- Scanner apps at a glance
- Ten scanner and dispatch audio apps
- Feed players, archives and AI alerts
- Why several apps play the same feeds
- Feed counts and claims to read with care
- What to check before you download a scanner app
- Where a scanner app fits with home safety
- My advice on picking a scanner app
- Frequently asked questions
The best police scanner app for you depends on whether you want to listen live, rewind recordings or read alerts. Most of these apps are players for online radio feeds rather than radios, and several draw on the same feed network. A third group adds AI transcripts and incident alerts on top of the audio.
A police scanner app lets you hear public safety radio on your phone without owning a scanner. Some stream feeds from police, fire and EMS channels, some keep recordings you can go back to, and a few turn dispatch audio into written alerts.
Every description below comes from the app's own website or store listing, read as of Nov 2026. The list is alphabetical and in no particular order. It isn't legal advice, and nothing here claims a feed is complete, current or official.
Scanner apps at a glance
| Tool | Type | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| 5-0 Radio Pro Police Scanner | Feed app with past recordings | Rewinding and sharing recordings |
| CrimeRadar Dispatch Audio | Dispatch audio alerts with AI summaries | Alerts for places you pick |
| OpenMHz | Recorded radio system archive | Each transmission saved on its own |
| Police Scanner + (Rego Apps) | Scanner and radio station app | Recording, alarms and a sleep timer |
| Police Scanner Live Radio (Codenhagen) | Scanner feed app with AI event alerts | AI alerts for notable events |
| Police Scanner Radio 2025 | Simple station browser | Browsing by state with listener counts |
| Police Scanner: Crime Radar | Scanner app with live AI transcription | Reading dispatch audio as it plays |
| Police Scanner: Fire Radio | Emergency news and scanner feed app | Codes, a feed map and listener counts |
| Scanner Radio | Scanner feeds with breaking news alerts | Clips and a built-in 10-code chart |
| Squawster | Scanner feeds plus incident alerts | Feeds plus individual radio calls |
Ten scanner and dispatch audio apps
5-0 Radio Pro Police Scanner
Best for: Listening to police radio feeds with 24/7 access to past recordings, a reference map and police codes, and real-time chat with other listeners.
CrimeRadar Dispatch Audio
Best for: Choosing locations and incident types, then getting phone alerts built from live dispatch audio, with transcripts, maps and the original audio to check.
OpenMHz
Best for: Scrolling back through recorded police and fire radio from across the US, with each transmission saved individually and no ads or in-app purchases.
Police Scanner + (Rego Apps)
Best for: Streaming police, fire, EMS, airport and railroad stations, recording one for later playback, and waking up to a station or drifting off with a timer.
Police Scanner Live Radio (Codenhagen)
Best for: Following live police radio feeds with alerts from an AI the listing says watches the feeds for significant events in your area.
Police Scanner Radio 2025
Best for: Browsing stations by state, seeing how many people are listening to each one, and keeping a favorites list with a sleep timer.
Police Scanner: Crime Radar
Best for: Reading police and fire dispatch audio as it happens through live AI transcription, with a live map and a replay of recent hours.
Police Scanner: Fire Radio
Best for: Filtering scanner feeds by location, with an in-app list of police, fire and emergency codes, a map of each feed and a count of who's listening.
Scanner Radio
Best for: Hearing police, fire and EMS radio near you, with alerts when major events happen, community clips, a sleep timer and a built-in 10-code chart.
Squawster
Best for: Playing live scanner feeds and individual radio calls grouped by county, with push alerts for major incidents that open the feeds covering that area.
Feed players, archives and AI alerts
Read the listings together and three kinds of app appear. Scanner Radio offers 'Live Police Scanner, Fire & EMS Radio' and lets you 'Clip, share and browse interesting clips from the community'. 5-0 Radio Pro Police Scanner lists '24/7 Access to Past Recordings' and 'Real-time Chat with Other Listeners'. Those are live feed apps with extras on top.
OpenMHz works differently. Its listing says it's recorded with a software defined radio, 'so unlike a scanner, all of the channels are captured', and each transmission is saved on its own, with an archive you can scroll back through.
Then there are the AI apps. Police Scanner: Crime Radar offers 'live AI Transcription, allowing you to read dispatch audio as it happens', and CrimeRadar Dispatch Audio builds phone alerts for the places and incident types you choose. CrimeRadar's own page is clear that 'These alerts are not an official report', and it asks you to review the original audio and check official sources before relying on them.
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Why several apps play the same feeds
Some of these apps don't run their own radio network. The Crime Radar listing says its feeds are 'powered by Broadcastify', and Squawster, which is built and supported by the Broadcastify team, streams 'Thousands of Broadcastify scanner feeds' plus individual radio calls from trunked and conventional systems.
That's the split a searcher wouldn't guess: these are feed players rather than radios, more than one leans on the same source, and at least one AI app puts transcripts on top of audio from that same network. So two apps can overlap on your local channel, and the real choice comes down to the extras: archives, alerts, transcripts, chat or a sleep timer.
Feed counts and claims to read with care
Feed counts vary from one page to the next, and they're the vendors' own numbers. Police Scanner Live Radio (Codenhagen) says it offers 'live police radio feeds from over 7000 sources worldwide', while other apps give their own, different totals. A big number tells you less than whether your own area has an active feed, so search for your town in the app before you settle on one.
What to check before you download a scanner app
- Your local coverage. Look for a feed near you in the app's location search or map before anything else.
- Live or recorded. If you often miss things, pick an app that lists past recordings or an archive.
- Alerts. Some apps notify you about major incidents. AI-written alerts come from unconfirmed dispatch audio, so check the original audio, as CrimeRadar's page advises.
- Extras you'll use. Ten-code charts, sleep timers, favorites lists and chat with other listeners are spread across different apps.
- Background play. If you want to listen while using other apps or with the screen locked, check that the listing says so.
Where a scanner app fits with home safety
If keeping an eye on your neighbourhood is the goal, a scanner app is only one piece of it. My guide to the best home security cameras covers your own front door, and landlords may find my notes on keeping a rental property safe and secure useful too.
Do you make a police scanner app? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
My advice on picking a scanner app
Decide what you want from it first. If you like to listen in live, a feed app with a good local list is enough. If you keep missing the moment, look for an archive or past recordings. If you'd rather read than listen, try one of the AI transcript or alert apps, and treat what it writes as a starting point, never a report. Whichever you pick, check your area's coverage in the app before you settle in.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the best police scanner app?
There's no single best one. Feed apps suit live listening, archive apps suit catching up, and AI apps suit people who'd rather read alerts or transcripts. Start with whichever has an active feed in your area.
Do police scanner apps need a radio?
No. These apps play radio feeds over the internet, so you don't need scanner hardware. One feed service behind several apps describes its feeds as community-sourced, from providers around the country.
Are police scanner apps free?
Several say they're free to download or free to listen, as of Nov 2026, and some add an optional subscription for archives, alerts or no ads. Check the listing before you subscribe.
Can I trust AI police scanner alerts?
Treat them with care. One alert app says its transcripts and summaries are generated by AI from unconfirmed dispatch audio, that the alerts aren't an official report, and that you should check the original audio and official sources.
Why can't I find a feed for my area?
Feeds come from the services behind each app, and not every area or channel is covered. Check the app's map or location search, and try an app that uses a different source.
Can I listen in the background?
Some listings say you can keep listening while using other apps or with your screen locked. Look for that line in the app store listing if it matters to you.
