When you want to listen to the radio online, there are a wide variety of stations to choose from. Whether you’re looking for music, news, sports, or something else, you’ll be able to find the best online radio stations to suit your needs. Here’s a list of the best online radio stations:
Pandora. This online radio station lets you create personalized music stations, tailored to your tastes. It also has a great selection of curated stations that you can choose from.
Sirius XM. If you’re a fan of talk radio and music, this is the station for you. Sirius XM offers a huge variety of exciting content, from music and talk to news and sports.
Spotify. This popular music streaming service has recently added a radio feature. With Spotify’s radio service, you can enjoy a wide selection of genres, from pop and rock to country and classical.
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TuneIn Radio. This station has become especially popular for its wide range of podcast offerings. TuneIn Radio also offers a great selection of music and news, so you’re sure to find something you like.
NPR. This station is well-known for its high-quality news programs. You can also find entertainment and cultural shows, as well as a great selection of podcasts.
BBC Radio. Everyone’s familiar with the BBC’s television programming, but the radio station has some great content as well. You can enjoy music, talk, news, and sports – all available on the the BBC Radio station.
Google Radio. This is a great station if you want to listen to top music hits, podcast, and radio stations from all over the world.
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These are just a few of the top online radio stations. With so many options out there, you’re sure to find your favorite station – all without leaving the comfort of your home.
With the multitude of online radio stations that are available, picking your favorite should be easy. Below is our hand-picked list of the absolute best online radio stations for a variety of genres.
You’ll find country music, instrumental music, a station perfect for party music, and several others. Each of these picks has music selected by one or more DJs, much like a traditional radio station. In fact, some are just online streams of the same radio program played over the air in that station’s local area.
Please note that these websites are true radio programs, not on-demand music streaming services. While a streaming music service gives you the freedom to play specific tracks and eliminates commercials, you have to manually pick and choose which songs to stream. An internet radio station plays DJ-chosen music as part of a category or genre, like rock, indie, jazz, Christian, etc., making music discovery fun and easy.
WLTW 106.7 Lite FM: New York’s Best Variety Radio Station
Advantages
Includes lyrics to some songs
Provides a full screen listening experience
What We Don’t Like
Shows only the three most recently played tracks
Owned by iHeartMedia and often New York’s top-rated radio station, WLTW 106.7 Lite FM plays all types of music, from modern day back to the ‘80s.
You’ll hear dance, pop, rock, disco, R&B, punk, new wave, and more, from artists and groups like Wham!, George Michael, Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera, Camila Cabello, Tears for Fears, Prince, Duran Duran, Cutting Crew, No Doubt, and many others.
If you like a recently played song from the WLTW 106.7 Lite FM radio station, you can start your own station based on that type of music, and even skip through the songs, unlike you can on the radio.
An iHeartRadio subscription lets you replay songs from the radio, save songs from the radio to your own playlist, and more. You can listen online as well as from the Windows or mobile app.
Listen to 106.7 Lite FM Online
DI.FM: Electronic Music Internet Radio
Advantages
Several genres to choose from.
Lets you skip tracks.
What We Don’t Like
Shows ads to free listeners.
Some streams are for premium users only.
Limited to 30m of streaming before you’re required to make a free account.
Lower quality audio for free users.
Launched in 1999 as Digitally Imported, DI.FM is an internet radio service that lets you stream electronic music 24/7. They have a team of curators that choose the best music from each genre or style.
In addition to browsing the most popular channels here are several subcategories you can pick from: trance, EDM, dance, house, lounge, chillout, techno, bass, ambient, deep, classic, vocal, hard, and synth.
You can follow any channel to add it to your list of favorites for easy access later.
If you’re a paying user, you can change the audio quality and listen in external players through a playlist file. Free users can make an account to like and dislike tracks. You can log in with your email address or your Google or Facebook account.
Relax FM: The Best Radio Station for Relaxing Music
Advantages
The curated selection is amazing
Great place to find new chill music
Plays relaxing versions of popular music
Browse through the stream playlist
What We Don’t Like
Site is partially in Russian
Relax FM is a radio station out of Moscow, Russia, that features instrumental, English, and foreign music that’s sure to relax you. There are multiple channels to choose from, including Relax Life, Relax Nature, Relax Gold, and Relax Latino.
