The best sleep apps, by the job you need done
Slumber Studios makes Slumber, Deep Sleep Sounds, and Bedtime Fan. This page sorts sleep apps by the problem they solve, includes apps we do not make, and links to a page for each job.
Start with the problem
The app store chart ranks sleep apps by downloads. It cannot tell you whether your problem is a mind that will not stop, a partner who snores, a fan you cannot sleep without, or a habit you want to build. Each of those is a different job, and the best app for one is the wrong app for another.
Pick the job below. Each card links to the page for that job. On the comparison pages, the facts about every competitor are sourced and dated, and our own apps are named as ours.
Pick the job
A mind that needs somewhere to go
Sleep stories and guided meditations. Slow voices, a slow ending, and new material often enough to stay fresh. Slumber is ours; Calm, Headspace, Sleepiest, and Insight Timer are compared beside it.
Best sleep story appsNoise you need to mask
Rain, white noise, and brown noise that play all night and work offline. Deep Sleep Sounds is ours and free for 35 of its sounds; the roundup includes apps we do not make.
Best sleep sounds appsA fan, specifically
If the sound you grew up with is a box fan, that is the whole job. Bedtime Fan plays real recorded fans all night, free with ads, and a subscription turns the ads off.
Bedtime FanYou are leaving Calm
Sorted by why you are going: price, a meditation library you never open, or wanting bedtime stories. It also makes the case for staying, for some readers.
Calm alternativesYou are leaving Headspace
Sorted by the reason: you only use it for sleep, you want a free tier, or the price after the trial. It also says when Headspace is still the better buy.
Headspace alternativesSound for focus
Brown noise and rain for work. Deep Sleep Sounds mixes them, plays offline, and its free tier covers the basics. No subscription needed to try it.
Deep Sleep SoundsWhat this page does not cover
Apps whose main job is tracking your sleep are a different category, and not one our apps are in, so they are not compared here.
How the pages are written
Every price, tier, and feature claim about another company comes from that company's own pages or store listings, or from a dated capture of its in-app paywall, linked beneath the comparison table with the date it was checked. Our own apps are named as ours in the first sentences of every page. No competitor gets a star rating from us, because we have no review data.
Common questions
Which sleep app is best?
The one built for your problem. Stories and meditations suit a busy mind; sound apps suit noise you need to mask; a fan app suits people who sleep with a fan. The cards on this page link to a comparison for each job.
Are sleep apps free?
Most are free to download and charge for the full library. Deep Sleep Sounds and Bedtime Fan have free tiers you can use every night; Slumber is free to download and a subscription opens the full library. Each comparison page lists the free tier and the US prices for every app in its table.
Do sleep apps help you sleep?
The research is thin: the largest trial so far found that neither sleep sounds nor bedtime stories beat a fair control group. Our guides on sleep stories and on sleeping with sound walk through the studies. A fair test is two weeks of nightly use, on a free tier or a trial; keep the app only if it helps.