Journal
Field notes on listening, lore, and the craft of what we are building.
The best philosophy podcasts for beginners
Philosophy is intimidating in print and surprisingly friendly in audio. Here are the shows that meet beginners where they are and take them somewhere real.
A listener's guide to Egyptian mythology
Egyptian myth is older than most pantheons we still talk about. Here is how to listen your way through Ra, Osiris, Isis, and three thousand years of story.
The best science podcasts that respect your time
Science podcasts are best when they assume you are smart and busy. Here are the ones that explain real research without wasting an hour of your week.
The best biography podcasts for the curious listener
Biography is the genre that turns history into a person you can follow. Here are the best biography podcasts to start with and where to go next.
A listener's guide to Norse mythology
Norse myth is a winter library. Here is how to listen your way through Odin, Loki, the nine worlds, and Ragnarok without getting lost in the wiki.
The best mythology podcasts for the curious
Myth is the oldest story format. The best mythology podcasts honor that and then go deeper. Here is where to start and where to follow the thread.
HearLore versus Fish Audio, an honest comparison
Fish Audio makes voices. HearLore plays stories. Different products, same word in the URL. Here is which one you actually want.
The best Fish Audio alternatives for listeners and creators in 2026
Fish Audio is a great voice generator, but a lot of people who land there actually want something to listen to. Here is where to go for both.
The best Audible alternatives for shorter listens
Audible is built for whole books. If you want hours of narrated stories without the subscription or the runtime, here are the alternatives worth your time.
HearLore versus every audio learning app, compared in full
One page with every audio learning app side by side. Pricing, content model, discovery. HearLore on top because that is where it belongs.
The best news podcasts for people who want to stay informed without the panic
News podcasts are the best thing that has happened to the news in years. Here are the ones worth your morning and the ones worth the walk home.
The best pop culture podcasts for people who want depth, not recaps
Pop culture podcasts are where the good essays went. Here are the ones worth your commute and where to go when you want something more ambient.
The best video game podcasts for people who play for the lore
Video game podcasts are where the real arguments happen. Here are the best ones for players who love the medium and want to hear it taken seriously.
The best anime podcasts for fans who want more than the recap
Anime podcasts have grown up. Here are the best ones for people who want real discussion, deep lore, and something to listen to between seasons.
The best fandom podcasts for people who go deep
Fandom podcasts are the long-running conversations around the shows, games, and universes fans love. Here is where to start and where to go next.
The best lore podcasts for listeners who want the story behind the story
Lore podcasts are for people who want texture, not trivia. Here are the best ones and where to go when you have heard every episode.
The best history podcasts for people who actually want to learn
History podcasts are quietly the most reliable long-form audio on the internet. Here are the ones worth starting with and where to go next.
Wikipedia audio and audiobooks: everything the listener should know
You can listen to Wikipedia. It is just not a very good listen. Here is what the current options look like and where to go when you want something better.
The best Wikipedia alternatives for listeners and late-night rabbit holes
Wikipedia is the default reference. If what you actually want is to listen, to fall into a rabbit hole, or to read prose instead of a stub, here is where to go.
The word lore and what it says about how we want to learn
Somewhere in the last decade, lore stopped being a word about folklore. It became a word about almost everything. Here is what that means.
A listener's guide to Greek mythology
Greek mythology is not a story. It is a web. The oral shape is still there in the bones of every myth. Here is where to start.
How to fall into a history rabbit hole without opening a single tab
The best history lessons of your adult life did not happen in a classroom. They happened on walks. Here is how to fall in well.
A library of audio knowledge is a new kind of thing
For a long time there were three ways to learn as an adult. There is a fourth now, and it changes what learning can feel like.
What is HearLore
HearLore is a listening library for everything worth knowing. Here is the longer answer, which turns out to be more interesting.
The best Fandom alternatives for people who love the lore
Fandom wikis are the canonical source for fandom lore. They are also ad-heavy and built to be read. Here is where to go when you would rather listen.
The best AI audiobook apps for people who learn by listening
AI narration quietly got good. Here are the apps using that shift well, for listeners who want to learn as they walk.
The best free audiobook apps in 2026
Audible's monopoly quietly ended. Here are the free audiobook apps worth trying, from Libby and LibriVox to the newer libraries built for listening.
The best NotebookLM alternatives for listening to what you want to learn
NotebookLM is clever, but the two-host format gets repetitive. Here are the apps to try when you want something deeper.
The best ElevenReader alternatives for curious listeners
ElevenReader is good. If you want a library instead of a reader, or something already written to be heard, here is where to look.
The best Spotify alternatives for curious listeners
Spotify is built for music. If what you actually want to hear is stories, ideas, and things worth learning, here is where to go next.
The best Speechify alternatives for 2026
Speechify is the app most people try first. Here is where to go when you want better voices, more generous free tiers, or something else entirely.
Welcome to the journal
A quiet corner of HearLore where we write about listening, lore, and the craft of the library we are building. Short reads from the team.