Disclosure: we make Drop, the app ranked first here. Everything we say about the other apps comes from their own App Store pages, and we say plainly where they beat us. Ratings and in-app purchases are from the US App Store on 11 October 2026.
"Sleep sound app" covers three different things: a noise machine (white, pink or brown noise to mask the street), a soundscape player (rain, fire, ocean, often mixed together) and a full sleep programme with stories, meditations and tracking. This ranking puts first the app that makes a calm, simple bedtime habit easiest, and says which app wins each of the other jobs.
The ranking
- Drop: best for calming sounds plus breathing, free, no ads, no account.
- White Noise Lite: best free noise machine, with every colour of noise.
- Rain Rain: best free mixer and fade-out timer.
- Dark Noise: best for Siri, Shortcuts and widgets on iPhone and Mac.
- myNoise: best for shaping the sound yourself, one purchase for life.
- BetterSleep: best for sleep tracking and a huge library.
- Calm: best for sleep stories and guided meditation.
- Endel: best for adaptive, AI-generated soundscapes.
Why Drop is #1
- Ten sounds are free to keep, with no ads and no time limit: rain, dewdrops, fire, forest, river, coffee shop, ocean waves, thunderstorm, bus and fan.
- It pairs the sounds with a breathing guide you can pace (2 to 8 seconds a breath) for winding down before sleep or resetting between tasks.
- A plant that grows through five stages, streaks and achievements make a nightly habit easy to keep.
- No account, works offline, keeps playing with the screen locked, and has home screen widgets.
- One app for iPhone, iPad and Mac.
The eight apps at a glance
| Best for | Sounds | Mixing | Sleep timer | How it charges (US) | Rating (US) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Drop (ours) | Sounds plus breathing, habit | 32, 10 free | No | No | Free; Drop Pro subscription or lifetime | 4.4 · 12 |
| 2. White Noise Lite | Noise machine | 50+, white to violet noise | Yes (Mix Pad) | Yes, with alarm | Free with ads; paid full version | 4.8 · 277,066 |
| 3. Rain Rain | Rain and nature mixes | 50+ free, 60+ more in Premium | Yes, free | Yes, free | Free with a banner ad; Premium subscription | 4.8 · 137,141 |
| 4. Dark Noise | Siri, widgets, Mac | 50+ | Yes | Yes | Free; Pro subscription or lifetime | 4.8 · 3,685 |
| 5. myNoise | Fine-tuning, tinnitus | 300+ soundscapes | Yes (up to 10 sliders) | Not in its listing | Free; one purchase, no subscription | 4.7 · 1,135 |
| 6. BetterSleep | Tracking, stories, meditations | 300+ sounds and tracks | Yes | Yes | Free; Premium subscription | 4.7 · 390,803 |
| 7. Calm | Sleep stories, meditation | Sleep sounds and music | Not in its listing | Not in its listing | Free; Premium subscription | 4.8 · 1,986,904 |
| 8. Endel | Adaptive AI soundscapes | Focus, Sleep, Relax, Move; more in Premium | No (generated) | Not in its listing | Free edition; Premium subscription or lifetime | 4.6 · 33,935 |
"Not in its listing" means the App Store description does not mention it, not that the app cannot do it. Ratings are from Apple's public lookup API on 11 October 2026.
1. Drop: calming sounds and a breathing habit
Drop has 32 nature, ambient and noise sounds, and ten of them are free with no ads and no time limit: rain, dewdrops, a crackling fire, a forest, a river, a coffee shop, ocean waves, a thunderstorm, a bus and a fan. The sound keeps playing with the screen locked. Next to the sounds there is a breathing guide: choose how long each breath lasts (2 to 8 seconds) and how many cycles, and follow the animation. Every session grows a plant through five stages, with streaks and achievements, and widgets start a session from the home screen. It needs no account, works offline and runs on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Drop Pro unlocks the other 22 sounds, by subscription or with a one-time lifetime purchase.
Where others beat it: Drop has no sleep timer yet, so the sound plays until you stop it; White Noise Lite, Rain Rain, Dark Noise and BetterSleep fade out on a timer. It plays one sound at a time, with no mixer. It has fan, bus and electric hum but no white, pink or brown noise generator. Its library is small next to the 50 to 300+ sounds of the others, and it has only 12 ratings on the US App Store. There are no sleep stories, guided voice meditations or sleep tracking.
2. White Noise Lite: the classic noise machine
White Noise by TMSOFT has been on the iPhone since 2008. The Lite version has 50+ looped sounds, including white, pink, brown, blue and violet noise, fans, air conditioners, rain and a dishwasher, with more free downloads from its White Noise Market. Its Mix Pad layers sounds and sets the position, volume and pitch of each; it can record and loop your own sounds, and has a full screen clock and an alarm and timer that fade audio in and out. It is free with ads; the paid full version removes them. Best if you want real noise to mask the world around you.
