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Castbox vs Downcast: catalog facts
Castbox	Downcast
Freemium A free ad-supported tier is available. Premium is a paid subscription.	Paid A paid purchase or subscription is required.
Android, iOS, Web	macOS, iOS
In-audio search finds spoken phrases inside episodes Works on phones, web, Alexa, CarPlay and Android Auto	Per-podcast rules for downloads, playback speed and episode retention iCloud sync across every Apple device including Watch and TV
Advertising and recommendation-heavy interface on the free tier Closed source	Apple platforms only Paid purchase or subscription depending on platform
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Closed source	Closed source
License not stated	License not stated
Not stated if an account is needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Not stated if it works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 22, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 22, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.