Best Internet Radios 2023

Internet radios let you listen to the 20,000+ radio stations available online in addition to all the regular radio stations you can get on DAB/DAB+ and FM.

This gives you the biggest possible choice of music and speech programmes.

You can also listen to podcasts and other online audio with an internet radio, so you’ll never be stuck for something to keep your ears occupied!

Internet radio is perfect if you want to listen to stations from other countries or learn other languages.

It’s also great if the FM and DAB reception in your area is poor but you have a good internet connection.

Internet radios don’t rely on FM or DAB signals, so as long as you have a good internet connection, they will work perfectly.

Of course, you could listen to internet radio using an app or your computer, but standalone internet radios are much more convenient.

Internet radios used to be quite a niche product, but these days there is a large choice of models available. You can get internet radios with CD player and stereo sound, as well as compact portable models.

Many internet radios can be used with Spotify and other streaming services, though often you will need a paid account to make the most of this feature.

Read on for our reviews of the internet radios, or scroll to the end for some advice on choosing an internet radio.

Best Internet Radios in the UK

1. Roberts Stream 94i

Portable? No
CD Player? No
Alarm Clock? Yes (Dual)

The Roberts Radio Stream 94i is currently one of the UK’s most popular internet radios and with good reason.

It’s a great all-round internet radio with an excellent range of features.

The Stream 94i is essentially the same as the earlier Stream93i, only with the addition of Bluetooth.

Features

Dimensions: 26 x 17 x 13.2 cm
Weight: 1.9 kg

Summary

This excellent radio will give you a huge range of choice when it comes to radio stations and podcasts. It’s well made and has good sound quality.

Sometimes it disconnects from the internet, and some users have complained about software bugs that can make it unreliable.

Overall, this radio is very well built and has an intuitive design. It’s one of the best internet radios on the market.

You can read our full review of the Stream 94i here.

2. John Lewis Cello

Portable? No
CD Player? Yes
Alarm Clock? Yes (Dual)

The John Lewis Cello is a very stylish and carefully designed internet radio CD player with FM and DAB/DAB+ radio.

As well as being one of our favourite internet radios, we also think it’s one of the best radio CD players on the market.

It’s a very versatile product that offers pretty much every possible audio source (FM and DAB/DAB+ radio, internet radio, Bluetooth, CD, aux-in and USB).

Features

Dimensions: 35 x 21.5 x 12.4 cm
Weight: 4.8 kg (unpackaged)

Summary

The John Lewis Cello isn’t the cheapest internet radio on the market, but it isn’t anywhere near the most expensive either.

It offers a great list of features, has excellent sound quality and feels very well made, so it offers good value for money overall.

Read our full review of the Cello here.

3. Ruark R2 Mk3

Portable? No
CD Player? No
Alarm Clock? Yes (Dual)

The R2 Mk3 from high-end brand Ruark is the most expensive product on this list, but it’s arguably the highest quality.

Features

Dimensions: 34 x 18.5 x 12 cm

Summary

If you’re looking to invest in something very high quality, the Ruark R2 Mk3 is a good choice.

This stylish radio offers great sound quality and has a stunning design. It integrates seamlessly with Spotify, though the remote is a bit of a let-down.

4. Roberts Revival iStream 3

Portable? Yes
CD Player? No
Alarm Clock? Yes (Dual)

The Roberts Revival iStream 3 combines an authentic-looking retro design with some cutting-edge features.

Features

Dimensions: 25.5 x 16 x 11 cm

Summary

The Revival iStream 3 is one of the most stylish and attractive internet radios on the market. It’s expensive, but well built and would be the perfect addition to your living room shelf.

5. John Lewis Octave

Portable? No
CD Player? No
Alarm Clock? Yes (Dual)

This handsome radio from John Lewis offers great sound and a premium-style design at a reasonable price. It has a great range of features including Bluetooth, two independent alarms and an intuitive remote control.

Features

Dimensions: 27 x 18 x 11 cm
Weight: 2.6 kg

Summary

This radio from John Lewis can rival some of its more expensive competitors from premium radio brands.

If you want something with a beautiful design, great sound and a reasonable price, the Octave is an excellent choice.

 6. Majority Sidney

Portable? No
CD Player? No
Alarm Clock? Yes (Dual)

The Majority Sidney is a stereo radio with lots of great features. It is actually one of the cheapest internet radios on the market which offers so many functions and has a great stylish design.

This radio could be a good choice if you want something relatively inexpensive but very functional. It offers internet radio, FM, DAB/DAB+ tuner and has Bluetooth capabilities.

Features

Dimensions: 33 x 14.5 x 12 cm
Weight: 2.08 kg

Summary

The Sidney offers great value for money with tons of features and listening options. The stylish design would fit well with any room and the digital display adds some extra swish-factor!

