Best True Crime Podcasts
Updated: October 18, 2026
The most popular true crime podcasts covering real cases, investigations, cold cases, and the justice system. Gripping storytelling that keeps you hooked.
Full data-backed ranking
Best True Crime Podcasts 2026: Top 19 by Data
How this true crime podcast ranking is built
CastFox tracks the Apple Podcasts True Crime category every day and keeps the history, so this is chart data rather than an editor's shortlist. Between February 24 and October 18, 2026 we took 29 snapshots of the US category top 100, saw 246 different shows pass through it, and followed each one across the 78 country charts we cover. The order below follows the most recent snapshot, so it moves with the chart.
The top of this category barely moves: 36 of the 40 highest-scoring shows appeared in every one of the 29 snapshots, and Crime Junkie averaged a US rank of 1.1. Reach is what separates them. Rotten Mango held a top 100 place in all 78 countries we track, Crime Junkie in 77 and In The Dark in 76, while four of the 40 charted in fewer than 10 countries.
True Crime is several formats sharing one chart. Of the 40 strongest shows, six are narrative documentary series, five carry a news label, four are labeled comedy as well as true crime, and two are feeds of the same Betrayal franchise. Ownership is concentrated: Audiochuck accounts for four of the 40, iHeartPodcasts and its Glass Podcasts partner for four more and NBC News for three, which is why a limited series sits next to a weekly show with hundreds of episodes below. Each entry links to its full CastFox profile with audience estimates and chart history. For the version ranked by consistency across all 29 snapshots, read the companion post above.
Top 50 Podcasts
50 shows- 1
Crime Junkie
Audiochuck
Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat unravel infamous and underreported cases every Monday for Audiochuck, covering cold cases, missing persons and the people pushing for justice. 528 episodes, in all 29 snapshots at an average US rank of 1.1 with a best of 1, the strongest record in the category, and a top 100 place in 77 countries.
- 2
Dateline NBC
NBC News
NBC News runs current and classic Dateline episodes as a podcast feed, mixing true crime mysteries with longer documentaries and investigations. 852 episodes, in all 29 snapshots at an average rank of 2.3 with a best of 1 and a place in 67 country charts.
- 3
Morbid
Ash Kelley & Alaina Urquhart
A true crime and creepy history show hosted by an autopsy technician and a hairstylist, who describe it as heavy research with a dash of comedy. 884 episodes, in all 29 snapshots at an average rank of 3.7 and a top 100 place in 70 countries.
- 4
20/20
ABC News
ABC News turns its newsmagazine into audio: true crime mysteries, newsmaker interviews and investigative reports, plus an After Show and the True Crime Vault feeds. In all 29 snapshots at an average rank of 7.3 with a best of 4, charting in 60 countries.
- 5
In The Dark
The New Yorker
The New Yorker's investigative series, hosted by Madeleine Baran, spends a season on one case and on the accountability failures around it, from the Jacob Wetterling abduction to the six trials of Curtis Flowers. 70 episodes, in 27 of the 29 snapshots with a best rank of 2 and a top 100 place in 76 countries.
- 6
Betrayal Season 6
iHeartPodcasts | Glass Podcasts
Andrea Gunning hosts first-hand accounts of broken trust and double lives for iHeartPodcasts and Glass Podcasts, with new episodes on Thursdays. 177 episodes, in all 29 snapshots at an average rank of 12.1 with a best of 5.
- 8
48 Hours
48 Hours
CBS News correspondents reconstruct crime and justice cases through case evidence and interviews with the people at the center of them. 1,000 episodes listed, in 24 of the 29 snapshots at an average rank of 5.5 with a best of 4 and a place in 49 country charts.
- 9
MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories
Ballen Studios
John Allen, better known as MrBallen, narrates true crime and unexplained mysteries in story format for Ballen Studios. 540 episodes, in all 29 snapshots at an average rank of 8.5 and a top 100 place in 53 countries.
- 10
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts
The true crime comedy show that has run since January 2016, pairing a weekly case with hometown stories sent in by listeners. 1,000 episodes listed, in all 29 snapshots at an average rank of 9.1 with a best of 5 and a place in 64 country charts.
- 11
Snapped: Women Who Murder
Oxygen
Oxygen releases the original audio from its long-running Snapped television series, which has now run 29 seasons. 366 episodes, in all 29 snapshots at an average rank of 16.6 with a best of 11.
- 12
Love Trapped
iHeartPodcasts and Glass Podcasts
An iHeartPodcasts and Glass Podcasts series on former Bachelor star Clayton Echard and the paternity claim that turned into a web of manipulation and threats. Only 30 episodes, but it appeared in 28 of the 29 snapshots at an average rank of 6.6 with a best of 2.
- 13
My Mom’s Murder
AYR Media
Lauren Malloy learns that the mother she believed died of natural causes was murdered when she was an infant, and spends four years recording interviews with police, family and possible suspects. An AYR Media and Audible series, new to the chart in 3 of the 29 snapshots at an average rank of 11.3.
