![radio microphone on green background](https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/roundups/07u4C621xy9H6mRSHLvjpSU-2.fit_lim.size_760x427.v1701456835.jpg)
There’s a podcast for everything. And why not? Podcasting is an inexpensive hobby that allows anyone to have their own platform on a global stage.
PCMag’s collection of suggested podcasts is small but diverse, and there are many more quality podcasts out there. Download a podcast app to make it easy to listen to and organize your shows. Google recently announced plans to shut down its podcast app in 2024, but you can also listen to podcasts on many platforms such as Apple, SoundCloud, and YouTube.
If you're interested in getting into the podcast-producing game, you will need top-notch equipment to deliver the best recording quality. We also recommend checking out podcast creation services such as Cast that take care of the entire podcasting process, including hosting and distribution.
Best Business Podcasts
Morning Brew Daily
From Morning Brew the newsletter comes Morning Brew Daily the podcast, a 20- to 25-minute weekday news show that has a strong emphasis on business news. —Jill Duffy, Columnist and Deputy Managing Editor, Software
NerdWallet's Smart Money Podcast
(Apple, Google, Spotify, Website)
NerdWallet, the website and app dedicated to helping you manage your finances and learn about personal economics, has a podcast that explains money issues to you in plain terms. Whether you need help creating a budget or want to learn about reproductive healthcare costs, NerdWallet's Smart Money Podcast explains what you need to know. —Jill Duffy
Pivot
(Apple, Google, Spotify, Website)
The venerable Kara Swisher has straddled the worlds of business and technology for decades. In this twice-weekly show, she and New York University Professor Scott Galloway share their pointed opinions about business, tech, and politics. —Jill Duffy
Women at Work
(Apple, Google, Spotify, Website)
From Harvard Business Review, this podcast isn't afraid to talk about all the taboo subjects related to, well, women in the workplace. With its candid and frank approach, the Women at Work podcast should be required listening for all early career-stage women and female-identifying people. —Jill Duffy
Best Comedy Podcasts
Good One: A Podcast About Jokes
Jesse David Fox, an editor at Vulture.com, is all about comedy. So much so that he launched this Vulture podcast so he could talk to comedians in stand-up and beyond about their best or favorite bits. In recent episodes, it goes beyond single jokes to talking about entire character arcs on sitcoms to what it's like to even work in TV comedy today. —Eric Griffith, Senior Features Editor
Mike Birbiglia's Working It Out
(Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, Website)
Mike Birbiglia’s comedy is universal—just check out his specials, like the latest on Netflix, The Old Man and the Pool. He’s a superb storyteller and a workhorse of a comedian, and that’s what he ostensibly does with his podcast—he brings on funny people so they can work through new material. Sometimes they don’t get to it and sometimes that’s all they do. Either way, it tends to be fascinating to see how funny people tick. —Eric Griffith
Smartless
You might chalk up the Smartless podcast—which has become something of a media powerhouse—as another celebrity chat-fest. But the camaraderie of hosts Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett, all celebrity real-life friends, is infectious (especially how they mercilessly rib each other). The trio have a never-ending list of A-list celebs to bring on and gush over and, sometimes, they even let the guest talk. —Eric Griffith
Best Culture and Society Podcasts
Articles of Interest
(Apple, Spotify, Website)
Avery Trufelman hosted the best-ever episodes of The Cut from New York magazine and produced the excellent design podcast 99% Invisible. Articles of Interest started as an offshoot of the latter. Trufelman hosts and produces each episode that takes apart fashion at the seams to examine what goes into what we wear every day. —Chandra Steele, Senior Features Writer
Diss and Tell
There are two sides to every story, particularly to every story of a feud that’s in the public eye. Diss and Tell hosts Matt Bellassai and Sydney Battle take us through how some famous fights came to be, whether it's via sisterly spats like Kim and Kourtney Kardashian’s or something seriously strange like Azealia Banks vs. Grimes and Elon Musk. —Chandra Steele
