# Podcast Guru vs Wave Reader

The clearest difference is price: Podcast Guru at Free against Wave Reader's $0.99. Podcast Guru also leads on iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.6). Wave Reader's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 months). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Podcast Guru is free to download; Wave Reader costs $0.99 up front. Podcast Guru sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $12.99 per year. Wave Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

Podcast Guru ships an update every 2 months, Wave Reader every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Podcast Guru | Wave Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $0.99 |
| Rating | **[4.7 (280 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/podcast-guru-app-and-player/id1535235039/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **280** | — |
| Positive reviews | 84.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Size | 79 MB | 21 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 18.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Really Bad Apps LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1421866111) | [Bartos Martin Gwozdz](https://appshunter.io/developer/1874400025) |

## What reviewers say

### Podcast Guru

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/podcast-guru-app-and-player/id1535235039)

This app offers a beautiful and intuitive podcast listening experience with advanced features like cloud backups and cross-platform support. It integrates deeply with Podchaser for enhanced content discovery and supports the latest Podcasting 2.0 standards.

**Highlights:** Real-time cloud backups, Full Podchaser integration, Podcasting 2.0 support (transcripts, chapters), Offline support with auto-downloads, Video podcast support, Cross-platform sync (iOS)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Siri integration, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| VIP status | $12.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Smooth performance
- 💡 Supports Podcasting 2.0 features
- 🎨 Visually appealing design
- 🔍 Comprehensive podcast search

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
- 📢 Ads included in some podcasts
- 🔍 Limited search functionality within subscribed podcasts
- 🖥️ Lack of native iPad support
- 🔇 Issues with playback controls (skipping, scrubbing)

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on startup for some users
- Podcast downloads not working reliably
- Playback issues causing episodes to skip or rewind unexpectedly

**Requested features**

- Add option to limit number of episodes stored for each podcast
- Improve search capabilities to search within podcast episodes
- Implement native iPad support for better tablet experience
- Enhance playback controls for seamless scrubbing and skipping


### Wave Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wave-reader/id6758680022)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Podcast Guru free?

Podcast Guru 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 Guru or Wave Reader have ads?

Neither Podcast Guru nor Wave Reader shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Podcast Guru or Wave Reader?

Podcast Guru ships an update every 2 months, and Wave Reader every 4 days. Most recently, Podcast Guru was updated on October 24, 2026 and Wave Reader on October 25, 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.*