How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Ratings come from G2, Capterra or Trustpilot, with the date we checked them.
Key takeaways
- Broadcastify is the best live scanner source, with 7,058 live feeds of police, fire, EMS, aircraft and rail audio.
- Scanner Radio is the best scanner app, free with breaking news alerts, local scanners and shareable audio clips.
- RadioReference is the best frequency database, with 226,000+ identified frequencies for programming a real scanner.
- Citizen, PulsePoint and Watch Duty complement live audio with verified incident alerts for safety, not just listening.
Quick comparison
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The best police scanner apps
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Broadcastify is the world's largest source of public safety, aircraft, rail and marine radio live audio streams, with 7,058 live feeds and tens of thousands of listeners at any moment. It covers police, fire, EMS, aircraft and rail, streamed by volunteers around the world. The free tier covers live listening, while Broadcastify Premium, part of the RadioReference network, adds 365 days of live audio archives, 365 days of calls archives, playlists, multi-system monitoring, custom dashboards with vox-style scanning, and ad-free browsing.
Premium costs $15 for 6 months, $30 for 1 year, or $60 for 2 years, each working out to $2.50 per month equivalent, and subscriptions are non-refundable. For live police scanner listening, Broadcastify is the biggest and most reliable source.
What we like- World's largest source of public safety, aircraft, rail and marine live audio
- 7,058 live feeds
- Premium adds 365 days of audio archives and custom dashboards
- Part of the RadioReference network
Watch out for- Premium costs $2.50 per month equivalent
- Some agencies are encrypted and cannot be streamed
- Feed availability depends on volunteers
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Scanner Radio is a free live police scanner app that streams police, fire and EMS radio for iOS and Android, with breaking news alerts when major events happen and local scanners for activity nearby. Users can clip, share and browse interesting clips from the community, turning scanner listening into a shared experience. Reviews from first responders praise the alerts: one assistant chief notes that alerts for surrounding counties give a heads-up on mutual aid calls, saving valuable time.
The app holds a 4.7 rating from more than 494,000 ratings. For phone-first scanner listening with alerts and clips, Scanner Radio is the best app.
What we like- Free live police, fire and EMS radio
- Breaking news alerts for major events
- Local scanners by GPS
- Clip, share and browse community audio clips
- 4.7 rating from 494,000+ ratings
Watch out for- Feed availability depends on Broadcastify and volunteers
- Encrypted agencies unavailable
- Ads on the free tier
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Citizen connects people and helps them stay safe, with real-time alerts, live video from the scene, and immediate incident updates on the free app. Users receive push notifications when an incident happens nearby so they can avoid the area, record live video if they are near an unfolding incident, and search incidents when they hear police activity, helicopters or road closures and want to know why. Alerts go out instantly, sometimes hours before official alerts for events like missing people.
Citizen is not a scanner audio app, but it answers the question scanner listeners most often ask: what is happening near me right now. For safety awareness rather than audio listening, Citizen is the best companion app.
What we like- Real-time verified alerts with live video from the scene
- Push notifications for nearby incidents
- Live broadcasting from users
- Incident search for police activity, helicopters and road closures
- Free app
Watch out for- Not a live audio scanner
- Coverage strongest in major cities
- Alerts can be frequent in busy areas
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
PulsePoint builds informed communities with notifications providing early awareness of local threats such as wildland fires, flooding and utility emergencies, and helps everyday citizens to provide lifesaving help for sudden cardiac arrest. Its Respond app alerts CPR-trained individuals to nearby cardiac arrests, while the NEAR Registry integrates with public safety systems to inform callers of nearby AEDs, naloxone, epinephrine and bleeding-control kits. Recent integrations connect 911 directly to the registry and embed Genasys Protect alerts across 5,775 communities.
First responders praise the speed: one firefighter notes the app often notifies faster than their own dispatch, and another says it sometimes alerts before their unit is paged. For fire and EMS awareness, PulsePoint is the best app.
What we like- Early awareness of fires, flooding and utility emergencies
- CPR-needed alerts to nearby trained responders
- AED registry integration
- 5,500+ connected communities
- Nonprofit foundation
- 200,000+ five-star reviews
Watch out for- Fire and EMS focus, not police audio
- Coverage depends on agency participation
- Professional features need agency setup
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
RadioReference is the complete reference source for the radio community, with a searchable database of identified frequencies and trunked radio systems browsable by state, metro area or ZIP code. Behind every frequency is a contributor submitting data and a volunteer administration team keeping the most complete public-safety reference on the web up to date every single day. The database holds more than 226,000 identified frequencies and more than 7,400 trunked systems, with 90 updates in the past 24 hours at the time of checking.
A premium subscription, $30 for one year or $2.50 per month equivalent, works across RadioReference and Broadcastify, adding archives, programming downloads for CHIRP and ProScan, watch lists and ad-free browsing, with 74,572 current premium subscribers. For anyone programming a real scanner or researching local systems, RadioReference is essential.