- 14
True Crime All The Time
Emash Digital
Mike Ferguson and Mike Gibson work through well-known cases and lesser-covered ones with a documentary bent and without cutting detail. 536 episodes, in all 29 snapshots at an average rank of 23.3 with a best of 14.
- 15
Criminal
Vox Media Podcast Network
Phoebe Judge hosts the Vox Media show about people who have done wrong, been wronged, or ended up somewhere in between, named a best podcast of 2023 by the New York Times. 403 episodes, in all 29 snapshots at an average rank of 22.3 and a top 100 place in 70 countries.
- 17
Last Podcast On The Left
The Last Podcast Network
A comedy and true crime show covering serial killers, cults, hauntings and the generally horrific, from The Last Podcast Network. 1,000 episodes listed, in all 29 snapshots at an average rank of 16.6 and a place in 50 country charts.
- 18
Casefile True Crime
Casefile Presents
The anonymous Australian narrator works one case per series with a documentary structure and no host chat, under the line "fact is scarier than fiction". 420 episodes, in all 29 snapshots at an average rank of 26.1 and a top 100 place in 73 countries, the widest reach of any independent show here.
- 19
Serialously with Annie Elise
Annie Elise
Annie Elise, who built the 10 to Life true crime channel on YouTube, covers the timeline details and overlooked evidence that listeners would otherwise go looking for themselves. 439 episodes, in all 29 snapshots at an average rank of 11 with a best of 5.
- 20
Criminology
Emash Digital & Mike Ferguson, Mike Morford
Mike Ferguson and Mike Morford take multi-part deep dives into famous cases, with new episodes on Saturday nights. 457 episodes, in all 29 snapshots at an average rank of 39.6 with a best of 20, though it charts in only 9 countries.
- 21
The Binge Crimes: What Happened to the Harrisons?
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment's Binge feed follows three deaths in the same house inside five years, each one explained away at the time by the authorities. 154 episodes across the feed's seasons, in all 29 snapshots at an average rank of 26.2 with a best of 9.
- 22
True Crime All The Time Unsolved
PodcastOne
The same hosts as True Crime All The Time, restricted to unsolved cases: the victims, the established facts and every possible suspect. 488 episodes, in all 29 snapshots at an average rank of 35.8, almost entirely on a US audience with a top 100 place in 3 countries.
- 23
Dateline Originals
NBC News
NBC News collects more than a dozen Dateline limited series in one feed, including The Thing About Pam and Mommy Doomsday. 178 episodes, in all 29 snapshots at an average rank of 21.4 with a best of 13.
- 24
True Crime with Kendall Rae
Mile Higher Media & Audioboom Studios
Kendall Rae brings her YouTube true crime series to audio with a stated focus on victims and their families rather than the people who harmed them. 301 episodes, in all 29 snapshots at an average rank of 28.6 and a place in 56 country charts.
- 25
Park Predators
Audiochuck
Investigative journalist Delia D'Ambra covers crimes in national parks and forests for Audiochuck, from headline cases to ones that are still open. 176 episodes, in all 29 snapshots at an average rank of 17.6 with a best of 10.
- 26
Rotten Mango
Stephanie Soo
Stephanie Soo runs long, detail-heavy deep dives into the psychology of offenders and into cases from outside the US, with a comedy label on the feed that the storytelling does not really use. 560 episodes, in all 29 snapshots at an average rank of 18.5, and the only show in this category with a top 100 place in all 78 countries we track.
- 28
The Binge Cases: Doctor Billions
Sony Music Entertainment
Journalist Justine van der Leun reports out the story a woman incarcerated in Texas began telling her by letter, which turns out to be more tangled than it first looked. Sony Music Entertainment's Binge Cases feed, in all 29 snapshots at an average rank of 26.1 with a best of 13.
- 29
Burden of Guilt
iHeartPodcasts | Glass Podcasts
An iHeartPodcasts and Glass Podcasts series about Cindy, who believed an abuse allegation against her new partner was retribution by her ex-husband, and the choice that followed. 36 episodes, in 20 of the 29 snapshots at an average rank of 51.4 with a best of 15.
- 30
Sea of Lies
CBC
From CBC's Uncover strand: Sam Mullins traces a con man whose stolen identities, fine art and gold bars ended in a murder solved by a Rolex watch. 9 episodes and brand new to the US chart, appearing in 1 of the 29 snapshots at rank 30.
- 32
The Dropout
ABC News
ABC News on Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos: how the youngest self-made female billionaire lost it all and ended up facing criminal charges. 32 episodes, in 3 of the 29 snapshots at an average rank of 63 with a best of 32.
