The 16 Best Love Podcasts (2026)

Esther Perel is a psychotherapist who has become one of the most influential voices on modern relationships, and Where Should We Begin? does something no other podcast really does: it puts you inside an actual therapy session. Each episode features a real, one-time consultation between Perel and anonymous people working through relationship challenges, from infidelity and family estrangement to workplace power struggles and grief. You hear the awkward silences, the breakthroughs, and the moments where someone finally says the thing they have been avoiding. With 191 episodes, a 4.7-star rating from over 14,000 reviews, and weekly releases, the show is produced by Perel's own media company through the Vox Media network. Episodes run 45 to 55 minutes. Perel has this ability to hear the story underneath the story. A couple will come in arguing about money, and within twenty minutes she has identified the real issue, which is usually about identity or belonging or the fear of being truly seen. Listening to other people work through their patterns teaches you to recognize your own. It is like getting therapy by osmosis. The show is not advice-driven. Perel rarely tells people what to do. Instead, she helps them see themselves more clearly, and that clarity is what makes it such a powerful tool for self-understanding.

Modern Love started as a New York Times column over twenty years ago, and the podcast version has become its own phenomenon. Now hosted by Anna Martin, the show brings personal essays about love in all its forms to audio, blending readings with conversations that add depth and context to each story.

The column has always attracted remarkable writing from ordinary people, and the podcast preserves that quality. You'll hear essays about falling in love at 75, navigating divorce with grace, coming out to unsupportive parents, and the quiet grief of losing a partner. The writing is consistently sharp, often funny, and almost always surprising in where it ends up.

With 477 episodes in the archive, there's a lot to explore. New episodes land every Wednesday, with bonus subscriber-exclusive content on Fridays for New York Times subscribers. The show carries a 4.3-star average from over 8,400 ratings. Episodes vary in length but tend to run 20-40 minutes.

The podcast also inspired an Amazon TV series and multiple book collections, which speaks to how resonant these stories are. Martin brings a conversational warmth to her hosting, drawing out the essayists in follow-up interviews that often reveal details the original essay left out. If you care about love stories that are messy, complicated, and deeply human rather than fairy-tale perfect, Modern Love delivers that week after week. It's the kind of show that makes you feel less alone in your own relationship struggles.

Jillian Turecki spent two decades as a certified relationship coach before launching this podcast, and you can hear every year of that experience in the way she talks to people. The show alternates between solo episodes where Turecki breaks down patterns she sees repeatedly in her coaching practice, and live sessions where she works one-on-one with a listener on their specific relationship problem. Her central argument is that your romantic life cannot improve until your relationship with yourself does, and she returns to that idea with remarkable consistency without it ever feeling like a broken record. Episodes range from 30 minutes to 90 minutes depending on format. Guests have included Jay Shetty and psychologist Dr. Ellen Langer, but the coaching sessions are honestly the highlight -- hearing someone get real-time guidance on their attachment issues or breakup recovery hits differently than a standard interview. She published a book called It Begins with You that covers similar ground. The show sits at 4.8 stars across 1,300-plus reviews and has 365 episodes, making it one of the more prolific relationship podcasts running right now. Listener reviews do mention heavy ad loads, and a few have pointed out limited representation of non-heterosexual relationships. But if you want coaching-style content that feels practical rather than preachy, Turecki delivers.

Betches co-founder Jordana Abraham and comedian Jared Freid have turned U Up? into the definitive podcast for anyone actively swiping through dating apps and trying to make sense of it all. The show tackles the specific, sometimes absurd situations that come with modern dating -- ghosting, situationships, the text you should not have sent at 1 AM -- with a tone that is equal parts funny and genuinely insightful. Having a male and female co-host gives the conversations a perspective balance that a lot of dating podcasts lack. Episodes run 45 minutes to about 90 minutes and land biweekly, with a premium tier called U Up? With Benefits offering ad-free and early-access content. The numbers speak for themselves: 890 episodes, a 4.7-star rating, and over 14,000 reviews. In early 2026, Jordana stepped away for maternity leave and the show rotated guest hosts including Sami Sage and Vivian Tu, which got mixed reactions from loyal listeners. Some found the guest chemistry uneven, while others appreciated the fresh voices. The show works best when Abraham and Freid are riffing together -- they have an easy rapport that makes the advice feel like it is coming from friends who happen to know what they are talking about. It is not clinical, it is not preachy, and it never takes itself too seriously.

