BetterSleep Alternatives: The Best 7 Sleep Sound Apps in 2026

By Soothfy Team · Mon Oct 05 2026

Tired of BetterSleep locking the sounds you used every night? Here are the best BetterSleep alternatives in 2026 for falling asleep faster.

You've fallen asleep to the same rain mix for years, back when the app was still called Relax Melodies. Then one night the sound you always play has a lock on it, the trial screen won't go away, and the app that used to calm you down is now the thing keeping you awake.

If that sounds familiar, you're not alone, and you don't have to pay just to hear rain again. The best BetterSleep alternatives give you sleep sounds you can actually use, and some go further: they help with the racing thoughts that keep you up in the first place.

In this guide we compare the 7 best BetterSleep alternatives in 2026: what each one does well, where it falls short, what it costs, and who it's for.

How We Chose These BetterSleep Alternatives

Soothfy is our app. Where another app is the better pick for a need, we say so.

• Sleep sounds or stories you can actually use, not just a locked library
• Clear best use: each app solves one BetterSleep problem better
• Real prices and real user reviews from the App Store, October 2026
• Actively updated in 2026

What Are the Best BetterSleep Alternatives?

The best BetterSleep alternatives keep what you loved, soothing sounds that help you drift off, and fix what changed: the paywall over nearly every sound, the trial pressure, and the updates long-time users didn't ask for. Some focus on stories, some on soundscapes, and one helps with the thoughts behind sleepless nights. Here's how they compare at a glance.

BetterSleep Alternatives Compared

Prices: U.S. App Store listings, October 2026. They vary by country, plan and offer.

The 7 Best BetterSleep Alternatives in 2026

1. Soothfy: Best Overall When a Racing Mind Keeps You Awake

Soothfy is a sleep, anxiety and ADHD app for people whose nights are shaped by a busy mind. Sounds help you drift off, but when worry is what's keeping you up, Soothfy also gives you short CBT exercises for that exact moment, an evening routine, and a tracker that shows how your sleep and mood connect.

Key features

• Sound therapy: calming audio designed for anxiety, ADHD and insomnia, to play while you wind down.
• Instant Relief: when your mind races in bed, pick your exact symptom from 35 options and get 3 CBT exercises, each with a 2-minute timer. Soothfy learns which ones help you fall asleep.
• Evening Anchor Habit and personalized 30-day plan: a short wind-down activity attached to something you already do every night, inside a plan built around your mood and energy.

• Sleep and mood tracker: see how your nights connect to stress and mood, with weekly and monthly trends and reports you can share with your doctor.

• Bedtime journal: write, record a voice note or add images to put the weight of the day somewhere before sleep.

• 9 conditions, one subscription: insomnia, anxiety, stress, ADHD, depression and more, plus a moderated community.

Pros

• Helps with the racing thoughts behind bad nights, not just the noise
• Sleep and mood tracking with reports for your doctor
• Builds an evening routine that makes good nights more likely
• Cheaper than Calm, with a 7-day free trial

Cons

• A smaller sound library than BetterSleep's, so add Dark Noise if you want hundreds of mixes

Pricing

• Free to download with a 7-day free trial
• $49.99/year or $8.99/month (U.S.)

Suitable for

• People whose minds race at bedtime
• Anyone with stress, anxiety or ADHD that spills into the night
• People who want to understand their sleep, not just mask the silence

How to start

1. Download Soothfy free on iPhone or Android.
2. Take the 2-minute assessment and set your evening Anchor Habit.
3. Tonight, if your thoughts race, open Instant Relief and pick your symptom.

What users say

"Soothfy feels like having a therapist and a friend in my pocket. It's comforting, easy to use, and actually effective!"
App Store review (Canada)

"I've been using it for my anxiety, and honestly, it's been super helpful. The breathing exercises are really calming."
App Store review (Canada)

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2. Calm: Best for Celebrity-Narrated Sleep Stories

Calm is one of the biggest sleep and meditation apps, best known for its Sleep Stories: bedtime stories for adults narrated by voices such as Matthew McConaughey and Stephen Fry. It also has sleep sounds, music, breathing exercises and meditation courses.

