# Podcasts vs Castria

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Podcasts at none against Castria's 2. On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Castria sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Podcasts asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Podcasts against 5.0 for Castria. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 2 respectively.

Podcasts ships an update fortnightly, Castria weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Podcasts | Castria |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/podcasts-app/id1604019625/reviews) | [5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/castria/id6773306883/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **2** |
| Positive reviews | — | 66.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Size | 28 MB | 49 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Andreas Maier](https://appshunter.io/developer/454364359) | [Extroverted Developer, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/879103427) |

## What reviewers say

### Podcasts

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/podcasts-app/id1604019625)

Discover and enjoy your favorite audio shows with a clean, distraction-free interface. Browse top charts, search for any podcast, and subscribe to keep them organized. Download episodes for offline listening and enjoy background playback.

**Highlights:** Top charts discovery, Powerful search functionality, Podcast subscriptions, Offline episode downloads, Background playback, Clean design

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Castria

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/castria/id6773306883)

This podcast app automatically removes ads, sponsor reads, and commercial breaks from episodes. It also offers AI-powered summaries, searchable transcripts, and chapter navigation for a seamless listening experience. Enjoy offline playback and cross-device syncing for free.

**Highlights:** Automatic ad skipping, AI episode summaries, Searchable transcripts, Tap-to-jump topics, Offline downloads, Cross-device syncing

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Castria Premium Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Castria Premium Yearly | $44.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Podcasts free?

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

### Is Castria free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Podcasts or Castria?

Podcasts and Castria are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 2 ratings respectively.

### Do Podcasts or Castria have ads?

Neither Podcasts nor Castria shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Podcasts or Castria?

Podcasts ships an update fortnightly, and Castria weekly. Most recently, Podcasts was updated on October 24, 2026 and Castria on October 28, 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.*