Review of Podcast-Listening Apps

As a podcast host, I’ll notice that sometimes the hyperlinks in the shownotes (which I put extra effort into) won’t always come through, depending on the app the listener is using. That being said, I’ve put together some pros and cons of each platform I personally have downloaded. If you use one of the 5 not listed below, please let me know what your platform offers and doesn’t.

Anchor

Offers 3 listening speeds (normal, fast, and faster)

Cons:

• Not all of my precious hyperlinks go through (which is odd considering this is the platform I use to edit and distribute my episodes)

• No way of rating a podcast (although this is necessarily a disadvantage to listeners)

Pros:

• (This could be a big differentiator!) Can scroll down in episode details to see different segments and thus skip directly to different parts of the interview/episode.

• Can click “Voice message” to easily send message directly to me (the podcast host) for me to possibly add to a future podcast episode as listener mail (if that’s what you intend)

Apple Podcasts

Offers 4 listening speeds (1/2, 1, 1-1/2, 2)

Pros:

• All of my hyperlinks in the shownotes work

• Can rate and review show

IHeart Radio

Offers 5 listening speeds (.5, 1, 1.25, 1.5, 2)

Cons:

• No way of rating podcast

Pros:

• All of my hyperlinks in the shownotes work

Spotify

Offers 10 listening options (.5, .8, 1, 1.2, 1.5, 1.8, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5)

Cons:

• No way of rating podcast

Pros:

• All of my hyperlinks in the shownotes work

Vurbl (website)

Offers 7 listening speeds (.5, .75, 1, 1.25, 1.5, 1.75, 2)

Cons:

• No way of rating podcast

• Not all of my hyperlinks in the shownotes work