DownCast vs. iCatcher

By Kelly Sapergia, 25 March, 2013

Forum
iOS and iPadOS
Hi, I've come across some podcast links on websites that point to the iTunes store, rather than give you an ordinary RSS feed. I know there are two popular podcast apps for iOS, DownCast and iCatcher, but I'm not sure which one is the best to go for. I thought I read that DownCast really drains the device's battery, but I wonder if that's been improved if that's indeed the case? Basically, I'm wondering which app you would recommend? Alternatively, is there a way I can get an RSS feed address from one of these iTunes links? Thanks. Yours Sincerely, Kelly Sapergia

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Comments

By Toonhead on Saturday, March 23, 2013 - 11:19

The subject line basicly says it! I tried iCatcher, but found it to be a bit more work to set up. What I really like about downcast is that when you subscribe to a podcast feed, it downloads the most recent episode for you automaticly, so you can get a sense of what the show is like. Also, there were a few more buttons in iCatcher than downcast, so it took a bit longer to navigate. In Downcast you can do things like play podcasts at a faster speed if that's an important thing, you can add podcasts manually by typing in the URL, or you can subscribe to podcasts from a directory, right from within the app. I've very rarely had any errors with it, it just works and does exactly what I want it to, and doesn't do anything I don't.

By Isaac Hebert (not verified) on Saturday, March 23, 2013 - 11:19

I would get downcast.

It's wonderful that we have two apps that are both so good that it can make choosing difficult. I used Downcast for quite a while but decided to try iCatcher. It works better for me. I find navigating the app to be more intuitive, and it feels snappier to me. The playlist feature is well implemented and I use it more than I did in Downcast. The developer is responsive and constantly updating the app with new features, but is careful not to clutter things up. I'm a very happy iCatcher user.

By Kelly Sapergia on Saturday, March 23, 2013 - 11:19

Hi, Thanks for all the suggestions. After reading these and others on Twitter, I purchased DownCast. So far, I'm very impressed. The app seems easy to use, and I had no trouble subscribing to a podcast. One feature I really like is that you can stream episodes without downloading them if you want. Since my iPod is running out of space, this will come in handy.

You can also do all of these things with iCatcher. I'm quite happy with iCatcher, but I'm glad you are finding Downcast to be a good solution for your podcast needs.

Icatcher does everything that has been mentioned and I love it. I have never tried DownCast because I was happy with iCatcher from day one. The only feature I would like changed is to be able to play podcasts at faster than 2x from time to time, not sure if DownCast can do this.