Top 10 Best Podcasts of 2025

Alex Cooper's Call Her Daddy secured a $125 million exclusive deal with SiriusXM in 2024 and remained the most-downloaded interview show by a woman in 2025. Cooper's interviews with Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, and Kamala Harris attracted record audiences and positioned the show as a serious cultural force beyond its original dating-advice origins.

Crime Junkie by Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat remained the definitive true crime podcast in 2025, consistently topping Apple Podcasts charts with its clear, no-filler format that delivers one solved or unsolved case per week. The show's production company, audiochuck, expanded into a full podcast network with over a dozen crime shows.

Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant's Stuff You Should Know is the most-downloaded educational podcast in history and remained in the global top five in 2025 with over 50 million downloads per month. Their conversational, research-heavy deep dives into topics from how quicksand works to the history of the CIA remain unmatched for accessible intellectual entertainment.

Steven Bartlett's Diary of a CEO became Europe's most popular interview podcast and consistently placed in Spotify's global top ten in 2025. Bartlett's interview style — deeply personal, research-heavy, and occasionally provocative — attracted guests ranging from Bill Gates to Rihanna, and his YouTube clips routinely accumulate tens of millions of views.

Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark's My Favorite Murder pioneered the comedy-true-crime genre and continues to draw millions of loyal "Murderinos" per episode in 2025. The show's irreverent approach to dark material, combined with the hosts' genuine friendship and candid discussions of mental health, built one of podcasting's most devoted fan communities.

Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett's SmartLess consistently ranked among the top five comedy podcasts in 2025, with its surprise-guest format generating clips that went viral across every social platform. The trio's live tour sold out arenas across North America and Europe, demonstrating how podcast audiences can translate into live entertainment revenues.

Dax Shepard's Armchair Expert features long-form, deeply personal conversations with scientists, authors, and celebrities that can run three hours or more. Its intellectual depth and willingness to sit with difficult personal revelations set it apart in the interview podcast landscape, earning it consistent placement in Spotify's top podcasts of 2025.

Ira Glass's This American Life remains the gold standard of narrative audio journalism, consistently drawing 2.5 million weekly listeners across public radio and podcast platforms in 2025. Its influence on the entire podcast medium is incalculable — Serial, S-Town, and countless other landmark shows all originated as TAL spin-offs or direct spiritual descendants.

The New York Times' The Daily, hosted by Michael Barbaro, remained the most-downloaded daily news podcast in 2025 with over 3 million listeners per episode. Its 20-30 minute format, immersive production quality, and access to Times journalists make it the definitive model for daily news audio, inspiring dozens of imitations at outlets worldwide.

Alex Cooper's Call Her Daddy secured a $125 million exclusive deal with SiriusXM in 2024 and remained the most-downloaded interview show by a woman in 2025. Cooper's interviews with Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, and Kamala Harris attracted record audiences and positioned the show as a serious cultural force beyond its original dating-advice origins.

Crime Junkie by Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat remained the definitive true crime podcast in 2025, consistently topping Apple Podcasts charts with its clear, no-filler format that delivers one solved or unsolved case per week. The show's production company, audiochuck, expanded into a full podcast network with over a dozen crime shows.

Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant's Stuff You Should Know is the most-downloaded educational podcast in history and remained in the global top five in 2025 with over 50 million downloads per month. Their conversational, research-heavy deep dives into topics from how quicksand works to the history of the CIA remain unmatched for accessible intellectual entertainment.

Steven Bartlett's Diary of a CEO became Europe's most popular interview podcast and consistently placed in Spotify's global top ten in 2025. Bartlett's interview style — deeply personal, research-heavy, and occasionally provocative — attracted guests ranging from Bill Gates to Rihanna, and his YouTube clips routinely accumulate tens of millions of views.

Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark's My Favorite Murder pioneered the comedy-true-crime genre and continues to draw millions of loyal "Murderinos" per episode in 2025. The show's irreverent approach to dark material, combined with the hosts' genuine friendship and candid discussions of mental health, built one of podcasting's most devoted fan communities.

Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett's SmartLess consistently ranked among the top five comedy podcasts in 2025, with its surprise-guest format generating clips that went viral across every social platform. The trio's live tour sold out arenas across North America and Europe, demonstrating how podcast audiences can translate into live entertainment revenues.

Dax Shepard's Armchair Expert features long-form, deeply personal conversations with scientists, authors, and celebrities that can run three hours or more. Its intellectual depth and willingness to sit with difficult personal revelations set it apart in the interview podcast landscape, earning it consistent placement in Spotify's top podcasts of 2025.

Ira Glass's This American Life remains the gold standard of narrative audio journalism, consistently drawing 2.5 million weekly listeners across public radio and podcast platforms in 2025. Its influence on the entire podcast medium is incalculable — Serial, S-Town, and countless other landmark shows all originated as TAL spin-offs or direct spiritual descendants.

The New York Times' The Daily, hosted by Michael Barbaro, remained the most-downloaded daily news podcast in 2025 with over 3 million listeners per episode. Its 20-30 minute format, immersive production quality, and access to Times journalists make it the definitive model for daily news audio, inspiring dozens of imitations at outlets worldwide.