The best baby white noise and sleep sound apps in 2026

Baby white noise apps compared: sounds, price and offline play

Prices come from the US App Store and the makers' own sites, checked in October 2026. "Not stated" means the listing and help pages we read do not say. It does not mean the app lacks it.

1. Our pick: Berceuse, baby sounds and lullabies you mix and take anywhere

We make Berceuse, so read this part knowing that. We still think it is the best fit for most families, and here is why.

Berceuse is a sleep sound and music app for iPhone and Android phones. It has more than 900 sounds and music tracks (as of September 2026), with a full library made for babies.

A full baby library, with lullabies in the same app

The baby sounds cover what parents reach for at night. There is baby white noise, womb sounds and a heartbeat, including a mother's heartbeat. Shushing comes in three styles: rhythmic, soft and whispered. There is also a lullaby hum, a stroller ride, a car ride and bath water. Pink and brown noise are there too.

For music, there are music box, toy piano, twinkly keys and mobile-style lullabies, in 10 baby lullaby playlists. You can browse by baby, bedtime or nap, or start one of the ready-made mixes.

You set every baby sound yourself

When you create a mix, you pick who it is for (you or a baby) and the purpose (sleep or calm for a baby). Then you stack sounds. Each layer has its own volume slider, up to 10 layers on iPhone and 6 on Android. A lullaby playlist can play underneath on its own channel.

So womb sounds stay steady, soft shushing sits on top, and a music box plays very low. Save the mix and rename it, and it is ready the next night.

The same mix plays wherever your baby sleeps

Babies nap in the car seat, the stroller and a travel crib at the grandparents'. With a subscription, you can download mixes and playlists, and they play offline, in the car or on a plane. Downloads keep working offline for up to 30 days between subscription checks. There is no device to buy, plug in or pack.

Berceuse plays in the background with the screen locked. Lock-screen controls work on both platforms.

It fades out by itself, and it answers to Siri

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. On iPhone (iOS 17 or later), Siri can start a mix with "Play white noise on Berceuse" or stop it with "Stop Berceuse in 30 minutes". That helps when your arms are full.

Your own nights are covered too

After bedtime, the same app plays rain, brown noise, piano or lo-fi for you. One subscription covers the whole family's nights. There are no ads and no tracking. Berceuse collects your email, a user id and your purchase history, only to run the app.

What Berceuse costs, and what it leaves out

Berceuse is $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. It has no night light and no cry detection, because it never uses the microphone. It is built for phones, not for iPad or Android tablets.

Best for: parents who want baby sounds and lullabies in one mixer, on a phone that goes everywhere.

2. Hatch: a sound machine and night light for the nursery

Hatch makes sound machines that sit in the nursery. The Rest 2nd Gen costs $69.99 and the Rest+ 2nd Gen costs $89.99 on Hatch's website, checked in October 2026. Each one is a sound machine and a night light in one. You control it from the Hatch Sleep app on your phone, so you can change the sound or the light without walking back into the room.

You do not need a subscription to use the machines. Hatch+ is an optional add-on 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.

Hatch's strength is clear: it is a real, dedicated night light and sound machine. It stays in the nursery, and your phone stays free for other things. The common complaint is paying a subscription on top of a device, though Hatch+ is optional.

Best for: a nursery that needs a night light, with a machine that stays in one room.

3. Sound Sleeper: baby white noise that listens for crying

Sound Sleeper is a baby white noise app with 16 sounds sorted by age. Its standout feature is called "Listen". It uses cry detection to hear your baby and restart the sound. Berceuse does not do this, so if it matters to you, Sound Sleeper is the app to look at. It also has a sleep log and a night light. It works offline and shows no ads.

In-app purchases range from $3.99 to $45.99 on the US App Store, checked in October 2026, and include a lifetime option. One long-time user's review says free play now stops after 30 minutes.

Best for: parents who want the app to restart the sound by itself when the baby wakes.

4. White Noise Baby: a one-time baby white noise app for iPhone

White Noise Baby comes from TMSOFT, the maker of the long-running White Noise app. It is for iPhone. It costs $0.99 once on the US App Store, checked in October 2026, with no subscription and no ads.

It has more than 15 sounds and 10 classical lullabies, a fade timer and a cry-detection monitor. Like Sound Sleeper, it can listen for crying, which Berceuse cannot. Its library is a short list of sounds rather than a large one.

Best for: iPhone parents who want cry detection and lullabies for a one-time $0.99.

5. BetterSleep: a sleep app for parents, with kids content

BetterSleep, formerly Relax Melodies, is a sound mixer with more than 300 sounds. It also has a sleep tracker, sleep stories and kids content, plus a sleep timer. It runs on iPhone and Android. It has 4.7 stars from about 391,000 ratings on the US App Store, and it is an Apple Editors' Choice.

