Berceuse is our pick: it mixes noise, rain and music your way, plays offline and has no ads. We make it, so we say so. Then we compare eight other sleep sound apps fairly on price, ads, offline play and mixing.
We make Berceuse. Every other app's price and features below come from its App Store listing, website or help pages, checked in October 2026.
The short answer
Berceuse is our pick for the best white noise app. It layers noise, rain and music with a volume for each sound, has a full baby library, plays offline and costs $39.99 a year with no ads. White Noise Lite or Rain Rain fit if you want something free and simple, and Calm fits if you want sleep stories.
The best white noise apps compared: price, ads, mixer and offline
| App | Price per year (US) | Free tier | Ads | Layer mixer | Offline | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berceuse (our pick) | $39.99 | No, 10-second previews only | No | Yes, up to 10 layers (6 on Android) plus a playlist | Yes | Sleep sounds, music and baby sleep, mixed your way |
| Calm | $69.99 | Some free content | No | Its listing does not mention one | Yes | Sleep stories and meditation |
| BetterSleep | Between $59.99 and $69.99 in its listing | No, since 2025 | Not stated | Yes | Not stated | A mixer with a sleep tracker |
| White Noise (TMSOFT) | No subscription: $0.99 or $2.99 once | Yes, White Noise Lite | In Lite only | Yes (Mix Pad) | Yes | Paying once, or not at all |
| myNoise | No subscription: $19.99 Full Access in the app | Yes, on the web | No | Yes, up to 10 | Yes | Fine control over each sound |
| Rain Rain | About $29.99 to $35.99 | Yes, 50+ sounds | A small banner in the free version | Yes | Not stated | A free mixer |
| Tide | $59.99 | Yes, a large free core | Not stated | Yes, music with sounds | Not stated | Sleep sounds plus a focus timer |
| Endel | $34.99 to $119.99 in its listing | Not stated | Not stated | None found | Yes | Soundscapes that adjust themselves |
| Headspace | $69.99 | No permanent free plan | No | None found | Meditations yes, Sleepcasts no | Learning to wind down |
Prices are from the US App Store, checked in October 2026. "Not stated" means the listing and help pages we read do not say.
1. Berceuse (our pick): best for mixing sounds and music your way
We make Berceuse, so read this part knowing that. We still think it is the best white noise app for most people who want sound at night, and here is why.
Every sound at the volume you want. The mixer is the main reason to pick it. You can play up to 10 sound layers on iPhone (6 on Android), each with its own volume slider. Under them, a playlist plays on its own channel. So rain can sit under piano, or brown noise under lo-fi, at the balance you want.
A big library built for nights. As of September 2026, Berceuse has more than 900 sounds and music tracks (268 sounds and 636 tracks), arranged in 202 ready-made mixes and 106 playlists. The noise library covers white noise (plus a warmer white), baby white noise, airplane white noise, pink, brown, grey and velvet noise. Rain comes in about 20 settings, such as on a window, a tent, a roof or a forest. Music covers piano, ambient, jazz, harp and more than 40 lo-fi playlists.
A full baby library in the same app. Womb sounds, a mother's heartbeat, three kinds of shushing, a lullaby hum, stroller and car rides, plus music box and toy piano lullabies. When you create a mix, you choose whether it is for you or for a baby.
It plays all night, even offline. Download a mix or playlist and it plays offline, in the car or on a plane, for up to 30 days between subscription checks. It keeps playing with the screen locked, with lock-screen controls on both platforms.
It ends softly. The sleep timer runs 5, 10, 15, 30 or 60 minutes and fades the sound over the last 30 seconds.
Hands-free on iPhone. Say "Play rain on Berceuse" or "Stop Berceuse in 30 minutes" to Siri (iOS 17 or later), in six languages.
Price: $5.99 a month or $39.99 a year in the US, with a 3-day free trial. There are no ads and no tracking. There is no free tier: you can browse the whole library and hear 10-second previews, but listening needs the subscription.
What it does not have: sleep stories, guided meditation, sleep tracking, or a tablet layout.
Best for: people who want white noise, rain, music or baby sounds, mixed their way, in an app with no ads.
