# Alternatives to Castro

Inbox-style podcast triage.

Castro ranks #2 of 8 in Podcast apps, with an Alt Score of 86. It is proprietary, freemium from $3.99/month and available on iOS. 10 of 10 checklist rows are verified against a public source.

Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/castro/
Category: Podcast apps

## Overview

- **Who it's for**: Podcast listeners subscribed to multiple shows who want to actively curate what they listen to rather than passively let episodes pile up; it's an iOS-only app for iPhone users who prefer a hands-on, opinionated workflow over a generic podcast app.
- **What you get**: A single Queue that drives playback, fed by an Inbox where episodes from selectively-followed shows wait for manual triage while favorite shows auto-download straight into the Queue. Playback tools include variable speed (0.8-3x), Trim Silence, voice boost, and mono mixing, plus drag-and-drop reordering, chapter navigation, CarPlay/Apple Watch support, and per-podcast settings. The free tier covers core Queue/Inbox use; Castro Plus adds sideloading, extra audio features, night mode, and custom app icons.
- **How it works**: New episodes land either directly in the Queue (favorite shows) or in the Inbox (selective shows), where you scan and either add them to the Queue or dismiss them. Playback then works straight through the single Queue, which you can reorder or edit at any time.

## Profile

- **License**: Proprietary (verified 2026-07-10)
- **Pricing model**: Freemium (verified 2026-07-10)
- **Starts at**: $3.99/month (verified 2026-07-10)
- **Platforms**: iOS
- **Status**: active (verified 2026-07-10)

## Ranked alternatives

| # | App | Alt Score | Licence | Platforms |
|---|-----|-----------|---------|-----------|
| 1 | [Pocket Casts](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/pocket-casts.md) | 91 | MPL-2.0 | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android |
| 2 | [Overcast](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/overcast.md) | 86 | Proprietary | iOS |
| 3 | [Castbox](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/castbox.md) | 82 | Proprietary | iOS, Android, Web |
| 4 | [AntennaPod](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/antennapod.md) | 78 | GPL-3.0 | Android |
| 5 | [Snipd](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/snipd.md) | 73 | Proprietary | iOS, Android |
| 6 | [Apple Podcasts](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/apple-podcasts.md) | 68 | Proprietary | macOS, iOS, Web |
| 7 | [Podcast Addict](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/podcast-addict.md) | 28 | ? | Android |

Alt Score = Verified coverage (90%) + Visibility (10%). See https://altcatalog.com/how-alt-score-works/

## Feature comparison

Legend: Yes / No / Partial / ? (not verified).

| Podcast apps checklist | Castro | Pocket Casts | Overcast | Castbox | AntennaPod | Snipd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium | Free | Freemium |
| Starts at | $3.99/month | $3.99/month | $14.99 | $3.99/month | Free | $6.99/month |
| License | Proprietary | MPL-2.0 | Proprietary | Proprietary | GPL-3.0 | Proprietary |
| Platforms | iOS | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Web | iOS | iOS, Android, Web | Android | iOS, Android |
| Cross-device sync | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Trim silence / speed | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | ? |
| Chapters support | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Transcripts | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes |
| Queue management | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Downloads & auto-delete | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| OPML import/export | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial |
| Open source | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No |
| No account required | Yes | ? | Partial | Yes | Yes | Partial |
| Watch app | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes |

## Sources

Sources for Castro. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.

- **Pricing model**: Freemium — <https://castro.fm/press-kit> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “Castro Plus is an optional subscription to unlock advanced features. It costs $24.99 per year or $3.99 per month.”
- **Starts at**: $3.99/month — <https://castro.fm/press-kit> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “It costs $24.99 per year or $3.99 per month.”
- **License**: Proprietary — <https://castro.fm/termsofuse> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “are owned by us or our licensors or service providers, and are protected by copyright, trademark, trade secret and other intellectual property laws.”
- **Platforms**: iOS — <https://castro.fm/press-kit> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Note: iOS ecosystem only; support page confirms no Android app.
  - Quote: “iPhone, Apple Watch, CarPlay”
- **Status**: active — <https://castro.fm/blog/castro-mcp> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “Posted by Dustin Bluck on Jun 30, 2026”
- **Cross-device sync**: Yes — <https://castro.fm/blog/device-sync-and-ipad> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “Castro now syncs your listening progress, playback history, episode states, queue, folders, and podcast settings.”
- **Trim silence / speed**: Yes — <https://castro.fm/press-kit> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “Trim Silence — With this option on, the app will analyze audio as it plays to detect silent parts and accelerate those parts.”
- **Chapters support**: Yes — <https://castro.fm/press-kit> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “Chapter skipping and selection.”
- **Transcripts**: Yes — <https://castro.fm/blog/transcript-tag-release> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “initial support for the podcast:transcript tag. This is not generating transcripts but rather displaying the ones that are already in the feed”
- **Queue management**: Yes — <https://castro.fm/press-kit> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “central playlist where you organize your next few hours of listening. Queued episodes are automatically downloaded.”
- **Downloads & auto-delete**: Yes — <https://castro.fm/press-kit> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Note: Queued episodes auto-download; Episode Limit sets retention.
  - Quote: “Episode Limit lets users specify what number of episodes of each podcast to keep.”
- **OPML import/export**: Partial — <https://castro.fm/support/export-subscriptions> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Note: Export is OPML; import page never names OPML as the format.
  - Quote: “select the app you would like to export your subscriptions to as an OPML file”
- **Open source**: No — <https://castro.fm/termsofuse> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “access the source code of the software underlying the Site, the Services or any other Castro technology”
- **No account required**: Yes — <https://castro.fm/privacy-policy> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “you are not required to provide us with any user information to access or use Castro”
- **Watch app**: Yes — <https://castro.fm/press-kit> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “Watch app to control playback and select another episode from your queue.”

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Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/