The best crypto podcasts to start with in 2026 are Bankless for Ethereum and DeFi, Unchained for reporting, What Bitcoin Did for Bitcoin and The Pomp Podcast for markets, with When Shift Happens for long founder interviews. We ranked 14 shows on YouTube views, episodes published in the last 90 days, Apple chart positions and how they disclose sponsors.
Checked on 11 November 2026: episodes from each show’s RSS feed for 13 August to 10 November, positions from Apple Podcasts and Spotify US charts that day; YouTube medians of the last 10 full episodes on each official channel were counted on 24 October 2026.
- The Pomp Podcast had the highest median, 102,917 YouTube views across its last 10 full episodes, and ranked #25 in Apple’s US Investing chart.
- Thinking Crypto and The Wolf Of All Streets published the most, 91 episodes each in 90 days; Zero Knowledge published 7.
- Coin Stories ranked #7, The Wolf Of All Streets #10 and Unchained #29 in Apple’s US Business News chart; none of the 14 shows was in Apple’s overall US top 100.
- Blockworks’ Bell Curve ended on 14 July 2026, and The Breakdown and Lightspeed have published nothing since 7 July 2026.
- 11 of the 14 shows name sponsors in episode notes or run no sponsor reads; 3 run ads or referral links without listing them.
How we ranked the 14 crypto and blockchain podcasts
Each show was scored on five checks, weighed together rather than by audience alone. We started from the shows that Google, Bing and their AI answers named for these queries on 24 October 2026, added shows Reddit users recommended in 2025 and 2026, and kept only crypto podcasts that published at least eight episodes in the 90 days to 24 October 2026. All 14 have released an episode since 26 October 2026.
- Measured audience: median YouTube views of the last 10 full episodes, plus Apple and Spotify chart positions
- Publishing consistency: episodes in the RSS feed between 13 August and 10 November 2026
- Sponsor disclosure: sponsors named in notes, paid reads labelled, host holdings published
- Guest quality and independence: who books the guests and whether the hosts invest in them
- Original analysis: reporting, research or expert interviews rather than price reactions
Download numbers are mostly private, so YouTube views are a proxy. Two shows publish their own totals: Bankless’s sponsor site states 1 million downloads a month, and Unchained’s sponsor page states 43 million lifetime downloads and video views. Audio-first shows such as Unchained look small on YouTube. Shorts were excluded.
Best crypto podcasts at a glance
The table lists all 14 shows in ranked order. “Yes” means sponsors are named or paid reads labelled; “partly” means ads run without being listed in the notes.
| Show | Best for | YouTube median views | Episodes, 90 days | Sponsors disclosed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bankless | Ethereum and DeFi | 13,594 | 41 | Yes |
| Unchained | Reporting and policy | 1,007 | 60 | Yes |
| What Bitcoin Did | Bitcoin | 15,407 | 27 | Yes |
| The Pomp Podcast | Markets and macro | 102,917 | 43 | Yes |
| When Shift Happens | Founder stories | 35,984 | 12 | Yes |
| Coin Stories | Beginners, Bitcoin | 32,582 | 38 | Yes |
| The Wolf Of All Streets | Traders | 29,474 | 91 | Partly |
| The Rollup | Builders and infrastructure | 15,250 | 63 | Partly |
| Empire | Industry business | 4,114 | 20 | Yes |
| TFTC | Bitcoin culture | 10,559 | 37 | Yes |
| Coin Bureau | Explainers | 28,265 | 61 | Partly |
| Thinking Crypto | Daily news interviews | 8,249 | 91 | Yes |
| The Defiant | DeFi news | 1,120 | 8 | Yes |
| Zero Knowledge | Cryptography research | 412 | 7 | Yes |
Top crypto podcasts, ranked one by one
1. Bankless: best for Ethereum and DeFi
Bankless, hosted by David Hoffman and Ryan Sean Adams, suits listeners who want DeFi, Ethereum and crypto policy explained by people who use the products. Its last 10 full episodes on YouTube drew a median of 13,594 views, it published 41 episodes in 90 days, it ranked #39 in Spotify’s US Technology chart, and its disclosures page lists any holding above 5% of a portfolio or 0.1% of a token’s supply. The weakness: a May 2026 Reddit thread argued it is no longer an Ethereum show.
2. Unchained: best for reporting and policy
Unchained, run by journalist Laura Shin, suits listeners who want reported interviews on hacks, regulation and markets. It ranked #29 in Apple’s US Business News chart on 11 November 2026 and published 60 episodes across its feed in 90 days. Its policies require reporters to disclose holdings above $1,000. The weakness is a small YouTube audience: a median of 1,007 views.
