Life & fun · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to Serial Podcast

From This American Life, follow 1 story over a whole season

Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. Serial Podcast launched in 2014; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

1. 1
   Serial▲69

   Creators of This American Life. One story. Told week by week

   2014 · nytimes.com · its alternatives →

2. 2
   Tim Ferriss Show - Challenging Reality w/ Eric Weinstein▲65

   Quite possibly one of my favorite podcast episodes ever.

   2016 · tim.blog · its alternatives →

3. 3
   Parasocial▲204

   Listening to podcasts should be a joy. So let's get started.

   Aug 2026 · parasocial.fm · its alternatives →

4. 4
   reddit's upvoted podcast▲190

   A reddit podcast for all the stories behind the stories

   2015 · podcasts.apple.com · its alternatives →

5. 5
   The Message - Episode 1▲64

   Cyphercast, the podcast within a podcast

   2015 · w.soundcloud.com · its alternatives →

6. 6
   Hello Tech Pros: Tools to Create 100+ Podcast Episodes▲54

   The gear I've used to create this here podthingy

   2016 · gadgetsprimer.com · its alternatives →

7. 7
   On Books: Leave The World Better Than How You Found It▲56

   A 20ish minute book podcast - New episodes each week.

   2016 · traffic.libsyn.com · its alternatives →

8. 8
   App Store Launch Stories▲180

   A podcast about the stories behind app launches

   2015 · its alternatives →

9. 9
   The Probe #1: The Teaser▲65

   Satirical take on popular magazine-style news podcasts

   2016 · podcasts.apple.com · its alternatives →

10. 10
    The Story Behind▲5

    A short-form, narrative history podcast

    2017 · its alternatives →

11. 11
    With her - Ep 1: "Hi, Hillary"▲101

    The first episode of Hillary Clinton's podcast series

    2016 · hillaryclinton.com · its alternatives →

12. 12
    This American Life - How to Win Friends and Influence People▲76

    Stories of people climbing to be number one.

    2016 · overcast.fm · its alternatives →

13. 13
    Out on the Wire▲64

    Storytelling advice from This American Life, RadioLab & more

    2016 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

14. 14
    Criminal Podcast▲115

    Real stories behind unbelievable crimes

    2015 · thisiscriminal.com · its alternatives →

15. 15
    Show Me Your Mic - 108: 3 Podcasts For the Rest of Your Life▲56

    Great suggestions for new shows to listen to here.

    2016 · its alternatives →

16. 16
    WTF with Marc Maron - Ep 613 w/ Obama▲152

    The first presidential podcast

    2015 · wtfpod.com · its alternatives →

17. 17
    Tell It Anyway - 20: Is this real life? ▲54

    Stories Anyway, Any Way

    2015 · tellitanyway.com · its alternatives →

18. 18
    Prehype Podcast▲107

    Entrepreneurs speaking to people they think are interesting

    2015 · podcasts.apple.com · its alternatives →

19. 19
    Bobler▲85

    Record 36 sec podcasts

    2014 · its alternatives →

20. 20
    Startup Podcast: Introducing Season 4▲67

    A sneak peek of the fourth season

    2016 · soundcloud.com · its alternatives →

21. 21
    Serial Box▲120

    Read or listen to weekly episodes by bestselling writers.

    2016 · realm.fm · its alternatives →

22. 22
    Dukkan Podcast: E039 Every Story Matters▲52

    Pull up a seat and pass the time.

    2016 · soundcloud.com · its alternatives →

23. 23
    TIL Reddit Recap - Thu. Jan 28▲80

    A podcast created entirely by a computer program

    2016 · sleepybandit.github.io · its alternatives →

24. 24
    Shortcut▲63

    Create and share clips from This American Life

    2016 · its alternatives →

Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →