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10 Best Free Music Apps For Android For Legal Music

A photo of YouTube Music's notification player.

Finding free music is a lot easier than it used to be. No longer is piracy the easiest way. These days, you can find pretty much any song you want using just a few apps. Streaming services pop up and go down every year, but there are a few that have managed to stand out above the rest. Let's take a look at the best legal free music apps for Android! Yes, it is possible to listen to music for free legally. Usually all you have to deal with are a few ads. Those looking for apps that play locally stored music should check out our best music player apps list here.

We'd also like to give an honorable mention to Amazon Music Prime. It's included with an Amazon Prime subscription and lets you listen to all sorts of music for free. It's much like Pandora, though, where you can shuffle play artists and listen to playlists.

The best free music apps for Android Deezer

Price: Free / $9.99-$14.99 per month

Deezer has been around for a while and it's one of the better free music apps. The free version of the service lets you use Deezer's FLOW feature to discover new artists and you can listen to playlists and mixes based on your personal taste. It also has lyric fetching, unlimited playlist creation, and mixes based on individual artists. There is a premium version that gives you more features like higher quality audio, offline listening, and Android Auto support if you want that. The only caveat is that the application seems to be a little rough around the edges.

iHeartRadio

Price: Free / $9.99 per month

iHeartRadio is one of the most popular free music apps out there. It's a radio app where you can listen to a variety of stations based on your individual tastes and it also comes with seasonal radio stations and things like podcasts, talk radio, and comedy shows. It also includes AM and FM radio stations that support data streaming and you can even listen to news and sports. It's a versatile application with a modern, Material Design UI and it comes with the little stuff like Chromecast support, Android Wear support, and Android Auto support.

Jango Radio is kind of a wildcard in the free music apps space. It has a variety of music from both big names and independent artists alike. Unlike most, this service allows independent artists to pay for plays, meaning that you may hears a song that an artist paid to hear. This gives Jango its operating revenue which helps it stay free. There are some potential ethical issues. However, there aren't any ads on the service and it's a good way to discover some new stuff.

LiveOne

Price: Free (with ads) / $3.99-$9.99 per month

LiveOne replaced Slacker Radio in 2019 and has a lot of the same features. You can listen to free music with various stations that cover a wide variety of genres. It basically acts like a green and black Pandora in that sense. You can get the premium version to add more features if you want them, but the free version works good enough. This one also puts a focus on live music over a simple on-demand or station streaming service. It has potential, but it still needs work. We also strongly dislike that it uses only carrier billing or credit card through the app instead of Google Play subscription support.

Pandora Music

Price: Free / $4.99-$9.99 per month

Pandora Radio is another one of the most popular free music apps. It's key feature is its simplicity and cross-platform support. You can easily jump right in and listen to music you enjoy on virtually any platform you can think of and your stations sync across all of them. Their content library has grown a lot over the last few years. The experience overall is extremely positive. They also have a full, on-demand streaming service for those who want a Spotify style experience without leaving Pandora. The free stuff still works fine, though.

SoundCloud

Price: Free / $9.99 per month

SoundCloud is one of the more unique free music apps because it doesn't just focus on what's popular right now. In fact, literally any artist can upload to SoundCloud and that content can be played back by anyone. The service currently boasts 125 million tracks which is more than anyone will ever listen to, ever. It also has a variety of shows, podcasts, and other content to enjoy. The free version is mostly independent artists with the paid version getting you the more popular music by bigger names. Most people who use this for free music are looking for those indie artists anyway so it's a good option.

Spotify

Price: Free / $9.99-$14.99 per month

Spotify has been great for music streaming, and it's among the most popular free music apps ever. It boasts a generous library, curated stations and playlists, and the ability to create your own stations and playlists if you so choose. The free version of the service isn't as good on mobile as it is on computers, but you still get plenty of free music without much issue. The app also comes with some light Material Design, Chromecast support, and the tablet version actually has more features than the mobile version. Spotify also has a dedicated free music app, Spotify Stations, available on Google Play as well.

TuneIn

Price: Free / $9.99 per month

It's true that TuneIn Radio is more known for its talk radio, podcast, and comedy radio offerings than it is for its music, but there are still plenty of ways to enjoy free music on TuneIn. It boasts over 100,000 stations in total that cover almost every genre that you can possibly think of, and that also includes AM and FM radio stations that can be streamed over data. There isn't much of a reason to get the premium version for the music alone, but it does also offer audiobooks, live sports broadcasting, and more.