3. What Bitcoin Did: best for Bitcoin
What Bitcoin Did suits Bitcoin-only listeners, and since its December 2024 relaunch it is hosted by Danny Knowles rather than founder Peter McCormack. It ranked #28 in Apple’s US Technology chart and #43 in Spotify’s US Technology chart on 11 November 2026, with a median of 15,407 YouTube views. Sponsors are listed in every episode. The weakness: it ignores most of crypto outside Bitcoin.
4. The Pomp Podcast: best for markets and macro
Anthony Pompliano’s show suits listeners who follow crypto through markets, macro and business guests. It had the largest audience in our sample, a median of 102,917 YouTube views across 10 full episodes, and ranked #25 in Apple’s US Investing chart. Paid reads are labelled “Paid sponsorship. Not investment advice.” The weakness is breadth: many episodes are about stocks and the economy, not crypto.
5. When Shift Happens: best for founder stories
When Shift Happens, hosted by Kevin Follonier, suits listeners who want long interviews with founders about building companies. Its last 10 full episodes drew a median of 35,984 views, and sponsor segments are marked in the timestamps. It ranked #171 in Apple’s UK Investing chart but was not in the US top 200. The weakness is pace: 12 episodes in 90 days.
6. Coin Stories: best for beginners
Natalie Brunell’s Coin Stories suits newcomers who want Bitcoin explained without jargon, and it ranked #7 in Apple’s US Business News chart, the highest US category position we found for a crypto show. Its median was 32,582 YouTube views, and notes say when an episode is sponsored, for example by Bitkey. The weakness: it is a Bitcoin show, so altcoins and DeFi rarely appear.
7. The Wolf Of All Streets: best for traders
Scott Melker’s show suits active traders who want daily market talk and interviews, with 91 episodes in 90 days and a median of 29,474 YouTube views. It ranked #10 in Apple’s US Business News chart on 11 November 2026. The weakness is disclosure: recent episode notes list no sponsors, while the feed carries dynamically inserted ads that listeners cannot see in advance.
8. The Rollup: best for builders and infrastructure
The Rollup, hosted by Andy and Robbie, suits listeners who follow infrastructure, rollups and the teams building them, and a 2026 r/ethereum thread recommended it for Ethereum coverage. It published 63 episodes in 90 days with a median of 15,250 YouTube views. The weakness: its “Disclosures” link points to the hosts’ venture fund, so guests can be portfolio companies.
9. Empire: best for the business of crypto
Empire, hosted by Jason Yanowitz and Santiago Roel Santos for Blockworks, suits listeners who want the business side of crypto, from funding to exchanges. It published 20 episodes in 90 days, about half its earlier pace, with a median of 4,114 YouTube views. Fidelity Crypto sponsored recent episodes, and notes say hosts may hold positions. The weakness is network risk: Blockworks ended Bell Curve in July 2026.
10. TFTC: best for Bitcoin culture
TFTC, Marty Bent’s show, suits Bitcoin holders who want culture, mining and freedom-tech guests rather than price talk. It published 37 episodes in 90 days, ranked #71 in Apple’s US Technology chart and drew a median of 10,559 YouTube views. Sponsors such as Cash App are named in the notes. The weakness: little on the rest of crypto.
11. Coin Bureau: best for explainers
Coin Bureau suits beginners who want structured explainers, and its 2,730,000 YouTube subscribers are the most here. Its videos over five minutes drew a median of 28,265 views, and the podcast feed published 61 episodes in 90 days. The weakness: episode notes carry exchange referral links, so treat platform mentions as commercial.
12. Thinking Crypto: best for daily news interviews
Tony Edward’s Thinking Crypto suits listeners who want a daily news recap with frequent guest interviews. It published 91 episodes in 90 days, tied for the most here, and ranked #64 in Apple’s US Technology chart. Sponsors are named, affiliate links are flagged, and it publishes a sponsorship page. The weakness is depth: volume means many episodes react to the day’s price moves.
13. The Defiant: best for DeFi news
The Defiant, founded by Camila Russo, suits listeners who want DeFi news and interviews. Its last three episodes carried no sponsor reads, and its sponsor terms say paid content is clearly labelled. The weakness is reach and pace: 8 episodes in 90 days, the latest on 26 October 2026, and a median of 1,120 YouTube views.
14. Zero Knowledge: best for cryptography research
Zero Knowledge, hosted by Anna Rose, suits engineers and researchers who want deep interviews on zero-knowledge proofs and cryptography. Its notes carried no sponsor reads, and the host publishes a page listing her investments. The weakness is size: 7 episodes in 90 days, the latest on 28 October 2026, and a median of 412 YouTube views, so it is the best blockchain podcast here for engineers, not a news feed.