Lindsey Metselaar launched this show in 2017 with a focus on modern dating that has kept it relevant as the landscape shifted from Tinder culture to the age of situationships. The name comes from a real bar in New York, and that specific, grounded energy carries through the whole show. Lindsey interviews dating experts, therapists, and regular people about their relationship experiences, and she mixes in solo episodes where she shares her own stories with disarming honesty.

Produced by Dear Media, the show has built up 445 episodes over the years. Each one runs about 40 minutes to just over an hour, making them easy to fit into a commute or workout. Lindsey's interview style is curious without being pushy -- she asks the follow-up questions you'd want to ask a friend. Topics range from attachment styles and navigating different love languages to harder conversations about fertility, finances in relationships, and how to know when to walk away.

The show has evolved alongside Lindsey's own life. She recently became a mother and has been candid about how that shifted her perspective on relationships and identity. With a 4.2-star rating from 2,400 reviews, the audience appreciates her blend of practical advice and personal vulnerability. She also weaves in astrology content for listeners who are into that. If you're in your twenties trying to make sense of modern dating without losing your mind, this show feels like getting advice from a smart older sister who has been through it.

Dan Savage has been answering questions about sex and relationships since the early '90s through his Savage Love advice column, and the podcast version has been going strong with over a thousand episodes. Callers phone in with their most intimate, awkward, and sometimes jaw-dropping questions, and Dan responds with the blunt honesty that made him famous. He does not sugarcoat things, but he is rarely cruel -- more like a friend who will tell you when you are being ridiculous.

The format is classic call-in advice. You hear the caller's voice, their nervousness, the long pauses before the really personal parts. Dan listens, asks follow-up questions when needed, and delivers answers that draw from decades of writing about human sexuality and relationships. He regularly brings on therapists, sex educators, and other experts for questions that need specialized knowledge, which keeps the show from being one guy's opinion on everything.

What sets the Lovecast apart from other advice shows is Dan's willingness to be genuinely surprised by callers and to admit when he has changed his mind on something. The show has evolved alongside cultural conversations about consent, identity, and relationship structures. With a 4.6 rating across over 6,000 reviews, it clearly resonates with an audience that appreciates advice without pretense. Listeners can submit questions by calling 206-302-2064 or emailing Q@Savage.Love.

Nicole Byer started this podcast with a simple premise: she is a successful, funny, attractive person, so why is dating so hard? Over 430 episodes later, that question has become a launching pad for wildly entertaining conversations with comedians, drag performers, relationship experts, and the occasional ex. Byer is fearless in what she will discuss, and her guests tend to match her energy. Episodes run 45 to 75 minutes and come out every Friday through the Headgum network. The show has earned a remarkable 4.9-star rating from more than 15,000 reviews, which makes it one of the highest-rated dating podcasts on Apple Podcasts, period. Past guests include Sasheer Zamata, Bobby Berk, and Tig Notaro. The format is interview-based, but the conversations feel more like catching up with a friend who happens to have no filter. Byer talks about dating apps, bad dates, good dates, body image, sex, and loneliness with a candor that is refreshing and frequently hilarious. There are also video versions on YouTube if you want the full experience. This is not a show that will hand you a framework for finding your soulmate. It is a show that will make you laugh about the absurdity of trying, and sometimes that is more useful than any five-step plan.

Ashley Hesseltine and Rayna Greenberg have been co-hosting this show since 2018, and eight years in, they have the kind of chemistry that only comes from thousands of hours of conversation. The premise is simple: two friends talking about dating, sex, and relationships with complete honesty. But the execution goes way beyond two people just swapping dating horror stories.

They bring on therapists, dating coaches, and relationship experts alongside their own unfiltered takes on modern romance. Episodes typically run over an hour for the main Monday drops, with shorter Thursday "Snack" episodes that feel like a mid-week catch-up. They tackle everything from attachment styles and red flags to the logistics of dating apps and situationships, and they do it with enough humor that you're laughing even when the topic is genuinely heavy.

Produced by Dear Media, the show has built a massive following with nearly 29,000 Apple Podcasts ratings and 489 episodes. Rayna and Ashley are unapologetically themselves -- they disagree on camera, share their own dating mishaps in real time, and bring a best-friend energy that makes you feel like you're part of the group chat. The audience skews heavily toward women in their twenties and early thirties who are actively navigating the dating scene. If you've ever wanted to hear someone validate that modern dating is genuinely unhinged while also giving you useful frameworks for dealing with it, this show delivers on both fronts.