2. Calm: best for sleep stories and meditation
Calm is a meditation and sleep app. Its heart is Sleep Stories, many read by well-known voices. It also has meditations, music and soundscapes, on iOS, Android and the web.
On the US App Store, checked in October 2026, Calm costs $14.99 a month or $69.99 a year (the listing also shows $16.99 and $79.99). Calm's support page lists a lifetime plan at $499.99. There is a 7-day trial, some free content and no ads. You can download content for offline listening.
Calm has 4.8 stars from about 2 million ratings and is an Apple Editors' Choice. The most common complaint is the price. Its listing does not mention a sound mixer.
Best for: people who fall asleep to a voice telling a story, or who want guided meditation in the same app. See our full Berceuse vs Calm comparison.
3. BetterSleep: best for a sound mixer with a sleep tracker
BetterSleep, formerly Relax Melodies, is a sound mixer with more than 300 sounds. It adds a sleep tracker, stories and content for kids, and it has a sleep timer.
It is no longer free. Its own FAQ says "BetterSleep is no longer a free app". Premium prices in its US App Store listing range from $11.99 to $99.99, with yearly plans between $59.99 and $69.99. There is a 7-day trial. It has 4.7 stars from about 391,000 ratings and is an Editors' Choice. The common complaint is that sounds that used to be free are now paid.
Best for: people who want a mixer, a tracker and stories in one app. Read more in Berceuse vs BetterSleep.
4. White Noise by TMSOFT: best for paying once, or not at all
White Noise by TMSOFT has been around for a long time. White Noise Lite is free with ads. White Noise costs $0.99 and White Noise Pro $2.99, both one-time, with no subscription.
It has a Mix Pad for layering sounds, a timer, alarms and offline play. White Noise Lite has 4.8 stars from about 276,000 ratings. Its last update was in September 2024.
Best for: one steady sound, for a small one-time price or for free with ads.
5. myNoise: best for fine control over each sound
myNoise has more than 300 soundscape generators. Each one has 10 sliders, so you can shape every part of a sound. It is free on the web, and it has iOS and Android apps.
There are no ads and no subscription. In the app, "Full Access" costs $19.99 and "All You Can Hear" $14.99. You can layer up to 10 sounds, play offline and set a timer. One complaint: purchases in the old app did not carry over to the rebuilt app.
Best for: people who like to adjust a sound in detail, and people who listen in a browser.
6. Rain Rain: best free sound mixer
Rain Rain Sleep Sounds gives you more than 50 HD sounds for free, with unlimited play. The free version has a mixer with a volume for each sound, a fade timer and a small banner ad.
Premium costs $9.99 a month or about $29.99 to $35.99 a year, and sound packs cost $4.99. It has 4.8 stars from about 137,000 ratings. Its last iOS update was in January 2025.
Best for: people who want a real mixer without paying, and do not mind a small ad.
7. Tide: best for sleep sounds plus a focus timer
Tide mixes sleep sounds, a focus timer, meditation and a nap mode. Its mixer can play music with sounds. A large part of the app is free.
Tide costs $11.99 a month or $59.99 a year. It has 4.8 stars.
Best for: people who want one app for working by day and sleeping by night.
8. Endel: best for soundscapes that adjust themselves
Endel makes adaptive soundscapes with AI, for focus, sleep and relaxing. Its listing says "all soundscapes are available offline". We found no mixer for building your own sound.
App Store prices run from $2.99 to $19.99 a month and $34.99 to $119.99 a year, with a lifetime plan at $124.99. The 7-day trial needs a payment method. Endel is an Editors' Choice.
Best for: people who would rather not choose sounds at all.
9. Headspace: best for learning to wind down
Headspace is a meditation app with a sleep section: Sleepcasts, sleep music, soundscapes and wind-down exercises. It costs $12.99 a month or $69.99 a year on the US App Store, checked in October 2026. There is no permanent free plan and no ads.
Meditations can be downloaded. Sleepcasts stream and cannot be downloaded, according to Headspace's help pages. We found no way to mix your own sounds. It has 4.8 stars from about 974,000 ratings and is an Editors' Choice.
Best for: people who want guided help to relax before bed. See Berceuse vs Headspace.
