Radio never went away. It moved online. Almost every station in the world, from national broadcasters to small community stations, now streams its live programme over the internet. That means you can listen to a morning show in Casablanca, a jazz station in Switzerland and a football commentary from Buenos Aires from the same phone, for free, without buying a radio.

This guide explains how online radio works, how to find good stations quickly, and how to get the best sound without using too much mobile data.

What you need

Very little. Any recent phone, tablet or computer with a web browser is enough. You do not need to install an app or create an account. A stable internet connection matters more than speed: most stations stream at 64 to 128 kbps, which is far less than a video call.

Step 1: Find a station

There are four quick ways to find something to listen to:

  • By name. If you already know the station, type its name in the search box at the top of every page.
  • By country. Open the country list and pick a country to see its most popular stations, sorted by listener votes.
  • By genre. Use the tuning dial on the home page, or browse all genres: news, jazz, pop, classical, Quran, sports and hundreds more.
  • By language. Language pages gather every station broadcasting in Arabic, French, Spanish, English and many others, whatever the country.

Step 2: Press play

Press the play button on any station card. The player appears at the bottom of the screen and stays there while you keep browsing, so you can explore other stations without the music stopping. On phones, you can also control playback from the lock screen or from Bluetooth headphones.

If a station takes a few seconds to start, that is normal. Your browser is connecting directly to the station’s own streaming server, which may be on the other side of the world.

Step 3: Save your favorites

Tap the heart on any station to add it to your favorites. Favorites are stored in your own browser, so there is no account and nothing to log in to. The site also remembers the last station you played and your volume, so next time you can resume with one tap.

One thing to know: because favorites live in your browser, they do not move automatically between your phone and your computer, and clearing your browser data removes them.

How much data does radio use?

The number shown on each station card, such as “MP3 · 128 kbps”, tells you the bitrate. As a rough guide:

  • 64 kbps uses about 29 MB per hour. Good for talk and news on mobile data.
  • 128 kbps uses about 58 MB per hour. Good quality music for most people.
  • 256–320 kbps uses 115–145 MB per hour. Excellent quality, best on Wi-Fi.

If you are on a limited mobile plan, choose stations at 64 kbps or below. When you are on Wi-Fi, the “Best quality” sort on the search page puts high-bitrate stations first. Our guide to stream quality, kbps and codecs explains the details.

When a station will not play

Stations go offline for maintenance, change their stream address or stop broadcasting at night. If a station does not start after about ten seconds, try another one. A few stations only stream over an older, unencrypted connection, which modern browsers block on secure websites. In that case the player shows a link to open the stream in a new tab. Our troubleshooting guide covers every common problem.

Tips for a better experience

  • Keep the browser tab open. Closing it stops the stream.
  • On iPhone, if the sound stops when the screen locks, start playback again from the lock screen controls.
  • Use headphones for talk radio in noisy places; speech is easier to follow.
  • Check the station’s own website, linked from its page, for programme schedules.

That is all there is to it. Pick a country you have never visited, press play, and hear what is on the air there right now.