# Playapod vs Orb.net

The clearest difference is update cadence: Orb.net at every 2 weeks against Playapod's every 3 months. Playapod's advantage is ratings volume (620 vs 35) and review sentiment (79% vs 64%). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Playapod against 4.6 for Orb.net. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Playapod has 620 ratings behind it against 35, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 79% of Playapod's written reviews are positive against 64% of Orb.net's.

Playapod ships an update every 3 months, Orb.net every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Playapod | Orb.net |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (620 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/playapod/id1246857049/reviews)** | [4.6 (35 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/orbnet/id6477840170/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **620** | 35 |
| Positive reviews | **79.2% of reviews** | 64.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 25 MB | 38 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [TMSOFT](https://appshunter.io/developer/288669797) | [Orb Forge Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1730784564) |

## What reviewers say

### Playapod

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/playapod/id1246857049)

Listen to podcasts with advanced features like cross-platform syncing, precise episode tracking, and offline playback. Bookmark favorite moments, enjoy video and text-to-speech content, and organize your listening with custom playlists and filters. It's a free, ad-free experience designed for dedicated podcast enthusiasts.

**Highlights:** Cross-platform device syncing, Second-by-second episode tracking, Time-coded bookmarking, Video and text-to-speech playback, Offline listening, Custom playlists and filters, CarPlay integration

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Honest and caring app
- 🚀 Works perfectly on iOS
- 🚀 Plays both video and audio podcasts
- 🚀 Easily share podcast clips
- 👍 Fantastic individual settings

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Issues with video podcast downloads
- 🐛 Podcast playback issues (pausing, resuming, background playback)
- 🐛 Inconsistent episode marking as played
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 🐛 Syncing issues and data loss

**Reported bugs**

- Podcast downloads failing or timing out
- Playlist issues (not playing next episode, losing queue)
- Episodes marked as played before finishing
- Inconsistent behavior on different devices and platforms
- Data loss when device is turned off

**Requested features**

- Volume boost and normalization
- Silence skip feature
- Ability to reorder individual playlists
- Video podcast playback support
- Diagnostics and troubleshooting tools


### Orb.net

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/orbnet/id6477840170)

This free platform continuously measures your internet connection's responsiveness, reliability, and speed. It provides easy-to-understand scores and detailed technical information for users who want to understand their true internet experience.

**Highlights:** Measures internet responsiveness, Measures internet reliability, Measures internet speed, Continuous lightweight tests, Easy-to-understand scores, Technical details for advanced users

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Good network insights
- 💡 Helpful for working from home

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Doesn't run in the background
- 🐛 Inaccurate speed test results
- 🐛 High system overhead

**Reported bugs**

- Console opens on desktop every time
- Slow performance

**Requested features**

- Apple TV app
- PlayStation app
- Background mode


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Playapod free?

Playapod is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Orb.net free?

Orb.net is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Playapod or Orb.net?

Playapod is rated higher. Playapod averages 4.7 out of 5 from 620 ratings, while Orb.net averages 4.6 from 35 ratings.

### Do Playapod or Orb.net have ads?

Neither Playapod nor Orb.net shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Playapod or Orb.net?

Playapod ships an update every 3 months, and Orb.net every 2 weeks. Most recently, Playapod was updated on October 6, 2026 and Orb.net on October 9, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*