Berceuse turns the phone you already carry into a baby sound machine, with womb sounds, shushing and lullabies you mix and take anywhere. Hatch sells a sound machine and night light for the nursery shelf. Here is how they compare, and why we think Berceuse fits more families.
We make Berceuse. We tried to be fair to Hatch: every Hatch price and feature below comes from Hatch's website and blog, checked in October 2026, unless we say otherwise.
The short answer
Berceuse is the better pick for most families. There is no device to buy, and the baby sounds and lullabies you mix go wherever your baby sleeps, from the car to the grandparents', even offline. Hatch is the better fit if you want a night light that stays in the nursery.
Berceuse and Hatch side by side
| Berceuse | Hatch | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | An app for iPhone and Android phones | A sound machine and night light, run from the Hatch Sleep app |
| What you buy | A subscription, no device | A device: Rest 2nd Gen $69.99 or Rest+ 2nd Gen $89.99 |
| Away from home | Goes in your pocket; downloads play offline | Stays where you put it, unless you pack it |
| Baby sounds | Baby white noise, womb sounds, heartbeat, shushing, lullaby hum, stroller, car ride, bath water | 24 sounds on the Rest 2nd Gen per reviews, including white, pink and brown noise |
| Lullabies | 10 baby lullaby playlists | Yes, among its sounds, per reviews |
| Mix several sounds | Yes, up to 10 layers on iPhone and 6 on Android, each with its own volume | Not stated |
| For adults too | Rain, noise, piano, lo-fi and more, in the same subscription | Hatch+ adds stories and meditations |
| Subscription | Needed: $39.99 a year or $5.99 a month, with a 3-day free trial | Optional Hatch+: $49.99 a year or $4.99 a month |
| Night light | No | Yes |
| Best for | Baby sounds and lullabies, mixed your way, wherever your baby sleeps | A night light and sound machine that stays in one nursery |
Prices are in US dollars, from Hatch's website and blog and our own price page, checked in October 2026. "Not stated" means the Hatch pages we read do not say.
Berceuse makes your phone a baby sound machine that goes everywhere
Hatch is a device for one room. Berceuse is an app on the phone you already carry. That one difference shapes everything else.
No device to buy, plug in or pack
There is nothing to order and nothing to set on a shelf. Your phone is the sound machine. Berceuse plays in the background with the screen locked, with lock-screen controls on both platforms. On iPhone (iOS 16.2 or later), what is playing also shows in a Live Activity on the lock screen and in the Dynamic Island.
Baby sounds in the car, at the grandparents' and on trips
Babies do not only sleep in the nursery. They nap in the car seat, in the stroller, in a travel crib at the grandparents', on a train.
With Berceuse, the mix you use at home comes along. With a subscription, you can download mixes and playlists, and they play offline. Downloads keep working offline for up to 30 days between subscription checks. Same sounds, same volumes, in a new room.
A full baby library, plus music for every night
Berceuse has more than 900 sounds and music tracks (as of September 2026). The baby library has baby white noise, womb sounds and a heartbeat, including a mother's heartbeat. Shushing comes in three styles: rhythmic, soft and whispered. There is a lullaby hum, a stroller ride, a car ride and bath water. For bedtime, there are music box, toy piano, twinkly keys and mobile-style lullabies, in 10 baby lullaby playlists.
After your baby is down, the same app plays rain, brown noise, piano or lo-fi for you.
You set every sound yourself
Every sound is its own layer with its own volume slider. Keep womb sounds steady, add soft shushing on top, and put a music box very low underneath. A lullaby playlist plays on its own channel below the sounds. Mixes can be saved and renamed.
The sleep timer runs for 5, 10, 15, 30 or 60 minutes. The sound fades out over the last 30 seconds instead of stopping hard. Keep it quiet and across the room from the crib: our guide Is white noise safe for babies? covers volume, distance and timing.
Siri, when your arms are full
On iPhone (iOS 17 or later), you can say "Play white noise on Berceuse" or "Stop Berceuse in 30 minutes" without putting the baby down. Siri works in all six of the app's languages.