Dr. Emily Morse has been hosting Sex With Emily since 2005, making it one of the longest-running podcasts in existence -- not just in the relationships space, but anywhere. Over 1,600 episodes in, the show continues to tackle sexual health, intimacy, and relationships with a mix of expert knowledge and approachable delivery. Morse holds a doctorate in human sexuality and brings clinical expertise without the clinical tone. Episodes run 25 to 65 minutes and feature a blend of solo advice segments, listener Q&A calls, and guest interviews with relationship specialists. She also does live social media episodes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The show lands biweekly on Apple Podcasts and carries a 4.3-star rating from nearly 6,500 reviews. The subject matter is explicit by nature, but Morse treats it with a matter-of-factness that normalizes conversations many people struggle to have out loud. Her SmartSX membership community and online store extend the brand beyond the podcast itself. Some reviewers have flagged heavy sponsor integration and the occasional guest who does not match the show's usual tone. But 21 years of continuous production is not an accident. Morse has built a space where people can learn about sexual health without shame, and the show remains one of the go-to resources for anyone who wants to improve their intimate relationships.

Sierra DeMulder and Sam Blackwell are not therapists, and they will be the first to tell you that. What they are is two queer best friends who read listener-submitted relationship dilemmas and respond with a combination of radical honesty and genuine compassion. The show has 720 episodes, a 4.9-star rating from over 1,200 reviews, and a twice-weekly release schedule that keeps the content flowing. Episodes run a tight 30 to 40 minutes, which makes them easy to fit into a commute or a lunch break. The questions cover the full spectrum -- communication breakdowns, jealousy, breakup recovery, family tension, situationships that refuse to become anything more. Recent episode titles like "Love in Low Battery Mode" and "Where Love Ends and Self-Respect Begins" give you a sense of the show's range and its willingness to name things plainly. DeMulder and Blackwell have an easy warmth between them that makes the listening experience feel like getting advice from friends who actually care about your well-being. A Patreon tier offers bonus episodes and monthly office hours for listeners who want more. Some have noted that the hosts occasionally lean toward reassurance when directness might serve better, but that gentleness is also part of the appeal. For queer listeners especially, this is one of the few relationship advice shows that centers their experiences without making it a footnote.

Dr. Abby Medcalf is a psychologist, bestselling author, and TEDx speaker who has built a solo-hosted podcast that manages to feel both authoritative and warm. Her core philosophy is simple: great relationships are built daily, not found by luck. Each episode focuses on a specific skill or pattern -- boundary-setting, conflict resolution, attachment styles, decision-making under emotional pressure -- and she breaks it down with humor and research-backed specifics. The format is mostly Medcalf talking directly to you for 30 to 60 minutes, which could feel like a lecture in lesser hands but works here because she keeps things conversational and concrete. She does not just tell you to "communicate better" -- she gives you the actual words to say. The show has 379 episodes, a 4.8-star rating, and an audience across 180-plus countries. Beyond romantic partnerships, she covers family dynamics, friendships, and workplace relationships, which makes it useful even when your love life is stable. Supplementary resources like worksheets, scripts, and online courses extend the value past the episodes themselves. Medcalf distributes through Acast with ad support. If you are tired of relationship advice that sounds good in theory but falls apart the moment you try to use it, this podcast is built on the opposite principle -- specificity first, inspiration second.

Cheryl Strayed and Steve Almond co-host Dear Sugars, which grew out of Strayed's beloved Dear Sugar advice column and has been running as a podcast since 2014 through WBUR. The format centers on listener letters -- people write in about relationships, identity crises, grief, family ruptures, and the specific ways love gets complicated -- and the hosts respond with what they call radical empathy. That is not a marketing phrase. Strayed and Almond genuinely sit with difficult questions instead of rushing to tidy answers, and they regularly bring in guest experts when a topic calls for specialized knowledge. Episodes run 24 to 50 minutes and drop biweekly, with recent seasons mixing new episodes and rewind installments that revisit earlier conversations. The show has 403 episodes, a 4.5-star rating, and over 5,600 reviews. Strayed brings the literary sensibility you would expect from the author of Wild, while Almond adds a self-deprecating humor that keeps the show from becoming too heavy. The questions are not always about romantic love -- some are about loving a parent through addiction, or figuring out how to love yourself after a major loss. That breadth is part of what makes it special. If you want advice that treats your problem as genuinely worth thinking about, rather than something to be solved in a hot take, Dear Sugars is the standard.

