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Player FM — Podcast App
Independent podcast player with a 20-million-show catalogue, episode-level search and cloud sync.
Get the app
Opens the official store page
- Developer
- Maple Media Apps, LLC
- Score
- 4.7
- Downloads
- 1K+ ratings
- Age
- Rated 17+
- Version
- 5.3.0
- Price
- Free
Screenshots
About this app
An independent podcast player with a human-curated catalogue of more than 20 million shows, including audiobooks, documentaries and video podcasts. The search works at episode level, which helps when you remember a topic but not the show. Episodes download for offline listening and subscriptions sync between phone and tablet through a cloud account. Shows can be grouped into categories by genre or mood, there's a sleep timer, a choice of colour themes including dark, and picture-in-picture for video podcasts. A Premium tier adds Space Saver compression for downloads, playlists with timestamped bookmarks, a theme editor, Turbo Fetch for earlier feed updates, Apple Watch playback controls, iPad layouts, custom app icons and a sleep-sounds section, and removes ads. The free version carries ads.
Player FM — Podcast App: the full guide
What the app is
Independent and human-curated, this podcast player's catalogue runs past 20 million shows, audiobooks, documentaries and video podcasts included. Search reaches down to individual episodes, so a half-remembered topic can be found without knowing which show covered it.
Episodes can be kept offline, and a cloud account carries subscriptions between phone and tablet. Shows group by genre or mood, there is a sleep timer, colour themes with a dark option, and a floating window for video. Premium adds Space Saver compression, bookmarks with timestamps, a theme editor, Turbo Fetch that refreshes feeds sooner, Apple Watch controls, iPad layouts, custom icons and sleep sounds, and drops the ads.
How it works day to day
New episodes arrive overnight and download on Wi-Fi. The morning walk is a queue of two or three, with the sleep timer reserved for the evening one that never gets finished. A friend mentions an interview and the episode-level search finds it from the guest's name.
On a tablet the same subscriptions are waiting, synced through the account. Video podcasts play in a floating window while something else is open. Premium users bookmark timestamps for the bits they want to send to someone, and the compression keeps the download folder small.
Why people look for it
People leave the default podcast app looking for better search and organisation, and episode-level search is the specific feature that gets Player FM found. The independent status appeals to listeners who want a player not tied to a platform's own shows. The free tier with ads is enough for many.
Look and feel
Podcast apps are lists of artwork and episode descriptions, and the five screenshots probably show a discovery feed, a show page, the player and the theme options. The colour themes and the Premium theme editor mean the look is more adjustable than most, which is unusual in this category.