YouTube and YouTube Music

Price: Free / $12.99 per month

YouTube is the world's most popular free music app. You can find virtually anything you've ever heard of. Every band ever has a presence on YouTube. You can also find official music videos, live shows, and even local bands from time to time. You can also make playlists, get recommendations, and a lot more. YouTube Premium is a little expensive, but you don't need it. Tons of people use YouTube all the time for music that they like. YouTube Music is YouTube's dedicated music streaming app, and it has a free version you can use as well.

Radio station apps

Price: Free (usually)

Radio stations are how people got free music for decades before the Internet. Many of them adapted to this new world we live in and are available for online streaming for free. The apps are never amazing, but usually fairly adequate. You open the app, hit the stream button, and listen to the radio station do its thing. It's functionally no different than FM radio, except you need a data connection to make it work. We have 99.7 The Blitz linked up, a local Columbus, OH radio station. You'll need to search for your favorites on Google Play, as there are too many to list here.

If we missed any of the best free music apps for Android, tell us about them in the comments. You can also click here to check out our latest Android app and game lists.

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The Best Live TV Streaming Services To Cut Cable In 2024

The major players in live TV streaming are YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, FuboTV, Sling and DirecTV Stream, with Philo rounding things out as a good budget option. Each one purports to replicate cable with vast channel offerings, local news, sports and linear programming — and most services promise to be cheaper than cable, too. That's true in some cases, but depending on which and how many add-ons and packages you get in addition to the base service, it can also end up being far more expensive than basic cable. To help you get the most bang for your buck, we break down just what live TV services offer and suggest the best ones for different viewers.

What to look for in a live TV streaming service How to stream live TV

Streaming live TV is a lot like using Netflix. You get access through apps on your phone, tablet, smart TV or streaming device and the signal arrives over the internet. A faster and more stable connection tends to give you a better experience. Most live TV apps require you to sign up and pay via a web browser. After that, you can activate the app on your device.

Price

When I started my cord-cutting research, I was struck by the price difference between live TV and a standard streaming app like Netflix or Peacock. Where the latter cost between $5 and $20 per month, many live TV services hit the $75 mark and can go higher than $200 with additional perks, channel packages and premium extras. The higher starting price is mostly due to the cost of providing multiple networks – particularly sports and local stations. And, in the past year or so, every service except Philo and Sling has raised base plan prices.

Local channels

Only two of the services we tried don't include full local channel coverage for subscribers and one of those makes no effort at carrying sports. That would be Philo and, as you might guess, it's the cheapest. The next most affordable option, Sling, only carries three local stations, and only in larger markets, but it still manages to include some of the top sports channels.

When you sign up with any provider that handles local TV, you'll enter your zip code, ensuring you get your area's broadcast affiliates for ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC. Of course, you can also get those stations for free. Nearly all modern television sets support a radio frequency (RF) connection, also known as the coaxial port, which means if you buy an HD antenna, you'll receive locally broadcast stations like ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC. And since the signal is digital, reception is much improved over the staticky rabbit-ears era.

Sports

One reality that spun my head was the sheer number and iterations of sports networks in existence. Trying to figure out which network will carry the match-up you want to see can be tricky. Google makes it a little easier for sports fans by listing out upcoming games (just swap in NFL, MLB, NHL and so on in the search bar). When you click an event, the "TV & streaming" button will tell you which network is covering it.

That just leaves figuring out if your chosen service carries that regional sports network. Unfortunately, even with add-ons and extra packages, some providers simply don't have certain channel lineups. It would take a lawyer to understand the ins and outs of streaming rights negotiations, and networks leave and return to live TV carriers all the time. That said, most major sporting events in the US are covered by ESPN, Fox Sports, TNT, USA and local affiliates.

It's also worth noting that traditional streaming services have started adding live sports to their lineups. Peacock carries live Premier League matches and Sunday Night Football. Max now airs select, regular season games from the NHL, MLB, NCAA and NBA with a $10-per-month add-on. You can watch MLS games with an add-on through the Apple TV app, and Apple TV+ includes some MLB games. And finally, if you subscribe to Paramount Plus, you can see many of the matches you'd see on CBS Sports. While these options won't cover as much ground as live TV streamers, they could scratch a sports itch without too much added cost.

