# Podverse vs Castos

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Podverse at 68% against Castos's 24%. Podverse also leads on rating (4.8 vs 2.8) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 2 months). Castos's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Podverse sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Castos asks for nothing beyond the download.

Podverse holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Podverse has 1.9K ratings behind it against 43, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 68% of Podverse's written reviews are positive against 24% of Castos's.

Podverse ships an update every 10 days, Castos every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Podverse | Castos |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (1.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/podverse/id1390888454/reviews)** | [2.8 (43 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/castos/id1555924824/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.9K** | 43 |
| Positive reviews | **68.1% of reviews** | 24.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 10 days** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 18 MB | 50 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Podverse LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1423995912) | [Castos](https://appshunter.io/developer/1555924826) |

## What reviewers say

### Podverse

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/podverse/id1390888454)

This app allows users to discover, subscribe to, and play podcasts, including video and live streams. It offers advanced features like V4V support, chapter integration, and cross-app commenting. Premium features enable seamless syncing across devices and content creation tools.

**Highlights:** CarPlay support, Subscribe and auto-download episodes, Video and livestream playback, Podcasting 2.0 features (chapters, transcripts, comments), Value-for-value (V4V) support, Create and share podcast clips, Cross-device sync for subscriptions and queues

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 year of Podverse Premium | $17.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent app with great features
- 👍 User-friendly interface
- 🔒 Supports Podcasting 2.0 protocol
- 💡 Innovative features like clipping and sharing
- 🎨 Beautiful and modern design

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or bugs
- ⏱️ Slow to load or update episodes
- 🔍 Search function not working well
- 🤔 Some features locked behind paywall

**Reported bugs**

- Disappearing downloaded episodes
- Inconsistent episode tracking and progress
- Crashes on startup for some users

**Requested features**

- Ability to sync playback progress across devices
- Automatic episode deletion after listening
- More customization options
- Improved Bluetooth/CarPlay integration


### Castos

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/castos/id1555924824)

Access all your invited private podcasts in one unified app. Stream company updates, course content, or community information without managing multiple RSS feeds. Enjoy a secure, streamlined listening experience with easy login and playback controls.

**Highlights:** Unified private podcast access, Magic Link login, Customizable playback speed, Skip forward/backward controls, View episode show notes, Streaming only (no downloads)

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Podverse free?

Podverse is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Castos free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Podverse or Castos?

Podverse is rated higher. Podverse averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.9K ratings, while Castos averages 2.8 from 43 ratings.

### Do Podverse or Castos have ads?

Neither Podverse nor Castos shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Podverse or Castos?

Podverse ships an update every 10 days, and Castos every 2 months. Most recently, Podverse was updated on October 21, 2026 and Castos on October 14, 2026.

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