The Best Free Podcast App for iPhone (No Subscription, 2026)
You shouldn't need a paid subscription, or a separate app, to listen to podcasts. How to find, follow and play any show free on iPhone in 2026, with adjustable speed, bookmarks, a sleep timer and CarPlay.
The Short Answer
Podcasts are already free — the shows make their money from ads read by the host, not from you. What you're choosing is the player. Trending Music has a full Podcasts tab: search any show, follow it, scroll its whole back catalog and play an episode in one tap, with no subscription.
Why You Don't Need a Separate Podcast App
Apple Podcasts is fine, but if you also use a music app, you end up flipping between two players with two queues and two sets of half-finished episodes. The friction is small, and it adds up every morning.
In Trending, a podcast episode sits in the same player as your songs. Finish the news briefing, tap over to your morning playlist, and come back to the episode later at the exact second you left it.
Every Show, in One Place
The Podcasts tab lets you find and follow the shows you actually listen to:
- Search any show — by name, host, or topic — and play the latest episode instantly.
- Popular — a shelf of the shows everyone's talking about right now, so it's easy to find your next binge.
- Browse by topic — comedy, true crime, news, sports, business, health, and more.
- Full episode lists — scroll a show's whole back catalog and start anywhere, including episode one of a series you came to late.
How to Start Your First Show
- Get Trending Music free from the App Store.
- Tap the Podcasts tab.
- Search the show a friend keeps recommending, or open Popular and pick one.
- Decide where to start: news and interview shows work from the newest episode; serialized true crime and history shows should start at episode one — scroll to the bottom of the episode list.
- Tap the episode. It streams right away.
The Player Settings Worth Changing
Podcasts are talk, so the settings that matter are different from music:
- Playback speed — 1.25x is barely noticeable on most conversational shows and saves about 12 minutes per hour; 1.5x suits slow talkers. Speed is remembered per show, so a fast-talking news show can stay at 1x.
- Resume — your place in every episode is saved, so you can juggle three shows without losing track.
- Bookmarks — mark the moment a guest recommends a book, and jump back to it later.
- Sleep timer — for the people who fall asleep to history podcasts.
Podcasts in the Car and on Your Wrist
Commutes are where most podcast listening happens, so the car matters:
- CarPlay — your shows on the dashboard, with large controls built for driving.
- Apple Watch — start or pause an episode from your wrist.
- Headphone controls — skip, pause, and resume from your AirPods or any Bluetooth remote.
When the episode ends, you're already in an app with music, 50,000+ live radio stations, and free audiobooks.
Is It Really Free?
Yes. Searching, following, playing, speed and bookmarks in the Podcasts tab are free for everyone. Premium ($5.99/mo) is about music: it removes ads and adds the AI DJ and mood playlists. You don't need it to listen to a single podcast.
Get it here: Get Trending Music free on the App Store