How to choose a white noise app
Do you want a voice or a sound? If you like being talked to sleep, a story app such as Calm or Headspace fits. If you want a steady sound in the background, pick a sound app.
Is one sound enough? If you play one fan or one rain track every night, a free app does the job. White Noise Lite and Rain Rain are good places to start. We cover this in Berceuse vs free white noise apps.
Do you want music too? Berceuse and Tide can play music and sounds together. Berceuse adds a full playlist under up to 10 sound layers.
Will you listen offline? On a plane, in the car or in a room with weak Wi-Fi, check that the app downloads. Headspace Sleepcasts, for example, do not.
Which noise suits you? White noise sounds hissy. Pink noise is softer, like steady rain. Brown noise is a deep rumble. Our guide on white, pink and brown noise explains the difference.
If the sound is for a baby, keep the volume low and the phone well away from the crib. Our guide on whether white noise is safe for babies covers distance and timing, and our list of baby sleep sound apps compares apps made for babies.
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 our pick for sleep sounds
- Music and sounds in one mix. Up to 10 sound layers on iPhone (6 on Android), each with its own volume, plus a playlist on its own channel. Rain under piano or brown noise under lo-fi takes a few taps.
- A library built for nights. As of September 2026: more than 900 sounds and music tracks, white, pink, brown, grey and velvet noise, about 20 kinds of rain, and a baby library with womb sounds, heartbeat, shushing and lullabies.
- It plays offline. Download a mix or a playlist once, and it keeps playing for up to 30 days between subscription checks, with the screen locked.
- It ends softly. The timer runs 5 to 60 minutes and fades the sound over the last 30 seconds.
- Hands-free on iPhone. Say "Play rain on Berceuse" or "Stop Berceuse in 30 minutes" (iOS 17 or later, in six languages).
- Less than the big names, with no ads. $39.99 a year, against $69.99 for Calm and Headspace on the US App Store, checked in October 2026. No ads and no tracking.
Who should still pick another sleep sound app
Berceuse is not the right fit for everyone. Here is when we would point you elsewhere.
- You want it free. Rain Rain has a free mixer with a small ad. White Noise Lite is free with ads. Both are fine for one sound.
- You want sleep stories. Calm's Sleep Stories are its core, and many are read by well-known voices. Berceuse has no stories.
- You want to pay once. White Noise ($0.99) and White Noise Pro ($2.99) have no subscription.
- You want sleep tracking, or to listen in a browser. BetterSleep has a tracker, and myNoise is free on the web. Berceuse has neither.
Questions people ask
What is the best white noise app?
Berceuse is our pick. It mixes more than 900 sounds and music tracks (as of September 2026) your way, with a baby library, offline play and no ads, for $39.99 a year. If you want something free and simple, try Rain Rain or White Noise Lite. If you want stories, pick Calm.
Is there a good free white noise app?
Yes. Rain Rain gives you more than 50 sounds and a mixer for free, with a small banner ad. White Noise Lite is free with ads. myNoise is free on the web.
Is Berceuse free?
No. Berceuse is a subscription at $5.99 a month or $39.99 a year in the US, with a 3-day free trial. Before paying you can browse the library and hear 10-second previews. See prices.
Which white noise apps work offline?
Berceuse, Calm, White Noise, myNoise and Endel all play offline. Headspace meditations download, but Sleepcasts do not.
Can I play white noise and music at the same time?
Yes, in some apps. Berceuse plays up to 10 sound layers with a playlist underneath. Tide's mixer also plays music with sounds. Our guide on building a sleep sound mix shows how.
Is white noise safe for babies?
It can be, at a low volume and a safe distance. The AAP advises placing a sleep machine as far from the baby's head as possible and using it for a short time. Never put a phone or its cable in the crib.
Sources
- Calm on the App Store
- Calm help: download content and use the app offline
- BetterSleep FAQ: is BetterSleep free?
- BetterSleep on the App Store
- White Noise by TMSOFT
- White Noise Lite on the App Store
- myNoise on the App Store
- Rain Rain Sleep Sounds on the App Store
- Tide on the App Store
- Endel on the App Store
- Headspace on the App Store
- Headspace help: download sessions for offline use
- AAP, HealthyChildren.org: how noise affects your child
