Show cover (recommended)
Recommended3000×3000 1:1
Quality master for Apple Podcasts and many host dashboards. Title must still read when the tile shrinks.
Use in toolApple Podcasts · Image size
Apple Podcasts Cover Size
Apple Podcasts show covers are large catalog squares. Export 3000×3000 when you can (keep 1400×1400 as a clarity floor), keep the title bold, then download in your browser.
Browser crop · stays on your device
Crop your Apple Podcasts show cover
3000 × 3000
Add a photo to crop
Upload show art—or try the sample—then keep the show title inside the readable center before you download.
Size specs
This is show packaging for Apple Podcasts—not a music album jacket and not a Spotify playlist stamp. Keep the title bold inside the readable zone.
Publish
Export this for Apple Podcasts upload.
Minimum clarity square
1400×1400 1:1
Common clarity floor for podcast artwork. Prefer 3000×3000 when the source is sharp.
Use in tool| Asset | Pixels | Ratio | Notes | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Show cover (recommended) Recommended | 3000×3000 | 1:1 | Quality master for Apple Podcasts and many host dashboards. Title must still read when the tile shrinks. | Use in tool |
| Minimum clarity square | 1400×1400 | 1:1 | Common clarity floor for podcast artwork. Prefer 3000×3000 when the source is sharp. | Use in tool |
Show art is a catalog square—not a playlist doodle
Apple Podcasts lists shows as squares in Search, Library, Top Charts, and Now Playing–style views. Listeners decide in a glance whether your cover looks like a real show or a soft stamp. Thin script on the rim disappears when the tile shrinks on a phone—or worse, on CarPlay and Lock Screen widgets.
3000×3000 is the quality master this page starts from. Many hosts and Apple’s artwork guidance treat roughly 1400×1400 as a practical minimum for clarity—use it as a floor, not as a reason to ship soft art. Upscaling a 600px logo into either size looks muddy next to crisp catalog neighbors.
Spotify podcast covers often share the same large-square habit. Still export separately if titles, season marks, or brand locks differ by storefront. Music album art from a distributor is a different product again—do not paste a Spotify playlist collage or a Bandcamp jacket into Connect without a fresh crop.
Crop once with the title centered, then upload through your podcast host (Apple Podcasts Connect, Buzzsprout, Transistor, Captivate, etc.). Artwork updates can take hours—or longer—to propagate across directories. Plan rebrands ahead of launch day.
Good vs weak crop
Same feed frame—keep the subject inside the margin phones actually show.
Reads as show packaging
- Huge title inside the zone
- True 3000×3000 when possible
- High contrast for dark lists
- Works when shrunk to Library tiles
Looks like a soft stamp
- Playlist collage used as show art
- Thin type on the rim
- Soft upscale from a tiny JPEG
- 9:16 promo letterboxed into a fake square
Before you upload
Tick these off against your crop preview—nothing is saved.
Related surfaces compared
Similar-looking slots often use different ratios—do not reuse one export for all of them.
Show cover
3000 × 3000
This page. Recommended master for Apple Podcasts.
Clarity floor
1400 × 1400
Common minimum clarity—prefer the larger master.
Spotify podcast cover
Often 3000 × 3000
Same square habit—re-check titles per storefront.
Music album art
Often 3000 × 3000
Different product—do not paste as show packaging.
| Surface | Typical size | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Show cover | 3000 × 3000 | This page. Recommended master for Apple Podcasts. |
| Clarity floor | 1400 × 1400 | Common minimum clarity—prefer the larger master. |
| Spotify podcast cover | Often 3000 × 3000 | Same square habit—re-check titles per storefront. |
| Music album art | Often 3000 × 3000 | Different product—do not paste as show packaging. |
Apple Podcasts vs Spotify show art
Both often want large squares near 3000×3000. Titles, safe zones, and brand marks can still differ. Re-crop if one storefront crops tighter or if your Spotify art carries platform-specific season badges.
Music album covers on Spotify are a separate catalog product. Podcast show art should read as a series title, not a single release jacket with tracklist microtext.
- Spotify podcast cover — 3000 × 3000 show jacket
- Spotify album cover — Music release—not a podcast
Hosts, Connect, and cache lag
Most creators upload artwork through a host that syncs to Apple Podcasts. Follow that host’s file rules (square, formats, size caps), then verify in Podcasts Connect if you manage the show there.
Directory caches linger. A “successful” upload in the host does not mean every listener sees the new art the same afternoon. Keep the previous master until you confirm the new square landed in Search and Library.
- Prefer a true square—no letterboxed rectangles.
- Avoid URL stickers on the art when hosts forbid them.
- Replace carefully—caches linger across apps and CarPlay.
Design for tiny car and Lock Screen tiles
Many listeners never see your cover at desktop size. CarPlay, widget tiles, and Now Playing strips shrink the square hard. One word or a bold mark beats a paragraph of episode blurb.
- Test readability at phone thumbnail size before you ship.
- Keep faces and logos inside the readable center.
- Skip ornate borders that vanish into dark UI chrome.
File requirements
JPG suits photographic covers; PNG suits flat titles and hard graphics. Prefer sRGB. Start from a sharp master—do not upscale a soft phone export and hope Apple sharpens it.
- Recommended
- 3000 × 3000 px square
- Clarity floor
- 1400 × 1400 px square
- Formats
- JPG or PNG (sRGB stills)
- Not playlist art
- Show packaging only
- Best for
- Search, Library, Now Playing tiles
Common mistakes
- Shipping a soft 600px logo as show art.
- Using music album art with the wrong title.
- Script type that vanishes in Library and CarPlay.
- Letterboxing a 9:16 promo into a fake square.
- Changing art mid-season without checking host sync lag.
How to use the crop tool
Upload the jacket, keep Show cover (3000×3000) selected unless you need the floor preset, drag until the title sits inside the zone, then download. Processing stays in your browser.
- Zoom until the show name fills the readable center.
- Prefer fewer words on the image.
- Publish through your host—then verify on a phone.
After you download
From this download to a live upload in a few minutes.
- 1
Download the 3000×3000 JPG or PNG (or 1400×1400 if you chose the floor preset).
- 2
Upload it in your podcast host / Apple Podcasts Connect as show artwork.
- 3
Wait for directory refresh; catalogs cache artwork.
- 4
Check Library and Search on a phone after it goes live—and glance at CarPlay if you drive with podcasts.
- 5
If the title vanishes at tile size, enlarge it and re-export before the next episode.
Frequently asked questions
What size is an Apple Podcasts cover in 2026?
Export a square. 3000×3000 is the quality master. Treat about 1400×1400 as a common clarity floor—not a reason to ship soft art.
Is 1400×1400 enough for Apple Podcasts?
It can work when the design is bold and hosts accept it, but prefer 3000×3000 whenever your source and host allow it.
Is Apple Podcasts cover the same as Spotify podcast cover?
Often the same large-square habit—still re-check titles, badges, and crops per storefront before you reuse one file.
Where do I upload Apple Podcasts artwork?
Usually through your podcast host, which syncs to Apple. If you manage the show in Podcasts Connect, update artwork there too and wait for directory caches.
JPG or PNG for Apple Podcasts cover art?
JPG for photo covers, PNG for flat titles and hard graphics. Prefer sRGB stills either way.