# Podcast App & Player - Castbox

> Podcasts App for iPhone

Canonical page: [https://chrome-stats.com/d/id1243410543](https://chrome-stats.com/d/id1243410543)

## Overview

- **ID:** `id1243410543`
- **Platform:** Apple
- **Type:** Apple app
- **Status:** Available
- **Publisher:** Guru Network Limited
- **Category:** News
- **Rating:** 4.90 / 5 (199,462 ratings)
- **Version:** 10.31.0
- **Last updated:** 2026-07-22
- **First published:** 2017-06-15
- **Size:** 167 MB
- **Data as of:** 2026-09-22
- **Store listing:** [Apple App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/podcast-app-player-castbox/id1243410543)
- **Website:** [http://castbox.fm](http://castbox.fm/)
- **Privacy policy:** [https://castbox.fm/policy.html](https://castbox.fm/policy.html)

## Description

Castbox is a comprehensive podcast app and player for iPhone that helps you discover, download, and listen to a vast library of podcasts, audiobooks, FM radio, and more. It supports cross-device syncing, CarPlay, Apple Watch, and HomePod for a seamless listening experience.

Key features include personalized recommendations, a powerful search, offline downloads, sleep timer, playback speed, volume boost, trim silence, and OPML import. Stay up-to-date with daily top podcasts across genres and languages.

## Rankings

- #1,998 — Overall
- #9 — Keep Up With Your Podcasts

## Review summary

Users praise CastBox for a clean, smooth, and feature-rich podcasting experience and as a viable Apple Podcasts alternative. However, recurring issues across reviews include intrusive ads, pricing gating, stability and playback problems, data loss after updates, and unreliable offline listening. While the core app is solid, these reliability and monetization concerns drive frustration and indicate a need for improved quality control and clearer premium terms.

### Pros

- Easy-to-use, smooth, and organized interface.
- Solid podcast player with a polished UI.
- Long-time users value CastBox as a reliable, feature-rich app.
- A solid Apple Podcasts alternative with a neat library.

### Cons

- Ads are intrusive and persistent, including full-screen and scam-like prompts, even for Premium users.
- Pricing and gating: difficulty subscribing to new channels and what feels like forced upgrades.
- Frequent stability and playback issues: crashes, freezes, and replaying recent seconds.
- Data loss after updates: history, favorites, playlists, and subscriptions can disappear.
- Offline downloads sometimes don’t work; downloaded episodes require internet.

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Source: [Chrome-Stats](https://chrome-stats.com/d/id1243410543)