Is Prismatic FM Free? Pricing, Pro, and What You Get Explained
Yes, Prismatic FM is free. You get all 50,000+ live stations across 235 countries, background playback, core visualizers, and saved favorites without paying anything and without creating an account. The free tier shows visual ads, and Prismatic never inserts audio ads into your stream. A paid Pro tier is optional and unlocks extras like every visualizer and an ad-free screen.
Is Prismatic FM free? The short answer
You do not have to pay for Prismatic FM to listen. Download the app, tap a station, and you are streaming live radio in seconds. There is no trial clock, no locked stations, and no credit card to enter first.
There is no paywall on the catalog. Every one of the 50,000+ stations is available on the free tier, in the same audio quality as Pro. You can browse the full catalog or start from a curated collection without ever signing in.
That is the whole point of the free tier: it is the radio app, not a teaser for one. We do not hold back stations, countries, or genres to push you toward paying. If you never upgrade, you still get every station in 235 countries for as long as you want.
What you get for free
The free tier is a complete radio app, not a trial. Here is what is included at no cost:
- All 50,000+ stations worldwide — no genre, country, or station is locked behind Pro.
- No inserted audio ads — Prismatic never adds audio commercials. (A station's own broadcast may still carry that station's commercials; that is the broadcaster, not us.)
- Save favorites — keep your go-to stations one tap away.
- Core visualizers — real-time, music-reactive graphics on a native Metal pipeline.
- Background playback — keep listening while you use other apps.
The one thing the free tier shows is visual ads on screen. Those are removed only by Pro. Your audio is never interrupted by them, and the stations you can reach do not change whether or not you see an ad.
In short, the free tier is built so you can actually live in it. The features Pro adds are about polish and personalization, not access.
Free vs Pro comparison
| Feature | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| All 50,000+ stations | Yes | Yes |
| Audio streaming quality | Full | Same as free |
| Inserted audio ads | None | None |
| Visual ads | Shown | Removed |
| Visualizers | Core set | All visualizers |
| Saved favorites | Yes | Unlimited |
| Background playback | Yes | Yes |
| Price | Free | From $19.99/yr |
Prismatic FM Pro pricing
Pro is optional. The best value is the yearly plan:
- Yearly: $19.99/year (about $1.67/month) — includes a 7-day free trial.
- Monthly: $3.99/month — no long-term commitment.
- Weekly: $1.99/week — a low-cost way to try Pro before committing.
The yearly plan works out to roughly $1.67 a month, which is why most people who go Pro choose it. The weekly option exists mainly so you can sample Pro without signing up for a year.
All three plans unlock the exact same Pro features. The only difference is billing cadence and price per use: the longer the commitment, the lower the effective cost. There is no separate "premium" feature set hidden behind a higher tier, and no add-ons to buy on top. If you are still weighing options, our roundup of the best free radio apps puts the free tier in context against the alternatives.
Start with the free trial
The yearly plan includes a 7-day free trial. Turn it on, use every visualizer ad-free for a week, and decide before you are charged. Cancel anytime from your App Store or Google Play settings.
What Pro unlocks
Upgrading to Prismatic FM Pro changes three things:
- All visualizers — the full set of music-reactive Metal scenes, not just the core ones.
- No visual ads — the on-screen ads from the free tier are removed.
- Unlimited saved favorites — keep as large a favorites list as you want.
That is the whole upgrade. It is about the experience around your radio, not the radio itself.
What Pro does NOT change
Audio streaming quality is identical on free and Pro. Pro never improves how a station sounds. The stream you hear depends on what the broadcaster sends, and both tiers receive exactly the same audio.
And to be clear about ads: Prismatic inserts no audio ads on either tier. Pro removes the visual ads shown on screen, not audio. We explain how our ad model works in detail in our no-audio-ads explainer.
Do you need an account?
No. You can use Prismatic FM completely anonymously. Listening, saving favorites, and browsing all work without signing in.
If you do choose to sign in with Apple or Google, that is optional and does one thing: it syncs your favorites and listening history across your Apple devices (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Vision Pro). Start a station on your iPhone and your favorites are already there on your Mac. On Android, favorites are stored on your device.
None of this is required to enjoy the app, and none of it is gated behind Pro. Signing in is purely about carrying your favorites between your own Apple devices.
Offline playback is a separate matter. Prismatic FM is a live radio app, so it does not download stations to play offline. If you want to play your own music files and Apple Music imports offline, that lives in our separate companion app, Prismatic Music.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Prismatic FM free?
- Yes. Prismatic FM is free to download and use, with access to all 50,000+ live stations in 235 countries, background playback, core visualizers, and saved favorites. No account is required to start listening. The free tier shows visual ads, and Prismatic never inserts audio ads.
- How much does Prismatic FM cost?
- Prismatic FM Pro is $19.99 per year (about $1.67 per month) with a 7-day free trial. You can also subscribe monthly for $3.99 or weekly for $1.99 if you just want to try it. The app itself, and all 50,000+ stations, remain free with no subscription.
- What does Prismatic FM Pro unlock?
- Pro unlocks every visualizer, removes the visual ads shown on the free tier, and gives you unlimited saved favorites. It does not change audio streaming quality, which is identical on free and Pro.
- Is Prismatic FM Pro worth it?
- Pro is worth it if you want all the visualizers, an ad-free screen, and unlimited favorites. If you mainly want to listen to stations, the free tier already gives you all 50,000+ stations at the same audio quality. The 7-day free trial lets you decide before paying.
- Can I cancel Prismatic FM Pro anytime?
- Yes. Subscriptions are managed through your App Store or Google Play account, so you can cancel anytime from your device settings. If you cancel during the 7-day free trial, you will not be charged.
- Does Prismatic FM include offline playback?
- No. Prismatic FM is a live internet radio app and does not download stations for offline listening. Offline playback of your own music files and Apple Music imports lives in our separate companion app, Prismatic Music.