7. Pure Elan IR5

Portable? Yes
CD Player? No
Alarm Clock? Yes (Dual)

This small radio from Pure could be a good choice if you want something compact and portable.

It has a stylish design with a colour screen, and comes in a large choice of finishes.

Features

Dimensions: 20 x 11.5 x 5.3 cm
Weight: 422 g

Summary

The Pure Elan IR5 is a good choice if you’re looking for a bedside clock radio as it’s small, has a dual alarm clock which is easy to use, and allows you to completely switch the display off so it won’t produce any light at night.

However, it’s quite pricey given its features and it’s a shame that batteries aren’t included.

Other Products to Consider

The products listed below aren’t technically internet radios, but they can serve the same purpose.

Amazon Echo Dot

Every year, more and more people are choosing to listen to the radio on their phones, laptops and other devices that aren’t technically ‘radios’.

The Amazon Echo is becoming one of the most popular ways to listen to the radio since it’s cheap, easy to use and has a wealth of other features.

The Amazon Echo Dot is a smart speaker/personal assistant that can be used with online radio streaming services such as TuneIn to access thousands of radio stations (including all the regular UK stations you’d get on AM, FM or DAB).

The Echo Dot is a small device, so the sound quality isn’t amazing, but it’s very versatile. You can use Alexa to get weather forecasts, news updates, cinema listings and other information.

It’s also compatible with music streaming services such as Spotify and Amazon Music as well as Audible for listening to audiobooks.

Majority Fitzwilliam Hi-Fi Tuner

The Majority Fitzwilliam is an internet radio tuner that you can connect to a Hi-Fi unit to give it internet radio capabilities.

This product doesn’t come with speakers, so you need some separate speakers to attach it to.

The Majority Fitzwilliam is inexpensive and offers a very affordable way to add internet radio to your Hi-Fi.

It has aux out, audio output ports, coaxial and optical out ports.

It has Bluetooth, is compatible with Spotify Connect, has a colour screen and comes with a handy remote control.

About Internet Radios

Internet radios are still relatively new products, and there’s a good chance you’re looking to buy your first internet radio. This means you’ll probably have a lot of questions about how internet radios work and how you can choose one that suits you.

Why get an internet radio?

Internet radios offer some great advantages over regular FM and DAB radios. Here are just a few reasons to consider choosing an internet radio:

• Choice: On an FM radio you might get around 10 stations. On DAB you might get 50 or so. With an internet radio, you will be able to receive around 20,000 stations from across the world, including all the popular local and national stations.
• Reception: If you live in an area with poor DAB or FM reception, internet radio is a good idea. As long as you have a stable internet connection, you won’t have any issues with reception.

If you’re researching internet radios the following thought might have crossed your mind: “Why not just use my laptop or smartphone to listen to internet radio and connect it to some good speakers?”

This can be a good alternative to buying a standalone internet radio. You could also get a wireless speaker like the SONOS Play, which can stream internet radio without needing to connect to a computer or phone.

Standalone internet radios and wireless speakers have several advantages over just listening to online radio on your computer or phone. Here are a few:

• Convenience: You don’t need to start your laptop up to listen to the radio—you just turn the radio on.
• Ease of use: Listening to the radio on an internet radio is easier than finding a stream online. It’s also easier to find new stations as you can usually browse by genre, country and region.
• Battery: You won’t wear down your laptop or phone’s battery by using an internet radio instead.

How internet radios work

Most internet radios connect to the internet wirelessly. This means you will need a good amount of bandwidth and a decent wireless router to enjoy listening to the radio without it cutting out or it slowing down other things you use the internet for.

Internet radio usually broadcasts with a bitrate between 128 and 320 kilobytes per second, meaning it will use between 57.6 and 140.62 megabytes of data an hour. The average internet speed in the UK can cope with this easily, but it might be an issue if you have a busy network with lots of people using the internet at the same time.

You can also buy wired internet radios that connect to the internet via an Ethernet cable. One radio that offers this possibility is the Ocean Digital WR80, which can also be used wirelessly.

Instead of requiring you to enter a web address for each radio station, internet radios usually have a menu that you use to find stations. This means that it’s easy to discover new radio stations, but has the downside that some stations might not be accessible.

Most internet radios will also let you listen to podcasts and other on-demand audio, though not every podcast will be available. Many internet radios have a special feature for connecting to Spotify, though this usually requires you to sign up for a paid Spotify membership. Most internet radios also come with DAB and sometimes FM, though some are internet-only.

