Wonder Tools

Share this post

šŸŽ§ The best new podcast app

wondertools.substack.com

šŸŽ§ The best new podcast app

Save and share audio highlights with SnipdšŸ“±

Jeremy Caplan
Mar 16
18
1
Share this post

šŸŽ§ The best new podcast app

wondertools.substack.com

Snipd is the best podcast app for saving and sharing excerpts from anything you’re listening to. It’s free and easy to use on iOS & Android.

Summary

  • Best features | Tap a button to mark a point of interest; share highlights with friends or export them to a notes app like Notion or Readwise.Ā 

  • Why use it? Save moments you want to remember from podcasts you’re learning from. Build a reference library of audio clips. Share with teammates.

  • Caveats | No desktop or Web app. Cluttered interface. Limited playlist functionality.

  • Alternatives | Castro is simpler, free & good. Overcast has richer features for voice-enhancement and speed adjustment.Ā Neither has good highlighting.

Read on for how and why to use Snipd and a video demo.

Share

Be a paid subscriber to support Wonder Tools!

New opportunity: I’m inviting you to be a supporter. Upgrade to a paid subscription for new benefits. When you upgrade you’ll get:

  • Private invites to try new tools + free trials. iA Presenter, Tilda, Canva etc.

  • Upcoming Best of 2023 summary site list + new tipsheets & collections.

  • Full archive access to all 150+ posts.

+ Be a supporter for this independent newsletter.


3 of the most useful Snipd features

  1. Save ideas for later. Tap the app’s big ā€œCreate Snipā€ button to mark a highlight without interrupting the podcast you’re listening to. Or if your phone’s in a pocket, tap your headphones. Snipd will save a smart selection including the moment right before and after your tap.

  2. Share podcast moments. It’s easy to email a highlight or post it to a social platform as an audiogram with audio and a visible transcript.Ā 

  3. Find the most valuable sections of podcasts with transcripts & chapters. Skip right to the parts you're most interested in with the help of AI-generated chapters and full transcripts. If you’ve ever repeatedly hit the skip-forward button to jump through an episode, you’ll appreciate this. I love it.

Share


šŸ“ŗ See my Snipd set-upšŸ‘‡

Watch my 4-minute video demo to see how I use Snipd.

3 handy things you can do with Snipd

  1. Import your podcast subscriptions. Bring in your list of podcast subscriptions from any other app so you don’t have to start from scratch.Ā 

  2. Export highlights to Readwise, Notion or other note-taking services.Ā Organize podcast excerpts alongside your reading highlights and notes.Ā 

  3. Discover new gems. An AI-generated stream of snippets from shows you listen to lets you discover notable moments from episodes you’ve missed. You can also sample interesting moments from titles you don’t yet subscribe to. It’s a nice way to discover new podcasts. Ā Ā Ā 

Share Wonder Tools

I interviewed Snipd co-founder Kevin Smith. Excerpts:

  • Sending a short podcast clip rather than an episode link makes it more likely a colleague will listen. It’s easier to find time for a 2-minute excerpt than to sift through an hourlong show.

  • New AI-powered features are coming, along with a private community for sharing and discussing podcast clips.

  • Even as video thrives, audio-only podcasts will also last because they allow you to consume info while doing something else with your hands and eyes.

  • Smith’s favorite podcasts include Lex Fridman, the All-In Podcast, and How to Start a Startup. Listen to Smith’s favorite snip.

šŸ‘ļø Catch up on last week’s post: 12 new ways to use AI

6 podcast clips I saved with Snipd

  • I Want to Know Josh Spector’s super-useful podcast for creators. [Clip]

  • The Rebooting Show Smart interviews with media innovators. [Clip]

  • Creator Debates Lively debates on tactics for making modern media. [Clip]

  • People vs Algorithms Intelligent discussions on the media ecosystem with

    Troy Young
    ,
    Brian Morrissey
    and Alex Schleifer. [Clip]

  • Feel Better. Live More. Europe’s top health podcast. [Clip]

  • Deep Dive with Ali Abdaal Thoughtful interviews by a Dr-turned-YouTuber. [Clip]

Caveats šŸ˜’

  • The Snipd interface feels cluttered to me. It sometimes takes me several clicks to navigate through the app. Ā 

  • If you listen mostly to fiction, music or meditation podcasts, you probably don’t need Snipd.

  • If you don’t care about remembering or sharing highlights from podcasts, just about any podcast app will work for you.

  • Snipd’s playlist functions aren’t as robust as those in other popular podcast apps like Castro and Overcast. I can’t easily create multiple playlists or adjust settings so new episodes of my favorite podcasts will flow automatically to the top of my listening queue. Snipd has plans to address these issues.Ā 

AlternativesĀ 

  • Castro is free, simple and the best option if you don’t care about highlights. Here’s my rave about it. I’ve always liked its streamlined playlist. All I had to do was to line up what I wanted to listen to and let it flow.

  • Momento is an alternative podcast app that allows you to save highlights, but its features are limited and it’s slower than Snipd.

Momento is another podcast player that allows you to clip & save highlights
  • Airr was another promising app for saving podcast moments, but it hasn’t been updated in a year and seems to be heading toward retirement.

  • Overcast is free for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch.

    • Voice Boost normalizes volume levels on podcasts so you can hear speakers clearly.

    • Smart Speed shortens silences between words to reduce the time it takes to listen to an episode regardless of what speed you listen at.

    • Multiple playlists. Save batches of shows separately. When on a long car trip with my daughters, my wife and I switch playlists to veer from kids scienceĀ (But Why) and debate (Smash, Boom, Best) podcasts over to grown-up shows like This American Life, Hidden Brain or Planet Money. Ā 

Share Wonder Tools


EVENT You’re invited to a Wonder Tools live online demo. Join to discover Prequel, a new app for creating remarkable images on your phone. March 28 at 12:30pm ET. RSVP


Find out more about podcast & highlight apps

  • ā€œListen to thisā€ Wonder Tools post w/ favorite podcasts + tools for listening

  • ā€œOrganize your highlightsā€ Wonder Tools piece about highlighting apps

  • Read my take on why Castro is a great app for listening to podcasts

  • More podcast app observations + links to notable episodes


Sponsored Message

No-Code Exits Real stories from profitable or acquired projects made with No-Code. Join 5600+ subscribers learning in a weekly interview how No-Code makers went from 0 to $ by building and growing their product without code.


Want to dig deeper into Snipd?

  • Features Snipd added in 2022

  • How to save highlights in Snipd

  • How YouTuber Shu Omi uses Snipd


Wonder Tools is reader-supported. Be a paid subscriber to put a vote in for independent media.


What podcast are you enjoying and how do you listen?

Leave a comment

Join Jeremy Caplan’s subscriber chat
Available exclusively in the Substack app
1
Share this post

šŸŽ§ The best new podcast app

wondertools.substack.com
Previous
Next
1 Comment
Claire
Mar 16

Your subscription list is similar to mine - lots of scrolling šŸ˜‚ This looks more useful than Overcast - I’ve tried their clipping and Airr - neither of them seem to pick up the sound as I expected. Keen to try this out.

Expand full comment
Reply
TopNewCommunity

No posts

Ready for more?

Ā© 2023 Jeremy Caplan
Privacy āˆ™ Terms āˆ™ Collection notice
Start WritingGet the app
SubstackĀ is the home for great writing