Every Outfit
(Apple, Google, Spotify, Website)
Whether or not you loved Sex and the City and definitely if you hated And Just Like That, Every Outfit is the podcast to listen to when you want to catch up on fashion and pop culture and get an occasional recap of the shows. It’s from LA-based friends Chelsea Fairless and Lauren Garroni, who are behind the Every Outfit Instagram account that used to catalog, you guessed it, every outfit on Sex and the City. —Chandra Steele
Keep It
(Apple, Spotify, Website)
Imagine you’re at a bar, eavesdropping on two of the funniest, sharpest people who seem to know everything about pop culture. After talking about all of the shows and movies and gossip you’ve got on your mind that week, they rope in a super interesting person to talk to, and then they spend a few minutes indulging in the wittiest bitch session about what they absolutely cannot stand. That’s what Ira Madison III and Louis Virtel pull off week after week. —Chandra Steele
Las Culturistas
Ding dong! Las Culturistas (Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers) are here to lead you through the latest on culture with their unhinged and hilarious takes and interviews. —Chandra Steele
Rough Translation
Rough Translation tells stories of people who are somehow unbounded in this world, whether they're immigrants, emigrants, outcasts, or dissidents. The show explores personal tales of cultural collisions and does so with heart. —Jill Duffy
The Read
(Apple, Google, Spotify, Website)
Hosted by comedian Kid Fury and TV and podcast personality Crissle, The Read is a podcast that covers hip-hop and pop culture’s most trifling stars. They shade and spill tea in a way that’s both humorous and gentle while also celebrating cultural excellence. Listening to this duo respond to reader letters with brutal honesty is one of my favorite parts of the week. —René Ramos, Designer
The Run-Through With Vogue
Even if you don’t care to keep up with the latest fashions, you’ll enjoy listening to what’s new in the world of fashion with hosts Chioma Nnadi (head of editorial content of British Vogue) and Chloe Malle (editor of Vogue.com) who talk about the latest news and conduct interviews with editors, designers, and more. —Chandra Steele
Vibe Check
(Apple, Spotify, Website)
How’s your vibe? Sam Sanders, Saeed Jones, and Zach Stafford check in with each other with exactly that question at the top of every show. From there they discuss the latest in news and culture. The trio always delivers joy. Even though they approach serious topics with the necessary gravity, they will never bring you down. At the end of each episode, Sanders, Jones, and Stafford leave you with recommendations of things to check out that week to get your vibe right. —Chandra Steele
Who? Weekly
(Apple, Spotify, Website)
The world of celebrity is separated into Whos and Thems, at least according to Lindsey Weber and Bobby Finger. The Whos are those people who cause you to say “Who?” after they’re mentioned in conversation. And the Thems, well we all know who they are, and honestly, we’re tired of hearing about them. Instead, hear all about the absurd things those lesser-known celebrities get up to and join one of the best podcast communities out there, the Wholigans, who even have their lingo and signoffs (so Who-y). Crunch! Crunch! —Chandra Steele
Best Entertainment Media Podcasts
ArtCurious
(Apple, Google, Spotify, Website, YouTube)
It’s hard to do better than ArtCurious’ tagline when describing the show: exploring the unexpected, the slightly odd, and the strangely wonderful in art history. Recently, longtime host Jennifer Dasal announced the show's end, but all of the content from its seven-year run is still available online. —Chandra Steele
Celebrity Book Club With Steven & Lily
(Apple, Google, iHeart, Spotify)
Instead of spending your book club time arguing over what to read next and who always “forgets” to bring snacks for the group, can you just listen to two of the most hilarious people you wish you knew talking about every ridiculous thing between the covers of celebrity memoirs? Thankfully for us all, the answer is yes. Comedians Steven Phillips-Horst and Lily Marotta review the latest and greatest memoirs penned by famous folks on this weekly podcast. —Chandra Steele
The Great Women Artists Podcast With Katy Hessel
(Apple, Google, Spotify, Website)
