Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Apple Podcasts vs Audible

Apple Podcasts 4.9★ · Free + IAP 40
Winner Audible
Audible 4.9★ · Free + IAP 75

Audible is the better choice for dedicated audiobook listening due to its robust library and generally stable performance, while Apple Podcasts struggles with core functionality and a poor user experience.

Full reviews: Apple Podcasts · Audible

Audible provides a strong audiobook experience with a vast library and overall user satisfaction, despite some complaints about pricing and customer support. Apple Podcasts, while free, is plagued by persistent bugs, poor search functionality, and a frustrating user interface that detracts significantly from the listening experience.

Head to head

Content & Discovery edge: AudibleR1R3R4R8
Apple Podcasts Apple Podcasts users appreciate the availability of various podcasts, with some finding it helpful for language learning R8. However, many users criticize its poor search functionality, making it difficult to find specific episodes or discover new shows beyond the 'Top Shows' R1R3R4. There are also complaints about unwanted recommendations being forced upon users .
Audible Audible is praised for its extensive library of audiobooks and personalized recommendations that often suit user preferences . Users enjoy a wide variety of stories and find specific titles to be engaging and informative . However, some users find the app's store navigation difficult and note that sale links often lead to the website instead of the app .
Ease of Use & Interface edge: AudibleR7R9R12R19
Apple Podcasts Apple Podcasts users report a generally poor and confusing interface R7. Issues include difficulty controlling the queue R12, icons moving around , and settings getting reset R9. Many find the app slow and clunky, especially after updates R19.
Audible Audible is generally considered easy to use . However, some users find their library organization messy and confusing, especially with read or deleted books reappearing . Recent updates have made the app painfully slow for some, particularly when loading libraries .
Reliability & Performance edge: AudibleR5R6R9R15
Apple Podcasts Apple Podcasts is plagued by numerous bugs and performance issues. Users report episodes not playing R9, restarting from the beginning R16, unexpected speed changes R5, and frequent crashes . Download functionality is often broken or inconsistent R6R15R24. The app is also reported to drain battery and cause phones to overheat .
Audible Audible generally performs well, with users appreciating fixes for previous bugs . However, some users experience slow performance, especially after updates . The sync function is criticized for being slow and unavoidable . There are also reports of listening stats not updating correctly, particularly when using CarPlay .
Features edge: AudibleR7R9R12R18
Apple Podcasts Apple Podcasts is criticized for lacking basic features found in other free podcast apps R7. Users desire better queue management R12, a history feature R18, and the ability to play episodes in order R7. The recent addition of video is seen as detrimental, causing glitches and removing other features like transcripts . Parental controls are also problematic, blocking clean episodes if one explicit episode exists R9.
Audible Audible offers personalized recommendations and a vast library . Users wish the app had the same features as the web, such as exchanging books . Some users report issues with audio volume, making books hard to hear even with max volume and headphones .
Price & Value edge: Apple PodcastsR8R22R59R69
Apple Podcasts Apple Podcasts is free, which is appreciated by some users R8. However, the app is heavily criticized for excessive and aggressive commercials, leading some to consider deleting the app rather than paying for an ad-free experience R22R59.
Audible Audible is perceived as expensive, with users noting high prices for books and podcasts R69. A significant point of contention is that books obtained with monthly credits are not kept if the subscription is canceled R69R75. Some users report being overcharged or having issues with credits not being applied .
Customer Support tieR7R31R61R76
Apple Podcasts Reviews for Apple Podcasts do not directly mention customer support, but the widespread and long-standing nature of bugs suggests a lack of effective developer response R7R31.
Audible Audible's customer support is a major pain point for users. New customers struggle to get useful help, citing a lack of human interaction and unsophisticated automated support R61. Users report issues with troubleshooting menus and the app crashing when trying to access chat support R76. There are also instances of billing issues, like being overcharged after cancellation, requiring phone calls to resolve .
Pick Apple Podcasts if

Pick Apple Podcasts if you need a free, basic podcast player and are willing to tolerate significant bugs, a clunky interface, and frequent ads, especially if you are already deeply integrated into the Apple ecosystem R8.

Pick Audible if

Pick Audible if you are a dedicated audiobook listener who values a vast library, personalized recommendations, and generally stable performance, and are willing to pay for a subscription despite concerns about pricing and customer support .

Evidence note: Apple Podcasts reviews are heavily skewed towards negative experiences, particularly regarding bugs and missing features, despite its high lifetime rating. Many positive reviews are very brief or refer to specific podcast content rather than the app itself. Audible's negative reviews often focus on pricing and customer service, while positive reviews frequently praise specific books and the overall listening experience.