Dr. Lisa Marie Bobby wears several hats -- marriage counselor, psychologist, board-certified coach, and CEO of GrowingSelf.com -- and she brings all of that experience to a podcast that tackles relationships, emotional health, and personal growth with serious depth. Episodes typically feature Bobby in conversation with guest experts, running 50 minutes to about 80 minutes, which gives topics room to breathe instead of rushing through surface-level advice. She covers marriage struggles, communication breakdowns, dating burnout, and the ways people get stuck in patterns they can see but cannot seem to escape. The show has 484 episodes, a 4.7-star rating, and over 800 reviews. Bobby's style is compassionate without being soft -- she will validate your feelings and then gently point out the part you might not want to hear. That balance is why listeners keep coming back. Her background in actual clinical practice means the advice is grounded in what she has seen work with real clients, not just research abstracts. The podcast is free, distributed through YAP Media, and updated weekly. Recent episodes have addressed topics like fighting fair in marriage, navigating incompatible attachment styles, and rebuilding trust after betrayal. For anyone who wants relationship guidance that feels like a session with a thoughtful therapist rather than a listicle, this show delivers that consistently.

Evan Marc Katz is a dating coach who has made a career out of being direct, and his podcast reflects that. He primarily speaks to smart, successful women who want lasting relationships but keep running into the same problems -- attracting the wrong people, tolerating bad behavior too long, or struggling with the gap between what they want and what they are willing to accept. Episodes alternate between solo coaching segments and guest interviews, running anywhere from 14 to 57 minutes, with most landing around the 20- to 30-minute mark. That brevity is a strength. Katz makes a point, illustrates it with real scenarios, and moves on. He has coached over 13,000 women through his Love U course, and his blog has reached 35 million readers, so the podcast draws on a deep well of experience with actual dating situations. The show has 439 episodes, a 4.7-star rating, and about 570 reviews. Some listeners have noted that episodes can open with a slightly cynical edge before settling into genuinely useful territory, and the show does skew heavily toward heterosexual dating dynamics. But the advice is practical in a way that sticks -- boundaries, standards, and pattern recognition rather than vague encouragement. If you have ever left a dating advice podcast thinking "okay, but what do I actually do differently," Katz is the antidote to that frustration.

Jo Piazza hosts Committed, a podcast built on a premise that sounds simple but generates endlessly compelling content: couples who have made it through something genuinely hard sit down and tell the full story. These are not fairy tales. Episodes feature people who survived infidelity, long-distance separations, health crises, financial ruin, cultural clashes, and the slow erosion that happens when two people stop paying attention to each other. Piazza is a seasoned writer and podcaster who asks the kinds of follow-up questions that get past the rehearsed version of events. Episodes run 18 to 60 minutes, with most falling in the 30- to 50-minute range. The show has 171 episodes, a 4.4-star rating, and over 1,600 reviews through the iHeartPodcasts network. Guest hosts occasionally rotate in, including Christine Pride. Recent seasons have leaned into second-chance romance narratives and more diverse relationship types, which broadens the show's appeal. Some listeners have flagged that certain episodes feel promotional when guests are plugging a book, and audio quality has varied between seasons. But the core strength remains: real couples telling unvarnished stories about what commitment actually looks like when circumstances are actively working against it. It is the opposite of romanticized -- and much more interesting for it.

Love Strategies pairs professional dating coach Adam LoDolce with relationship scientist Dr. Gary Lewandowski Jr. for a podcast that tries to bridge the gap between what research says about love and what actually works on a Tuesday night when you are wondering if you should text back. The co-hosted format works well -- LoDolce brings the coaching perspective and real-world dating scenarios, while Lewandowski grounds things in peer-reviewed studies and academic frameworks. Episodes are tight, running 7 to 39 minutes with most landing around 30 minutes, and they drop weekly. The show has 280 episodes, a 4.7-star rating, and about 660 reviews. Topics are specific and practical: how to handle someone who pushes for physical intimacy too early, identifying compatibility red flags, understanding why you keep choosing the same type of partner. The show is aimed primarily at women looking to attract committed partners, and the language reflects that focus. Some reviewers have raised eyebrows at occasional episode recycling and questioned whether anecdotal evidence gets too much weight relative to the research credentials involved. But the dual-host dynamic keeps things lively, and the episode length means you can actually finish one without setting aside an hour. For listeners who want dating advice that at least tries to cite its sources, this is a solid pick.