Why have there been no great women artists? It’s a question posed by a gallerist to art historian Linda Nochlin and famously answered by her in a searing and insightful essay in 1971. Today, art historian Katy Hessel is talking up (and to) women artists in this podcast. It’s currently on its tenth season, and Hessel has just put out a fantastic book, The Story of Art Without Men. —Chandra Steele
Let's Make a Horror
(Apple, Google, Spotify, Website)
Comedians Mark Chavez, Maddy Kelly, and Ryan Beil set out to write a screenplay every season: a sci-fi pilot in the first, a rom-com movie in the second, and a horror short in the third. Each episode follows the friends' process and has them talk to experts for advice. Their camaraderie is much of the charm. —Chandra Steele
The Lonely Palette
When you walk into The Lonely Palette, you hear the murmurings of a museum. Then, one by one, people talk about what they see in the painting before them. Suddenly, instead of wherever your body might be, you are in front of the painting too waiting for the words of Tamar Avishai to tell you the story behind it. —Chandra Steele
Best Gaming Podcasts
The Pop Off
PCMag’s video game podcast features news and hot takes from resident gamers Jeff Wilson and Jordan Minor alongside special guests from the gaming journalism sphere. —Kim Key, Security Analyst
Shut Up & Sit Down
(Apple, Google, Spotify, YouTube)
You won’t find a better place to hear goofballs ramble about board games, and I mean that in the best possible way. Three lifelong board gamers—Quintin Smith, Matt Lees, and Tom Brewster—talk through a huge variety of new and classic board games. I think of myself as an avid gamer, and I regularly turn to these guys to discover gems that I otherwise would not have heard of. The podcast serves as a companion to their popular YouTube channel, and it features similarly dry humor and more in-depth discussion allowed by the longer format. —Andrew Gebhart, Senior Analyst, Smart Home and Wearables
What's Good Games
(Apple, Google, Spotify, Website)
Andrea Rene and Brittney Brombacher offer up their vast knowledge of the games industry in this podcast that includes gaming news, first impressions of big titles, questions from the audience, and of course, a bit of banter. The duo has been friends for years, and have over 30 years of gaming industry experience between them. Their deep gaming knowledge shows as they weigh in on topics ranging from their most anticipated games of the year to the never-ending console wars. —Kim Key
Best Informative Podcasts
99% Invisible
Design is like air in that it’s all around us, vital, and yet we so often take it for granted. 99% Invisible brings life to the things that surround us. The Roman Mars-hosted podcast started out as a few minutes carved out of a public radio show well over a decade ago and has grown to the longer standalone episodes of now so you have years of content to catch up on. —Chandra Steele
Life Kit
I don't think I've ever used the word "adulting" in a professional capacity before, but it's the best way to describe the purpose of this long-running podcast series from NPR. Most of us need a little help while trying to be the best humans we can be, and the LifeKit contributors lend a hand via sound advice about everything from understanding bra sizes to learning how to combat loneliness. Episodes rarely run over 20 minutes, and those that do, such as this episode about how increased screen time is changing our collective eyesight, are packed with thorough research and tips for your self-improvement. Here's a bit of life advice from me: Add this show to your listening lineup each week. —Kim Key
Ologies with Alie Ward
(Apple, Google, Spotify, Website)
Is it a science show? Yes. Is it funny and weird and does it take you into realms you never realized existed? Yes. Is Alie Ward a complete and wonderful goof? Yes. In each episode, Ward picks one "ology," like neuroparasitology—or the study of nature's zombies—and finds an expert to interview for this hour-plus-long show. The tagline should be, "Go deep or go home." —Jill Duffy
Search Engine
(Apple, Google, Spotify, Website)
I regret to tell you these two things. First, PJ Vogt is making podcasts again after being largely responsible for the scandal that took down the much-beloved tech podcast Reply All. Second, he is still really good at making podcasts. Search Engine devotes each episode to answering one question, like why don’t we eat people? One mystery that can’t be cleared up is how Vogt manages to make even the world of cryptocurrency riveting with the first four episodes of the show (which used to be the standalone Crypto Island podcast). —Chandra Steele