A TV displaying the logos for Philo, Sling, Hulu, DirecTV stream, fuboTV, and YouTube TV apps. (Amy Skorheim / Engadget)

Traditional cable networks

Dozens of linear programming networks were once only available with cable TV, like Bravo, BET, Food Network, HGTV, CNN, Lifetime, SYFY and MTV. If you only subscribe to, say, Netflix or Apple TV+, you won't have access to those. But as with sports, standard streamers are starting to incorporate this content into their offerings. After the Warner Bros. Merger, Max incorporated some content from HGTV, Discovery and TLC. Peacock has Bravo and Hallmark shows, and Paramount+ has material from Nickelodeon, MTV and Comedy Central.

Other channels like AMC+ have stand-alone apps. The Discovery+ app gives you 15 channels add-free for $9 per month. And a service called Frndly TV costs a mere $7 per month and streams A&E, Lifetime, Game Show Network, Vice and about 35 others. Of course, most live TV streaming options will deliver more sizable lists of cable networks, but just note that you may already be paying for some of them — and if all you need is a certain channel, you could get it cheaper by subscribing directly.

How to stream live TV for free

We also tested a few apps that offer free ad-supported TV (FAST) including Freevee, Tubi, PlutoTV and Sling Freestream. They let you drop in and watch a more limited selection of live networks at zero cost. Most don't even require an email address, let alone a credit card. And if you have a Roku device, an Amazon Fire TV Stick or a Samsung TV, you already have access to hundreds of live channels via the Roku Channel, the live tab in Fire TV or through the Samsung TV Plus app.

Digital video recordings (DVR)

Every option we've included offers cloud DVR storage, so you don't need a separate physical device like you often do with traditional cable. You'll either get unlimited storage for recordings that expires after nine months or a year, or you'll get a set number of hours (between 50 and 1,000) that you can keep indefinitely. Typically, all you need to do is designate what you want to record and the DVR component will do all the hard work of saving subsequent episodes for you to watch later.

Aside from being able to watch whenever it's most convenient, you can also fast-forward through commercials in recorded content. In contrast, you can't skip them on live TV or video-on-demand (VOD).

Most live TV subscriptions include access to a selection of VOD content including movies and shows that are currently airing on your subscribed networks. This typically doesn't cover live events, local shows and news programming. But it does let you watch specific episodes of ongoing shows like Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives or BET's Sistas. Just search the on-demand library for the program, pick an episode and hit play.

Tiers, packages and add-ons

Comparing price-to-offering ratios is a task for a spreadsheet. I… made three. The base plans range from $25 to $80 per month. From there, you can add packages, which are usually groups of live TV channels bundled by themes like news, sports, entertainment or international content. Premium VOD extras like Max, AMC+ and Starz are also available. Add-ons cost an extra $5 to $20 each per month and simply show up in the guide where you find the rest of your live TV. This is where streaming can quickly get expensive, pushing an $80 subscription to $200 monthly, depending on what you choose.

How we tested

When I begin testing for a guide, I research the most popular and well-reviewed players in the category and narrow down which are worth trying. For the paid plans, just six services dominate so I tried them all. There are considerably more free live TV contenders so I tested the four most popular. After getting accounts set up using my laptop, I downloaded the apps on a Samsung smart TV running the latest version of Tizen OS. I counted the local stations and regional sports coverage, and noted how many of last year's top cable networks were available. I then weighed the prices, base packages and available add-ons.

I then looked at how the programming was organized in each app's UI and judged how easy everything was to navigate, from the top navigation to the settings. To test the search function, I searched for the same few TV shows on BET, Food Network, HGTV and Comedy Central, since all six providers carry those channels. I noted how helpful the searches were and how quickly they got me to season 6, episode 13 of Home Town.

I used DVR to record entire series and single movies and watched VOD shows, making sure to test the pause and scan functions. On each service with sports, I searched for the same four upcoming NHL, NBA, MLS and NCAA basketball matches and used the record option to save the games and play them back a day or two later. Finally, I noted any extra perks or irritating quirks.

Here's the full list of everything we tried:

Free ad-supported live TV:

YouTube TV

Base plan: $73/mo.Local channels: YesDVR limits: Unlimited, 9 mo. ExpirationProfiles per account: 6Simultaneous at-home streams: 3Picture in picture mode: Yes  

Google's option makes a strong case for delivering the best streaming service for live TV. Compared to our top pick for sports, YouTube TV covers major and minor teams, regional games and national matchups almost as well. It gives you clear navigation, a great search function, unlimited DVR and broad network coverage. It's not quite as affordable as it once was, as YouTube recently raised the price to $73 per month – and it's even more financially precarious if you're not great at resisting temptation.

