There’s not much in this world I dislike more than a subscription. I’m the type of person who pays for full-year subscriptions to apps or other services at one time, then thinks about renewing them the next year. That same mentality extends into my car. I’ve written about infotainment here at Pocket-lint for quite some time now, and these four apps stay in my rotation no matter what.
Whether it’s getting your audiobooks for free by supporting local libraries or keeping up with your favorite college sports teams, there are plenty of free apps that can keep you more than entertained and informed on your daily commute. It just takes some digging to find them. Luckily for you, I’ve done all the digging.
This is my new favorite way to get audiobooks
I still subscribe to Audible, but this makes me feel much better
Did you ever go to the library as a kid? There were plenty of days when a tiny Tanner was bopping around the local library with a load of books in hand. I still have my old library card lying around the house, somewhere. However, after moving to West Texas, I found the Libby app, which led me to get my free library card at the local library.
In doing so, I now have access to over 5,000 audiobooks in my local library and over 10,000 Kindle books, all with my library card. The best part? You can take the audiobooks on the road with Libby’s CarPlay compatibility. If you don’t have a reasonably well-stocked local library, Libby might not offer you much, but if you’re anywhere near a large metropolitan area, I can promise it’s worth the short trip to get your new library card. On top of all of that, you’re supporting local libraries in the process, which is about the most wholesome thing you can do in 2025.
Keep up with every sports team you follow
As a fan of multiple college teams, this app is amazing
The Varsity Network app is the brainchild of Learfield, the licensing company that probably owns the rights to your school’s radio and audio programs. Learfield isn’t going broke anytime soon, but that means its profit margins don’t rely on charging users to use an app. If you’re like me and find yourself behind a steering wheel whenever your favorite teams are playing, the Varsity Network app is the best free solution you can ask for.
The app provides play-by-play audio streams from the radio voices you probably already know and love. I used it last weekend to listen to Mississippi State’s first SEC win in two seasons, and plan on using it this weekend to keep up with Texas Tech and BYU (along with the rest of the country, it seems). If you’re like me and live on the road, there’s no better app for keeping you in touch with the teams you already love.
Podcasting can be improved, believe it or not
Until Spotify gets its act together, I’ll be using this
My biggest beef with Spotify podcasting, which I’ve been quite vocal about on this very site, is that the app never plays the episode or show I want it to when I finish my first episode of each day on my commute. Overcast, however, lets you build podcast playlists to tailor your daily podcast dosage to your own liking.
It’s incredible to me that Spotify hasn’t figured out a way to make the same function a bit more intuitive in their own user interface yet. Still, until it does, you’ll only catch me listening to my favorite podcasts through Overcast. From the best sports shows in the business to hard-hitting daily news feeds, Overcast keeps me informed and entertained, all for free — a claim that most third-party podcasting apps cannot make.
Knowing the weather on your route has never been easier
I put 30K miles a year on my car, and I need to know what’s ahead of me
While it may not have the best reputation, MyRadar’s CarPlay application is still the best in its class by a long shot. It provides fairly up-to-date Doppler weather radar information along any route or at any location a driver may choose.
Knowing the weather at any given time is a powerful tool for deciding when to leave on a more extended road trip or simply for knowing what lies ahead. Recently, as flying has become more expensive, I’ve been taking longer and longer road trips, and I’ve found that MyRadar is one of my most-used utility apps in the CarPlay ecosystem. Does MyRadar have a reputation for selling data? Absolutely. Thankfully, I have it on good authority that MyRadar is about to get a new competitor in that space, so keep an eye out.
