different operating systems. It has variable speed from 0.5x to 3.0x, silence trimming to reduce the length of a podcast, and volume boost. It has extensive search capabilities, searching down to the episode that you want, or searching by a specific mood or purpose. Best of all, all of this comes free.

PodBean

PodBean is a free, feature-rich podcast player that pairs with Amazon’s Alexa. It has Intelligent Speed which remembers the speed at which you play particular podcasts, as well as silence trimming to reduce unnecessary podcast length. There is also a volume boost in case your podcast is too quiet, or if the ambient noise is too loud. The variable playback speed can be set from 0.5x to 3x. It can also listen to live podcasts in real-time, and even let you record your own podcasts (audio only).

Google Podcasts

This is a great default option if one doesn’t want to do research or doesn’t need the best and most advanced features. It features a remarkably simple interface and the ability to listen to podcasts without first having to subscribe. There is variable playback speed control ranging from 0.5x to 3.0x with silence trimming to shorten podcast length. It also comes with intelligent recommendations based on your listening and search behavior.

AntennaPod

While the rest of this list is backed by large companies or those that have been in the market for a while, AntennaPod is a community open-source option that does not involve any monetary transactions or sign-ups. It is nearly fully-featured, with playback speed ranging from 0.5x to 4x, silence trimming, episode-level search, favoriting, and sleep functionality. The interface is clean and simple while giving you a lot of control over the app.

Spotify

Spotify is a music player app that recently included podcasts. While not feature-rich, it can be a one-stop shop for your listening needs. It features variable playback speed from 0.5x to 3.5x and a sleep function. There aren’t intelligent podcast recommendations as with Google Podcast, but it does provide a curated podcast list. Spotify also has some podcast exclusives.