Rating: 4/5

Three Word Summary: Listen to music

Pandora is normally free, but I am trying the paid version of the best-known online radio through a subscription bundle that I got recently as a gift. I’ve used free Pandora for a few years, and have been testing out Pandora One for the last month.

With the premium version, users get no commercials, better audio quality, a desktop player and more skips on songs. Not anything mind-blowing, but they are significantly more convenient.

Thankfully, the price tag matches the features. Pandora One is only $3 per month or $30 per year. That’s about half as much as several popular video services like Netflix.

And honestly, I use Pandora much more than Netflix, because I listen to music at work and while I’m doing chores around the house like laundry or dishes.

One of the things I enjoy doing with Pandora is taking a station and steering it in one director or another. For instance, I’ll try to take a station based on the Rolling Stones and see if I can’t get it to eventually play Elton John by giving thumbs up or down.

This takes time, but it’s easier to do with Pandora One because I’m allowed more skips and thumbs down. It means I can more flexibly customize my music stations to meet my tastes.

There are plenty of online radios out there and just as many web subscriptions. But Pandora One is one that is worth the price. The free service is serviceable, but the premium account does make for a nice upgrade.