Alternatives to
9 Best Google Podcasts Alternatives in 2026
The best Google Podcasts alternatives depend on whether you prioritize cost, control, or a different workflow.
- Reviewed
- Sep 2026
- Open source
- 1
- Self-hosted
- 0
What you are leaving
Google Podcasts at a glance
- Status
- Retired in 2024; podcasts.google.com now redirects listeners to YouTube Music
- Pricing model
- Was completely free; no longer available
- Deployment
- Web, Android and iOS (all discontinued)
- Open source
- No - proprietary Google product
- Self-host
- No
- Free tier
- No - the service no longer exists
- Category
- Podcasts
- Data export
- Google offered a migration path into YouTube Music before shutdown
- Official successor
- YouTube Music
- Migration
- Subscriptions could be moved to YouTube Music
Compare at a glance
Google Podcasts alternatives compared
Short facts side by side. Filter by what matters to your team, then open any row for the full decision brief.
| # | Product | Overlap | Substitutability | Free? | Starting price | Self-host | Open source | Migration | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | YouTube Music | Podcast subscriptions and playback | Mostly replaces | Yes | — | No | No | Easy | |
| 02 | Pocket Casts | Podcast subscriptions, playback and discovery | Full replacement | Yes | — | No | No | Moderate | |
| 03 | Spotify | Podcast subscriptions and playback | Mostly replaces | Yes | — | No | No | Moderate | |
| 04 | Apple Podcasts | Podcast subscriptions and playback | Mostly replaces | Yes | — | No | No | Moderate | |
| 05 | AntennaPod | Podcast subscriptions, downloads and playback | Mostly replaces | Yes | — | No | Yes | Moderate | |
| 06 | Overcast | Podcast subscriptions and playback | Mostly replaces | Yes | — | No | No | Moderate | |
| 07 | Castbox | Podcast subscriptions, discovery and playback | Partial replacement | Yes | — | No | No | Moderate | |
| 08 | Podcast Addict | Podcast subscriptions, downloads and playback | Partial replacement | Yes | — | No | No | Moderate | |
| 09 | Player FM | Podcast subscriptions and playback | Partial replacement | Yes | — | No | No | Moderate |
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Frequently asked
Google Podcasts alternatives FAQ
- Is Google Podcasts shutting down?
- Yes, and it has already shut down. Google retired Google Podcasts in 2024 and moved podcast listening into YouTube Music. Visiting podcasts.google.com now shows a message that Google Podcasts is no longer available and directs listeners to the YouTube Music app.
- Can I move my Google Podcasts subscriptions to YouTube Music?
- Google built a migration path into YouTube Music so listeners could carry their shows across before the shutdown. If you did not migrate in time, your Google Podcasts library is no longer accessible, but you can still find most shows by searching for them in YouTube Music or any other podcast app.
- What is the best Google Podcasts alternative?
- YouTube Music is the official destination Google chose, so it is the closest replacement if you want to stay in Google's ecosystem. Pocket Casts and Overcast are the strongest dedicated podcast apps for people who want better playback controls and queue management, and AntennaPod is the best free open source option on Android.
- Is there a free Google Podcasts alternative?
- Yes. Pocket Casts is now free, AntennaPod is free and open source, Apple Podcasts is free on Apple devices, and Castbox and Podcast Addict have free tiers. YouTube Music and Spotify both have free tiers with ads, and paid tiers remove ads and add downloads.
- What should I check when replacing Google Podcasts?
- Check whether you want a dedicated podcast app or a music app that also carries podcasts, because YouTube Music and Spotify mix podcasts with music while Pocket Casts and Overcast focus on podcasts only. Then look at playback features such as variable speed, silence trimming, queue management and offline downloads, since these varied a lot between Google Podcasts and its replacements.
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Editorial method
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