What Hatch does well
Hatch is a real, dedicated night light and sound machine. Its strengths are plain:
- A night light. A soft glow for night feeds, built into the machine. Berceuse has no night light.
- No subscription needed. Hatch says its machines work without one. Buy a Rest 2nd Gen for $69.99 and you can stop there.
- Control from the hallway. You change the sound and the light from the Hatch Sleep app, without walking back into the room.
- Your phone stays free. The machine stays in the nursery, so your phone is free for everything else.
Hatch+ is optional, at $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year (Hatch's blog, April 2026). It adds stories, meditations and more sounds. Reviews list 24 sounds on the Rest 2nd Gen, including white, pink and brown noise and lullabies.
What Berceuse and Hatch cost to start, and what you get
Here is what each one asks of you on day one, from the listed US prices, before tax.
- Berceuse: three days free, then $39.99 a year or $5.99 a month. Nothing to buy up front.
- Hatch Rest 2nd Gen: $69.99 up front, or $89.99 for the Rest+ 2nd Gen. Add Hatch+ and the first year is $119.98 with the Rest 2nd Gen, then $49.99 each year.
Over two years, Berceuse comes to $79.98. A Hatch Rest 2nd Gen with no Hatch+ stays at $69.99, and you get one sound machine with a night light, in one room. Berceuse costs less in the first year than either machine, and less than a Hatch with Hatch+.
For $39.99 a year, Berceuse gives you more than 900 sounds and music tracks, a full baby library, offline downloads for the car and for trips, Siri on iPhone, and sounds and music for your own nights. It all lives on the phone you already own. See our prices.
A ready-made nap mix for a baby: music box over womb sounds.
The mixer: each sound has its own volume, with music underneath.
Library: your mixes, likes and downloads.
Why we think Berceuse is the better choice for baby sleep sounds
- No device to buy. Your phone is the sound machine, and there is nothing to plug in or pack.
- It goes where your baby naps. Car, stroller, grandparents, hotel. Downloads play offline.
- A full baby library. Womb sounds, heartbeat, three styles of shushing and 10 baby lullaby playlists, each at its own volume, in one saved mix.
- Hands-free on iPhone. Ask Siri to play white noise or stop in 30 minutes, with the baby in your arms.
- It ends gently. The timer fades the sound over the last 30 seconds.
- It covers your nights too. Rain, brown noise, piano and lo-fi for you, in the same subscription.
- No ads, no tracking. Berceuse collects your email, a user id and your purchase history, only to run the app.
Who should still pick Hatch
- You want a night light. Berceuse has none, and a phone is not a nursery light.
- Your baby sleeps in one room, and you want your phone free. A Hatch stays in the nursery.
- You want to pay once. Hatch's machines work without a subscription.
Questions people ask
Is Berceuse a good Hatch alternative?
Yes, for families whose baby sleeps in more than one place. There is no device to buy, downloaded mixes play offline in the car or at the grandparents', and you mix womb sounds, shushing and lullabies at your own volumes. On iPhone, Siri starts and stops it hands-free. If you want a night light in the nursery, Hatch is the better fit, because Berceuse has none.
Does Berceuse have a night light?
No. Berceuse is an app that plays sounds and music. It has no night light. If you want one, a Hatch machine has a night light built in.
Do I need Hatch+ to use a Hatch Rest?
No. Hatch says its machines work without a subscription. Hatch+ is optional, at $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year, and adds stories, meditations and more sounds.
Is Berceuse free?
No. Berceuse is a subscription, $39.99 a year or $5.99 a month in the US, with a 3-day free trial. Before paying, you can browse the whole library and hear 10-second previews.
Can I use Berceuse instead of a sound machine?
Yes, if your phone can stay in the room while it plays. Put it across the room, at least about 60 cm (two feet) from the crib, never in the crib, with the volume low. Use the sleep timer so the sound fades out.
Does Berceuse detect crying?
No. Berceuse never uses the microphone, so it cannot hear your baby or restart the sound.
