Comparison

Podcast Player vs Wave Reader

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Podcast Player

A modern, configurable podcast player with a simple interface. Easily queue episodes, download them for offline listening, and discover new shows. An optional subscription unlocks additional features.

Highlights
  • Episode queuing and rearranging
  • Offline podcast downloads
  • Automatic download and queue actions
  • Podcast search and discovery
  • Highly configurable interface
Features
Read full description

An elegant podcast player designed for convenience. Arvocast is a modern, highly configurable audio podcast player with many useful features in a simple, intuitive interface: - Queue episodes and rearrange the list whenever you want. - Download podcasts for playing anytime, even when offline, and set up automatic actions to download and add episodes to the queue. - Search for and discover new podcasts. Find full terms of use at https://armchairengineering.com/terms, and our privacy policy at https://armchairengineering.com/privacy-policy.

About

Wave Reader

This app provides a focused RSS reading experience without algorithmic feeds or ads. It delivers full articles, customizable reading themes, and offline access, keeping your data private and on your device.

Highlights
  • Ad-free reading experience
  • Full article delivery
  • Customizable reading themes and fonts
  • Offline reading capabilities
  • Private, local-first data storage
  • iCloud sync across Apple devices
Read full description

Wave – Reading, the way it should be. Wave is an RSS reader for people who want to read with intention again. No infinite feed, no ads, no algorithm deciding for you. You follow the sources that matter to you – Wave delivers them calmly, quickly, and beautifully. Reading comes first The reading mode is the heart of Wave. Full articles instead of truncated previews – even when a feed only offers a teaser, Wave fetches the complete text and formats it cleanly. Images, tables, videos, and quotes appear exactly where they belong. A full-bleed, distraction-free reading space puts the words front and center. Tuned to you Six reading themes (from light through sepia to night mode) and six font families let you shape the page the way your eyes like it. Dynamic Type and VoiceOver are fully supported. Your data stays yours Wave is built local-first. Your articles and reading progress stay on your device – never uploaded to someone else's cloud. Your feeds and folders sync privately across your Apple devices via iCloud. No selling accounts, no tracking, no profiles. Organization that keeps up Sort your subscriptions into folders, keep an eye on what's unread, and keep reading offline – once loaded, an article is always there for you. Native to Apple Wave feels like a real part of your iPhone: modern system design, fluid gestures, sign in with Apple or just start as a guest. Download Wave and give reading its place back.

Screenshots

Podcast Player4 screens
Wave Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Wave Reader at 100% against Podcast Player's 43%. Wave Reader also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 weeks). Podcast Player's advantage is price (Free vs $0.99) and iOS requirement (16.1 vs 18.6). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Podcast Player is free to download; Wave Reader costs $0.99 up front. Podcast Player sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.49 per 7 days. Wave Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Podcast Player ships an update every 3 weeks, Wave Reader every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Podcast Player versus Wave Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPodcast PlayerWave Reader
PriceFree — better$0.99
Rating3.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews42.9% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.1 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB21 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperArmchair EngineeringBartos Martin Gwozdz

Customer experience

Podcast Player

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive42.9%
Neutral14.3%
Negative42.9%

Wave Reader

Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Podcast Player

Subscriptions2
  • Arvocast Plus7 Days trial$0.497 Days
  • Arvocast Plus$12.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Subscription$49.99
None

Wave Reader

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Podcast Player free?
Podcast Player is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Wave Reader free?
Wave Reader costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Podcast Player or Wave Reader have ads?
Neither Podcast Player nor Wave Reader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Podcast Player or Wave Reader?
Podcast Player ships an update every 3 weeks, and Wave Reader every 4 days. Most recently, Podcast Player was updated on September 29, 2026 and Wave Reader on October 17, 2026.

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