3. Rain Rain: the most generous free tier
Rain Rain gives 50+ HD sounds free with no limit on playback, every fade-out timer option, a mixer with a volume for each sound, an oscillator that varies volume and a "soften" control that muffles high frequencies. Mixes sync between devices through iCloud, and it has a bedtime reminder. The free version shows a small image banner, with no audio or video ads; Premium is a subscription with a 7-day free trial that adds 60+ sounds and removes the banner. Best for mixing rain and nature sounds without paying.
4. Dark Noise: built into iOS
Dark Noise has 50+ sounds with animated icons, custom mixes and a timer that fades the noise out. It goes furthest into the system: start a noise with Siri, even on a HomePod, through Shortcuts, AirPlay, interactive home and Lock Screen widgets, ten themes and 20+ app icons. It runs on Mac too and needs iOS 26. Pro is a subscription or a lifetime purchase. Best if you like starting things with your voice or a widget.
5. myNoise: you shape the sound
myNoise has 300+ soundscapes, each with its own sliders, made from field recordings and real instruments. "White Noise & Co" alone covers white, brown, green, grey and pink noise, and Creation Mode builds your own from up to 10 sliders taken from any soundscape. It lists offline listening and a meditation bell, and its listing names tinnitus relief and noise masking as common uses. It is free to download with no ads and no subscription: one purchase unlocks everything for life. Best if you want to tune the sound exactly.
6. BetterSleep: the whole sleep toolkit
BetterSleep, formerly Relax Melodies, has 300+ sounds and music tracks (white noise, nature, ASMR, binaural beats), 250+ meditations and hypnosis sessions and 100+ sleep stories, plus a sleep tracker and a recorder that picks up snoring and sleep talk. It has timers, bedtime reminders, playlists and optional Apple Health integration. Premium is a subscription. Best if you want to measure your sleep, not just soundtrack it.
7. Calm: stories and meditation
Calm is best known for its Sleep Stories, 100+ bedtime stories for adults read by narrators such as Matthew McConaughey and Stephen Fry, and for guided meditation, breathing exercises and daily sessions. Its library includes sleep sounds and music, and it saves sessions to Apple Health. Premium is a subscription. Best if you fall asleep to a voice rather than to noise.
8. Endel: sound that adapts to you
Endel generates soundscapes with AI on the fly, using inputs such as location, environment and heart rate. The free edition has the Focus, Sleep, Relax and Move soundscapes; Premium adds coloured noise (nine colours), a focus timer, artist soundscapes and more, by subscription or with a lifetime purchase. All soundscapes are available offline. It runs on Mac too. Best if you want sound that changes on its own instead of a loop.
How to choose
- A few calm sounds and a breathing habit, free, no ads, no account: Drop.
- Real white, pink or brown noise to mask noise: White Noise Lite or myNoise.
- Mixing sounds with a fade-out timer, free: Rain Rain.
- Siri, Shortcuts and widgets: Dark Noise.
- Tracking your sleep: BetterSleep.
- Falling asleep to a story: Calm.
- Sound that adapts on its own: Endel.
None of these apps is a medical treatment. If you have ongoing trouble sleeping or ringing in your ears, talk to a doctor.
Questions people ask
What is the best free white noise app for iPhone?
For pure noise, White Noise Lite has white, pink, brown, blue and violet noise free with ads, and Rain Rain gives 50+ sounds, a mixer and every fade-out timer free with a small banner ad. Drop (we make it) has ten sounds free with no ads, including fan and bus, plus a breathing guide, but no white, pink or brown noise generator.
Which sleep sound app has a sleep timer?
White Noise Lite, Rain Rain, Dark Noise and BetterSleep all list a timer that fades the sound out. Drop does not have a sleep timer yet: the sound plays until you stop it.
Can I mix sounds, like rain and a fan together?
Yes in White Noise Lite (Mix Pad), Rain Rain (Mixer), Dark Noise (custom mixes) and myNoise (Creation Mode, up to 10 sliders). Drop plays one sound at a time.
Which sleep sound app has no subscription?
myNoise is free to download and unlocks everything with one purchase, no subscription. White Noise Lite has a paid full version. Drop, Dark Noise and Endel offer a lifetime purchase next to their subscriptions.
Is white noise or brown noise better for sleep?
That is a personal preference, not something an app can decide for you. Brown and pink noise sound deeper and softer than white noise. White Noise Lite, myNoise and Endel Premium let you try several colours of noise.
Do these apps work offline?
Drop works offline, myNoise lists offline listening and Endel says all soundscapes are available offline. The Calm and BetterSleep listings do not say whether their library plays offline.