Police Scanner Radio

What Police Scanner Radio does

Police Scanner Radio operates a single mobile application, branded Scanner Radio, that streams live audio from over 7,000 police, fire, EMS, and emergency-management radio feeds across the United States, Canada, and 25+ additional countries. The app is distributed exclusively through the iOS App Store and Google Play, requires no account, setup, or hardware, and is offered free to consumers. Core functionality includes real-time audio streaming, GPS-based local scanner discovery, Listener Spike Alerts that flag surges in feed activity as a breaking-news early signal, Community Clips that let users save and share short audio highlights, Community-Tagged Headlines that let listeners label active incidents, a built-in 10-Code reference chart, customizable alerts, and seven visual themes including dark mode.

The product is operated as a privately held, independently owned business (with support infrastructure under Gordon Edwards) and has been continuously maintained for over a decade, accumulating editorial coverage from CNET, Google Play, Android Authority, and For Dummies. The technology stack is a thin mobile client aggregating third-party scanner audio streams; there is no disclosed API, SDK, or integration offering. Customer segments are consumer-led: everyday citizens monitoring neighborhood safety, off-duty or retired first responders staying connected to emergency activity, journalists using scanner audio as a primary source for breaking news, and neighborhood-watch participants.

The revenue model is not publicly disclosed. The app is free with no premium tiers, subscriptions, or in-app purchases visible in the source material, implying an ad-supported or otherwise non-app monetized model. An ancillary merchandise storefront (Printful) provides a secondary, low-scale revenue surface. Distribution is product-led growth: organic App Store discovery, blog-driven SEO with city-specific listening guides, and word-of-mouth/social sharing of Clips. The company shows no disclosed funding, no institutional investors, no management team listing, and no M&A activity.

Name

Police Scanner Radio

Legal name

Scanner Radio

Website

https://scannerradio.app

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Scanner Radio operates a free iOS and Android app that streams live police, fire, and EMS radio feeds from 7,000+ scanners across 25+ countries, serving roughly 2 million monthly listeners including consumers, off-duty first responders, and journalists seeking real-time breaking-news audio.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Public Safety Audio Streaming

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (516110), Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611), Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations (5161)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

Radio Streaming & Catch-Up Audio Platforms (MPAIADAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Traffic/Weather/Information Radio Networks (MPABABAI)

Keywords

• Live scanner streaming
• Police radio app
• Emergency radio feeds
• Public safety audio
• Scanner mobile app

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Free Mobile App: The Scanner Radio app is free to download and use on both iOS and Android. All live scanner feeds stream at no cost to users. No premium tiers, subscriptions, or in-app purchases are mentioned in the source material. The revenue model appears to be ad-supported free app or alternative monetization not disclosed in available sources.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Police Scanner Radio (Scanner Radio) operates a free mobile application for iOS and Android that streams live audio from over 7,000 police, fire, and EMS scanner feeds across the United States, Canada, and 25+ additional countries. The app requires no hardware, antenna, or user account, and adds breaking news alerts, community-clipped audio highlights, GPS-based local scanner discovery, and a built-in 10-code reference chart to help listeners follow real-time public safety radio communications.

Product overview

Scanner Radio operates as a single unified mobile application that provides live streaming of public safety radio feeds (police, fire, and EMS) from over 7,000 scanners across the U.S., Canada, and international locations. The core product is the Scanner Radio app, available on iOS and Android, which streams real-time emergency services communications. Key features include breaking news alerts triggered by listener spikes, local scanner discovery via GPS, community-sourced audio clips that users can clip, share, and browse, customizable alert notifications, a built-in 10-Code reference chart, seven visual themes including dark mode, and a sleep timer. The product serves approximately 2 million monthly listeners and is positioned as a free-to-download application with no hardware or antenna required.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Scanner Radio (Mobile App) A free mobile application for iOS and Android that streams live audio from over 7,000 police, fire, and EMS scanner feeds across the United States, Canada, and 25+ additional countries. The app provides breaking news push alerts triggered by listener spikes, GPS-based local scanner discovery, community-clipped audio highlights with sharing, customizable alert notifications, an in-app 10-code reference chart, seven visual themes including dark mode, and a sleep timer. It requires no hardware, antenna, or user account and serves approximately 2 million monthly listeners.

Quantifiable outcome

• Breaking news coverage 1-3 hours before traditional media on major incidents
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• SiriusXM: SiriusXM is a major subscription audio streaming service offering news, talk, sports, and music radio. Adjacent competitor for consumer audio streaming wallets and time, particularly for users who consume live audio programming throughout the day.
• iHeartRadio: iHeartRadio is a large-scale streaming audio service combining live radio stations, podcasts, and custom artist stations. Competes for general consumer audio streaming attention; not directly in scanner feeds but adjacent in radio streaming category.
• TuneIn Radio: TuneIn is a major audio streaming platform offering live radio, news, sports, and podcasts. While not specialized in scanner feeds, it competes for time spent in the same consumer audio streaming category and offers overlapping functionality for users who follow public safety audio alongside traditional radio.
• PulsePoint: PulsePoint is a well-funded public safety alerting platform used by fire departments and citizens for real-time emergency notifications. Overlaps significantly with Scanner Radio's breaking news alert value proposition but is anchored in officially sanctioned 911/CAD integrations.

Emerging players

• Zello: Zello is a push-to-talk walkie-talkie app widely used by first responders and emergency volunteers, including during disasters. Competes indirectly with Scanner Radio for the first-responder-off-duty and emergency-preparedness user segments.
• Citizen (formerly Vigilante): Citizen provides real-time safety alerts and crime tracking to consumers using a combination of scanner feeds, 911 dispatch data, and user reports. Competes with Scanner Radio for the citizen safety-awareness segment but uses a different delivery model (push alerts and map UI rather than live audio).

Direct peers

• RadioReference: RadioReference is the parent database/community behind Broadcastify and is the canonical source of live scanner feed data. Direct overlap with Scanner Radio on the content side, since many of Scanner Radio's 7,000+ feeds originate from the same underlying radio networks.
• Police Scanner + (Scanner911): Scanner 911 offers live police, fire, and EMS audio streaming with push notifications and a similar community-driven feature set. Direct competitor in the scanner streaming app category.
• 5-0 Radio Police Scanner App: 5-0 Radio is a mobile scanner app for iOS and Android streaming live police, fire, and EMS audio, with breaking news alerts. Competes head-to-head with Scanner Radio for the same consumer use cases and app store placement.
• Broadcastify: Broadcastify (by RadioReference) is the largest and most established live police, fire, and EMS scanner streaming platform. Directly competes with Scanner Radio in aggregating thousands of live public safety feeds and serving journalists, first responders, and curious citizens — the exact same customer set.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/scannerradio
• Facebookfacebook.com/scannerradio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Police Scanner Radio