Frequently asked

Is Apple Podcasts reliable for daily listening?
No, Apple Podcasts is frequently reported to be unreliable for daily listening due to numerous bugs such as episodes not playing, restarting unexpectedly, inconsistent downloads, and frequent app crashes R9R16R24R31.
Does Audible let you keep books after canceling a subscription?
No, Audible users report that once your subscription ends, you will be denied access to library content on your device, even if it was paid for or obtained using a free subscription token R69R75.
Are there many ads on Apple Podcasts?
Yes, Apple Podcasts is criticized for having excessive and aggressive commercials, with some users reporting 3-4 minute ads every 15-20 minutes, which significantly detracts from the listening experience R22R59.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 110 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R1] Apple Podcasts 1/5 · US Worst app ever made by Apple: Just try doing a search / it’s the biggest piece of trash you could ever imagine. It is absolutely unfathomable how something that is used by so many people can be so unbelievably useless for things like search. Literally everybody who worked on this app should be fired.
  2. [R3] Apple Podcasts 3/5 · US Love podcasts but this app is the bare minimum: The app itself could offer a far superior experience. They seem to only offer up Top Shows. Those are the easiest to find. Seems like it needs an overhaul so people can find shows they’ll like more easily.
  3. [R4] Apple Podcasts 1/5 · US Can’t search for episodes: I can’t search any episodes for shows in this app. So if my favorite show had a topic or guest years ago, the only way to find that old one is to scroll and scroll and scroll. Crazy such a feature is missing.
  4. [R8] Apple Podcasts 5/5 · US Language development: This is the most helpful app that I’ve ever used for improving my English skills! Now i see myself using this app everyday. Is there any way to get rid of this addiction? Haha Please keep this app FREE!
  5. [R7] Apple Podcasts 1/5 · US Do apple devs use this app?: This app lacks so many features other apps offer on their free tier. It makes it so confusing to listen to one podcast with only the unlistened episodes in any order new to old or old to new, it jumps to different podcasts when I want to listen a specific podcast episode after episode, it replays episodes I have already played…. I feel with a little bit of interest and
  6. [R9] Apple Podcasts 3/5 · US Has a few issues…: Podcasts have a tendency to not play on occasion, and on any kind of parental control/restricted mode, you can’t even listen to the clean episodes of a podcast if it has ONE explicit episode. Oof. You should at least be able to listen to the clean episodes. Also, the interface is pretty buggy, my settings for podcasts keep getting reset, especially the ones that dictate what e
  7. [R12] Apple Podcasts 3/5 · US Can’t control the queue: Is no one noticing that you can’t drag and drop the order of shows in the queue? You have to remove everything and then re-add in the order you want. I always end up ending this and then going to another device.
  8. [R19] Apple Podcasts 1/5 · US slow garbage: so slow to just switch between pages and shows on this - they broke something, junk
  9. [R5] Apple Podcasts 4/5 · US Great but…: This app works great. I’ve been using it for a long time but recently it’s had this glitch where without me touching anything it starts speeding up first two times speed then four then eight then 16 etc., and the only way to stop it is to manually delete and reinstall the app
  10. [R6] Apple Podcasts 3/5 · US Used to be better: Quit making changes! I use this app a lot. But now if I select one show from a podcast to download it leaves the podcast showing in my downloaded podcasts even though none are downloaded. I get tired of deleting and reloading the app.
  11. [R15] Apple Podcasts 3/5 · US Good organization/ bad download functionality: Non-explicit episodes labeled explicit for unclear reasons. An entire program went from played to unplayed inexplicably. The automatic download setting is somewhat broken… at the very least it is inconsistent. And the automatic play It’s generally a good app otherwise, but these are core functions that it fails at..
  12. [R18] Apple Podcasts 3/5 · US Needs a History Feature: Overall not the worst app. For the most part it works, although transcripts sometimes get lost during and after ads, where spoken words do not match what the transcript is saying. The user interface is okay, although a bit clunky at times. I would highly suggest they add some sort of history feature, because if I’ve added a number of episodes to my queue and then accidenta
  13. [R22] Apple Podcasts 2/5 · US Commercial, commercials, and commercials.: It's been a while since I listened to a podcast on my iPhone using the Apple Podcasts app, and I honestly can’t take it anymore. The commercials crammed into a single podcast are beyond excessive. It completely ruins my listening experience. At what point does enough become enough? Does every app have to squeeze every possible dollar out of its users?
  14. [R59] Apple Podcasts 1/5 · US The amount of adds is disgusting.: 3-4 minute adds every 15-20 minutes. It doesn’t push me to pay for any type of add free subscription, it pushes me to delete the app and never use it again. The adds are more aggressive then YouTube, Netflix or any other streaming service.
  15. [R69] Audible 2/5 · GB Too expensive: Im a artist and I love painting while listening. To stories however in recent years thd price for books and podcasts have skyrocketed. I use the student discount for a monthly subscription which gives me a credit for one book a month. This is crazy considering you don’t even get to keep said book if you cancel your subscription! I’d boycott audible entirely if I didn’t enjoy reading
  16. [R31] Apple Podcasts 2/5 · US This app has become incredibly buggy.: For over a year this app has become more and more buggy, and as of writing this review it appears to be in the worst state ever. The app has become unresponsive and unusable. Transcripts are unusable and podcasts constantly fail to load. It's not being addressed.
  17. [R61] Audible 1/5 · GB Brand new customer.: To say that I’m a brand new customer and already I’m tearing my hair out. You. Simply. Cannot. Get. Through. To. Any. Useful. Help. I was trying to let them know there is a problem with the app. I was trying to actually spend money with them but since they no longer have any human interaction involved anywhere and any automated help is unsophisticated and nonsensical. They hav
  18. [R76] Audible 4/5 · GB Good but there’s issues: It’s alright until you have a problem. Had a query about missing credits, trouble shooting menu is long but I read through and it didn’t answer my question, tried to select the option that best matches my question then the app crashes. Go through it again and try the ‘chat now’ again the app crashes.
  19. [R16] Apple Podcasts 1/5 · US Video issues: The playback experience has become incredibly frustrating. If I pause a podcast and come back later, it often restarts from the beginning instead of resuming where I left off, causing me to lose my place. On top of that, there are times when commercial audio plays over the podcast audio at the same time, making it impossible to listen. These issues happen frequently and have made the
  20. [R24] Apple Podcasts 3/5 · US Frequent Download Bugs: Every few days the app just refuses to download podcasts. They will begin the process but then can’t get past about 15%. Extremely irritating.
  21. [R75] Audible 1/5 · GB Access to download content denied.: Use to be a great app. Really enjoyed listening to my downloaded content. Once your subscription ends you will be denied access to library content on your device, whether it is paid for or obtained using your free subscription token.

Synthesized from 110 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store