Key features

• Sleep Stories narrated by well-known voices
• Sleep sounds and music
• Breathing exercises and meditation programs

Pros

• Huge, polished library
• Stories that are genuinely easy to drift off to

Cons

• One of the most expensive options
• Little free content

Pricing

• Premium $69.99–79.99/year or $14.99–16.99/month (U.S. App Store)

Suitable for

• People who fall asleep best to a calm voice

How to start

1. Download Calm and try one Sleep Story tonight. Read our Calm review.

What users say

"I've used a few meditations apps and I've found this is the best, so far."
App Store review (Canada)

3. Slumber: Best for Sleep Stories and Meditations

Slumber is a collection of ultra-relaxing stories and meditations written, designed and narrated to help you fall asleep quickly, with background sounds you can layer underneath.

Key features

• Hundreds of sleep stories and meditations
• Background sounds and music
• New content added regularly

Pros

• Cheaper than Calm for a similar story experience
• Something new every week

Cons

• Most of the library needs Premium
• Fewer pure sound mixes than BetterSleep

Pricing

• Free
• Premium $39.99–59.99/year or $7.99–9.99/month (U.S. App Store)

Suitable for

• People who want stories rather than noise

How to start

1. Download Slumber and pick a story under 30 minutes.

What users say

"This app is amazing. It always does the trick when I'm having a hard time falling asleep. It quiets my mind and relaxes my body."
App Store review (Canada)

4. Endel: Best for Personalized AI Soundscapes

Endel creates AI-powered soundscapes that adapt to inputs like time of day, location, environment and heart rate. Instead of picking a fixed sound, you choose a mode such as Sleep, Relax or Focus and let it generate the audio.

Key features

• Adaptive Sleep, Relax and Focus soundscapes
• Personalized using time of day, location, environment and heart rate
• Patented AI sound technology, according to its listing

Pros

• Never the same loop twice
• Great for focus as well as sleep

Cons

• One of the priciest yearly plans listed
• Less control than mixing your own sounds

Pricing

• Plans listed from $34.99 to $119.99/year, lifetime $124.99 (U.S. App Store)

Suitable for

• People who get bored of the same sound every night

How to start

1. Download Endel and start the Sleep mode at bedtime.

What users say

"Love this app! The concept is amazing, the sounds are fantastic. But it's a little pricey for my liking."
App Store review (Canada)

5. ShutEye: Best for Sounds Plus a Sleep Tracker

ShutEye combines a large library of sleep sounds and white noise with bedtime stories, a smart alarm and a sleep and snoring tracker. If you used BetterSleep's tracker as well as its sounds, it's the closest swap.

Key features

• Sleep sounds and white noise
• Bedtime stories
• Sleep and snoring tracker with smart alarm

Pros

• All-in-one sounds and tracking
• Works on iPhone and Android

Cons

• Many features are Premium
• Several special-offer prices to navigate

Pricing

• Free
• Premium $59.99/year or $9.99/month (U.S. App Store)

Suitable for

• People who want sounds and sleep data together

How to start

1. Download ShutEye and pick a sound mix for tonight.

What users say

"Some people may think that sleeping apps are useless but there actually really useful they help me and record sounds around you"
App Store review (U.K.)

6. Sleepiest: Best Value Library of Stories and Sounds

Sleepiest offers more than 350 bedtime stories, 200 sleep meditations and 150 ambient sounds, according to its listing, with options for adults, kids and babies.

Key features

• 350+ bedtime stories
• 200 sleep meditations
• 150 ambient sleep sounds

Pros

• Big library for the price
• Content for the whole family

Cons

• Premium needed for most of the library
• Busier interface than simple noise apps

Pricing

• Free
• Sleepiest+ $49.99–69.99/year or $4.99–9.99/month (U.S. App Store)

Suitable for

• Families and people who like variety

How to start

1. Download Sleepiest and try one story and one sound.

What users say

"Puts me to sleep instantly. Different options for different moods. Something for everyone"
App Store review (Canada)

7. Dark Noise: Best Simple White Noise App

Dark Noise is a simple, beautifully designed ambient noise app with 50+ high-quality sounds, custom mixes, a fade-out timer and deep Siri Shortcuts integration. It's the closest thing to the old Relax Melodies experience, without the clutter.

Key features

• 50+ ambient sounds with custom mixes
• Fade-out timer
• Siri Shortcuts, HomePod and AirPlay support

Pros

• No clutter, just sound
• A lifetime option, so no endless subscription

Cons

• iPhone only
• Some sounds and themes need Pro

Pricing

• Free
• Pro from $19.99, lifetime $49.99 (U.S. App Store)

Suitable for

• People who only want reliable white noise

How to start

1. Download Dark Noise and save your favourite mix to the Lock Screen.

What users say

"This is a great app. I have a button on my Lock Screen, which plays background music when I push it - saves having to open apps and look for background music."
App Store review (U.K.)

