Guide
How to find podcasts you'll actually love
There are over four million podcasts and the charts show you the same twenty. Here are six ways to find the ones worth your time, using tools built for exactly this problem.
1. Say what you're in the mood for, in plain English
The fastest way to find a podcast is to stop thinking in keywords. Type the actual thought in your head into the search bar: 'something like Serial but shorter', 'business podcasts that don't take themselves seriously', 'Spanish true crime'. WhichPodcast's AI search understands meaning, so it reads the description of every show in the catalogue rather than just matching titles.
Try the AI search2. Take the one minute quiz
If you don't know what you want yet, four quick questions narrow 40,000+ shows down to a personal shortlist: your genres, your language, how much time you have, and whether you want the shows everyone talks about or something nobody has told you about yet.
Take the quiz3. Flip the Hidden Gems toggle
Every chart on the internet shows you the same twenty famous podcasts. The homepage has a toggle that flips every genre rail from popular shows to hidden gems: podcasts with consistently strong output that simply never got a big audience. It is the single best way to find something none of your friends are listening to.
Browse hidden gems4. Check the show is still alive
Nothing is worse than falling for a podcast and discovering it ended in 2023. Every show page carries an Active or Inactive badge based on the real publish date of its latest episode, so you know before you press play whether there is more coming.
5. Search all three platforms at once
Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube each hide a different slice of podcasting; YouTube-only shows never appear in Apple's charts and vice versa. WhichPodcast indexes all three in one catalogue, and every show page links you straight out to whichever platform you actually listen on.
6. Rate what you hear, and use ratings to choose
Star ratings from real listeners sit on every show page. Rate the shows you know with one tap and the community's averages get sharper for everyone, including you the next time you're choosing between two unknowns.
7. Share your profile, and steal from your friends
The best podcast recommendations still come from people whose taste you trust. When you favourite shows on WhichPodcast, your profile builds a picture of your listening: your genre breakdown, your favourites, and an AI written listener personality that summarises your taste with slightly more honesty than you might be ready for. Share your profile link and your friends can see exactly what you listen to, then return the favour. Stealing from a friend's favourites is the oldest discovery method there is; this just gives it a link.
Create your profileCommon questions about finding podcasts
What is the easiest way to find a new podcast?+
Describe what you want in plain English to a podcast search engine that understands natural language. Searches like 'true crime but funny' or 'interviews with founders under 40 minutes' work on WhichPodcast because the search reads meaning, not just titles.
How do I find podcasts that are not already famous?+
Use a directory that separates quality from fame. WhichPodcast flags shows with real audience evidence as Well Known and surfaces high quality shows without big audiences as Hidden Gems, so you can browse either side with one toggle.
How can I tell if a podcast is still active before I subscribe?+
Check the show page for an activity badge. WhichPodcast tracks the real publish date of every show's newest episode and marks shows Active or Inactive, so you never get invested in a series that quietly ended two years ago.
Do I need separate apps to find podcasts on Spotify, Apple and YouTube?+
No. WhichPodcast indexes shows from Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube in one catalogue of 40,000+ podcasts, and every show page links straight to the platforms where it is available.
Can a quiz really recommend podcasts I'll like?+
A short quiz works well when it asks the right questions. The WhichPodcast quiz takes four questions, under a minute, and matches your genre taste, language and appetite for big names or hidden gems against the full catalogue.
Find your next podcast now
One search across Apple, Spotify and YouTube. 40,000+ shows, ranked by quality, with the hidden gems one toggle away.