I’m looking for a decent podcast app that’s either free or a one-time purchase, not an annual fee. I’d like it to work with Android Auto and maybe even Wear OS.
Any suggestions?
What are you using and why do you like it?
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I’m not a big podcast guy, but I just use YouTube Music. I just hit the Podcasts button at the top of the app and there they are. Auto downloads can be turned on by pressing the gear icon on the subscribed podcast.
That was actually what I was using and what inspired me to ask. Perhaps I’m not using it correctly…
I was driving down one of the busiest thoroughfares in town, so I really couldn’t fiddle with the app, when my podcast ended. Instead of moving to the next podcast in my library, YouTube Music started playing some strange story telling bedtime podcast…
… and there was nothing I could do about it! I can’t even get it out of the app, now that I’m home!
So I want something that only plays what I’ve selected! No more highway hijackings of my listening options!
Yeah. I listen to one podcast, at most, before I’m ready to move onto music. You can add podcasts to queues and playlists to create the order in which you wish to listen to episodes.
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I listen to podcasts at work and while driving. I’ve been using pocket cast for a few years now. The interface is simple to use and I can easily build a que so the podcasts seamless play one after the other. I use the free version on my phone but desktop and watch access is paid only.
I briefly tried listening to podcasts in Spotify but it required to much manual intervention to keep my playlist going throughout the day.
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I’ve been using Pocket Casts. Works with AA and seems to do everything I need of it. I like that it has automatic downloads and archiving of old episodes with customizable rules on a per podcast basis. For some podcasts I have it keep more episodes around than others. They’ve got a freemium model, but I haven’t felt the need to upgrade to the paid tier.
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Second vote for Pocket Cast. Well designed, great product.
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I have used Podcast Addict for many years. It is free on playstore. It also integrates well with android auto. A con is that it does not synch across devices which isn’t a problem if you listen from your cellphone.
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Another vote for Podcast Addict, though mostly out of habit and because so many other options have gone away. It’s got lots of features I mostly don’t use. Going to check out YT Music for giggles. Keep us posted!
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Okay, I finally got totally fed up with Youtube music and the way it would spring content on me that I most certainly did not want to hear.
I have found my Podcast app. 
Pros:
- It is free
- It is open-source
- It does not have any advertising
- It does not generate “suggestions” for me based on an “algorithm” that’s really just a monetization tool in disguise
- It has lots of intentional features that are easily discoverable, like an option to skip the opening and closing credits
- It has a widget for my home screen
- It works with Android Auto
Cons:
- It does not have compatibility for “play my podcast” on my Google Home speakers
- It does not have Wear OS compatibility
Bonus:
They use the Discourse platform for their forums! 
If you give it a try, let me know what you think.
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I thought I recognized the name. I installed AntennaPod on my phone a while back when I was searching for options not involving normal radio. I had been using SiriusXM, but I dropped it after Covid hit and I wasn’t driving much. As I work from my basement now, I still don’t drive much. I wound up not using AntennaPod, but I never deleted it. I’ll poke around the interface and see what I find. My first find in the Pro column is that AntennaPod is default configured to pause when another app wants to make a sound. This is very handy when using navigation apps.
My primary audio app is Musicolet, which relies on locally-stored files. If it can do any form of streaming, I haven’t found that feature yet. I am currently listening my way through Terry Pratchetts’ Discworld series. It also supports pausing for other apps, but it took me forever to find the setting for that. It is not the default behavior.
For live streaming I use an app from the F-Droid store called Transistor. I listen to Dementia Radio (Think the sort of stuff from Barry Hansen, aka Dr. Demento.) and a Japanese Anime specialty stream.
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Yep, I love that feature, too, but wanted to leave something for others to find! 
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I am checking this out! Thanks for the update 