Podcasts are everywhere: how to hear and watch Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube shows in one place again

people watch podcasts on YouTube every month (YouTube, 2025)

1bn+

of Americans 12+ have consumed a podcast (Edison Research, 2025)

73%

of Americans consider YouTube-only discussion videos to be podcasts (Edison, 2025)

52%

How podcasts got so scattered

YouTube became the biggest podcast platform

In early 2025 YouTube announced that more than a billion people watch podcasts on the platform every month. In the US, Edison Research now ranks YouTube as the most-used podcast platform, ahead of Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Many new shows no longer launch as audio at all, but as video with two microphones in shot.

Spotify bets on video and exclusives

Spotify has pushed hard into video: according to the company, more than 390 million users have streamed a video podcast, and there are almost 500,000 video shows. On top of that come shows that are exclusive to Spotify for a while or for good.

Everything else stays on open RSS

Most podcasts, though, are still published the classic way, via an RSS feed you can play in Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts or any other app. Audio remains the norm; video is growing mostly among younger listeners.

What that means for you

• Three apps for one habit. A podcast app for most shows, YouTube for video talks, Spotify for exclusives.
• No shared overview. What's new this week? You have to check every app separately.
• No shared queue. The podcast episode, then the YouTube interview, then music – only with constant app switching.
• Separate progress. Each app remembers its own position, if at all.

How to bring your podcasts back together

1. Check for an open feed

Many shows you know from YouTube or Spotify also have a regular RSS feed. Just search for the name in Apple Podcasts: if it shows up there, it works in any podcast app – often even as a video feed.

2. Treat YouTube shows like podcasts

If a show only exists on YouTube, follow the channel instead of drifting through the home feed. How to do that without the recommendation spiral is covered in YouTube without the algorithm.

3. Accept what stays exclusive

True Spotify exclusives can only be heard in Spotify, because Spotify doesn't offer an open interface for other players. Honestly, that's the one gap no third-party app can close.

4. Use an app that mixes audio and video

The real win comes when everything lands in the same inbox: new episodes via RSS, new videos from your YouTube channels, plus new albums and audio drama episodes from Apple Music. That's what zentr is built for.

How zentr handles podcasts

• Audio and video podcasts via RSS, with search through Apple's podcast directory, private feed links and OPML import to move over from another app.
• YouTube channels as a source, right next to your podcasts.
• One inbox for everything new – podcasts, videos, music and audio dramas.
• One queue you mix with drag and drop: podcast, then album, then audio drama.
• Playback speed, chapters, auto-play and offline downloads, as you'd expect from a good podcast app.

How zentr stacks up against Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts and Castro – including where the others are better – is in our podcast player comparison.