For background noise, the right podcast changes the experience. These 100 shows are the ones listeners reach for in that moment — The Daily, Crime Junkie, and The Rest Is History among the favorites.
The Daily
This is what the news should sound like. The biggest stories of our time, told by the best journalists in the world. Hosted by Michael Barbaro, Rac...
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime ...
The Rest Is History
Take a deep dive into History’s biggest moments with Tom Holland & Dominic Sandbrook. Explore the stories of History’s most brutal rulers, deadly b...
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look n...
TED Talks Daily
Want TED Talks on the go? Everyday, this feed brings you our latest talks in audio format. Hear thought-provoking ideas on every subject imaginable...
SmartLess
"SmartLess" with Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, & Will Arnett is a podcast that connects and unites people from all walks of life to learn about shared...
Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend
After 25 years at the Late Night desk, Conan realized that the only people at his holiday party are the men and women who work for him. Over the ye...
This American Life
Each week we choose a theme. Then anything can happen. This American Life is true stories that unfold like little movies for radio. Personal storie...
Up First from NPR
NPR's Up First is the news you need to start your day. The three biggest stories of the day, with reporting and analysis from NPR News — in 10 minu...
Criminal
Criminal is the first of its kind. A show about people who’ve done wrong, been wronged, or gotten caught somewhere in...
Freakonomics Radio
Freakonomics co-author Stephen J. Dubner uncovers the hidden side of everything. Why is it safer to fly in an airplane than drive a car? How do we ...
Hidden Brain
Why do I feel stuck? How can I become more creative? What can I do to improve my relationships? If you’ve ever asked yourself these questions, you’...
No Such Thing As A Fish
The official channel for the show about everything: four dorks discuss the most amazing facts they’ve learned over the last seven days. The multi a...
Radiolab
Radiolab is on a curiosity bender. We ask deep questions and use investigative journalism to get the answers. A given episode might whirl you throu...
Shameless
The pop culture podcast for smart people who love dumb stuff.
99% Invisible
Design is everywhere in our lives, perhaps most importantly in the places where we've just stopped noticing. 99% Invisible is a weekly exploration ...
Today in Focus
Today in Focus brings you closer to the Guardian's journalism. Our award-winning morning edition hosted by Nosheen Iqbal, Annie Kelly and Helen Pid...
The Moth
On Tuesdays and Fridays The Moth’s podcast feed presents episodes of the Peabody-Award Winning Moth Radio Hour and original episodes of The Moth Po...
Get Sleepy: stories for sleep
Get Sleepy is the #1 sleep podcast for relaxing bedtime stories to help you fall asleep. Our soothing sleep stories give busy minds somewhere peace...
Boring History for Sleep
Welcome to Boring History to Sleep — the only show where falling asleep in the middle is not only allowed… it’s encouraged. Each episode takes you ...
Ologies with Alie Ward
Volcanoes. Trees. Drunk butterflies. Mars missions. Slug sex. Death. Beauty standards. Anxiety busters. Beer science. Bee drama. Take away a pocket...
Planet Money
Wanna see a trick? Give us any topic and we can tie it back to the economy. At Planet Money, we explore the forces that shape our lives and bring y...
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
NPR's weekly news quiz hosted by Peter Sagal. Have a laugh and test your knowledge with today's funniest comedians and a celebrity guest. Support p...
The School of Greatness
Lewis Howes is a New York Times best-selling author, 2x All-American athlete, keynote speaker, and entrepreneur. The School of Greatness shares ins...
Fresh Air
Fresh Air from WHYY, the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues, is one of public radio's most popular programs. Ho...
You're Dead to Me
The comedy podcast that takes history seriously. In each episode of You’re Dead to Me from BBC Radio 4, Greg Jenner is joined by a comedian and an ...
Science Vs
There are a lot of fads, blogs and strong opinions, but then there’s SCIENCE. Science Vs is the show from Spotify Studios that finds out what’s fac...
Office Ladies
Best friends and The Office co-stars Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey invite you to join them for the ultimate deep dive into The Office. Every week...
Scamfluencers
You never really know someone…especially online. In today’s world, the power of influence can be the quickest path to money and fame, and it often ...
Modern Love
For more than 20 years, the Modern Love column has given New York Times readers a glimpse into the complicated love lives of real people. Since its...
8 Hour Sleep Music
Welcome to 8 Hour Sleep Music, a podcast that combines 8 hours of relaxing music with nature sounds and white noise to create peaceful soundscapes,...
The Rewatchables
The Rewatchables, a film podcast from the Ringer Podcast Network, features The Ringer’s Bill Simmons and a roundtable of movie lovers from the Ring...
