Overcast vs. Apple Podcasts
Image of the Apple Podcasts and Overcasts icons on my homescreen.
The recent overhaul of the popular podcast app, Overcast, has sparked discussions among podcast enthusiasts. I wanted to share my thoughts on how Apple Podcasts compares to Overcast. Believe it or not, Apple Podcasts has improved tremendously over the years and is now a strong competitor to third-party apps. I particularly enjoy its visual design, which I prefer over other podcast apps. However, it can be a bit confusing at times, especially regarding its queue management. This has become one of the significant downsides for users who heavily rely on their queues.
I want to clarify from the start that I previously wrote about the new Reeder by Silvio Rizzi, highlighting how I could consolidate all my content into one inbox, including podcasts. However, I’ve encountered some inconveniences, as the app is still in its early stages. Even though I love it, there are a few minor adjustments I need to see before fully integrating my podcasts. For instance, there are currently no download options, and I can’t skip forward or backward using external devices like my AirPods, which is a disappointment.
That said, I’m hopeful that Silvio will address these issues in future updates, allowing me to incorporate everything into the app seamlessly.
In the meantime, I’ve been exploring both Apple Podcasts and Overcast, as I believe these two apps are the best fit for me. I hope to provide you with more clarity on these options, as I know many people are deciding between them.
Why You Should Choose Apple Podcasts
If you’re fully immersed in the Apple ecosystem—using a Mac, iPhone, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and iPad—Apple Podcasts is a great choice. Its sync is fast and reliable, and it performs well across all platforms, whether you’re using it on your TV, in the car, or on your watch.
Disadvantages Compared to Overcast
One disadvantage of Apple Podcasts is that it doesn’t sync your queue between devices, which has led me to abandon that feature. Instead, I rely on the Saved feature, which syncs all my episodes.
Speaking of queue management, Apple Podcasts’ way of handling the queue, or Up Next as they call it, could use improvement. There are essentially three different queues: one for manually adding shows by selecting Play next or add to queue, another automatically generated Up Next queue based on your listening history, and the Saved feature for episodes you want to listen to later. While the Saved feature allows you to jump between episodes without worrying about them disappearing, the queue system can be frustrating. If you start playing a new episode while another one is active, the active episode disappears and is not added to your queue, which is how most other podcast players handle this situation.
Recommendations
Apple Podcasts’ recommendations are top-notch, and with the new OS releases for 2024, they are taking your listening history into account, making them even better. If you value recommendations, Apple Podcasts is the way to go.
Transcripts
Apple Podcasts’ transcript feature is truly impressive. They are automatically generated, even if the show itself doesn’t provide one. This feature is especially useful for quickly searching for specific topics in a lengthy episode that doesn’t have chapters. You can easily copy the transcript and paste it into your preferred LLM, such as ChatGPT, for summarization.
Simplicity
While I enjoy a customizable experience in third-party apps, there’s something appealing about having fewer choices to make and just focusing on listening. As someone who tends to overthink even the smallest details, this simplicity can be a relief. Customizing apps can sometimes distract from actually enjoying your shows.
Why Overcast May Be Your Preferred Choice
Overcast offers both a free and a paid version, which I believe costs around $9 a year—quite reasonable compared to other third-party apps. The free version provides a nearly full experience, with just a small ad at the bottom of the audio player, which I find unobtrusive.
If you opt for the paid subscription, you can customize the app icon, upload files for playback, and disable ads.
Audio Engine and Sound Quality
While it may not be a top priority for casual users, Overcast’s features like trimming silences and voice boosting significantly enhance audio clarity. Many users, including myself, believe Overcast provides the best sound quality in the market. If you listen to a lot of podcasts and rely on them for your primary media consumption, these features are invaluable. Even when I increase playback speed, the voices remain clear and easy to follow, a point where I sometimes struggle with Apple Podcasts.
Customization
Overcast strikes a good balance in terms of customization. It offers a well-organized settings page with useful options without overwhelming users with choices. You can adjust the home view and accent colors, along with other technical features that enhance usability.
Per-Podcast Settings
A standout feature of Overcast is the ability to set specific settings for individual podcasts. For instance, you can program it to skip the first few seconds of a podcast episode, which is particularly helpful if a show has a lengthy intro filled with ads.
Proper Queue Management
Despite some user complaints following the app’s redesign, Overcast’s queue system has improved significantly and most bugs have been resolved. It essentially functions as another playlist, allowing for better management than Apple Podcasts. You can reorder episodes in your queue as you like, providing a more personalized listening experience.
Clip Sharing
Overcast also includes a neat clip-sharing feature, enabling users to create sound clips from episodes along with artwork and links back to the episode for sharing online or with friends. While I haven’t used this feature extensively, I know many people find it valuable. A workaround for Apple Podcasts could involve tapping the transcripts icon and recording your screen, which can sometimes yield a more efficient solution as it captures the spoken words in context.
Conclusion
These are the key considerations I’ve weighed when deciding between these two apps. To be honest, I still toggle between Apple Podcasts and Overcast, but I tend to prefer Overcast for its richer features and overall better experience—especially if you have a vast library of shows you follow and aren’t seeking new ones at the moment.
Both apps have their advantages, and it ultimately comes down to which features are most important to you. Additionally, using a few third-party apps you enjoy can provide inspiration and insight into user experience design, benefiting both your learning and your enjoyment of podcasts. Apple’s apps aren’t perfect, and exploring alternatives can be a rewarding experience.