Price: The packages SiriusXM offers are constantly changing, but the basic details tend to be about the same. For around $14 a month you can get a subscription that lets you listen on your phone, with access to hundreds of channels, including music, comedy, sports, talk radio, on-demand shows, and ad-free music with skippable tracks. Sometimes that price includes access to the Howard Stern channels (his new content is a SiriusXM exclusive), but sometimes you need to upgrade to the $24-a-month Premium tier.

There’s an extra charge if you want to stream directly to a car radio via satellite (though you could just get the app and use Bluetooth if you have good cell service). That option costs $19 per month.

Sirius offers free trials, discounted rates for the first year, and family plans. Haggling with a customer service rep may be the way to get the best price. Just make sure you don’t get roped into a plan with hidden fees and shifting costs. And be advised that the last time we tried canceling, it was an enormous hassle.

Who it’s best for: People who like terrestrial radio stations but want more options and a commercial-free experience with the option of skipping tracks. SiriusXM is also the only game in town for Howard Stern fans who want access to his latest content.

Pros: SiriusXM has a wide variety of offerings focused on individual genres or even artists, which might be a significant upgrade over your local radio stations. And if you have good cell service on your commute, streaming from your phone will get you cheaper access to the same content offered in the company’s satellite radio packages.

As described above, SiriusXM purchased Pandora, and the two services now share some features and content free of charge. See Pandora’s help page for details.

Cons: You’ll probably have to call customer service to end your subscription, which was a convoluted, time-consuming process when we tried it. Choosing a package is also surprisingly complicated. When you factor in the satellite radio tiers, new users need to pick from numerous subscription choices with a confusing variety of offerings, optional add-ons, and hidden fees. The packages change constantly and details are hard to find, so it’s difficult to know for sure whether you’re getting the best deal. The SiriusXM app and web interface can also be trickier to navigate than those of most competitors.