There are many different programs that you can use to listen to radio. However, there is a great deal of choice and each program offers different options. To make your search easier, we have compared the best radio apps for Android and iOS for you. With these you can easily search and find different international radio stations and even record different songs. Like this, you can create your own individual music empire according to your own wishes.
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Good to know: No copyright protection is circumvented
Radio stations that can be recorded with Audials do not use any effective protection against recording and output unencrypted audio on the sound card of your device. Audials always only records such unencrypted audio data. According to US Copyright Law “No action may be brought … alleging infringement of copyright based on … distribution … or based on the noncommercial use by a consumer of such a … digital audio recording device”.
Radio stations that can be recorded with Audials do not use any effective protection against recording and output unencrypted audio on the sound card of your device. Audials always only records such unencrypted audio data. According to US Copyright Law “No action may be brought … alleging infringement of copyright based on … distribution … or based on the noncommercial use by a consumer of such a … digital audio recording device”.
The best free radio apps for Android and iOS
Here is the list of the best free radio apps in 2023:
1. Audials Play
Audials Play for Android or iOS is your convenient free radio app that gives you access to more than 100,000 radio stations and thousands of podcasts in any language. Search, listen to, favor or record your favorite music, radio shows, news and sports news. Choose between numerous music genres, for example pop, dance & electronic, hip hop, rock, contry, jazz, classical music, metal etc. The radio stream is automatically recorded and saved as MP3 and AAC files. Audials Play automatically separates the songs, adds tags and saves them as separate audio files on your mobile device. The free radio app comes with useful features like the sleep timer, clock radio and local radio station suggestions. Although Audials Play is free, it is ad-free.
Pros:
- easy-to-use, ad-free radio app
- record online radio stations and podcasts in any language as MP3/AAC
- simple genres, radio stations and artists search
- more than 100,000 radio stations available
- favor your beloved stations
- equalizer
- record several stations of a genre at once with the mass recording
- shows top artists and top hits
- suggests you local stations
- shows recently played stations
- sleep timer
- create playlists
- save on mobile data bei playing with Wi-Fi only
- Android: Android Auto, clock radio, Chromecast
- iPhone: AirPlay, Apple Carplay
- Apps for: Android, iOS, and a free web player Audials Live
Cons:
- adding your desired music to music wishes for automatic recording only available with the Android Pro app
2. TuneIn
The well-known Tuneln app is a good choice if you are interested in radio and sports news. It offers you a wide range of songs and videos. Here you will find music in the best quality, at 3,000 kilobits per second. You can also discover podcasts here. If you want to specialize in the best music-related content, this is your streaming service.
TuneIn can be used as a free version, but if you want to see as little ads as possible, you will have to switch to the paid subscription for 9,99 per month.
Pros:
- Pre-releases of albums
- good sound quality
- App for Android or iOS
Cons:
- No lyrics
- only podcasts related to music
- ad-free when switching to premium
- no recording function
3. My Radio: Local Radio Stations
My Radio: Local Radio Stations is an Android app that gives you access to more than 50,000 radio stations from the US, Latin America, Asia and Europe. Search for specific radio stations, discover new radio stations, listen to your favorite music genres like pop, rock, oldies and many more. Fall asleep while your phone plays your beloved radio stations or wake up with a radio as an alarm clock.
This radio app does not have a podcasts section. Recording is not available either. If you use this app, you will have to accept that is shows ads.
Pros
- listen to, find, discover radio stations
- car mode
- alarm clock
Cons
- No podcasts
- Recording is not possible
- Not ad-free radio app
4. Simple Radio
Simple Radio by Streema is a free radio app for mobile Apple or Android devices where you can choose among 50 000 radio stations and add your favorite stations to favorites. You can search for music by genres, enjoy live sports events and stay up-to-date with the Simple Radio news. However, if you want to get rid of ads or use the sleep timer feature, you will need the Premium radio app. In sum, Simple Radio is a radio app that only contains the absolutely necessary functions. Extra features like the dark mode or a car mode are not included.
Pros
- Find and listen to radio
- news and sports news
- favoring stations
Cons
- ad-free radio app version and sleep timer only with Premium
- no recording function
- no podcasts
- no settings
5. Radio FM
Radio FM for Android or iPhone offers you more than 50 000 radio stations from all over the world. You can search for them by genre, country, language or network. Add your favorite stations to the favorites to easily access them again and again.
With this radio app, you will enjoy music wherever you are. This radio app also has many functions that users do not want to miss: The sleep timer, alarm clock, recently listened stations, news.
Radio FM is also available as a web app where you will find all your radio stations to listen to them for free.
Pros
- Free radio app
- Easy-to-use
- 50 000 radio stations
Cons
- No recording function
- No podcasts
- Android app contains ads
6. MyTuner
MyTuner is a radio app with around 50,000 radio stations from the US and all over the world. With the MyTuner web app, you can search for stations by country, state and city, but not by genre. That makes it difficult to discover new radio stations.
With the MyTuner app for Android, better user experience is assured and search is possible by country, state, city and genre. The app recommends you radios and shows radio stations near to you. A sleep timer and a car mode is included. However, you will have to accept that the free app version is not ad-free. With the web app, iOS and Android app, you can listen to and download podcasts, but only podcasts in your language are shown.