Upon signup, you're presented with nearly 50 different add-ons, including 4K resolution, premium channels and themed packages. Even if you fight the urge to roll Max, Shudder and AcornTV into the mix at signup, the enticement remains as it's dangerously easy to add more to your subscription. If you search for a program on a network you don't have, you're prompted to add it. And of course, you can also rent or buy movies that aren't currently showing on any channels, just like you can via YouTube. While it's convenient to be able to order up anything you might want on a whim, I imagine this pushes many users' bills far above Google's listed $73 per month.

Still, it's nice to have all your entertainment in one place. And if you only want the add-ons, you can actually subscribe to most of the standalone networks without paying for the base plan. Either way, you get a familiar user experience, with navigation you'll recognize if you've spent any time on regular ol' YouTube. Unsurprisingly, Google's search function was the best of the bunch, finding the shows and games I searched for quickly and giving me clear choices for how to watch and record.

At signup, you'll also pick the shows, networks and teams you like, which are added to your library. YouTube TV then automatically records them. You get unlimited cloud DVR space (though recordings expire after nine months) and it's dead simple to add programming to your library. Like a real cable experience, YouTube TV autoplays your last-watched program upon startup by default, but it was the only service that allowed me to turn that feature off by heading to the settings.

Searching for and recording an upcoming game was easy. Once the game was recorded, I had to hunt a little to find it in my library (turns out single games are listed under the Events heading, not Sports). But after that, playback was simple and included a fascinating extra feature: You can either play a recorded game from the beginning or hit Watch Key Plays. The latter gives you between 12 and 20 highlight snippets, each about 10 seconds long. It focuses on the most impressive shots in an NBA bout and includes every goal in an MLS matchup. The feature was available for NCAA basketball and in-season major American leagues (hockey, soccer and basketball at the time of testing). Foreign and more minor games didn't have the feature.

Sports fans will also appreciate the new multiview feature that YouTube TV added last year that lets you pick up to four sports, news and weather channels from a select list and view them all at the same time on your screen. If you find yourself constantly flipping back and forth between games, this could save you some hassle.

YouTube TV also gives you the most in-app settings. You can add parental controls to a profile or pull up a stats menu that shows your buffer health and connection speeds. You can lower playback resolution for slow connections and even send feedback to YouTube. It was also the best at integrating VOD and live programming. For example, if you search for a show that happens to be playing live, a red badge in the corner of the show's image lets you know it's on right now. Other services didn't display this info as clearly.

Pros

Intuitive and smooth interface

Accurate search functions

Cool multiview feature

Good coverage of sports, news and linear programming networks

Cons

Very easy to overspend on extras

The price keeps going up

$73 at YouTube TV

Hulu

Base plan: $77/moLocal channels: YesDVR limits: Unlimited, 9-month expirationProfiles per account: 6Simultaneous at-home streams: 2Picture in picture mode: No

After YouTube TV went up to $73 per month, Hulu + Live TV shot to $77. But if you already or plan to subscribe to the regular Hulu app and/or Disney+, Hulu's live component still makes better financial sense. It gives you live TV streaming, plus all the content from Hulu, ESPN+ and Disney+, much of which you can't get elsewhere. Note that $77 gets you the content with ads — for ad-free Disney+ and Hulu components, it's $90 monthly.

Hulu + Live TV carries your local affiliates and most of the top cable channels. For sports, you get all available ESPN iterations plus FS1, FS2, TBS, USA, TNT, NBC Golf and the NFL Network. You can also add on premium VOD channels like Max and Showtime, and it's the only provider that includes Disney+ at no extra cost.

Navigation on Hulu + Live TV isn't as smooth as most of the other options – it felt like the live component had been shoehorned into the standard Hulu app. But if you're already comfortable with (and paying for) Hulu, upgrading to the live TV bundle might be worthwhile.

