BendyStraw vs Podcini.X - Podcast instrument
Side-by-side comparison of two open source alternatives
BendyStraw
BendyStraw An app for managing NewPipe databases. BendyStraw imports NewPipeData-*.zip files and lets you: Open multiple zips at the same time, so you can combine data from several devices Delete Copy Move Rename your custom playlists Delete Copy Move streams from one playlist to another Delete Copy Move channel subscriptions between databases Delete Copy Move remote (bookmarked) playlists Re-order playlists, sorting the streams by Title, Channel or Length (just tap the column headings in the tables) Shuffle or reverse playlists Create new playlists Drag and drop tracks to re-order playlists After editing simply export a new zip file, then import it back into NewPipe. Import/export playlists: Streams (audio/video) can be opened directly from BendyStraw, as the URLs are clickable If you set video links (in your Android settings) to open in NewPipe you can make a split-screen view and jump around your playlists Export playlist as raw text, for example to be used with yt-dlp Import playlists from JSON (the button to do this is hidden by default, go to the settings menu to show it) Open as a temporary YouTube playlist in your browser Depending on your device settings YouTube might open in your browser or a web view or something else... to find out how to configure this do a web search for 'android set default apps' Dark/light themes Search your watch history to build new playlists Search through your watch history Results are displayed in a special search playlist and can be copied into other playlists Note about Permissions On Android 13+ BendyStraw asks for the manage external storage permission, here's why: A typical use-case for this app is to open several zip files, concurrently, from multiple locations including Download directories (these files would be, for example, multiple NewPipe exports from multiple devices, which you want to combine). Each zip is extracted so that its contained newpipe.db SQLite database can be read/written while you are editing. After editing, the extracted files are written back to a new zip, and/or overwrite the original zips. I aim to minimise the permissions I request in everything I build. Android 13 introduced changes to make doing what I decribed above difficult. I explored alternative methods requiring fewer permissions and felt that it compromised the user experience for my (as the app's first user) typical usage, making it more complicated and annoying. I treat users as responsible human beings, so give you this info to allow you to make an informed choice. If you are not happy with this, you can: Choose not to grant the permission, and uninstall the app. Check the source code to see that I'm not doing anything nefarious, or ask somebody to check it for you (at time
Podcini.X - Podcast instrument
Podcini, an open source podcast instrument, attuned to Puccini, adorned with pasticcini and aromatized with porcini, invites your harmonious heartbeats. Do I hear your heartbeats? Great! Common functionalities of a podcast player are well-supported: Search, discover and subscribe to podcasts, by keywords, simple RSS URLs, or OPML files. Download, stream or queue episodes, and enjoy them the way you like with adjustable playback speeds. Save effort, battery power and mobile data usage with powerful automation controls for auto-downloading/auto-enqueuing episodes. If the feed contains no media (plain RSS feed), Text-to-Speech engine is used to play the text. Listening progress can be instantly synced through a NextCloud server or across devices in the same Wi-Fi network without a server. So what's special with this podcast app among the many? Well, aside from doing the above well, the following make it stand out: It's open sourced, free to use and free of ads, free as in beer and free as in speech! It takes advantage of modern frameworks to be efficient and conserve energy. In addition to subscriptions, it allows you to create your own synthetic podcasts to compile your interested episodes from various sources to better focus on your interests. While the list of episodes (filtered and sorted by you) in each podcast serves a natural playlist for you, it also empowers you with multiple queues each associable with any podcasts to group similar contents for better listening. On any podcast/episode, you can assign 5 levels of rating allowing you to make better decisions on where to put your attention. You have 12 levels of play states (like to play soon, play again, etc) to better plan and enhance your listening experiences. You can also keep your personal notes with your opinions/comments on each podcast/episode. It has sophisticated sorting and filtering options for you to better select contents. When you unsubscribe a podcast, it allows you to preserve your important episodes of the podcast in a synthetic feed. It keeps a record of your unsubscribed podcasts and notifies you if you unknowingly try to re-subscribe to some. It caches streamed audio for seamless local rewind and replay. You can record audio clips or mark positions on any episodes for better review. You can also set selected episodes related for better grouping. Sure, you can play any episodes in your car's speakers. And, it's not all about audio, video is well handled. You can cast the audio/video to Chromecast speakers/screens. Some other podcast players can also do all of the above? Join the Podcini community! Podcini is under active development by volunteers. You can contribute too, with code, comments or improvements. See source code on github.com/XilinJia/Podcini.X
| Feature | BendyStraw | Podcini.X - Podcast instrument |
|---|---|---|
| License | GPL-3.0-only | GPL-3.0-only |
| Install sources | F-Droid | F-DroidGitHubIzzyOnDroid |
| Categories | Media PlayerVideo | Media PlayerPodcastVideoBrowser |
| Features | Ad-FreeOpen SourceNo Tracking | Ad-FreeOpen SourceNo Tracking |
| Platforms | Android | Android |
| Website | ||
| Source code |