- 34
RedHanded
RedHanded
Suruthi Bala and Hannah Maguire cover serial killers, hauntings, possessions and assorted whodunits with a dry British register. 647 episodes, in all 29 snapshots at an average rank of 43.2 and a top 100 place in 57 countries.
- 35
Crimes Of Reddit with Sabrina Deana-Roga & Alexis Linkletter
Crime House
Each Tuesday the two hosts read real true crime posts from Reddit, one of them going in blind, and pull at the threads until the full picture appears. A Crime House original with 51 episodes, in 8 of the 29 snapshots at an average rank of 27.5.
- 36
Dark Downeast
Audiochuck
Investigative journalist Kylie Low digs into unsolved homicides, undetermined deaths and disappearances across Maine and New England for Audiochuck. 288 episodes, in all 29 snapshots at an average rank of 33.9 with a best of 22.
- 37
Murder In America
Bloody FM
Courtney Shannon and Colin Browen work through the most notorious homicide in a different US state each week. 258 episodes, in all 29 snapshots at an average rank of 36.2 with a best of 23.
- 39
Betrayal Weekly
iHeartPodcasts | Glass Podcasts
The original Betrayal season and the ongoing weekly feed, also hosted by Andrea Gunning, starting with Jenifer Faison and the small-town soccer coach she married. 159 episodes, in all 29 snapshots at an average rank of 39.6 with a best of 19.
- 40
Murder With My Husband
OH NO MEDIA
A weekly case told by a wife who loves true crime and a husband who does not, from OH NO MEDIA. 354 episodes, in all 29 snapshots at an average rank of 24.8 with a best of 16.
- 41
The Snare
ABC News
A six-part 20/20 and ABC Audio series hosted by Maggie Rulli on the 1996 murder of 18-year-old Angie Dodge in Idaho Falls, and her mother's decades-long push to prove the wrong man was convicted. 9 episodes, in 14 of the 29 snapshots at an average rank of 47.2 with a best of 11.
- 42
Morrison Mysteries
NBC News
Dateline's Keith Morrison reads works of mystery fiction, which makes this the one feed on the chart that is not true crime at all. 18 episodes from NBC News, in 1 of the 29 snapshots at rank 42.
- 43
Sword and Scale
Sword and Scale
A weekly show running since January 2014 that builds episodes out of raw case audio: 911 calls, court testimony and interviews with victims and sometimes offenders. 114 episodes in the current feed, in 9 of the 29 snapshots at an average rank of 27 with a best of 10.
- 45
Something Was Wrong
Broken Cycle Media
Broken Cycle Media's docuseries follows survivors of crime and abuse through discovery, trauma and recovery, told largely in their own words. 376 episodes, in 24 of the 29 snapshots at an average rank of 41.8.
- 47
True Crime Garage
TRUE CRIME GARAGE
Nic and the Captain take a case apart over several weeks with a beer in hand, which has made this one of the longest-running weekly shows in the category. 960 episodes, in all 29 snapshots at an average rank of 40.1 with a best of 23.
- 48
Small Town Dicks
Small Town Dicks | Audio 99 | Daylight Media
Yeardley Smith, twin detectives Dan and Dave, and forensic expert Paul Holes walk through small-town cases with the detectives who actually investigated them. 292 episodes, in 25 of the 29 snapshots at an average rank of 58.5.
- 49
The Deck
Audiochuck
Audiochuck works the cold cases printed on law enforcement playing cards distributed in prisons, one card per week, with investigators and family members. 250 episodes, in all 29 snapshots at an average rank of 22.8 with a best of 10.
- 50
Going West: True Crime
Dark West Productions
Daphne Woolsoncroft and Heath Merryman cover a disappearance or murder case twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays. 550 episodes, in all 29 snapshots at an average rank of 45.9.
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How CastFox Ranks Podcasts
CastFox ranks podcasts using real chart data collected daily from Apple Podcasts. Unlike editorial picks or listener polls, our rankings are based on actual chart performance — giving you an objective view of what people are listening to right now.
We track chart positions across every genre and over 100 countries. Each podcast on this page is ranked by its position on the Apple Podcasts charts, deduplicated and sorted to show the most popular shows first. Rankings refresh every 24 hours so you always see the latest trends.
Click any podcast to access its full CastFox analytics profile. You can explore estimated audience size, chart history over time, Apple Podcasts ratings and reviews, YouTube presence, platform availability, and AI-powered web analysis — all in one place.
More true crime shows on CastFox
Shows in this genre that are not on the chart above.
- The Deck
- Sin Ley con C4 Jimenez
- Bedtime Stories
- El camino hacia el asesino - Psicología forense y criminal
- I Survived
- Crime Fix with Angenette Levy
- 边缘物语
- KILLJOY
- Cold Case Murder Mysteries
- Unsolved Murders South Africa
- Wicked Psychology: Crime Stories
- El Estado Profundo
- Truly Criminal
- One Tough Podcast with Bo Dietl
- Nellie's Baby
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