# Loop vs Clearcast

The clearest difference is price: Clearcast at Free against Loop's $4.99. Clearcast also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and review sentiment (100% vs 67%). Loop's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months). On ratings volume, ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Clearcast is free to download; Loop costs $4.99 up front. Clearcast sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Loop asks for nothing beyond the download.

Clearcast holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 4 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Loop's written reviews are positive against 100% of Clearcast's.

Loop ships an update fortnightly, Clearcast every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Loop | Clearcast |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $4.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.5 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/loop-podcast-player/id6736364779/reviews) | **[5.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/clearcast-podcast-app/id6762140704/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 2 | **4** |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#68** | — |
| Size | 75 MB | 21 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Vision Pro** | iPhone |
| Age rating | +4 | +12 |
| Developer | [Augusto Simionato](https://appshunter.io/developer/1734532605) | [Skye Nygaard](https://appshunter.io/developer/1893110012) |

## What reviewers say

### Loop

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/loop-podcast-player/id6736364779)

**Currently charting:** #68 Top Paid · News (US App Store)

An independent podcast player offering a minimalist and intuitive audio experience. Discover new content, organize your listening with collections, and enjoy features like sleep timers and episode downloads. Prioritizes user privacy and a seamless Apple ecosystem integration.

**Highlights:** Sleep Mode with auto-pause timer, Chapter support for episode topics, Podcast collections for sequential listening, Automatic iCloud backup, Privacy-focused, no user tracking, Offline episode downloads, Podcast description translation

**Features:** Siri integration, Apple Watch app, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Clearcast

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/clearcast-podcast-app/id6762140704)

This podcast player offers a seamless listening experience by intelligently detecting and skipping advertisements. Enjoy a distraction-free interface with powerful playback controls and sync your listening progress across all your devices.

**Highlights:** Smart ad detection and skipping, Distraction-free player, Cross-device library and progress sync, Powerful playback controls

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Clearcast Pro Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Clearcast Pro Yearly | $39.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Loop free?

Loop costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Clearcast free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Loop or Clearcast?

Clearcast is rated higher. Loop averages 4.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Clearcast averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.

### Do Loop or Clearcast have ads?

Neither Loop nor Clearcast shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Loop or Clearcast?

Loop ships an update fortnightly, and Clearcast every 3 months. Most recently, Loop was updated on November 8, 2026 and Clearcast on November 1, 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.*