Stuff You Should Know
Hosts Josh and Chuck take on a variety of topics: tornadoes, treasure hunts, or even the sun. They mix pop culture savvy with solid research so you can come away from each episode with a good working knowledge of the topic at hand. —Kim Key
Best Interview and Talk Show Podcasts
Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend
(Apple, Google, Spotify, Website)
If you liked Conan on late-night television, you might like him even more here, as his former assistant and podcast producer join him as in-studio sidekicks interviewing anyone and everyone. From big stars like Harrison Ford, Kelly Clarkson, and Paul Rudd, down to folks on the street who write in, Conan will chat with anyone who wants to talk. Conan’s self-centered and self-deprecating approach to comedy works well in the podcasting medium. —Eric Griffith
Fresh Air
(Apple, Google, Spotify, Website)
The long-standing host of Fresh Air, Terry Gross, is now joined by co-host Tonya Mosley as they and other contributors interview the most interesting people in the world today. Guests include war correspondents, rap artists, former presidents, filmmakers, and more. If there's a topic you didn't think you were interested in, find an episode of Fresh Air about it and you will be. —Jill Duffy
Heavyweight
(Apple, Google, Spotify, Website)
A Valentine’s Day date that fell through with no explanation. A box of CDs that Moby never returned that ended up being sampled on his mega-hit album Play. A man who wants to thank the person who hit him with their car. These unresolved moments are a heavy weight on the lives of the people involved and Jonathan Goldstein sets out to bring them to a conclusion. —Chandra Steele
Best News & Politics Podcasts
The 7
Every morning the staff at The Washington Post picks the seven most important stories from the news you should know today and sends them out in an email. If you don't have time to read, listen and have them read to you instead. —Jill Duffy
Consider This
Six days a week, the hosts of NPR's All Things Considered take one major news story and dive a little deeper into it to give you context and a fuller understanding in about 15 minutes. —Jill Duffy
The Daily
The Daily from The New York Times takes 30 to 40 minutes to explore something in the news from a very human perspective. Whether you hear directly from politicians about what's going on inside the halls of Congress or learn what it's like to live during wartime, The Daily adds a more personal touch to big stories in the news. —Jill Duffy
Marketplace
Marketplace may be the most accessible finance show you'll ever hear. Host Kai Ryssdal and his team explain everything you need to know about money in the big picture, from what's happening at The Fed to interviews with farmers about how they plan for the next growing season. If you want to better understand why and how economics matters to you, give Marketplace a listen. —Jill Duffy
NPR News Now
NPR News Now is a five-minute summary of whatever you need to know about in the news, released on the hour every hour. It's one of the best news podcasts for cutting to the chase. —Jill Duffy
Up First
Up First is a weekday show from NPR that gives you roughly 12 minutes of news headlines and short explainers to go with them. This show is perfect when you want to know a little more than what's in the headlines but don't have too much time for it. —Jill Duffy
Best Podcasts for Kids
Circle Round
(Apple, Google, Spotify, Website)
WBUR’s Circle Round tells some longer stories for kids ages three and up, always folktales from around the world, typically parables to help them understand something, full Aesop-style. Famous people like Tom Bodett, Alonzo Bodden, Stephanie Hsu, and Hannah Simone sometimes lend their talents to the cast. —Eric Griffith
Kids Animal Stories
The always peppy Mr. Jim tells two-part stories about animals across every continent and ecosystem, sometimes as a mystery for kids to figure out what critter he’s talking about. (Mr. Jim also has excellent podcasts full of bedtime stories and short stories written by and for kids.) —Eric Griffith
LingoKids: Stories for Kids