Let's Not Meet: A True Horror Podcast
True horror stories written by those who made it out alive. First-person accounts narrated weekly in an anthology of terror and suspense. To hear y...
Desert Island Discs
Eight tracks, a book and a luxury: what would you take to a desert island? Guests share the soundtrack of their lives.
British Scandal
In a country obsessed with gossip, the great and the good fear one thing more than any other - scandal.British scandals change the course of histor...
The NoSleep Podcast
The NoSleep Podcast is a multi-award winning anthology series of original horror stories, with rich atmospheric music to enhance the frightening ta...
Swindled
A narrative true-crime podcast that uses immersive storytelling, archival audio, and cinematic sound design to explore the world of white-collar cr...
How Did This Get Made?
The award-winning comedy podcast that celebrates bad movies. Comedians and actors Paul Scheer (The League), June Diane Raphael (Grace and Frankie),...
The Dan Le Batard Show
Live from the Elser Hotel in Downtown Miami, Dan Le Batard and company share their unique perspectives on all things sports, pop culture, and more....
UK True Crime Podcast
The UK True Crime Podcast, hosted by Adam Lloyd, is a leading true crime podcast, with new episodes released every Tuesday and Friday.Shortlisted f...
The Tim Ferriss Show
Tim Ferriss is a self-experimenter and bestselling author, best known for The 4-Hour Workweek, which has been translated into 40+ languages. Newswe...
The Sleepy Bookshelf
Fall asleep to classic works of fiction, adapted and narrated to help you relax. Each episode begins with a brief moment of relaxation followed by ...
Lore
The award-winning podcast (also a TV show & book series) about dark historical tales. Each episode explores the mysterious creatures, tragic events...
In Our Time
A world-class seminar, every week. In Our Time explores the ideas, people and discoveries that have shaped our world, spanning history, philosophy,...
The Blindboy Podcast
Hosted by Blindboyboatclub, who is an artist and author. An eclectic podcast containing short fiction, interviews and comedy. Hosted on Acast. See ...
Dear Hank & John
Hosts John and Hank Green (authors and YouTubers) offer both humorous and heartfelt advice about life’s big and small questions. They bring their p...
Happy Place
Fearne Cotton talks to incredible people about life, love, loss, and everything in-between as she reveals what happiness means to them. Hosted on A...
Radio Rental
Discover real-life horror stories, from bizarre crimes to paranormal activity. These true stories are set inside the fictional world of Radio Renta...
Welcome to Night Vale
Twice-monthly community updates for the small desert town of Night Vale, where every conspiracy theory is true. Turn on your radio and hide. Never ...
The Jefferson Fisher Podcast
Communicate with confidence so you can argue less and talk more. Every episode of The Jefferson Fisher Podcast is packed with actionable strategies...
How I Built This with Guy Raz
Guy Raz interviews the world’s best-known entrepreneurs to learn how they built their iconic brands. In each episode, founders reveal deep, intimat...
The Louis Theroux Podcast
Join Louis Theroux as he embarks on a series of in-depth and freewheeling conversations with a curated collection of fascinating figures from acros...
TED Radio Hour
Exploring the biggest questions of our time with the help of the world's greatest thinkers. Host Manoush Zomorodi inspires us to learn more about t...
American History Tellers
The Cold War, Prohibition, the Gold Rush, the Space Race. Every part of your life - the words you speak, the ideas you share - can be traced to our...
The Slow Newscast
The Slow Newscast from The Observer takes the news slowly. We investigate, and every week we focus on stories that really matter in the UK and arou...
The Vergecast
The Vergecast is the flagship daily podcast from The Verge about small gadgets, Big Tech, and everything in between. Every Friday, Nilay Patel and ...
Miss Me?
Join longtime friends Miquita Oliver & Jordan Stephens for their twice a week catch-ups, discussing everything from the highs and lows of their...
Relaxing White Noise
Welcome to Relaxing White Noise, the podcast featuring white noise and nature sounds to help you sleep, study or soothe a baby. We make relaxing so...
My Dad Wrote A Porno
Imagine if your Dad wrote a dirty book. Most people would try to ignore it and pretend it had never happened - but not Jamie Morton. Instead, he's ...
Normal Gossip
Normal Gossip delivers juicy, strange, funny, and utterly banal gossip about people you’ll never know and never meet. Host Rachelle Hampton discuss...
The Indicator from Planet Money
A bite-sized show about big ideas. From the people who make Planet Money, The Indicator helps you make sense of what's happening in today's economy...
