# Instapaper vs Overcast Podcast App

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Overcast Podcast App at 48K against Instapaper's 3.5K. Overcast Podcast App also leads on chart position (#46 vs #141) and iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Instapaper sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Overcast Podcast App sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Instapaper against 4.5 for Overcast Podcast App. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Overcast Podcast App has 48K ratings behind it against 3.5K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 64% and 65% positive.

Instapaper ships an update every 2 weeks, Overcast Podcast App fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 30, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Instapaper | Overcast Podcast App |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (3.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/instapaper/id288545208/reviews)** | [4.5 (48K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/overcast-podcast-app/id888422857/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 3.5K | **48K** |
| Positive reviews | 64.1% of reviews | **64.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #141 | **#46** |
| Size | 50 MB | 57 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **18.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Instant Paper, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/284942716) | [Overcast Radio, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/888422860) |

## What reviewers say

### Instapaper

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/instapaper/id288545208)

**Currently charting:** #141 Top Grossing · News, #147 Top Free · News (US App Store)

Save articles from the web for later reading, with a clean, clutter-free experience. Access your saved content offline, anywhere, anytime. Features include text-to-speech narration and customizable reading options.

**Highlights:** Save web articles for offline reading, Clutter-free reading experience, Text-to-speech narration, Customizable fonts and themes, Highlighting and note-taking, Article organization with folders

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Instapaper Premium | $5.99 | per month |
| Instapaper Premium | $59.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Efficient reading experience
- 👍 Clean, minimalist design
- 💡 Useful features like highlighting and notes
- 🚀 Seamless integration with various platforms
- 👍 Reliable and stable app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and crashes
- 🔒 Concerns about data privacy and GDPR compliance
- 💰 Subscription price increase
- 🔍 Unreliable search functionality
- 🚫 Inability to delete account

**Reported bugs**

- Speak feature freezes on most articles
- Pagination issues causing text to be cut off
- Folders and archives disappearing
- Inability to save articles from certain websites
- Subscription not unlocking premium features

**Requested features**

- Add support for tables and charts
- Improve text-to-speech quality
- Implement a 'go back to beginning of article' feature
- Add support for EPUB files
- Introduce a 'random article' feature


### Overcast Podcast App

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/overcast-podcast-app/id888422857)

**Currently charting:** #46 Top Grossing · News, #71 Top Free · News (US App Store)

This app offers a powerful and intuitive way to listen to podcasts, featuring smart speed adjustments and voice boost for optimal audio quality. Download episodes for offline listening, discover new shows with personalized recommendations, and organize your listening with custom playlists.

**Highlights:** Smart Speed for time saving, Voice Boost for consistent volume, Offline playback, Podcast discovery and recommendations, Customizable playlists, Sleep timer, Apple Watch and CarPlay support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Siri integration, Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Overcast Premium | $19.99 | per year |
| Overcast Premium | $19.99 | per year |
| Overcast Premium | $29.99 | per year |
| Overcast Premium | $29.99 | per year |
| Overcast Premium | $39.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent audio quality
- 🔒 Respects user privacy
- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
- 🚀 Smart Speed feature saves time
- 👍 Customizable playback options

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔋 High storage usage
- 👎 Cluttered and unintuitive UI after recent update
- 👎 Removal of useful features like 'play next'
- 👎 Streaming no longer supported

**Reported bugs**

- Inconsistent episode downloads and playback
- Syncing issues between iPhone and Apple Watch
- Randomly resets playback progress

**Requested features**

- Ability to easily mark episodes as played
- Improved podcast discovery and recommendation system
- More customization options for playlists and episode sorting
- Easier access to sleep timer and other frequently used controls


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Instapaper free?

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

### Is Overcast Podcast App free?

Overcast Podcast App is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Instapaper or Overcast Podcast App?

Instapaper is rated higher. Instapaper averages 4.6 out of 5 from 3.5K ratings, while Overcast Podcast App averages 4.5 from 48K ratings.

### Do Instapaper or Overcast Podcast App have ads?

Neither Instapaper nor Overcast Podcast App shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Instapaper or Overcast Podcast App?

Instapaper ships an update every 2 weeks, and Overcast Podcast App fortnightly. Most recently, Instapaper was updated on October 30, 2026 and Overcast Podcast App on October 30, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Instapaper or Overcast Podcast App?

Instapaper currently peaks at #141 in the App Store charts, and Overcast Podcast App at #46. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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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.*