Join Elliot the panda, Lisa the cat, Cowy the cow, and Billy the scientist bird, in adventures in play learning. The podcast is full of lessons any four- to eight-year-old is going to appreciate. The LingoKids empire, which is centered primarily on its excellent subscription-based app, includes this free podcast and others, including one centered on music and another about cool jobs kids may get in the future. —Eric Griffith
The Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd
With episodes dating back to 2004, the time-traveling Dr. Floyd and friends keep the world safe from bad guys like Dr. Steve while encountering real-life historical figures to give the wacky adventures just a smidgen of educational flavoring—but never enough to take away from the fast-talking comedy. —Eric Griffith
Best Sports Podcasts
30 for 30
Spectacular audio documentaries from the makers of the critically acclaimed 30 for 30 television series. From the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on the sports world to the heavy price USA Gymnastics paid for all the gold medals won with Bela and Martha Karolyi's coaching, these are deep dives into sports history and make for fascinating listening. —Kim Key
Footballguys The Audible
If you’re a casual fantasy football player looking to up your game, check out The Audible. Hosts Sigmund Bloom and Cecil Lammey add plenty of personality to this daily show with poetic ramblings and angry rants. The pair’s charming banter is mixed with detailed information about every matchup and relevant player. —Andrew Gebhart
The Ringer NBA Show
The Ringer team weighs in with hot takes about the latest NBA news and trends around the league. Sometimes the rotating crew of sports writers is joined by former basketball stars and other league insiders. It's a great mix of humor and info, and each show's running time is about an hour. —Kim Key
Best Supernatural Podcasts
Ghost Story
A stranger brings up a ghost from journalist Tristan Redman‘s past—a literal ghost, one he encountered in his childhood bedroom. Redman discovers that the weird moments he’d long since brushed off had haunted inhabitants of the room for decades. And that’s when he begins to connect the faceless woman that they’ve all seen with a woman who was murdered by gunshots to the face next door. One small complication with telling the story: that woman ends up being his wife’s great-grandmother. This seven-part podcast is not a fictional story. —Chandra Steele
Old Gods of Appalachia
If you’re a fan of folk horror and eldritch terrors, this one’s for you! Created by Steve Shell and Cam Collins, Old Gods guides the listener through a shadowy, alternate version of the hills, forests, and craggy mountains of Appalachia where witches, demons, and worse prowl, searching for their next victim. Drawing on real history and folklore, stacked with talented actors, and featuring hauntingly beautiful opening music from Landon Blood, you’ll be drawn in from the second you hit play. —Jacqueline Goldblatt, Assistant Social Media Editor
PseudoPod
(Apple, Google, Spotify, Website)
Featuring lesser-known works from beloved authors as well as fresh and freakish discoveries from up-and-coming writers, PseudoPod is an award-winning wellspring of fantastic horror stories. Created by a well-read team of editors and producers whose appreciation for the genre bleed (pun fully intended) into every episode and hosted by the delightfully dark Alasdair Stuart, the podcast has been going strong since 2006 and comes out with a new tale every week. But don’t feel overwhelmed; the folks over at PseudoPod were considerate enough to create a page for new listeners. Creepy and considerate? Sign me up! —Jacqueline Goldblatt
Best Tech Podcasts
Hard Fork
Journalists Kevin Roose of The New York Times and Casey Newton, who writes the newsletter Platformer, chew over the hot tech topic du jour. This hour-long weekly show can sometimes stick to one topic for many episodes in a row, like Elon Musk or AI, but such is the media coverage of tech. —Jill Duffy
Marketplace Tech
From the people who bring you Marketplace is Marketplace Tech, a short (15 minutes or less) show that unpacks what's happening in the tech world in a way that's understandable and approachable even if you don't know anything about computing. —Jill Duffy
This Week in Tech (TWiT)
On this marathon of a weekly show (seriously, it can go three hours), host Leo Laporte invites journalists and thought leaders from the tech world to talk about the hottest stories in tech that week—or not. This meandering show gives plenty of breathing room to go off-topic. Listen for the guests more than their hot tech takes. —Jill Duffy