Internet Radio vs FM, AM and DAB+: Which Should You Use?
Key points
- Internet radio has the widest choice: any station in the world, but it needs a data connection and runs a few seconds behind live.
- FM is free, instant and works with no internet, but only within range of a transmitter and with no more than a few dozen local stations.
- AM travels much further, especially at night, but sounds thinner and picks up interference.
- DAB+ digital radio gives clean sound and more stations than FM without using data, where it is available and if you own a DAB+ receiver.
- Most people get the best result by mixing them: broadcast radio in the car or during a power or network cut, internet radio for everything beyond the local dial.
“Radio” now reaches you in four main ways. They carry the same kind of programmes, but they differ a lot in what you need, what it costs, how it sounds and where it works. This guide compares them honestly so you can choose the right one for each situation.
The four ways to receive radio
FM (frequency modulation)
FM is the familiar analogue band, usually between 87.5 and 108 MHz. Its signal travels in a roughly straight line from the transmitter, so a typical station covers a city or region and fades out beyond the horizon or behind hills. Inside that area it offers good stereo sound, and every car, many phones and almost every cheap radio can receive it.
AM (amplitude modulation)
AM, on medium wave (roughly 530–1700 kHz) and long and short wave, is the oldest broadcast technology. Its signals follow the curve of the earth and, after dark, bounce off the upper atmosphere, so a strong AM station can be heard hundreds or even thousands of kilometres away. The trade-off is narrow, mono sound and sensitivity to electrical noise. Many countries have closed or reduced AM services, but it is still important for talk, sport and emergency information in large or remote areas.
DAB and DAB+ (digital audio broadcasting)
DAB is digital radio sent over the air. Several stations share one transmission (a multiplex), which is why a DAB radio can offer many more stations than FM in the same area. The newer DAB+ standard uses the more efficient HE-AAC codec, and it is the version used in most countries today. Coverage is strongest in Europe and Australia; Norway became the first country to switch off national FM in favour of DAB+ in 2017. In North America, digital over-the-air radio mainly uses a different system, HD Radio, which adds digital channels alongside existing FM and AM stations.
Internet radio (streaming)
Internet radio delivers the same live programmes over a data connection, to a browser, app, smart speaker or connected car. Because there is no transmitter range, you can hear a station from any country as easily as a local one. It is the only option that gives you the whole world’s radio, including thousands of stations that never broadcast over the air. Read how internet radio works for the technical side.
Side-by-side comparison
| Internet radio | FM | AM | DAB+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stations available | Tens of thousands, worldwide | Local, usually 10–50 | Local and distant, few | Regional, often 30–100 |
| Typical sound | Depends on bitrate: poor to excellent | Good stereo, can hiss at the edge of range | Mono, limited, noisy | Clean; quality depends on bitrate |
| What you need | Phone, computer or smart speaker plus data | Any FM radio | AM radio | A DAB+ receiver |
| Running cost | Uses mobile data or broadband | Free | Free | Free |
| Delay behind live | Several seconds to about a minute | Near zero | Near zero | A few seconds |
| Works with no internet or power cut | No | Yes, on battery | Yes, on battery | Yes, on battery |
| Song and show info | Often, in the player | Sometimes (RDS text) | No | Usually (scrolling text, sometimes images) |
Sound quality: it depends more on the station than the technology
People often assume digital always sounds better. In practice, the bitrate each station chooses matters more. A 192 kbps AAC internet stream can sound better than FM, while a 32 kbps stream is clearly worse. DAB+ stations frequently run at 48–96 kbps to fit more stations into a multiplex, which is fine for speech and acceptable for most music. FM’s quality is consistent when the signal is strong but drops quickly as it weakens. On AllRadioList you can see each station’s bitrate on its card; our quality and data guide explains what the numbers mean.
Reliability and emergencies
Over-the-air radio has one big advantage: it needs nothing between the transmitter and your receiver. During storms, power cuts or network outages, a battery or wind-up FM/AM radio keeps working when mobile data and home broadband may not. Emergency services in many countries still rely on broadcast radio for this reason. Keeping a battery radio at home is sensible even if you stream most of the time.
Internet radio can also fail in ways broadcast radio does not: a station’s streaming server can go down, a stream may be limited to listeners in its home country, or your connection may be too weak. Our troubleshooting guide covers the common fixes.
Cost and data
FM, AM and DAB+ cost nothing to use once you own a receiver. Internet radio is free to listen to, but it uses data: a 128 kbps stream uses about 58 MB per hour, so an hour a day comes to roughly 1.7 GB a month. On home Wi‑Fi this rarely matters; on a capped mobile plan, choose lower-bitrate stations or download over Wi‑Fi where possible.
Which should you use?
- At home: internet radio for choice, through a computer, phone or smart speaker. A battery FM or DAB+ radio is a good backup.
- In the car: FM or DAB+ for local stations without using data. Stream when you want something you cannot receive locally; see listening in the car.
- Travelling abroad: internet radio keeps you in touch with home stations, ideally over hotel or café Wi‑Fi to avoid roaming charges.
- For a station from another country or a niche genre: internet radio is the only practical option. Browse by country to start.
- Remote areas: AM and FM often reach places where mobile coverage does not.
Frequently asked questions
Is FM radio being switched off?
In some countries, partly. Norway switched off national FM networks in 2017, and Switzerland’s public broadcaster ended its FM transmissions at the end of 2024. Most countries, including the United States, have no plan to end FM, and many local stations continue on FM even where national networks have moved to digital.
Does internet radio sound better than FM?
It can. A stream at 128 kbps AAC or higher generally matches or beats FM, especially compared with a weak FM signal. Low-bitrate streams sound worse. Check the bitrate shown for each station.
Can I hear DAB+ stations online?
Usually, yes. Nearly every station on DAB+ also streams online, so you can hear them anywhere in the world, subject to any country restrictions the broadcaster applies.