BetterSleep has had no free tier since 2025. Its FAQ says "BetterSleep is no longer a free app". Prices in its listing range widely, with yearly plans between $59.99 and $69.99 on the US App Store, checked in October 2026. There is a 7-day trial. A common complaint is that sounds that used to be free are now paid.

Best for: a parent who wants a tracker and stories for their own sleep, with some kids content in the same app.

How to choose a baby sleep sound app

Start with the one thing you cannot do without. Then check the rest.

• Your baby sleeps in many places. Car seat, stroller, the grandparents', a hotel. Pick an app with offline play. Berceuse downloads whole mixes and playlists, with nothing extra to pack.
• You want lullabies under the white noise. Berceuse plays a lullaby playlist under up to 10 sound layers on iPhone, each with its own volume.
• You want help with your own sleep too. Berceuse plays rain, noise, piano and lo-fi for adults in the same subscription. BetterSleep adds a sleep tracker and stories.
• You need the app to react when your baby cries. Sound Sleeper and White Noise Baby both listen for crying.
• You want a night light. A Hatch machine or Sound Sleeper has one.
• You want to pay once. White Noise Baby is $0.99. A Hatch machine works without a subscription. Sound Sleeper offers a lifetime purchase.

Keep baby white noise quiet and away from the crib

Whatever app or machine you choose, the AAP warns that some sleep machines can reach hazardous noise levels. It advises placing the machine as far from your baby's head as possible and using it for a short time. Children's National Hospital suggests keeping sound below about 50 dB, at least two feet (about 60 cm) from the crib, and turning it off once your baby is asleep. A phone and its cable never go in the crib. Our guide Is white noise safe for babies? has the full steps.

A ready-made nap mix for a baby: music box over womb sounds.

The mixer: each sound has its own volume, with music underneath.

Or tap a moment: sleep, focus, calm, study.

Why we think Berceuse is the best baby sleep sound app for most families

• It goes where your baby sleeps. The car, the stroller, the grandparents' spare room, a hotel crib. Downloaded mixes play offline, and there is no device to buy or pack.
• You set each sound. Womb sounds steady, shushing on top, a music box low. Every layer has its own volume.
• Sounds and lullabies play together. Ten baby lullaby playlists can run under your baby sounds, in the same mix.
• It fades out by itself. Set the timer for 5 to 60 minutes. The sound fades over the last 30 seconds, so it does not cut off with a jolt.
• One subscription covers your nights too. After bedtime, the same app plays rain, brown noise, piano or lo-fi for you. It costs $39.99 a year in the US.
• No ads and no tracking. Berceuse collects your email, a user id and your purchase history, to run the app.
• Hands-free on iPhone. When your arms are full, ask Siri to play white noise or stop in 30 minutes.

When another baby sleep app is the better pick

• You want cry detection. Sound Sleeper and White Noise Baby both listen for crying.
• You want a night light in the nursery. A Hatch Rest has one, and it works without a subscription.
• You want the lowest one-time price on iPhone. White Noise Baby costs $0.99 once.
• You want a sleep tracker for yourself. BetterSleep has one.

Questions people ask

Is Berceuse a good baby sleep app?

Yes, for parents who want womb sounds, shushing, a heartbeat and lullabies in one mix they set themselves. Each sound has its own volume, the timer fades out gently, and downloaded mixes play offline wherever your baby sleeps. The same subscription also covers sounds and music for your own nights. If you need an app that listens for crying, Sound Sleeper or White Noise Baby is the better fit.

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.

Does Berceuse have cry detection?

No. Berceuse never uses the microphone, so it cannot hear your baby or restart the sound. If you need that, Sound Sleeper and White Noise Baby both have cry detection.

Can I use my phone as a baby sound machine?

Yes, with care. Keep the volume low, put the phone across the room (at least about 60 cm, two feet, from the crib) and never in the crib. Use a sleep timer, and turn the sound off or down once your baby is asleep. See Is white noise safe for babies? for the details.

Does Berceuse work offline?

Yes, with a subscription. Download a mix or a playlist and it plays offline, in the car or on a plane. Downloads keep working offline for up to 30 days between subscription checks.

Which sounds help a baby sleep?

Parents often use womb sounds, shushing, a heartbeat, white noise or a soft lullaby. Our guide Womb sounds, shushing, heartbeat, lullabies explains each one and when parents use it.

Sources

• Hatch FAQs
• Hatch blog: Hatch Restore free vs premium features
• Sound Sleeper on the App Store
• White Noise Baby on the App Store
• TMSOFT White Noise
• BetterSleep: Is BetterSleep free?
• BetterSleep on the App Store
• AAP, HealthyChildren.org: How noise affects your child
• Children's National Hospital: Baby sound machines and hearing loss
• AAP, HealthyChildren.org: Preventing SIDS