Pros
- free radio app
- available as a web app and for Android/iOS
- sleep timer
- car mode
- search by country, state, city, genre
Cons
- contains ads (to avoid ads, the pro version is necessary)
- web app does not allow to search radios by genre
- no radio recording feature
- podcasts only in your language are shown
7. Audacy
Audacy is a free web app that offers you tons of radio stations sorted by genre, exclusive stations, but also various podcasts. Audacy is available as a mobile app for Android and iOS too. A recording function is not included. If you have some radio stations and you do not want to discover new ones, this radio and podcast player will be sufficient for you because the number of stations and podcasts is very limited.
Pros
- listen to radio from web app, Android or iOS
- ad-free radio app
Cons
- no recording function
- only limited number of stations
8. RADIO.NET
On the radio.net website you can listen to over 30,000 radio stations worldwide for free. You will see stations in the area under "Near You". You will also find tips from the editors and the radio.net top 100. If you are looking for a special genre, the search function offers the possibility to find the right station or you can browse the library from A-Z to find new genres. In addition, a suitable station for your interests can be found in the "Topics" area. Mark stations, favorite songs or podcasts with a heart and certainly mark them as favorites. The website is represented worldwide, should you miss US radio abroad, you are back home with one click.
Radio.net is not ad-free. If you do not like ads, you can switch to the payed version radio.net PRIME.
Pros:
- App for Android and iOS
- for free
- Channel lists from your region
Cons:
- no podcasts
- Radios can only be played but not recorded
- free version is not ad-free
9. iHeart
iHeart is a free web app, Android, and iOS app to listen to thousands of popular radio stations in the US, Australia and New Zealand. Discover new artists, sort and browse for radio stations by genres, both on the web app and the smartphone app. Find music content for specific situations, for example a workout, for relaxing or for concentrating. Discover many podcasts and save them for offline listening. Please note that the free smartphone app contains ads in contrast to the web app. If you want to listen to radio stations from other countries, you will have to search for a second app.
Pros:
- free radio app to listen to many popular radio stations
- listen to and save podcasts for offline listening
- find music for special moods
Cons:
- contains ads
- content from specific countries only
- recording is not possible
10. RadioApp
RadioApp is a free radio app for Android and iOS with 350 Australian radio stations. You can search for radios, favor them, and listen to them. You can stop the current station and switch to another one by swiping and pressing the play button. If you have just listened to an unknown song that you liked, you can look up the artist and song name in the history. With this radio app, you will get recommendations of radios near to you. Android Auto for Android and Apple Carplay for iOS are supported. A sleep timer and an alarm clock are included.
Pros:
- radio app to listen to Australian radio for free
- easy to switch radio stations
- alarm
- sleep timer
- history of played songs
- Android Auto/Apple CarPlay
- local radio station recommendations
Cons:
- it is required to sign in
- supports a limited number of radio stations
The top radio apps that are available for free
Here is an overview of the radio apps presented here:
| Audials Play | TuneIn | My Radio: Local Radio Stations | Simple Radio | Radio FM | MyTuner | Audacy | Radio.net | iHeart | RadioApp | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Play radio | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Number of radios | 100,000 | 100,000 | 50,000 | 50,000 | 50,000 | 50,000 | ? | 30,000 | ? | 350 |
| Record radio | ✔ | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Shows ads | - | ✔!! | ✔!! | ✔!! | ✔!! | ✔!! | - | ✔!! | ✔!! | - |
| Android | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| iOS | ✔ | ✔ | - | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Windows | ✔ | ✔ | - | ✔ | - | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | - | - |
Summary: Audials Play is the best free radio app
What makes Audials Play so special is that it offers you everything for enjoying music: Tons of local, national and international radio stations, radio recording, equalizer, sleep timer, favoring radio stations. By playing with WiFi only, you will save on mobile data. Audials Play is free and does not contain any ads (except for those that the radio stations play).
You will find further interesting radio apps on androidauthority.com and igeeksblog.com and lifewire.com.
Please note
Music played by online radio stations is copyrighted. Any redistribution of it without the consent of the copyright owners may be a violation of the law in most countries, including the USA. Audials AG is not affiliated with the online radio stations, the music played by them, nor the company that owns the trademark rights to the online radio stations. This page is provided for compatibility purposes only, and in no case should be considered an endorsement of Audials Software products by any associated 3rd party.
FAQ
How can I listen to live radio?
Listening to the radio is easier than ever now: The only thing you need is installing a radio app on your smartphone or PC. Many of these radio apps offer various radio stations that play different music genres. To play radio, you will need to connect your device with the internet. Best ways to find radio stations
How do I listen to radio on my phone?
You can listen to radio on Android or iOS if you install a radio app from Google Play or the Apple store. You will find many free radio apps that provide local, national and even international web radios. Audials Play is a good radio app because it is free, does not show ads and has an intuitive user interface.
Is there a free radio app for smartphones?
Yes, you will find many radio apps for Android and iOS that can be used for free. It is important to know that most of the free radio apps show ads.
Which is the best free radio app?
Audials Play is the best radio app because it gives you acces to 100,000 radio stations all over the world and numerous podcasts. You can record them for offline listening. Listen to radio, discover new radio stations, genres and top hits, favor radio stations and artists. A sleep timer and equalizer are included, too. Audials Play does not contain ads (except for ads played by the radio stations themselves).
An alternative to a software application that needs to be installed is a free radio web app.