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Add to SafariWhen comparing Downcast vs Fantastical, the Slant community recommends Fantastical for most people. In the question“What are the most useful Android phone apps?” Fantastical is ranked 19th while Downcast is ranked 21st. The most important reason people chose Fantastical is:
If you're locked into using an Exchange account, Google Calendar won't work without 3rd party syncing options. Fantastical works flawlessly with Exchange and with Google Accounts so you can have both. It also supports iCloud, Office365, Yahoo, and Facebook calendars.
Specs
Question Ranking
Pros
Pro Auto-downloads podcasts
Downcast can be set to automatically download new episodes of podcasts in the background.
Pro Adjustable playback speed
You can change the playback speed to fit your needs up to 3x the speed.
Pro Sync between iOS devices
Downcast can synchronize podcasts and settings across iOS devices through iCloud.
Pro Accesses iTunes podcast library
Pro Supports password-protected feeds
Pro Gesture shortcuts
Downcast supports multi-touch gestures for navigating around.
Pro Sleep timer
You can set Downcast to shut off podcasts after a set amount of time.
Pro Adjustable skip interval
Pro Set the end time to be x seconds / minutes from the end time.
The ability to set the end time to be x seconds / minutes from the end is so excellent.
Pro Set the start time to be x seconds / minutes from the start time.
The ability to set the start time to be x seconds / minutes from the start time is amazing.
Pro Straightforward discovery system with feed support
This app helps users subscribe to podcasts through browsing top lists and categories as well as entering a feed or OPML address.
Pro Simple to use UI
Downcast has a straightforward, intuitive user interface.
Pro Mac App available
Pro Can stream episodes without downloading
Pro Can prioritize playlists
You can have Downcast prioritize your playlists automatically, allowing you to listen to podcasts in the order your prefer without you having to manually reorganize them.
Pro Set how long you wish to keep your podcasts locally
Downcast can be set to automatically remove podcasts that have been on your device for a certain amount of time or take up a certain amount of space on your device. This can be done to groups of podcasts or on a per podcast basis.
Pro AirPlay support
Pro Prioritizes show notes
Selecting a podcast for playback will bring up shownotes, instead of the more common choice of album art.
Pro Supports multiple calendar platforms
If you're locked into using an Exchange account, Google Calendar won't work without 3rd party syncing options. Fantastical works flawlessly with Exchange and with Google Accounts so you can have both. It also supports iCloud, Office365, Yahoo, and Facebook calendars.
Pro Fantastical can comprehend natural language
You can copy and paste a line from a meeting note and Fantastical can copy down and present the relevant information
Pro Beautiful and highly polished design
Cons
Con Extremely buggy
Around mid-2015 Downcast implemented some code that started to leave infinite loop processes that have the potential to cause the phone to heat up, lag, crash Downcast, or crash other apps. The bugs have only continued to get worse. Go with Overcast or Pocket Casts, or even Podcatcher for the Downcast feel.
Con Doesn't sync with iTunes
Con Expensive for a single utility app
Fantastical on OS X costs $49.99 and an additional $4.99 if you want to use it on iOS.
Con Only supports iOS and OSX
Fantastical doesn't support web, Windows or Android.
