Apple has published the 2025 podcast annual charts. The evaluation shows which formats were particularly in demand in Germany.
Apple Podcasts has presented the 2025 annual charts, providing a comprehensive insight into the most successful formats of the year. The lists show which shows reached the most listeners, which new additions took off and which episodes were shared particularly often.
In addition to the data-based rankings, Apple also publishes a curated selection of the best podcasts of the year in more than 15 markets. The finale is the “Apple Podcasts Show of the Year” award, which will be announced on December 4th. The most important rankings from the USA and Germany at a glance.
Best German podcasts on Apple 2025
Table of Contents
Top-Podcasts
- Lanz & Precht:Markus Lanz and Richard David Precht talk about socially and politically relevant topics.
- Hotel Matze: Interview podcast by Matze Hielscher.
- Mordlust: The journalists Paulina Krasa and Laura Wohlers talk about true crime cases and their backgrounds.
- Murder on ex:True Crime with Leonie Bartsch and Linn Schütze.
- TIME Crimes: ZEIT editor Sabine Rückert and other reporters report on true crimes.
- Kaulitz Hills: Bill and Tom Kaulitz (Tokio Hotel) talk about current topics and stories from their lives.
- Mixed hack: Comedy and conversation podcast by Felix Lobrecht and Tommi Schmitt.
- Ronzheimer: Podcast by journalist and war reporter Paul Ronzheimer about current topics.
- State of the Nation: Weekly analysis of political events with Philip Banse and Ulf Buermeyer.
- Baywatch Berlin: Comedy podcast with Klaas Heufer-Umlauf, Thomas Schmitt and Jakob Lundt.
Most Popular New Podcasts
- Die Peter Thiel Story: Podcast about the tech billionaire with German roots, who is considered to be the mastermind behind the cultural shift to the right in the USA.
- The Huntress: Podcast series from the Süddeutsche Zeitung with Leonie Bartsch and Linn Schütze (“Murder on Ex“) about a stalking case.
- Fall asleep with biographies: Extraordinary life stories and biographies, read aloud to help you fall asleep.
- Welt – Make Economy great again: Economist Daniel Stelter and WELT editor Ulf Poschardt discuss the economic situation in Germany.
- Sherlock Holmes short stories: The classics of literature, read by Rufus Beck.
- Plus Ultra – The Road to the Thirty Years’ War: Podcast drama about the question of how the world became the way it is today.
- The Sophie Passmann Podcast: Sophie Passmann discusses topics from pop culture and society every week.
- Hateland: ARD podcast with Louis Klamroth about extreme and radical groups such as Reich citizens, neo-Nazis and conspiracy ideologists.
- The Germanwings crash: WDR reporter Justine Rosenkranz accompanied relatives for ten years
- Berlin Code: Politics podcast from the ARD capital studio with Linda Zervakis.
Top episodes
- Die Peter Thiel StoryEpisode 1: “Welcome to the Thielverse” (May 27, 2025)
- Lanz & PrechtEpisode 183: “Whatever it takes – the turnaround power of Friedrich Merz” (March 7, 2025)
- MordlustEpisode 181: “Why are you doing this to yourself?” (December 18, 2024)
- The HuntressEpisode 1: “I am your downfall” (July 20, 2025)
- Time crimes: “A Story of Love and Death” (January 28, 2025)
- Murder on ExEpisode 265: “In Love, Engaged, Dead” (July 14, 2025)
- Crime next doorEpisode 140: “The Nicole Schalla Case” (January 6, 2025)
- Hotel Matze: “Angela Merkel” (December 11, 2024)
- Baywatch Berlin: “Merkel, do you have Labubu?” (September 26, 2025)
- State of the nation: “February 25, 2025” (February 25, 2025)
Top Series
- The Huntress: Podcast series from the Süddeutsche Zeitung with Leonie Bartsch and Linn Schütze (“Murder on Ex”) about a stalking case.
- Die Elon Musk Story: WDR podcast about Elon Musk.
- Sherlock Holmes short stories: The classics of literature, read by Rufus Beck.
- The Block case: Journalist Michael Maske and SPIEGEL author Christopher Piltz on the trial against entrepreneur Christina Block.
- Wirecard – 1.9 billion lies: Podcast from the Süddeutsche Zeitung about Jan Marsalek and the Wirecard Group.
- Legion: Podcast with Khesrau Behroz about “Love Scams” on the Internet – and the organized crime behind online fraud.
- Hateland: ARD podcast with Louis Klamroth about extreme and radical groups such as Reich citizens, neo-Nazis and conspiracy ideologists.
- More expensive driving: Charlotte Thielmann and Joana Voss about Deutsche Bahn and how the railway network in Germany was able to get to the state it is in today.
- The Germanwings crash: WDR reporter Justine Rosenkranz accompanied relatives for ten years
- Soul Catcher: The fifth season of the podcast is about Germanic New Medicine and its founder Ryke Geerd Hamer.
The German Apple Podcast Charts 2025 show how wide the spectrum of topics has become, which reliably finds a large audience in this country. True crime remains a power factor, but at the same time conversation formats around politics, society and personal life stories maintain their position. What is striking is that new productions with strong narrative concepts – such as investigative series or historical audio dramas – are achieving great reach more and more quickly. The charts not only reflect listening habits, but also how professional and diverse the German podcast market is now.