What we like- Most complete public-safety reference on the web
- 226,000+ identified frequencies
- 7,400+ trunked systems
- 90 database updates in the past 24 hours
- Forums and wiki
- Premium shared with Broadcastify
Watch out for- Database and reference, not a listening app
- Premium costs $30 per year
- Programming a physical scanner takes learning
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
OpenMHz records every call, on every talkgroup, with full archives so a missed call is never lost. Most large cities use trunked radio systems, where transmissions hop across frequencies, and OpenMHz uses cheap software defined radios to capture wide swathes of spectrum covering all frequencies a system could use. At the time of checking, the site showed 366 calls per minute across 1,613 active systems with people listening live.
Anyone with a spare computer and a $25 SDR or two can record a local system and share it with the world. For archived trunked radio and technical listeners, OpenMHz is the best community platform.
What we like- Every call on every talkgroup recorded and archived
- 1,613 active systems
- Community-run with cheap SDR hardware
- Missed calls can be replayed anytime
Watch out for- Web-based, not a polished app
- Coverage depends on volunteers with SDR setups
- Interface is technical
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
IncidentSource turns raw public safety communications into structured major-event awareness through its Radiant Glow system, organizing audio, event context, location and escalation activity to surface what matters quickly. In the last 24 hours at the time of checking, it processed 172,719 signals into 31,034 events, including 914 major events, from structure fires and brush fires to vehicle extrications, each with location and playable audio. The event table shows major event types with context and location, from Baltimore County Fire to Los Angeles County Fire.
For professionals, journalists and serious hobbyists who want structured intelligence rather than raw audio, IncidentSource is the best AI-powered option. Pricing was not shown on the homepage, so check the site.
What we like- AI-powered event intelligence from radio traffic
- Organizes audio, context, location and escalation into major-event awareness
- 172,719 signals and 31,034 events in the last 24 hours
- Playable audio clips per event
Watch out for- Pricing must be checked on the site
- Professional-leaning
- No free plan shown
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Watch Duty provides real-time disaster intelligence users can trust, powered by volunteers who monitor disasters, including engineers, reporters, scanners, first responders, retired firefighters and dispatchers working alongside professional staff. That volunteer model, built on scanner monitoring and dispatch experience, makes Watch Duty a trusted source during wildfires, floods and other disasters, when official information can lag.
For disaster awareness, especially wildfire season in the western US, Watch Duty is the best companion to a scanner app: the scanner provides raw audio, and Watch Duty provides verified, structured updates.
What we like- Real-time disaster intelligence volunteers monitor
- Team includes engineers, reporters, scanners, first responders, retired firefighters and dispatchers
- Trusted disaster reporting
- Free app
Watch out for- Disaster focus, not general police scanning
- Coverage varies by region and event
- Homepage shows little detail
How we chose
We picked tools covering the main ways people follow public safety radio: live audio feeds, phone apps, safety alerts, frequency databases, archived calls, AI event intelligence and disaster reporting. Each homepage was opened to confirm the product exists and matches its description. Two candidates were left out because their sites failed to load during this check and were not retried. Note that not every tool here streams live audio: Citizen, PulsePoint and Watch Duty provide alerts and incident data, while Broadcastify, Scanner Radio and OpenMHz provide the audio itself.
A note on safety and the law
Scanner listening is for awareness, not action. Never go to an incident scene because you heard it on a scanner, never interfere with first responders, and never use scanner information to evade police or break the law. Do not listen while driving if it distracts you, and remember that many agencies now use encrypted channels that cannot be streamed legally. In any emergency, call 911 rather than relying on an app. Apps on this list are tools for staying informed, and they work best when paired with official alerts from local authorities.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best police scanner app for iPhone and Android?
Scanner Radio is the best phone app, free with breaking news alerts, local scanners and shareable clips. Broadcastify is the best underlying feed source, and its feeds power many scanner apps.
Is it legal to listen to police scanners?
Listening to unencrypted public safety broadcasts is generally legal in the US, but laws vary by state and by use, especially for using a scanner while driving or to facilitate a crime. Encrypted channels cannot be legally decoded. Check your state and local rules.
Why can't I hear my local police department?
Many agencies have moved to encrypted radio systems, which cannot be streamed. Others may lack a volunteer feed in your area. Check RadioReference for your local system status, and use Citizen or PulsePoint for incident alerts instead.
What is the difference between Broadcastify and Scanner Radio?
Broadcastify is the feed network with 7,058 live streams, while Scanner Radio is a phone app that streams those feeds with alerts, local discovery and clips. Many listeners use both: Broadcastify on the web, Scanner Radio on the phone.
Can I listen to archived scanner audio?
Yes. Broadcastify Premium offers 365 days of audio archives, and OpenMHz archives every call on every talkgroup it covers, free.
Which app is best for fire and EMS alerts?
PulsePoint is the best fire and EMS alert app, with incident notifications, CPR-needed alerts and AED locations across 5,500+ communities.
Sources we checked (8)
- https://www.broadcastify.com
- https://scannerradio.app
- https://citizen.com
- https://www.pulsepoint.org
- https://www.radioreference.com
- https://openmhz.com
- https://www.incidentsource.com
- https://www.watchduty.org
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has 5+ years in B2B and SaaS SEO. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.
Broadcastify
Scanner Radio
Citizen
PulsePoint
RadioReference
OpenMHz
IncidentSource
Watch Duty