For sleep sounds, Berceuse comes out ahead. You mix rain, noise and music yourself, it plays offline, and it costs $30 less a year than Calm. Calm is built around sleep stories and meditation, and here is how the two compare.
We make Berceuse. We tried to be fair to Calm: every Calm price and feature below comes from its App Store listing or its help pages, checked in October 2026.
The short answer
For sleep sounds, Berceuse is the better Calm alternative. You layer rain, white noise, piano or lullabies at your own volume, you get a full baby library and offline play, and you pay $39.99 a year instead of Calm's $69.99. Calm is the better fit only if sleep stories or guided meditation are what you want.
Berceuse and Calm side by side
| Berceuse | Calm | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per year (US) | $39.99 | $69.99 |
| Price per month (US) | $5.99 | $14.99 |
| Mix your own sound layers | Yes, up to 10 on iPhone, 6 on Android | Its listing does not mention a mixer |
| Music under sounds | Yes, a playlist on its own channel | Music and soundscapes, mixing not mentioned |
| Offline | Yes, download mixes and playlists | Yes, download content |
| Ads | No | No |
| Free trial | 3 days | 7 days |
| Free content | No, 10-second previews only | Some |
| Sleep stories | No | Yes, many read by well-known voices |
| Guided meditation | No | Yes |
| Platforms | iPhone and Android phones | iOS, Android and the web |
| Best for | Sleep sounds, music and baby sleep, mixed your way | Sleep stories and guided meditation |
Calm prices are from the US App Store, checked in October 2026. Its listing also shows $16.99 and $79.99 plans. Berceuse prices are US prices; local prices vary.
Berceuse lets you set every sound yourself
Calm and Berceuse solve different problems at bedtime. Calm gives you a voice: a meditation or a Sleep Story. Berceuse gives you the sound you want, at the volume you want, for as long as you want. There is no voice and no lesson. You press play and it keeps going until you stop it or the timer ends.
A mixer with a volume for each sound. You can stack up to 10 sound layers on iPhone, or 6 on Android. Each layer has its own slider. A playlist plays on its own channel underneath. So the rain can stay loud and the thunder faint, with soft piano under both. Our guide on building a sleep sound mix walks through it.
A large library of sounds and music. As of September 2026, Berceuse has more than 900 sounds and music tracks (268 sounds and 636 tracks), in 202 ready-made mixes and 106 playlists. That includes white, pink, brown, grey and velvet noise, rain in about 20 settings, thunder, ocean, fireplace and café sounds, and piano, ambient, jazz, harp and lo-fi music. If you would rather not build a mix, pick a ready-made one.
A library for babies. Womb sounds, a mother's heartbeat, shushing (rhythmic, soft and whispered), a lullaby hum, car and stroller rides, and music box and toy piano lullabies. There are 10 baby lullaby playlists. When you create a mix, you choose whether it is for you or for a baby.
A timer that fades out. Set 5, 10, 15, 30 or 60 minutes. The sound fades out over the last 30 seconds instead of stopping hard.
Offline play. Download a mix or playlist and it plays offline, in the car or on a plane. Downloads keep working offline for up to 30 days between subscription checks.
Hands-free on iPhone. Say "Play rain on Berceuse" or "Stop Berceuse in 30 minutes". This works with Siri on iOS 17 or later, in all six of the app's languages.
It keeps playing with the screen locked. Lock-screen controls work on iPhone and Android. On iPhone, a Live Activity shows on the lock screen and in the Dynamic Island (iOS 16.2 or later).
What Calm does well
Calm is one of the best-known sleep apps, and it earns that. It has 4.8 stars from about 2 million ratings on the App Store, and it is an Apple Editors' Choice.
- Sleep Stories. Many of Calm's stories are read by well-known voices. If a calm voice helps you drift off, this is its strongest feature.
- Meditation in the same app. You can do a guided meditation in the evening and hear a story at night without switching apps.
- More places to listen. Calm runs on iOS, Android and the web, and its help pages explain how to download content for offline use.
- Ways to start or pay. Some content is free, and Calm's support page lists a lifetime plan at $499.99.
Berceuse costs $30 less a year than Calm
On the US App Store, checked in October 2026, Calm costs $14.99 a month or $69.99 a year. Berceuse costs $5.99 a month or $39.99 a year in the US.
That is $30 less a year, or $9 less a month. The most common complaint about Calm is its price.
You also get more of what you came for. With Berceuse, the whole price goes to sounds and music: more than 900 sounds and music tracks, a mixer and a baby library. With Calm, part of the price goes to stories and meditation. If you never open the stories, that part sits unused.
Both apps have no ads. Both offer a free trial: Berceuse's is 3 days, and Calm's is 7 days. You can cancel Berceuse any time in your app store settings. Calm also sells a lifetime plan at $499.99, according to its support page. See Berceuse prices.
Home: tonight’s featured mix and the ones you played last.
The mixer: each sound has its own volume, with music underneath.
Or tap a moment: sleep, focus, calm, study.
Why Berceuse is the better choice for sleep sounds
- You set the sound. Every layer has its own volume. Up to 10 layers on iPhone (6 on Android), with a playlist underneath. Calm's listing does not mention a mixer.
- Music and sounds together. Rain under piano, a fire under jazz, brown noise under lo-fi. As of September 2026 there are more than 900 sounds and music tracks to choose from.
- A real baby library. Womb sounds, heartbeat, three kinds of shushing and 10 baby lullaby playlists, in the same app you use for yourself.
- A gentle ending. The timer fades the sound over the last 30 seconds, instead of stopping hard.
- It plays offline. Download a mix or a playlist once, and it keeps playing for up to 30 days between checks.
- $30 less a year. $39.99 against Calm's $69.99 on the US App Store, checked in October 2026. Berceuse has no ads and no tracking.
Who should still pick Calm
Berceuse has no sleep stories, no guided meditation and no breathing exercises. Calm is the better pick if:
- You fall asleep to a voice telling a story, not to a sound.
- You want guided meditation in the same app.
- You want to listen on a computer, through the web.
For more options, see our list of the best white noise apps and our Berceuse vs Headspace comparison.
Questions people ask
Is Berceuse better than Calm?
Yes, for sleep sounds. Berceuse lets you mix more than 900 sounds and music tracks (as of September 2026), each layer at its own volume, with a baby library and offline play, for $39.99 a year instead of $69.99. If you want sleep stories or guided meditation, Calm is the better choice, because Berceuse has neither.
Is Berceuse free?
No. Berceuse is a subscription with a 3-day free trial. It costs $5.99 a month or $39.99 a year in the US. Before you pay, you can browse the library, hear 10-second previews and start building a mix.
Does Berceuse have sleep stories or guided meditation?
No. Berceuse has no sleep stories, no guided meditation and no breathing exercises. You will find "meditation" as a music mood, which means calm music, not a guided session.
Can I mix my own sounds in Calm?
Calm's App Store listing does not mention a mixer. It lists music and soundscapes. If you want to layer sounds and set each volume, Berceuse is built for that.
Do Berceuse and Calm work offline?
Yes, both do. Calm's help pages explain how to download content. In Berceuse, you download mixes and playlists with a subscription, and they play offline for up to 30 days between checks.
Does Berceuse work on iPad or on a computer?
No. Berceuse is made for iPhone and Android phones. It has no tablet layout and no web player. Calm runs on the web as well as on phones.