Pros

Includes Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+ progrmming

$77 at Hulu

DirecTV

Base plan: $80/mo.Local channels: YesDVR limits: Unlimited, 9-month expiration (maximum of 30 episodes per series)Profiles per account: 1Simultaneous at-home streams: UnlimitedPicture in picture mode: No 

DirecTV Stream gives you the most cable-like experience without a contract — and that's both a good and a bad thing. Probably the worst part of cable is the binding contract that's unreasonably hard to cancel, but like all streaming services, there's no contract here. The service also gives you the serendipity of flipping from one channel to the "next" (yes, DirecTV Stream numbers its channels) with your remote just like the good old days. But like cable, DirecTV has started to make it more difficult to buy only what you want, instead bundling packages together at a higher price. As of this writing, the lowest-priced tier, the Entertainment Pack, is only available bundled with the Sports Pack, making the cheapest non-promotional pricing $95 per month.

You'll get nearly all of the most popular cable networks and can add multiple packages and premiums like Showtime, Starz, AMC+ and Discovery+. You can also add Max, just like on YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV, but DirecTV is the only one we tried that also lets you add Peacock. Of course, you can just add those apps separately to your smart TV, but for anyone who wants to approximate the all-in-one convenience of cable, it's a nice perk.

When you fire up DirecTV Stream, whichever network you last watched automatically starts playing. It continues when you switch over to the guide or other menu pages. If you're used to the quieter experience of traditional streaming apps (after you turn off autoplay), you might find that a little distracting.

The navigation didn't feel intuitive, partly because the menu options overlay the currently playing show and because there are so many ways to browse, access and control live, recorded and on-demand content. The search function found the shows and movies I searched for and accurately presented the upcoming games I wanted just from typing in one of the teams.

You can't add new channels or packages through the app, which might be a relief to anyone worried about succumbing to subscription overload. Everyone else may just find it annoying.

Pros

Cable-like experience without a contract

Broad channel coverage

Cons

Somewhat complicated interface

$95 at DirecTV

Fubo

Base plan: $80/mo.Local channels: YesDVR limits: 1000 hours, no expirationProfiles per account: 6Simultaneous at-home streams: 10Picture in picture mode: Yes (Apple TV only)

If you want to stream live sports, you should probably opt for Fubo. When you first sign up, it asks which teams you follow across all kinds of associations. Pick teams from in-season leagues and you'll quickly have DVR content to watch. That's because Fubo records every game your chosen teams play as long as it's aired on a supported channel – and its sports coverage is vast.

I tested out a premium subscription and the guide said there were 118 sports networks to choose from. In addition to the usual suspects from ESPN, Fox, NBC and CBS, you can watch motorsports, international leagues, adventure sports and even poker. Add-ons give you NBA TV, NHL Network, NFL Red Zone and MLB Network. And if you need access to all one thousand games the NBA plays in a season, you can add the NBA League Pass to your lineup for $15 per month. Fubo even has its own sports channels.

Yes, the coverage is comprehensive, but Fubo also made finding and recording specific games very easy. Searching for an upcoming game was simple, as was sifting through the ample amount of recorded games I ended up with. I particularly liked FanView for live games, which inserts the video into a smaller window and surrounds that window with continually updating stats plus a clickable list of other games currently airing.

Fubo has made an obvious effort to win at sports, but recently it's tried to deliver on the live TV experience as well. Based on what I've seen so far, it's certainly made strides. The guide was impressive in the number of ways it let you organize live TV, yet everything felt clean and uncluttered. The Home, Sports, Shows and Movies pages were filled with recommendations and many iterations of categories, with almost all suggestions being live TV.

Where Fubo falls short is in VOD access and DVR playback. It wasn't the best at finding the shows I searched for, and navigating available VOD content wasn't as breezy as browsing through live programming. The lack of a pop-up preview window as you fast forward or rewind through recordings makes it tough to gauge where you are in a show. As for price, Fubo ties with DirecTV Stream for the most expensive base package at $80. But if you need all the sports – and want some nicely organized live TV during the few moments when there's not a game on – this is the way to go.

Pros

Best coverage of sports networks

Automatically records your favorite teams

Informative FanView feature

Uncluttered live TV interface

Cons

DVR and VOD experience is inferior to the live component

$80 at Fubo

Sling TV

Base plan: Starting at $40/moLocal channels: ABC, FOX, NBC in limited marketsDVR limits: 50 hours, no expirationProfiles per account: 4Simultaneous at-home streams: 1 or 3Picture in picture mode: Yes

To me, the idea of spending time fine-tuning channel choices sounds exhausting. But if you're the type who wants to get exactly what you want without paying for too much of what you don't, Sling TV may be your best bet. It breaks its base plan into two packages, Blue and Orange, with different channels on each. Blue, which costs $45 a month, carries a larger number of networks, while Orange seems to have spent its lineup dollars on ESPN and ESPN 2. But at $40 monthly, Sling Orange is the cheapest way to get those two sports outlets.

