iHeart vs Pandora

iHeart brings live radio, podcasts, artist-based stations and music to its streaming service and app. Listeners can find live AM and FM stations from nearby locations or cities around the world, and browse podcasts from iHeartRadio and publishers including ESPN, NPR and The New York Times. Thousands of hand-curated playlists are organized by mood, activity, decade and genre. Users can create stations based on artists and a Favorites Radio station from songs they like. The Free plan includes live radio, artist radio and the full podcast library. Plus adds unlimited skips and commercial-free radio; All Access adds playback of any song or album, downloads for offline listening and unlimited playlist features. The All Access Family plan shares All Access with up to five family members. The service has a free plan and a 30-day trial. It is available on the web, iOS, Android and Windows, with supported platforms also including Amazon Fire and Chromebook. Mobile apps can link with Alexa, and iHeart can be set as the default provider for music, stations and podcasts. All Access Family is listed at $14.99 a month.

Pandora is a music and podcast listening service built around personalized stations and listening recommendations. Its Music Genome Project and Podcast Genome Project power personalization; Pandora says its musician-analysts characterize tracks using details such as melody, harmony, instrumentation, rhythm, vocals and lyrics. Listeners can create up to 100 unique stations. Pandora is available on the web and mobile apps, as well as desktop apps and connected devices; it says it integrates with more than 2,000 connected products. The free plan offers personalized stations and podcasts, with some features, including unlimited skips, unlocked by viewing an ad. Pandora Premium costs $10.99 a month when purchased through its website and includes ad-free listening, on-demand songs, albums and podcasts, personalized playlists and stations, unlimited offline listening and skips. Offline listening is supported, but lossless audio is not. Pandora also offers a GraphQL API covering a catalog of over 30 million tracks, but access is limited to developers invited by an approved partner representative. Pandora says its audio and subscription services are intended for U.S. residents and may be blocked outside the country.