Player FM review

Player FM is a long-running independent player that leans on search and curation. Its library covers more than 20 million free podcasts and is updated several times a day, and its episode-level search finds specific topics or guests inside shows rather than just show titles. Categories by genre and mood help with browsing, and the human-curated catalog also surfaces free audiobooks, documentaries and video podcasts, which play in picture in picture. The free app includes offline listening, cloud sync, dark themes and a sleep timer. Premium removes ads and adds Space Saver, which compresses downloads, for example a 100 MB file to around 30 MB, plus playlists, bookmarks, a theme editor, Turbo Fetch for faster updates and Apple Watch support. The App Store lists many Premium products at different prices without clear billing periods, so the price is marked as pending. Audio processing and queue tools are simpler than in Overcast, Castro or Pocket Casts.

Who it is for

Listeners who want episode-level search and curated categories across devices.

Price

See vendor pricing (USD check pending); free app, optional Premium with several App Store options.

US price check pending. See the vendor pricing page.

Key features

• Search across more than 20 million free podcasts at the episode level
• Offline listening and cloud sync
• Podcast categories by genre and mood
• Picture in picture for video podcasts
• Premium adds Space Saver compression, playlists and bookmarks

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Episode-level search finds topics inside shows
• Strength: Free tier includes offline listening and sync
• Strength: Space Saver can shrink downloads to save storage
• Weakness: Premium is sold under many App Store products, so the price is unclear
• Weakness: Ads in the free version
• Weakness: Fewer audio tools than Overcast or Castro

Key facts

• Catalog: 20+ million free podcasts
• Free plan: Yes
• Platforms: iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Android
• Premium extras: Space Saver, ad-free, playlists, bookmarks, Turbo Fetch
• Developer: Maple Media Apps, LLC

Where it ranks

Player FM is No. 10 in our Best Podcast Apps verdict.