After picking a plan, you can choose from a stable of add-on packages, with monthly prices ranging from $6 to $11. These include blocks of sports or lifestyle channels, kid-friendly fare, the Discovery+ bundle and a news package. There are 41 individual premium offerings, including Showtime, Starz, MGM+, Shudder and Acorn, which go for between $2 and $10 per month. Sling has pay-per-view movies, too.

As far as local coverage, Sling Blue grants access to ABC, Fox and NBC local affiliates in about 20 of the larger US markets including Los Angeles, Seattle, Dallas, NYC, Miami and DC. ABC coverage began in March 2023, but unfortunately, that raised the price of Sling Blue in supported markets from $40 to $45. For people not in those areas (or who opt for Orange) Sling is currently running a promotion for a free HD antenna to catch local stations.

Navigation is speedy and the interface is nicely organized, putting an emphasis on what you like to watch, with recommendations that are pretty accurate. The UI also makes the add-ons you've chosen easy to find. In my tests, though, the app froze a number of times as I navigated. While most services froze once or twice, it happened enough times with Sling to frustrate me. I had to force quit or back out of the app and start over five or six times during the three weeks of testing. Compared to others, Sling's DVR allowance is on the stingy side, only giving you 50 hours of recordings, though they won't expire. You can pay for more DVR storage, but that will increase your overall costs.

I tried not to wander too far off-path during testing, but I feel it's my duty to inform you that Sling has an Elvis channel, a Bob Ross channel and ALF TV (yes, an entire station devoted to the '80s sitcom starring a puppet). There's also a Dog TV network intended to be played for your dogs when you leave the house, which you can add to Sling or get as a standalone app.

Pros

More affordable than most live services

Orange plan is the cheapest way to get ESPN

Highly customizable packages

Cons

Only 50 hours of DVR allowance

Local channels only in major metro areas

$40 at Sling TV

Philo

Base plan: $25/mo.Local channels: NoDVR limits: Unlimited, one year expirationProfiles per account: 10Simultaneous streams: 3Picture in picture mode: Yes (browser only)

At just $25 per month, Philo is one of the cheapest ways to get a cordless live TV experience. The biggest caveat is that you won't find any local stations or sports programming on it. If that's not an issue, Philo is great, with a clean, streamlined interface and generous DVR limits.

I'm a fan of minimalist design, so I appreciated the way Philo presented its menus and guide. There are just four top navigation headings: Home, Guide, Saved and Search. And instead of the usual guide layout that stretches out or shortens a show's listing to represent its air time, Philo's guide features monospaced squares in chronological order with the duration of the program inside the square. Another nice touch is when you navigate to a square, it fills with a live video of the show or movie.

Philo doesn't limit the amount of programming you can DVR and lets you keep recordings for a full year, which is more than the nine months other providers allow. Like all live TV streamers, Philo won't let you fast forward VOD programming. If skipping commercials is important to you, I recommend taking advantage of that unlimited DVR policy and hitting "Save" on any show or movie you think you may want to watch, then fast forwarding it on playback (you can do this with all the services we tried).

As far as channels, Philo covers many of the top cable networks, with notable exceptions including Fox News, CNN, ESPN and MSNBC. Anyone looking for great news coverage should look elsewhere anyway, but the lack of a few must-have entertainment outlets like Bravo and Freeform was a little disappointing.

Pros

Affordable

Minimalist and easy interface

Unlimited DVR allowance that lasts for a year

Cons

No sports or local access

Limited news coverage

$25 at Philo Best free live TV streaming services

Many standard streaming apps have added live components to their lineups. You're paying for the service, so it's not technically "free," but you can get a dose of live TV without spending more than necessary. Peacock includes some regional NBC stations and Paramount+ subscribers can watch on-air CBS programming. The standard Hulu app has a live ABC news channel and Max now includes a live CNN outlet with its service.

Amazon Prime Video contains a live TV tab, as does the Fire TV interface. And, if you use Roku or Samsung as your smart OS of choice, their built-in, proprietary services include hundreds of live channels at no extra cost. Plus there are free apps from Plex and PBS — even NASA has a free streaming service.

