 Podcasts. The shows you listen to say a lot about us. From Serial and This American Life to The Nerdist, WTF, and Savage Love. If you've got time to listen, be it for the commute to work or to make your gym workout go by a little bit faster, there's a podcast for you. But how you listen makes all the difference when it comes to enjoying podcasts as a whole. The simple truth is that Apple's built-in app just isn't very good, and Android doesn't even come with its own Podcast app. Good Podcast apps make it easy to find new shows, keep track of every episode, and make listening effortless. Thankfully, the App Store and Google Play have you covered. If you've got an iPhone or iPad, the best Podcast app is Overcast. Overcast has a clean, straightforward design that's easy to use, but more importantly, it's got some really nice features that focus on listening. Smart Speed gets rid of silent moments and dead air in your podcasts, and that cuts down on the overall playback time more than you'd expect. And if you're the type who likes listening to shows sped up, Overcast has the most natural-sounding results. And Voice Boost normalizes the volume on both ends of a podcast, so no one you hear is going to be too loud or too quiet. Overcast also has a basic web version if you absolutely have to catch that latest episode, and it lets you pick up where you left off on your phone. The one downside to Overcast is you can't stream shows on the fly. Every episode has to be downloaded in advance. There are other apps, Downcast or Castro, that do offer streaming, but you won't find it with Overcast. You could argue that Castro has a bold, more colorful design, but Overcast still has the best package of features and simplicity. On Android, the best podcast app is Pocket Casts. It's a full feature, the powerful player, that makes it dead simple to find new shows, set up automatic downloads, or make a playlist of shows you haven't heard yet. Pocket Casts is also available on iOS, and it syncs podcasts across Android and iOS. So if you have two phones, or say, an Android phone and an iPad, it's probably your best option. But the standout feature of Pocket Casts is definitely its design. The app looks great, it's got fluid animations, and it changes colors based on your podcast's artwork. Overcast may pack in more features, but Pocket Casts is way nicer to look at. Just like on iOS, there are more options. Podkicker, Dogcatcher, and Podcast Addict all do the job, but none have quite the same appeal as Pocket Casts. If you want the best Android podcast app, it's Pocket Casts. So do yourself a favor and stop listening to Apple's Podcasts app, or searching Google Play for the best way to listen to Wait Wait Don't Tell Me. Overcast and Pocket Casts are the two best podcast apps out there, and best of all, they make it fun to find new shows that are worth listening to.
 Podcasts. The shows you listen to say a lot about us.
 From Serial and This American Life to The Nerdist, WTF, and Savage Love.
 If you've got time to listen, be it for the commute to work or to make your gym workout go by a little bit faster,
 there's a podcast for you.
 But how you listen makes all the difference when it comes to enjoying podcasts as a whole.
 The simple truth is that Apple's built-in app just isn't very good,
 and Android doesn't even come with its own Podcast app.
 Good Podcast apps make it easy to find new shows, keep track of every episode, and make listening effortless.
 Thankfully, the App Store and Google Play have you covered.
 If you've got an iPhone or iPad, the best Podcast app is Overcast.
 Overcast has a clean, straightforward design that's easy to use,
 but more importantly, it's got some really nice features that focus on listening.
 Smart Speed gets rid of silent moments and dead air in your podcasts,
 and that cuts down on the overall playback time more than you'd expect.
 And if you're the type who likes listening to shows sped up,
 Overcast has the most natural-sounding results.
 And Voice Boost normalizes the volume on both ends of a podcast,
 so no one you hear is going to be too loud or too quiet.
 Overcast also has a basic web version if you absolutely have to catch that latest episode,
 and it lets you pick up where you left off on your phone.
 The one downside to Overcast is you can't stream shows on the fly.
 Every episode has to be downloaded in advance.
 There are other apps, Downcast or Castro, that do offer streaming, but you won't find it with Overcast.
 You could argue that Castro has a bold, more colorful design,
 but Overcast still has the best package of features and simplicity.
 On Android, the best podcast app is Pocket Casts.
 It's a full feature, the powerful player, that makes it dead simple to find new shows,
 set up automatic downloads, or make a playlist of shows you haven't heard yet.
 Pocket Casts is also available on iOS, and it syncs podcasts across Android and iOS.
 So if you have two phones, or say, an Android phone and an iPad, it's probably your best option.
 But the standout feature of Pocket Casts is definitely its design.
 The app looks great, it's got fluid animations, and it changes colors based on your podcast's artwork.
 Overcast may pack in more features, but Pocket Casts is way nicer to look at.
 Just like on iOS, there are more options.
 Podkicker, Dogcatcher, and Podcast Addict all do the job, but none have quite the same appeal as Pocket Casts.
 If you want the best Android podcast app, it's Pocket Casts.
 So do yourself a favor and stop listening to Apple's Podcasts app,
 or searching Google Play for the best way to listen to Wait Wait Don't Tell Me.
 Overcast and Pocket Casts are the two best podcast apps out there,
 and best of all, they make it fun to find new shows that are worth listening to.