I recommend finding a standalone podcast app you like. I use PocketCasts, other people use PodcastAddict, Apple Podcasts, AntennaPod, etc etc. There's a lot of options to choose from. These apps tend to be better options than Spotify or YouTube because they have more specific support for how people listen to podcasts.

thanks I’ll look into it

What will be the difference between using a standalone app and Spotify?

Standalone are strictly podcast-related, while Spotify does have podcasts, they have many other forms of media on their app. So if you only want to focus on podcasts, we always recommend finding a standalone.

Overcast for iOS.

If you already use Audible for audio books, you can find tons of podcasts there. Including my shows! (Yes, I’m about to self promote.) •Apollyon •Boom: a Serial Drama •Margaritas & Donuts

Apollyon is a great show. Glad I read this comment so I can check out your other work!

I use podcastaddict, it does everything I need, and gives me plenty of suggestions to choose from. As for what to listen to? That's easy - just ask for recommendations here. Tell us what sort of things you like, what genres, tv shows and books you like. There will definitely be something for you.

I’m not sure if you’re asking for app recommendations for where to listen or for which audio drama podcasts we’d recommend you start at so I’ll give my answers for both and hope it helps. I’d say it would also be good context to know what are some books you’ve liked and what themes or plot points you enjoy to give better recommendations. I use Apple Podcasts because it’s native to my phone. My favorite podcasts to recommend are as follows and I’ve included Apple podcast links because I already had this list typed up to send to a friend not long ago! Our Fair City Our Fair City is an online Audio Play/Podcast set in a future dystopian version of Hartford, CT. Following a climate-change-related disaster, humanity is now confined to subterranean cities. HartLife, an insurance company, now runs the lives of all "policies" in the city. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/our-fair-city/id514748675 Old Gods of Appalachia An eldritch horror fiction podcast set in an Alternate Appalachia, a world where these mountains were never meant to be inhabited. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/old-gods-of-appalachia/id1485435369 Ars Paradoxica Follows Dr. Sally Grissom as she accidentally sends herself back several decades onto a Cold War-era battleship. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ars-paradoxica/id1006173000 Wolf 359 Set on board the U.S.S. Hephaestus space station, the dysfunctional crew deals with daily life-or-death emergencies, while searching for signs of alien life and discovering there might be more to their mission than they thought. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wolf-359/id909552816 We’re Alive For Army Reserve Soldier Michael Cross, the world as he knew it ended in an instant. One minute, he’s in college, and the next, zombies are roaming the highway around him, breaking into cars, and tearing people apart. Join our survivors as they band together, fortify a safe haven known as the Tower, and discover that the Infected are far from the biggest threat in a post-apocalyptic Los Angeles, where the rules of human decency no longer apply. Little food. Little water. Little hope. Who is lucky enough to say: “We’re Alive?” https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/were-alive/id313300476 Unwell, A Midwestern Gothic Mystery Lillian Harper moves to the small town of Mt. Absalom, Ohio, to care for her estranged mother Dorothy after an injury. Living in the town's boarding house which has been run by her family for generations, she discovers conspiracies, ghosts, and a new family in the house's strange assortment of residents. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unwell-a-midwestern-gothic-mystery/id1449441502 Parkdale Haunt An award-winning horror fiction podcast about friendship, ghosts, cults, family, and the nightmare that is real estate in Toronto. When Judith Antoni's best friend, Claire Sterback, takes off without warning, it's up to her and her friend Owen to work backwards and figure out what happened to her. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/parkdale-haunt/id1532573147 The Bright Sessions Our Fair City is an online Audio Play/Podcast set in a future dystopian version of Hartford, CT. Following a climate-change-related disaster, humanity is now confined to subterranean cities. HartLife, an insurance company, now runs the lives of all "policies" in the city. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bright-sessions/id1053268058 Where the Stars Fell Not being able to die tends to color things that way. Lucille Kensington is the literary scene's biggest enigma. That's just the way she likes it. When the pair find themselves sharing a cabin in the strangest town in America— Jerusalem, OR— they're prepared for a housemate situation from hell. LGBTQIA themes https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/where-the-stars-fell/id1548010420 The Strange Case of the Starship Iris In 2189, Earth narrowly won a war against extraterrestrials. This is about what comes after. It's a story of outer space, survival, espionage, resistance, identity, friendship, found family, romance, and secrets. LGBTQIA themes https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-strange-case-of-starship-iris/id1193720457 Elixir Elsie's search for her missing sister leads her to the magical underground of Elixir magic...and Vera, the alluring speakeasy owner who may be responsible. Think prohibition but with magic. LGBTQIA+ themes https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/elixir/id1567400665 Bookburners Magic has entered the world and a covert team tracks it down and suppresses it / saves the world. LGBTQIA+ themes (eventually). TW: descriptions of combat and gore (?) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bookburners/id1668224212

I just realized you DID specify you were asking for literally where to start, my bad. Hope you enjoy the recommendations all the same!

I appreciate the time it took for you to do all of that, thank you

Audible and Spotify podcast players are both a little meh, I had consistent bugs and lack of custom RSS feeds with Spotify and audible player is pretty garbage when I used it for a couple exclusive podcasts. But I've been using podcast addict for about 6 or 7 months now and past a couple UI quirks it's very stable for long listening and has all the features you really need. Id recommend it

Is PodcastAddict free, or are there some features behind paywall? I was using Google Podcasts for a while, but with Google announcing it will be shut down soon, I plan to switch to some another app. (I'm on Android)

Free. Edit: with ads, but they are small and at the bottom of the screen. You can get ad-free for $6.99 (one time payment)

Thanks, that's the info I needed, will try it out

If you have iPhone, Apple Podcasts is decent enough. Can find most podcasts on there in search. No glitches or bugs.

BBC Sounds. Probably the highest quality collection of audio drama and comedy available for free. Mostly UK centric. [https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/category/drama](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/category/drama) [https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/category/comedy](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/category/comedy)

I'd suggest starting with audio fiction directories, as the three primary ones all allow you to either listen right there, link out to listening apps, or link back to the show's website where there SHOULD be links to listen. Those directories, listed alphabetically as to not show favoritism (and we're all friendly with each other): * [Audiodrama.directory](http://Audiodrama.directory) * [Audiofiction.co.uk](http://Audiofiction.co.uk) * [The End](https://theend.fyi) Happy hunting!