But if you want a full suite of live TV networks, and don't want to sign up for any paid service, there are a number of free ad-supported TV services that have live TV. Here's the best of what we tried:

Pluto TV

Pluto TV has the most attractive interface of the free apps. It's granularly organized, even including a kids and a gaming/anime section among the live categories. Pluto has a number of its own stations such as Pluto Sports, Pluto News, Pluto Movies, and Pluto Pixel which appears to be mostly Let's Play Minecraft videos. The service's (also free) on-demand content is shuffled into the live TV menu, so the service feels even bigger than its 250 live channels would otherwise.

A series of mergers and acquisitions put Pluto under the ownership of Paramount, which also owns CBS and MTV brands, so your selection of what to watch includes channels built around Star Trek, MTV and Comedy Central. Regional news options are limited to about a dozen CBS stations, and live news-stream channels include NBC News Live, Bloomberg Television, Cheddar News and others. As for sports, you get CBS Sports HQ, a version of Fox Sports and league-specific programming from the NFL, MLB, and Golf Channels.

Free at Pluto TV

Tubi

You also don't need to give Tubi any of your information to start watching live content. In many areas, it'll grant access to your local ABC and Fox station and also includes the news-stream channels that other similar services carry, like NBC News Now, Fox Live Now and ABC News Live. Fox is Tubi's parent company so you get picks like Fox Sports, Fox Soul and over a dozen regional Fox networks.

The live TV component lives within the Home menu and, from there, the stations are organized by category, making it easy to browse the more than 200 live channels. Navigation is speedy and, along with a good library of on-demand movies, shows and kids' stuff, Tubi has the most regional news stations of any free service we tried.

Free at Tubi

Amazon

It was first called IMDbTV, but Amazon changed the name of its free streaming option to Freevee to better hint at its price. What's available is pretty similar to the Live TV menu option you'll find within the Prime Video app — in fact, the interface on that app is actually better organized, with listings by category. Freevee's live TV menu is just a long, single list of channels. Prime's version is speedier, too.

However, Freevee is, true to its name, completely free. You don't even have to sign in, though you'll be prompted to do so when you first open the app (just select "Watch as a guest" in the lower corner to bypass that). There are currently around 350 channels with news networks like ABC News Live, Fox Live Now and NBC News Now. Sports showcases include the MLB Channel, NBC Sports and Fubo Sports. Tons of reality, true crime and current and classic TV avenues round out the offerings, including entire stations playing 24/7 rotations of single shows, like Top Gear and Unsolved Mysteries. Do you need a channel that plays the 1960s Addams Family non-stop? If so, you can find it on Freevee.

Free at Amazon

Sling

At first, I thought Freestream was a browser-only service. It was easy enough to find it through the web, but not as easy on my TV. Freestream uses the same app as the paid Sling service, and when you first get the app on your TV you're prompted to sign in on your phone. I created an account, but then couldn't find the Freestream option, only the paid ones. Thinking I was doing something wrong, I exited the browser on my phone then backed out of the Sling app on my TV. Only then was I offered the Freestream version, as sort of a "Wait, don't go" tactic.

Once you're in, you can access more than 250 channels, though finding them is a little tough as the only categories to pick from are news, sports, movies and kids. There's an "All" menu choice, which seems to arrange things by popularity, but a little more organization would be nice. Despite that, Freestream does have a fascinating array of channels, including magazine channels from Vogue, GQ and Wired, lots of live movie channels and more than 100 foreign and foreign language news, music, sports and lifestyle networks. And despite the hard-to-navigate interface, I did appreciate the picture-in-picture that pops up when you're surfing the guide.

Free at Sling Frequently asked questions What streaming service is best for live TV?

FuboTV does the best job of letting you organize live channels to help you find just what you want to watch. The interface is uncluttered and when you search for something, the UI clearly tells you whether something is live now or on-demand. YouTube TV also does a good job making that info clear. Both have just over 100 live channels on offer.

What is the most cost effective TV streaming service?

Free TV streaming services like PlutoTV, Plex, Tubi and FreeVee show plenty of ad-supported TV shows and movies without charging you anything. Of course, they won't have the same channels or content that more premium subscriptions have. Ultimately it depends on what you want to watch and finding the service that can supply that to you in the most streamlined form so you're not paying for stuff you don't need.

Is it cheaper to have cable or streaming?