Stuff To Blow Your Mind
Deep in the back of your mind, you’ve always had the feeling that there’s something strange about reality. There is. Join Robert Lamb and Joe McCor...
Worklife with Molly Graham
The world of work is changing, fast. The full range of human emotion can happen on the job: ambition and failure, joy and burnout, confidence and s...
The Mina Kimes Show featuring Lenny
Mina talks all things football with her unique brand of humor and insight. Her friends join each episode to talk about the NFL's latest storylines ...
Gastropod
Food with a side of science and history. Every other week, co-hosts Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley serve up a brand new episode exploring the hi...
Life Kit
Everyone needs a little help being a human. From sleep to saving money to parenting and more, host Marielle Segarra talks to experts to get the bes...
The Read
Join bloggers Kid Fury and Crissle for their weekly podcast covering hip-hop and pop culture's most trying stars. Throwing shade and spilling tea w...
Twenty Thousand Hertz
The stories behind the world's most recognizable and interesting sounds. Whether you're a professional audio engineer with decades of experience, a...
My Brother, My Brother And Me
Free advice from three of the world's most qualified, most related experts: Justin, Travis and Griffin McElroy. For one-half to three-quarters of a...
Deep Sleep Sounds
Sleep, relax, and unwind with our original sleepy soundscapes. Featuring nature soundscapes, binaural sleep music, and calming white noise. Become ...
Rain Sounds
Immerse yourself in the soothing world of "Rain Sounds," a podcast dedicated to bringing the calming and therapeutic effects of natural ambient sou...
Family Trips with the Meyers Brothers
Lifelong brothers, Seth Meyers and Josh Meyers ask guests to relive childhood memories, unforgettable family trips, and other disasters! New Episod...
You're Wrong About
Sarah is a journalist obsessed with the past. Every week she reconsiders a person or event that's been miscast in the public imagination.
Song Exploder
Song Exploder is a podcast where musicians take apart their songs, and piece by piece, tell the story of how they were made. Each episode features ...
Three Bean Salad
A podcast from comedians Mike Wozniak, Henry Paker and Benjamin Partridge. Each week the three beans tackle a different theme, suggested by the lis...
Myths and Legends
Jason Weiser and Carissa Weiser tell stories from myths, legends, and folklore that have shaped cultures throughout history. Some, like the stories...
Comedy Bang Bang: The Podcast
Join host Scott Aukerman ("Mr. Show" & "Between Two Ferns: The Movie") as he interviews celebrity guests like Jon Hamm, Bob Odenkirk, Tatiana Masla...
Sleep With Me
Insomnia? Mind racing at night? Worries keeping you up? Tune in for a bedtime story that lets you forget your problems and progressively gets more ...
The Model Health Show
The Model Health Show is a fun, entertaining, and enlightening look at health and fitness. No subject is off limits here! World-renown author and n...
Monsters Among Us
True paranormal stories told in the witnesses own voice. Monsters Among Us is a collection of first-hand eye-witness audio recordings made directly...
The Bechdel Cast
The Bechdel Cast is a podcast about the portrayal of women in movies hosted by Caitlin Durante and Jamie Loftus.
Fall of Civilizations Podcast
A history podcast looking at the collapse of a different civilization each episode. What did they have in common? Why did they fall? And what did i...
Bandsplain
Bandsplain is a show where host Yasi Salek invites experts to explain cult bands and iconic artists—and why people love them.
The Infinite Monkey Cage
A witty, irreverent look at the world through scientists' eyes, guest hosted by Adam Rutherford and Jess Fostekew.
Poetry Unbound
Short and unhurried, Poetry Unbound is an immersive exploration of a single poem, hosted by Pádraig Ó Tuama. Pádraig Ó Tuama greets you at the door...
Tracks To Relax Sleep Meditations
Drift into deep, restful sleep with the Tracks To Relax Sleep Meditations Podcast! The Perfect escape from stress, racing thoughts, and restless ni...
Weekly Motivation by Ben Lionel Scott
Here you'll find weekly motivation from some of the most successful and high achieving people in the world to help encourage you through your journ...
Decoder Ring
Decoder Ring is the show about cracking cultural mysteries. In each episode, host Willa Paskin takes a cultural question, object, or habit; examine...
How this list is built
Shows are selected from PodSEO topic associations and matched AI recommendations. They are ordered by their average PodSEO score over records dated since seven days ago, with ties ordered by show name. The score combines podcast-platform search visibility, editorial placements, and chart performance, with adjustments for Apple listing status. AI recommendations help identify candidates; their frequency does not determine the order. Each list includes up to 100 shows with an Apple Podcasts ID and updates when regenerated.