While you can listen online from anywhere, including the official Relax FM website, it’s also available locally to Moscow listeners at 90.8 FM and some other stations.
The apps linked below are from radio.net because the official Relax FM apps are in Russian. You can stream this radio station from radio.net, too.
SomaFM: Internet Radio for Awesome Indie Music
Advantages
Commercial-free radio station
Multiple ways to listen
Shows several recently played songs
The browser player includes a sleep timer
What We Don’t Like
Uninteresting website design
5 of the Best Indie Music Sites
One of the best ways to find new indie music is with this internet radio station from SomaFM. The DJs hand-pick all the best indie songs they can find and let you listen directly from your browser or with your favorite media player.
Some of the artists and bands streamed on this radio station include Amanda Cadore, Alvvays, Aloha, Polica, Carroll, Paranoids, Violents and Monica Martin, Beck, and Neko Case.
SomaFM’s Indie Pop Rocks station shows all the artists they’ve played in the last two weeks so that you can not only see which artists were played more than others but also get a link to their tracks on Amazon. There’s also a handy recently played songs list for an idea of the content.
Something else you can do is add songs to a list of your favorites, from where you can easily purchase them.
Several other channels are available if you’re not into indie music. You can find holiday music, ambient electronic and experimental space music, early 2000s classics, and others.
This internet radio station can be streamed from the web as well as through an iOS, Android, or Windows app. If you prefer the TuneIn app, you can use it, too; just search for SomaFM Indie Pop Rocks! on TuneIn.
Cinemix: A Radio Station for Movie Soundtracks
Advantages
Shows the movie or series the song is known from
Purchase links are available
Lets you listen from a browser or mobile app
What We Don’t Like
Plays mainly orchestra music
Infrequent app updates
If you’re in the habit of buying soundtrack CDs from your favorite films, you’ll love this radio station. It features music found only in movies and TV shows, and since it’s ad-supported, it’s totally free.
Just a few examples of movies and shows that Cinemix features music from include Supernatural, Bicentennial Man, Lost, Guardians of the Galaxy, Call the Midwife, Last Chance Harvey, War for the Planet of the Apes, and many others.
The current song, plus the three upcoming and several recently played songs, are listed out for you.
If you become a VIP member, you can see the 20 most recently played songs instead of just a few, as well as dedicate and request songs, and more.
Cinemix works from the web and on iOS, Android, and Windows 8 mobile devices.
Instrumental Hits Radio: Internet Radio Without Lyrics
Advantages
Provides a great mix of instrumental music
Keeps a history of all the music played that day
A playlist file can be downloaded to listen in your own music player
Request your favorite songs
What We Don’t Like
Lots of ads in the mobile app
Instrumental Hits Radio has been delivering a “blend of instrumental genres” in the form of a radio station since 2013. If you’re looking for something non-distracting for work or studying, this is what you need.
Some of the music you’ll hear include classical, big band, new-age, lounge, orchestral, jazz, and more.
There’s a mobile app available for Android.
Listen to Instrumental Hits Radio Online
KEAN 105.1 FM: Texas’ Best Country Music Radio Station
Advantages
Runs on a web browser or mobile device
Dozens of the recently played songs are listed on their site where you can buy the tracks on iTunes
What We Don’t Like
Must use the pop-up player to avoid stopping the music when you browse other areas of the site
Based out of Texas, KEAN 105.1 FM is the best internet radio station to stream country music. They have a handful of DJs that choose the best country music for you, and all the upcoming shows for the week are listed on their website.
KEAN 105.1 FM plays songs from Kenny Chesney, Kane Brown, Maren Morris, Rodney Atkins, Jake Owen, Thomas Rhett, Blake Shelton, Keith Urban, and many others. See what’s played recently to get an idea.
Some internet radio stations play in a separate part of the site so that when you click elsewhere, like to view upcoming shows or recently played songs, the music won’t stop playing. To do that with this one, you need to open the pop-out player.
Aside from listening through a web browser, there’s also a KEAN 105.1 FM mobile app for Android and iOS.
