When comparing BeyondPod vs Google Play Music, the Slant community recommends BeyondPod for most people. In the question“What are the best podcast apps for Android?” BeyondPod is ranked 5th while Google Play Music is ranked 8th. The most important reason people chose BeyondPod is:
BeyondPod has the ability to create playlists based on usage, making for an easy way to group content of similar tastes.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Smart Playlists
BeyondPod has the ability to create playlists based on usage, making for an easy way to group content of similar tastes.
Pro Playback speeds
You can change the speed of playback. (Paid)
Pro Per podcast settings
You can set each podcast to have different settings: Download settings, authentication, sort order, playback speed, volume boost and more.
Pro Easy to add podcasts
It's very easy to search through published podcasts or add a podcast feed by URL.
Pro Organize by category
You can create categories and add podcasts to them. This makes it easy to tap and play a specific genre, to have smart lists prioritize certain categories and keep yourself organized.
Pro Clean look
The app uses material design without a lot of clutter.
Pro Quick to play
Every screen lists downloaded podcasts, making it easy to tap and play. The rest of the download episodes, or episodes in the category you are in, are automatically queued. Other podcast apps will show you a list of podcasts for which there may be episodes downloaded, if you tap into them.
Pro Filter episodes
You can filter any episode view: audio, video, downloaded, unfinished, not played and favorites.
Pro Chromecast support
Users can cast their podcasts to Chromecast compliant devices easily with the built in Chromecast function of BeyondPod. This makes a great tool for those that don't want to have to use another app or service on their other devices as the podcasts can just be streamed to them from the users phone, where all their synced podcasts reside.
Pro Free no advertisements
Google Play Music is a free service for storing and streaming ones library that has zero advertisements in the interface as well as the playing music.
Pro Instant mixes
Google Play Music can make smart recommendations for playlist by the user just picking an artist or song they want recommendations formed from.
Pro Also offers streaming service
GPM can be used as a normal music player but also as a streaming service like Spotify.
Pro Plays from any source
Plays local music as well as from DLNA sources, so I can play from my home servers as well.
Pro Upload library through browser
Google has added the option of uploading songs through the browser with the help of a Chrome extension download as well as directly through the desktop Chrome app.
Cons
Con Slightly convoluted design
There is a left slide out menu, and right slide out play list, the play screen, and the default episode list screen. It's hard to exactly place yourself in the app because it's designed to easily let you jump from one place to another.
Con Buggy
Prone to long delays loading and starting playback, chromecast playback fails frequently and stays in the notification area even when stopped or dismissed.
Con Cannot play episodes with subscribing
To download a podcast or stream with regular controls you must be subscribed to the podcast. You can sample stream episode on the subscribe screen.
Con Features locked behind paywall
Users must purchase the full version to get Chromecast casting, changeable playback speeds as well as other features.
Con Confusing to use
Con No folder support
Con Want credit card info before using "free" service
Con Status bar not sensitive nor customizable
There is no way to go easily go back a specific amount of time (for example: Audible has a button that allows you to go back 30 seconds).
The status bar could be more time specific. If you want to go back to a particular segment of listening, there is no way to know exactly where you will land. You have to do some kind of guessing and it is annoying. Lot of time wasted in searching in a blind manner.
Con Quality only as high as 320kbps MP3s
There is no option to listen to lossless music, even if that is what the user has uploaded. The highest quality is 320kbps MP3s. If a lossless track has been uploaded and the user then downloads the track at a later date the file will also only be a 320kbps MP3.
Con No way to start the app in ones library
The app offers no way to actually start up in ones library, either in the desktop Chrome app or the Android app. For those that only use this app for listening to their purchased or uploaded music this is pretty annoying as there s no real need for the front page of recommendations and activity. This doe snot necessarily need to be some social platform but just a way to listen to ones music, really the user should have the choice, especially if they are paying for this service through purchased music or their streaming service.