I use Apple Podcasts for simplicity. Is there a better app that still enables Indie self hosted podcasts to proliferate? I’ve never run into any problems with Apple Podcasts, it’s a low tech solution for a low tech problem.
Overcast is my current choice. (For iOS, I don't have Android so can't comment.) I tried them all. I don't particularly like any of them.
I've requested a feature and reported a bug via their Slack. I'm hopeful they'll get added and fixed, respectively.
I still don't have a way to easily binge on some large archives. Like History of Philosophy without any Gaps. https://historyofphilosophy.net
And Malcolm Gladwell's Revisionist History doesn't sort correctly in any podcast client I've tried, making it even harder to binge.
What I really want is a NetNewsWire (RSS client) that can play audio (directly).
I also want client-side metrics and listening history. To help me remember when I heard something, better determine if I'm actually listening to misc content, etc.
Castro is another. I like its "Inbox" structure and switched to it from Overcast after subscribing to both for a year. The Inbox is where all subscribed podcasts go by default for you to decide whether to add to queue or skip. You can also have select podcasts go straight to queue. I subscribe to a few podcasts where I only listen to the occasional episode (Joe Rogan, e.g.). You can also drag episodes from the queue back to the Inbox if you want.
I could never quite master Overcast's playlists and smart playlists, but did love its exceptional polish and just how tiny and privacy focused the app is.
I wish I could get the best parts of both those apps.
Just chiming from the Android Side. I enjoy Castbox (castbox.fm). Although , the one scummy thing they did recently, is they look for silence gaps then insert their own ads. I still use it, because I haven't found a good alternative on the Android side of the world
I use an app called iCatcher which seems to have a directory of podcasts and will also let you enter rss/urls to download from host sites directly if the podcast creators distribute that way.
Been using it for years because it gives pretty fine grain controls over streaming vs downloading the entries, how many entries to maintain, how often to check, etc.
Launched a podcast recently ( https://thexyzpod.podbean.com/ ) and we were surprised to find most traffic by far coming from Spotify ( https://open.spotify.com/show/3j2oovdoty9hf0TI67ZYb1?si=D68k... ). What's nice on Spotify is the sharing episodes to Instagram stories works well - if you share from Spotify to Instagram you get a "play on Spotify" link at the top of the story - actually amazed Instagram gives that away for free given that linking to most things off-platform costs money. Anyway helps with the marketing to non-Podcast-nerds