Calm alternatives, by the reason you are leaving
Slumber Studios makes Slumber, Deep Sleep Sounds, and Bedtime Fan. This page puts Slumber beside Calm, says who should stay with Calm, and names apps that are not ours.
Why people leave Calm
The reason you want to leave decides which app fits next, so this page is sorted by reason rather than by rank.
The price no longer matches the use. Calm's annual plan costs twice Slumber's at US prices, and its lifetime membership costs more than Slumber's lifetime plan. If you open Calm for a sleep story a few nights a week and nothing else, an app built around bedtime stories does the same job for less. Slumber is ours, and its US prices are in the table below.
You skip the meditation library. A Calm subscription includes the Daily Calm and the Masterclasses. If you never open them, an app built around bedtime audio, with meditations beside the stories, may fit better. Slumber works that way.
You want sound without a subscription. If what helps you sleep is rain, a fan, or brown noise, a sound app does it for less, and some of it for free. Our own Deep Sleep Sounds has a free tier of 35 sounds with two-layer mixing, and a paid tier for the full library. myNoise, which is not ours, is another option.
You want narrated stories. Calm's Sleep Stories are famous, and a few are free. If stories are the whole reason you subscribed, compare the story catalogs and the price, and check that new stories arrive at a pace you will use. Slumber adds new stories and meditations every day. Sleepiest, which is not ours, is built around bedtime stories too.
Slumber and Calm, side by side
| Feature | Slumber (ours) | Calm |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | Slumber Studios | Calm.com, Inc. |
| US prices |
|
|
| Content | Sleep stories, Meditations, Sounds and noise, Music | Sleep stories, Meditations, Music, Sounds and noise, Courses, Breathing exercises |
| Platforms | iPhone and iPad, Android | iPhone and iPad, Android, Web |
Slumber (ours)
Free to download. A subscription opens the full library of sleep stories, meditations, soundscapes, and music.
- Annual + Family Sharing: iOS only (Apple Family Sharing)
Our own record.
Calm
Free to download, with no ads. The free version includes a few selected Sleep Stories and a limited set of music tracks; the Daily Calm, Masterclasses and the rest of the library need Calm Premium. Calm's help center says the in-app price can differ from the website price.
- Monthly: no free trial; from the in-app paywall captured 2026-07-14
- Annual: after a 7-day free trial
- Lifetime: Calm for Life, sold on calm.com; one account, no family plan
- Family: up to 6 accounts, sold on calm.com and shown on the in-app paywall; not Apple Family Sharing
- Calm subscription plans (annual and lifetime)
- Calm Help Center: Family Plan price
- Calm Help Center: Premium vs. Free
- Calm on Google Play (no ads)
- Calm on the App Store (free, no ads, in-app purchases)
- Calm Help Center: how to check subscription pricing (7-day trial, app vs web price)
- Calm's in-app paywall, Adapty paywall library (in-app, captured July 14, 2026)
US App Store prices in USD unless a row says otherwise; Google Play and each company's website can differ. Last checked November 5, 2026.
Who should stay with Calm
Some readers should not switch. Stay with Calm if you use the Daily Calm every morning, if you want a broad mindfulness curriculum with Masterclasses and movement sessions, or if the celebrity narration is the part you look forward to. No alternative on this page matches that catalog. Calm also offers a family plan for six accounts, on its website and in the app, which Slumber matches only through Apple Family Sharing on iOS.
What Slumber does differently
Slumber is built for the moment you lie down. Slow voices read quiet stories, and the techniques behind them are the ones with research support: slow breathing, muscle relaxation, and guided imagery. New stories and meditations are added every day. Every episode can be downloaded and played offline, and you choose whether the background sounds keep playing after the story ends. The annual and lifetime plans cost less than Calm's at US prices.
Slumber has no family plan outside Apple Family Sharing. If you share Calm with family on Android or the web, Slumber is the wrong trade; on iOS, Slumber's Family Sharing plan covers that.
Common questions
Is Slumber cheaper than Calm?
At US prices, yes, on the monthly, annual, and lifetime plans. The table on this page shows both apps' current US prices with the date they were checked. Prices vary by country and can differ between the app stores and each company's website.
Does Slumber have a free version?
Slumber is free to download. A subscription opens the full library of sleep stories, meditations, soundscapes, and music.
Can I use Slumber offline?
Download any episode in Slumber and it plays without Wi-Fi. Manage downloads under Profile, then Settings, then Manage Storage on iPhone, or Profile, then Manage Storage on Android.
Can I move my Calm subscription to Slumber?
Subscriptions are separate. Cancel Calm from your App Store, Google Play, or Calm account settings so it does not renew, then subscribe to Slumber in the app.
Try Slumber tonight
