Is Pocket Casts better than Castro?

Pocket Casts ranks higher in our list of podcast apps (#3 against #6, score 85.0 against 81.0). Castro is best for: iPhone listeners who manage many shows with a queue. Pocket Casts is best for: free cross-platform listening with RSS feeds.

Which is cheaper, Castro or Pocket Casts?

Castro: Free app; Castro Plus subscription at $24.99 a year. Pocket Casts: Free app with in-app purchases.

Do Castro and Pocket Casts run on the same platforms?

Castro supports iOS. Pocket Casts supports iOS, iPadOS, Android, Web.

Castro vs Pocket Casts: Which Is Better? (2026)

81.0
Editorial score
85.0
1
Platforms
4
Yes
Free to use
Yes
No
Open source
Yes

Which should you choose?

Choose Castro if you want

iPhone listeners who manage many shows with a queue.

An iPhone podcast app with one shared queue, auto-queue for favorite shows, episode limits for frequent publishers and custom playback speeds. Castro Plus at $24.99 a year adds advanced playback, and the app is iPhone-only.

Choose Pocket Casts if you want

Free cross-platform listening with RSS feeds.

A free podcast player for iPhone, iPad, Android and the web, with curated recommendations and private RSS feed support. Its app code is published under MPL-2.0, and its paid extras are in-app purchases.

The main differences

Only Pocket Casts runs on Android.
Only Pocket Casts runs on Web.
Pocket Casts is open source; Castro is not.

Side by side

	Castro	Pocket Casts
Score	81.0	85.0
Rank in list	#6 of 10	#3 of 10
Price	Free plan, paid upgradesFree app; Castro Plus subscription at $24.99 a year	Free plan, paid upgradesFree app with in-app purchases
Free to use	Yes	Yes
Open source	No	Yes
Platforms	iOSiOS	iOS, iPadOSAndroidWebiOS, iPadOS, Android, Web
Made by	Not stated	Automattic, Inc.
Any RSS feed	Yes	Yes
Best for	iPhone listeners who manage many shows with a queue	Free cross-platform listening with RSS feeds
Strengths	Queue and auto-queue for favorite shows Episode limits for frequent publishers	Free app with search and curated recommendations Adds private and paid RSS feeds by pasting the URL App code published under MPL-2.0
Limits	iPhone only, per the site Advanced playback needs Castro Plus	Extras are sold as in-app purchases Only the app code is published; the service behind it is not described
Links	Visit site	Visit site

Questions about Castro vs Pocket Casts

Is Pocket Casts better than Castro?: Pocket Casts ranks higher in our list of podcast apps (#3 against #6, score 85.0 against 81.0). Castro is best for: iPhone listeners who manage many shows with a queue. Pocket Casts is best for: free cross-platform listening with RSS feeds.
Which is cheaper, Castro or Pocket Casts?: Castro: Free app; Castro Plus subscription at $24.99 a year. Pocket Casts: Free app with in-app purchases.
Do Castro and Pocket Casts run on the same platforms?: Castro supports iOS. Pocket Casts supports iOS, iPadOS, Android, Web.