Take your podcast listening up a notch with Overcast [50 Essential iOS Apps #9]

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Overcast offers a simple interface and great features. It's the best podcast app around.
Overcast offers a simple interface and great features.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

50 Essential iOS Apps: Overcast best podcast app Podcasts are a great way to stay informed and entertained, or just to pass time. The number of podcasts is booming, and if you listen efficiently you can hear even more of them.

With the Overcast podcast app for iOS, you get a great podcast listening experience along with some awesome time-saving features.

What is Overcast?

Overcast is a free, third-party podcast app for iPhone and iPad (and technically, the web). Designed around making listening to podcasts easy and enjoyable, Overcast is all about quality and speed.

Why it’s great

Two features of Overcast make it superior for listening to podcasts. The first is Voice Boost, which helps to normalize and boost the volume of podcasts, which are often quieter than other audio content.

The second feature, called Smart Speed, is actually a pair of features that revolve around speed. Most podcast apps offer speed adjustments from slower than normal to somewhere around double speed (2x), with stops at 100 percent (1x) and 150 percent (1.5x). With Overcast, a single speed slower than 1x is available, and 5 stops between 1x and 2x allow for more fine-grained speed adjustments.

Overcast Smart Speed can speed up podcasts, saving you valuable listening time.
Smart Speed can save you time when listening to podcasts.
Screenshots: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

Overcast’s Smart Speed features adds another layer to listening efficiency. When enabled, the app will automatically speed through silent stretches to save you time. What may seem like a trivial amount of time saved can truly add up in a matter of weeks or months.

Who Overcast is for

Anyone that enjoys listening to podcasts, but finds there’s just not enough time in the day (or the week) to listen to all their favorites will love Overcast. Additionally, anyone that prefers to use playlists to organize their listening will like Overcast’s playlist and smart playlist features.

Overcast: The best podcast app

If you love podcasts, and want to up your listening game, you need to try Overcast. With support for all the best podcast player features, and its own little bag of tricks, Overcast is the perfect way to take your listening experience to 11. It’s the best podcast app out there.

Price: Free

Download from: App Store

See more of our 50 Essential iOS Apps

Want more essential iOS app reviews? Check out our ongoing series, 50 Essential iOS Apps.

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