Three Blockworks shows went quiet in 2026
The biggest change this year is a smaller field. Blockworks closed its newsroom in October 2025, and its Bell Curve podcast aired “The Final Bell Curve” on 14 July 2026. The Breakdown, whose host NLW recorded his last episode on 30 January 2026, has published nothing since 6 July 2026, and Lightspeed nothing since 7 July 2026.
The Block’s The Scoop ended on 18 July 2025. Several shows still recommended in top 10 lists slowed down. Epicenter has published once since 13 August, on 9 September 2026, and Real Vision’s main feed fell from about 35 episodes a month to five in each of September and October 2026. The 2024 Reddit thread that ranks first on Google for this query still recommends Lightspeed.
How to tell a paid segment from an interview
Most top blockchain podcasts in this list name sponsors in the notes, and Pomp labels each read “Paid sponsorship.” Unchained is the one show here that sells a paid interview openly: its feed carried episodes titled “Paid Partnership” on 28 July and 5 October 2026, and its policy bars ads from touting a token’s price. Elsewhere a guest slot bought by a project carries no standard label, so look for these signs:
- The notes say “sponsored by”, “partner” or “paid sponsorship” next to a company that also appears as the guest
- The guest’s token is discussed with a price target or a purchase link
- A referral or promo code for the guest’s product appears in the description
- The hosts or their fund invested in the guest, which a disclosures page should show
- The interview has no hard questions about risks, vesting or competitors
Pay-to-appear claims do surface. In July 2025 a crypto founder said on X that a well-known show asked $20,000 for a guest slot, and the host replied that it does not charge for editorial segments. Treat any episode that matches several signs above as advertising.
How projects get on crypto podcasts
Projects reach these shows through two doors: a guest pitch to the producers or a sponsorship. Several shows publish the second door, including Unchained’s sponsor page, Thinking Crypto’s sponsorship page and Zero Knowledge’s sponsorship page. A guest booking usually needs a founder with a story the audience cares about, data to discuss and no expectation of a token plug.
Pitch the host’s audience, not the product: name the episode you would fit, the claim you can defend and the numbers you will share. Our guide to crypto KOL vetting tools explains how to check a show’s audience before you commit, and X Spaces are a cheaper way to test the same story first.
Podcasts sit inside a wider creator plan, which we run through crypto influencer marketing and YouTube crypto influencers. Since 2018 we have run 800+ campaigns, with a database of 11,859 crypto KOLs on X and 11,695 YouTube creators.
Send your audience and goal to Flexe.io on Telegram. Within 24 hours we return a free podcast and creator shortlist: which shows fit your audience, which take guests and how each booking is disclosed. For news coverage, see our ranking of the best crypto news sites.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best crypto podcast for beginners?
Coin Stories is the easiest start for Bitcoin, ranked #7 in Apple’s US Business News chart on 11 November 2026, and Coin Bureau suits beginners who want structured explainers on many coins. Once the basics are clear, Bankless and Unchained add depth on DeFi, regulation and the companies behind the headlines.
What are some good podcasts about cryptocurrency?
The best crypto podcasts in 2026 include Bankless for DeFi, Unchained for reporting, What Bitcoin Did and TFTC for Bitcoin, The Pomp Podcast for markets and When Shift Happens for founder interviews. Each published at least 12 episodes between 13 August and 10 November 2026. Pick two that match your interest rather than following every show.
What is the best DeFi podcast?
Bankless is the most-listened DeFi show in our sample, with a median of 13,594 YouTube views across its last 10 full episodes and 41 episodes in 90 days. The Defiant covers DeFi news from a daily newsroom, and Zero Knowledge goes deeper into the cryptography that many protocols use. All three name sponsors or publish disclosures.
Are crypto podcasts paid to promote tokens?
Some segments are paid, and most shows in our ranking name sponsors in episode notes. Unchained titles paid interviews “Paid Partnership”, but most shows have no label for a bought guest slot. Check the notes for sponsor wording, the hosts’ holdings disclosures and whether the guest’s token is pitched with a price target or referral link.
How do projects get on a crypto podcast?
Projects pitch the producers with a founder story, data and a clear angle for that show’s audience, or buy a labelled sponsorship. Unchained, Thinking Crypto and Zero Knowledge publish sponsorship pages. A guest slot works best when the founder can answer hard questions; a paid read should always be disclosed as advertising.
Which crypto podcasts are still active in 2026?
All 14 shows in this ranking released an episode between 26 October and 10 November 2026, and Thinking Crypto and The Wolf Of All Streets led with 91 each. Bell Curve ended on 14 July 2026, and The Breakdown and Lightspeed have been silent since early July. Epicenter last published on 9 September 2026, so check a feed’s latest date first.