Final Thoughts

BetterSleep helped a lot of people sleep for years, but if almost every sound you used is now behind a paywall, you have better options. Soothfy is our top pick if a busy or anxious mind is what keeps you up: sound therapy, Instant Relief for racing thoughts, an evening routine and sleep tracking in one app. For stories, choose Calm or Slumber. For adaptive soundscapes, Endel. For simple white noise with a lifetime price, Dark Noise.

More guides: Sleep Cycle Alternatives, Calm Alternatives, Honest Headspace Review, ADHD Sleep Problems: Strategies That Help, ADHD and Sleep Statistics, Night Routine for Insomnia, How to Stop an Anxiety Spiral in 2 Minutes, Best Anxiety Relief Apps and Wysa Alternatives.

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The BetterSleep alternative that helps with the thoughts behind sleepless nights, not just the silence.

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Best BetterSleep Alternatives: FAQs (2026)

1. What is BetterSleep?

BetterSleep, formerly called Relax Melodies, is a sleep app with mixable sleep sounds, bedtime stories, guided meditations, a sleep tracker and a sleep recorder. In the U.S. App Store, Premium plans are listed from $39.99 to $69.99 per year, with other prices also listed (October 2026).

2. Why look for BetterSleep alternatives?

Price and the paywall. We read BetterSleep's 500 most recent U.S. App Store reviews (February to October 2026): 372 were rated 3 out of 5 or lower, and 326 of those mentioned price, Premium or the paywall. Many long-time users said sounds that used to be free are now locked.

3. What is the best alternative to BetterSleep?

Soothfy is the best all-round BetterSleep alternative if a busy or anxious mind keeps you awake: it combines sound therapy with Instant Relief CBT exercises for racing thoughts, an evening routine and sleep tracking. For sleep stories, Calm and Slumber are the closest options.

4. Is BetterSleep free?

BetterSleep is free to download, but recent reviewers say only a small share of sounds are free, with most content behind Premium. Soothfy is free to download with a 7-day free trial.

5. What is the best free sleep sound app?

Dark Noise and Sleepiest both have free versions, and Slumber and ShutEye offer some free content. Soothfy has a 7-day free trial of everything.

6. Is there a sleep sound app without a subscription?

Dark Noise offers a lifetime Pro option ($49.99 in the U.S. App Store), and Endel lists a lifetime plan too. Most other sleep apps are subscription-only.

7. What app helps with racing thoughts at night?

Soothfy is built for this. Instant Relief lets you pick your exact symptom and gives you 3 CBT exercises with a 2-minute timer, and its evening routine, journal and sound therapy help you wind down.

8. Which is better, Calm or BetterSleep?

Calm is best for narrated Sleep Stories and meditation, while BetterSleep focuses on mixing sounds. Both are subscription apps; Calm's yearly plan is listed at $69.99–79.99 in the U.S.

9. Does white noise really help you sleep?

Many people find steady background sound helps mask noises that wake them and makes falling asleep easier. It works best alongside a regular bedtime and wake time.

10. Which sleep app has a sleep tracker too?

Soothfy tracks sleep and mood together, with reports you can share with a doctor. ShutEye combines sleep sounds with a sleep and snoring tracker.

11. Which sleep app is best for anxiety?

Soothfy is designed for anxious minds: Instant Relief CBT exercises, guided breathing, sound therapy and mood tracking. Calm and Slumber are good if a calm narrated voice is what helps you switch off.

12. Which sleep app is best for ADHD?

Soothfy was built for ADHD brains: sound therapy, short CBT exercises for racing thoughts, and an evening Anchor Habit that doesn't depend on remembering a routine.

13. How do I cancel BetterSleep Premium?

On iPhone, go to Settings, tap your name, then Subscriptions. On Android, open the Play Store, then Payments and subscriptions. Deleting the app does not cancel the subscription.

14. What's the best BetterSleep alternative overall in 2026?

If a busy or anxious mind keeps you awake, Soothfy: sound therapy plus Instant Relief, an evening routine and sleep tracking. If you only want sounds, Dark Noise; for stories, Calm or Slumber.

Ready for calmer nights?

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This article is for information only and is not medical advice. Prices and features change often. Last updated October 5, 2026.