Internet Radio Brands

Some of the leading brands of internet radios are Pure, Roberts, Majority, Ocean Digital and Revo. Pure and Roberts are both British brands that produce high-quality radios at mid-range prices. These radios will be good options for most households.

If you’re looking for something cheaper, you should consider getting a Majority or Ocean Digital radio. Majority are a Cambridge-based brand whose products are manufactured in the Far East.

Ocean Digital is a Hong Kong brand that produces inexpensive internet and DAB radios. Both brands generally offer great value for money but don’t have the prestige or reputation of Pure or Roberts.

If money is no option, one of the best brands is Revo. Revo produce some of the best-sounding (and most expensive) internet radios, with impressive features. They also produce a more affordable radio, the Revo PiXiS RX.

Internet Radio Glossary

Here are a few common terms used that you might not be familiar with:

• Aux in – Aux in (short for auxiliary in) is a 3.5 mm socket that can be used to connect an audio cable with a 3.5 mm jack. If your radio has an aux-in port you could use it to play music from an MP3 player or computer using the correct cable.
• Bluetooth – Bluetooth is a technology used for transmitting data wirelessly. If your radio has Bluetooth this means you can wirelessly stream audio through the speakers from another Bluetooth-enabled device such as a smartphone or tablet, within a limited range. This essentially turns the radio into a Bluetooth speaker.
• Dual alarm – This refers to the ability to set two independent alarms, for example, one alarm for weekdays and one for weekends.
• Ethernet port – If your radio has an Ethernet port this means you can connect it to the internet using a cable rather than having to rely on wireless. This could be a good option if you want to position the radio a long way from the wireless router, or if you want a more stable and fast internet connection.
• EQ – EQ stands for equalisation and refers to the balance of bass, mid and treble frequencies. If your radio has an adjustable EQ this means you will be able to alter the tone, changing the bass and treble levels to get the sound you want.
• Sleep timer – A sleep timer can be programmed to turn the radio off after a set amount of time. They often give you a choice of between 10 and 90 minutes or so. This is useful if you like to fall asleep with the radio on and don’t want to leave it turned on all night.
• Spotify Connect – Spotify Connect is a method for streaming audio from Spotify through a speaker. It uses the internet rather than Bluetooth to stream audio directly from Spotify, and can be controlled from your phone using the Spotify app. Spotify Connect is not free and is only available with the premium version of Spotify.
• UNDOK app – UNDOK is an app that functions as a remote control and also lets you find and play audio content from services such as Spotify Connect and Deezer.

Internet Radio FAQs

How do internet radios connect to the internet?

Internet radios usually connect via WiFi, but many also have an ethernet port so you can connect using an ethernet cable.

It’s usually very easy to connect your internet radio to WiFi. The instructions manual will explain how to connect to the internet when you first turn the radio on. After that, the radio will remember your WiFi settings so you don’t need to reconnect each time you use the radio.

Often you can connect to the internet quickly using the WPS button on your router, which lets you connect without entering the network name and password.

Which stations can you listen to on an internet radio?

The short answer to this question is, “almost every radio station!” Since most radio stations broadcast online in addition to AM, FM or DAB, you can listen to most stations with an internet radio. This includes all the popular UK stations including those from the BBC and commercial stations.

You can also receive stations from other countries, making an internet radio station a good choice if you want to listen to foreign stations or pick up UK radio while you’re abroad.

Can you listen to podcasts on an internet radio?

Some internet radios offer this feature, though not all do. If you want to listen to podcasts on your radio, check that it has this feature before buying. If podcasts aren’t available from the radio’s interface but the radio has Bluetooth, you could stream podcasts from your phone or laptop via Bluetooth.

What are the pros and cons of internet radios?

As with all tech products, internet radios have both pros and cons. Here’s a summary of them:

Is the sound quality on internet radios better than on DAB/FM?

The short answer to this question is, “it depends…” The highest quality internet radio streams have better sound quality than FM and DAB radio. However, not all internet radio stations broadcast at high bitrates.

The sound quality also depends on the particular radio you are listening to—a high-quality internet radio stream on a cheap internet radio might sound worse than a lower bitrate DAB broadcast on a high-end DAB radio.

See this article for a more in-depth look at internet radio sound quality.

Can you use your phone as a remote control?

Lots of internet radios offer this feature. You will need to download an app such as UNDOK.

Conclusion

If we had to pick just one of these radios to recommend it would be the Roberts Stream 94i.

It’s a popular and highly rated product from an established and respected brand. The Stream 94i is mid-priced, stylish and has some useful additional features such as Bluetooth and an alarm clock.

Related posts

• What Is an Internet Radio and How Does It Work?
• DAB vs. Internet Radio Sound Quality
• Why Is Internet Radio Delayed?