Listening to your favorite podcast on the go is the easiest way to catch up with the latest episodes, but what do you do when you need to listen to something when using your computer?

Listening to podcasts in your browser can be easy and convenient once you figure out the right extensions to help you along the way.

Here are some great options to get you started.

1. SmarterPod

A Screenshot of the SmarterPod Chrome Extension in Use

This browser extension lets you sign up for podcast feeds, meaning you'll never miss episodes of your favorite storytelling podcasts again. Dedicated buttons within the extension allow you to add content to a playlist.

You can also search for podcasts and subscribe to them with one click. Play, pause, or download material using the playback buttons. And what's even cooler is that SmarterPod also lets you sync content across computers.

Keep in mind that, at the time of writing, SmarterPod is available in beta, which means you might find a few bugs. With that said, it's still a great extension you should try.

Download: SmarterPod for Chrome (Free)

2. Podcast Player Prime

A Screenshot of the Podcast Player Prime Chrome Extension in Use

This podcast-playing browser extension lets you download any podcast and automatically goes into your cache so you can listen to it later. Podcast Player Prime features an eye-catching interface that you can customize with different themes— and it even has a feature that allows viewing your cache and quickly deleting podcasts.

This extension also comes with different action buttons. For instance, the refresh button forces updates for all podcasts and feeds, and the plus button quickly lets you subscribe to any podcast you want.

Besides searching for podcasts, you can see a chart of the top picks, which could help guide your listening choices.

Overall, using Podcast Player Prime could help you keep track of the podcasts you hear or reorder the contents of the cache—making it a great podcast manager for your PC.

Download: Podcast Player Prime for Firefox | Chrome (Free)

3. PodStation Podcast Player

A Screenshot of the PodStation Podcast Player Chrome Extension in Use

PodStationPodcast Player is a podcast aggregator with content from iTunes and the Podcast Search Service. You can add feeds or subscribe to podcasts with the plus icon, and after you do, the plus symbol to the right of the title becomes a checkmark.

If you have browsers on multiple computers, this extension can sync content across all, which is perfect if you regularly use any of the best podcast apps for Android. The shared content between devices even recognizes where you stopped listening to an episode, so you can pick up where you left off, even on a different computer.

What makes PodStationPodcast Player stand out is that its playback controls are slightly more in-depth than others on the list. For example, you can slow down or increase the speed to fit your preferences. There's also a continuous play feature, which jumps directly to the next episode in a list once the current one ends.

Download: PodStation Podcast Player for Chrome (Free)

4. Podcast App

A Screenshot of the Podcast App Chrome Extension in Use

Despite its nondescript name, this extension offers a wealth of material. You can find new podcasts from iTunes's worldwide list or see NPR's best collections, making it a great way to discover new podcasts.

You could try a variety of podcast discovery apps and websites, but if you're not satisfied with those options, Podcast App also lets you look at the "What's Hot" playlist from PodcastOne. All you need to do is use the links along the top of the extension's main window to switch between content providers.

You can also focus your search by browsing through categories ranging from entertainment to travel. After finding an interesting podcast option, click the red play link to the right of the description.

Some podcasts have red add links instead. Clicking one lets you subscribe to a feed and view new episodes as they arrive.

Moreover, you'll see genre categories and respective podcast titles underneath those headings on the left-hand side. If you're in the mood for a topical podcast, the material in the categories could steer your search.

Some of the podcast names say "Winner!" in red text to the right. That designation indicates an award-winning podcast, which can help you find some of the highest-quality content available.

Download: Podcast App for Chrome (Free)

5. SndControl: Your Audio ControlPad

A Screenshot of the SndControl Chrome Extension in Use

SndControl is a slight departure from some of the other entries on this list in that it isn’t a dedicated Podcast playing service, per se. Instead, SndControl functions as an audio controller that you can use with many of the most popular podcast streaming services.

If you listen to your podcasts on Spotify, TuneIn Radio, or PocketCasts, among others, then SndControl will give you more control over your listening than ever before.

SndControl allows you to assign keyboard shortcuts, click on the browser extension for audio control, or a fully featured smart control pad.

You can also access a quick start-up as part of the extension, which allows you to quickly and easily navigate wherever you listen to podcasts.

Download: SndControl: Your Audio ControlPad for Chrome (Free)

6. Podcasts - A Player, Downloader, Transcriber

A Screenshot of the Podcasts Chrome Extension in Use

If you’re looking for a fully realized Chrome extension capable of playing, downloading, and transcribing podcasts, then Podcasts is an excellent choice.

With Podcasts you can easily download podcasts either individually or in bulk. You can do this using the search function, which allows you to simply type what you want or import your RSS feeds. This is one of many great ways to discover new podcasts worth hearing.

Once you’ve downloaded your podcasts, you can listen to them as you wish, and there are even options to queue up podcasts one after another, favorite the ones you really like, and even transcribe them as you listen, though this last feature requires signing up.

Download: Podcasts for Chrome (Free)

A Screenshot of the Podcast Hero Chrome Extension in Use

Finally, we have Podcast Hero, an interesting little Chrome extension that replaces your regular new tab page with a way to find new podcasts.

Instead of what you’d normally see, which is your most viewed web pages and the like, Podcast Hero makes it so that some of the most popular podcasts currently available on the web appear instead.

You can use the new tab to search normally, but if you find yourself rarely using the new tab to visit websites, this is a handy alternative and a great way to discover new podcasts that you might not have listened to otherwise. Don't worry; this feature is unobtrusive enough that you might hardly notice that it’s there at all.

Download: Podcast Hero for Chrome (Free)

Browser Extensions Make Listening to Podcasts Easy

As you can see, there are a wide variety of extensions for both Chrome and Firefox that allow you to discover and listen to podcasts more easily than ever before. The best part about them is that they're super easy to add or remove at any time, so you might as well test them for yourself and see which you like the most.

If you're not sure, however, there are always great podcasts waiting around the corner for you to discover them. All you have to do is listen.