Listen to KEAN 105.1 FM Online
K-LOVE: Christian Music and Talk Radio
Advantages
Displays recently played songs
Provides links to buy songs
Shows lyrics for recent tracks
Includes briefs on local and national news
Artist info is shown in the browser player
What We Don’t Like
Often lots of talk between songs
Launched in the early ’80s, K-LOVE, a solely Christian music station, is today one of the world’s top-streamed online radio stations. It’s also delivered over FM radio in numerous U.S. cities.
Every week, millions of online listeners can hear music from MercyMe, Rend Collective, Zach Williams, Francesca Battistelli, Skillet, for KING & COUNTRY, Chris Tomlin, Micah Tyler, Lauren Daigle, and more.
The website has a few other channels beyond the live stream, that targets Christmas, 90s, and 2000s music, specifically.
The K-LOVE mobile app works on iOS and Android, but only shows four recently played songs. However, it also has a Verse of the Day page and information on all the artists played on the radio station.
KIDJAM! Radio: Kid-Friendly Online Radio Station
Advantages
Avoids mature content
Void of typical “buy this” commercials
Kids can request a song to be played
Musicians can submit their own music
What We Don’t Like
Extremely bare web player
Lacks useful information; doesn’t show current track or history of past songs
KIDJAM! Radio features music a bit more appropriate for a younger crowd. It’s aimed at kids years 8–12, with occasional messages to educate children and encourage them to make wise decisions.
It plays “regular” music from known artists, but also has remixes of popular songs performed by kids.
The mobile app for iOS can rewind 10 seconds and shows the currently playing song, neither of which are supported in the web player.
Listen to KIDJAM! Radio Online
Radio Santa Claus: Christmas Music All Year Round
Advantages
Includes modern Christmas music
Puts you in the Christmas mood with a live video feed from Santa Claus Village in Finland
You can leave images and comments for other listeners to see
What We Don’t Like
Lots of website ads
Based out of Santa Claus Village in Finland, where Santa is around all year long, is the Radio Santa Claus station where thousands gather every day to listen to Christmas music any time of the year.
The music here comes from singers like Frank Sinatra, Colbie Caillat, Bob Dylan, Karma, Blake Shelton, Dean Martin, Sara Bareilles, Andrea Bocelli, and children’s choirs, among others.
The Android app is even simpler than the website. You can start and stop the live stream, see what’s currently playing, and leave a comment for other listeners to see.
Listen to Radio Santa Claus Online
Jazz24: Commercial-Free Jazz Radio
Advantages
Commercial-free listening
Mobile access
Long-term playlist history
Old sessions can be replayed on demand
What We Don’t Like
The website is difficult to navigate
Jazz24 is a KNKX Public Radio station that streams jazz music online and locally in Seattle and Tacoma, Washington, on 88.5 FM.
This online radio station plays jazz from artists like Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, Diana Krall, and Pat Metheny, among others.
The Jazz24 mobile app for iOS and Android has an alert feature you can enable to start playing jazz automatically when the timer goes off. You can also access this radio station through various streaming links.
Hot 108 JAMZ: Internet Radio for Rap/Hip Hop Music
Advantages
Shows the five most recently played songs
Chat with other listeners
Songwriters can submit their own music
Lists recent tracks
Can purchase music on Amazon and iTunes
Several places to listen from
What We Don’t Like
Includes commercials
Cluttered website; lots of ads
Part of a network of internet radio stations called Powerhitz, Hot 108 JAMZ streams hip hop music. Although this network includes other stations unrelated to rap, a different program director curates music for this station every day.
Some artists you’ll hear at Hot 108 JAMZ include Rihanna, Drake, 2 Pac, Lil Donald, Meek Mill, Alicia Keys, Lil Wayne, DJ Khaled, Mariah Carey, Usher, 50 Cent, The Carters, and Rich Gang.
Hot 108 JAMZ also accepts shout-outs and song requests.
This internet radio station is available at TuneIn, radio.net, Streema, and Radioline. If you pick one of those apps or websites to listen from, you’ll get other features such as a sleep timer and “favorite” option.
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