A basic cable package used to be more expensive than the base-level live TV streaming service. But now that nearly all major providers have raised their prices to over $75 per month, that's no longer the case. And with add-ons and other premiums, you can easily pay over $200 a month for either cable or a live TV streaming service.

What streaming service has all the TV channels?

No service that we tested had every available channel. Hulu + Live TV and DirecTV Stream carry the highest number of the top rated channels, according to Neilsen. Hulu's service will also get you Disney+ fare, which you can't get elsewhere. FuboTV has the most sports channels and YouTube TV gives you the widest selection of add-ons.

What is the most popular live TV streaming platform?

YouTube TV has the most paying customers. According to this year's letter from the company's CEO, the service has over eight million subscribers. Disney's 2023 fourth quarter earnings put the Hulu + Live TV viewer count at 4.6 million. Sling reported two million patrons and FuboTV claimed 1.1 million, both in respective year-end reports.

10 Best Podcast Apps For Android

Umme Aimon Shabbir / Android Authority

Podcasts seem to be returning as one of the main sources of information and entertainment in the Internet age. It's a great way to listen to experts talk about the topics you care about, and it's relatively easy to find great podcasts. Plus, you can find many entertainment podcasts where they relate stories and tell jokes and even documentary podcasts that deep dive into specific topics. If you're a fan of podcasts and are in the market for a new podcast app, here are the best podcast apps for Android.

The best podcast apps for Android Spotify for Podcasters 

Price: Free

Most of the apps on this list are podcast apps that let you download or stream your favorite podcasts. We thought we'd include at least one app that helps you make them yourself. Spotify for podcasters (formerly known as Anchor) is a podcast platform that offers unlimited hosting. The app lets you record audio, publish it to various places like iTunes and Google Podcasts, and import audio from other devices to upload. It's a neat premise with a business model that wants you to succeed. The app and the hosting are free, though, and this isn't an ad or anything, so try it if you want to make your own podcast.

Castbox

Price: Free/ In-app purchases ($0.99 – $99.99 per item)

Castbox is one of a few free podcast apps. It boasts a collection of over one million podcasts scrubbed from places like iTunes and others. The app also includes support for 70 languages, language learning podcasts, Chromecast support, Amazon Echo support, and more. It also provides cloud syncing for multiple device support. Some other power-user settings make it a decent overall app for podcasts. The free version limits how many podcasts you can subscribe to and shows quite a few pop-up ads, which we aren't a fan of. 

Offline Podcast App: Player FM

Price: Free/In-app purchases ($0.99 – $119.88 per item)

Umme Aimon Shabbir / Android Authority

Player FM is a famous cross-platform podcast player known for its offline listening feature, allowing users to download episodes for offline playback. It offers various features, including a vast podcast library, subscription notifications, custom playlists, playback controls, and Chromecast and Android Auto support. The app is free on Android and iOS, but a premium version offers ad-free listening and cross-device sync. However, it has drawbacks, including ads in the free version, occasional bugs, and a relatively high cost for the premium version.

Google Podcasts

Price: Free

Google is doing to their podcast selection what they did to their messaging selection. There are currently three different platforms for podcasts from Google. The first is Google Podcasts. It's a standard podcast app with playback speed controls and the ability to skip silence segments. Google Play Music is Google's current music streaming service and has podcast support. Finally, many upload daily or weekly shows, podcasts, and similar material to YouTube. Google Podcasts is the simplest option and free, so it's the one we recommend first. It had a rough start, but it works much better now.

Pocket Casts 

Price: Free / $0.99 per month / $9.99 per year

Pocket Casts used to be one of the most accessible recommendations on any app list here at Android Authority. It's still an outstanding podcast player, but it's not the pretty easy recommendation it used to be. The app has an excellent UI, good discoverability features, power-user features, and even customization features like themes. This was a premium app back in its day. However, it went the subscription route a little while back. Hence, it's difficult to recommend to your average podcast listener since podcasts are generally free to listen to, and this developer charges monthly. It's an excellent deal for podcast fanatics, but those who only listen to one or two weekly podcasts may be better served with something that doesn't cost money every month.

Podbean

Price: Free / $9 per month

Joe Hindy / Android Authority

Podbean is a reasonably popular podcast app, and it works pretty well. It boasts a metric ton of podcasts organized into various categories. You can subscribe, stream, download, and listen as you choose. It also comes with lock screen controls, different audio effects, Chromecast support, Android Auto suppo