At The Streamable, we focus much of our attention on connecting viewers to the best video streaming services that match their preferences and budget. But we also know that readers can’t be watching TV all the time; hundreds of millions of Americans also use audio streaming services, including free and paid tiers of services like Pandora, Spotify, and others.

With so many popular music streaming services offering free tiers, we thought it would be a good idea to review which of these audio streamers is best in our eyes… er, ears. Check out our rankings of top free music streaming services below, and see which we recommend for every type of listener.

What are our favorite free music streaming services?

Which music streaming services offer a free tier?

You can enjoy free access to music, podcasts, audiobooks, and more with the following audio streaming services:

Many of these services also offer paid subscription tiers with more content, fewer ads, and better features than their free counterparts. However, most of them provide a highly entertaining free listening experience, which can be a big help for readers who are trying to trim the fat off their entertainment budget.

The best free streaming service for podcasts: Spotify

The free tier of Spotify has a deep library of podcasts available, including popular titles like “The Joe Rogan Experience,” “Crime Junkie,” “The Daily,” and more. You’ll need an internet connection and tolerance for unskippable ads to listen, but Spotify’s library of free podcasts far outstrips other top audio streaming platforms.

You won’t be able to listen to 100% of Spotify’s podcast library on its free tier, but the vast majority of shows on the platform are there. Viewers can even find a growing selection of video podcasts available on the free tier of Spotify.

The best free streaming service for audiobooks: Libby

Audio streaming services are the perfect way to access big-name audiobooks, and if you love a new bestseller, Libby is the way to go. A Libby subscription is completely free; the service doesn’t even have a paid premium tier. All you need to sign up is a library card, and titles you borrow are automatically returned, so there’s no late fee.

Using Libby, listeners can listen to digital audiobooks from their public library, either connected to the internet or offline via download. It’s got a collection of thousands of audiobooks in every conceivable genre, and they all stream completely ad-free.

The best free music streamer for watching music videos: YouTube Music

This may seem like something of a basic choice, but why mess with success? YouTube has built its entire business on offering no-cost videos with limited ads to a huge audience, so it should come as no surprise that the same model is so competently executed when it comes to music videos.

YouTube Music offers everything from chart-toppers to obscure tracks, and has concert recordings, DJ sets, and even fan remix videos available. Free listeners get a huge percentage of the YouTube Music library, and YouTube viewers will already be highly familiar with the service’s interface.

The best free music streaming service for casual listening: Pandora

If you love audio streaming, but don’t want to have to spend hours curating playlists or sifting through podcasts to find an episode you haven’t listened to yet, Pandora’s free, lean-back experience is the perfect destination for releasing the reins and letting the music take you.

Pandora turns song suggestions into “radio stations” built around an artist or genre. All it asks of the listener is to give a thumbs-up or thumbs-down reaction when they like or don’t like a given song, and Pandora will continue to build the playlist you’re hearing based on their preferences.

The best free music streaming service for terrestrial radio lovers: iHeart Radio

If you’re still a fan of old-school radio, the iHeartRadio app is a great way to get access to thousands of AM and FM stations from around the country at no cost. Listeners can also hear artist radio stations and podcasts on iHeart, but terrestrial radio is the star of its free tier.

Listeners will find sports stations, talk radio from across the spectrum, music stations, and much more on iHeart. Its free service may not have as many bells and whistles as paid tiers, but it’s a great way to scratch that old-school radio itch for free.

What’s the best free music streamer overall?

As discussed, Spotify is our favorite free streamer for listening to podcasts, thanks to the huge availability of titles on the platform. Millions of podcast episodes are available on Spotify, but even this library is dwarfed by the tens of millions of songs found on the service.

But a huge library of songs and podcasts isn’t the only reason that Spotify ranks as our best free music service, however. It combines some of the best parts of all the other audio streamers on our list; the service allows listeners to create digital radio stations based on songs, artists, or genres, organize their music in playlists, and even stream video versions of some podcasts.

There are definite limits to be aware of with Spotify’s free tier. Ads are unavoidable on this plan, and there’s no ability to download titles for offline listening or access to audiobooks unless you pay to become a Spotify Premium subscriber.

Nevertheless, the balance of a fantastic catalog and a great selection of features makes Spotify our favorite free audio streaming service. Will another streamer rise to take its crown? Keep checking back with The Streamable as we track the best audio (and video) streaming services on the market!

Breakdown of the top audio streaming services

Audio Streaming