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The Best White Noise Apps

by Suzanne Kantra on February 09, 2022

If you have trouble sleeping because of distracting sounds, research shows that white noise can help. White noise not only helps you fall asleep but improves the quality of your sleep. And during the day, studies show that white noise can reduce anxiety and help you maintain focus while at work.

I have been using a white-noise generator for years, and sometimes even bring it with me when I travel to block out all the annoying noises in my hotel room. But not everyone wants to spend $50 on a noise machine, and even I don't always want to lug one in my suitcase.

A much less expensive solution, and one that is certainly easier for travel, is to use your smartphone as a white noise generator. There are white noise apps that simulate dozens of sounds, from a gentle rain falling to a fan to wind blowing.

Over the years, I've spent untold hours scouring Apple's App Store and Google Play and testing the most highly rated apps to find the perfect white noise app. Check out all three of my picks for the best white noise apps.

Three MyNoise app screenshots.On the lef there is a list of sounds, including White Noise & Co, Binaural Beat Machine, and Rain Noise. In the center you see the Rain Noise sound with color coded sliders you can use to raise of lower the volume of specific frequencies. On the right, you see sound blocks with the title Super Generator.

The best white noise app: MyNoise

Techlicious Top Pick Award logo with the text: Excellent audio quality and the ability to create custom sound. Do you notice that you sleep better when it rains or the wind blows gently through the trees? That's what researchers call pink noise, a combination of sounds that contain all of the frequencies that people can hear, with volume decreasing in high frequencies. This type of pink noise "has significant effect on reducing brain wave complexity and inducing more stable sleep time to improve sleep quality of individuals," according to the Journal of Theoretical Biology study. In comparison, white noise keeps the volume consistent across all frequencies and most people don't find it as restful.

MyNoise is my favorite white noise app because it gives you control over the volume of different frequencies of the sleep sounds so you can get the sound just right. And it doesn't just apply to the white noise generator. You can also tweak other sounds like "Rain Noise," "Unreal Ocean," and the "Binaural Beat Machine" to get just the right kind of noise. Plus, you can mix sounds together, adjusting the frequencies and overall volume, for even more customization. The app is free and comes with 20 free sounds, including a "White Noise & Co." (the white noise sound), "Rain Noise," and "Binaural Beat Machine." Additional sounds are $0.99 each or you can access the whole library of more than 250 sounds for $19.99.

Download MyNoise for free on App Store and get MyNoise for free on Google Play. Additional sounds cost $0.99 each

Three screenshots of the White Noise app. On the left, you see a screen with a list of sounds, including white noise. In the center, you see a screen with a person's head and icons of the sounds in relation to the head. In the screen on the left, which is entitled Tap to Record, you see a large record button.

If you want to record your own sounds: White Noise

The White Noise app not only has white noise, but it also has pink noise, brown noise (low-frequency sound masking) and many more soothing sounds. Plus, it gives you great flexibility for painting your own soundscape, mixing up to five sounds at once. Among the 40 sounds are an oscillating fan, cat purring, crickets chirping, water flowing and many more. If that's not enough, you can use the built-in recorder to create your own sounds. If you want to create a truly custom sound that includes your own recordings, White Noise is the app for you. White Noise also lets you set an alarm, so you can wake gradually, and a sleep timer to turn off the sound.

Purchase White Noise on the App Store and White Noise on Google Play for $0.99

Sleep Aid Fan app three screenshots: On the right, there is a blue fan with six blades, the volume off and a timer. In the middle there is a pink four-blade fan with the volume a high and a timer. On the right, there is a pink four-blade fan with a popup window that allows you to set a timer up to 23 hours 59 minutes and 59 seconds.

If you want fan sounds: Sleep Aid Fan

Similar to falling rain, the noise of an electric fan also helps many get a better night's sleep. Sleep Aid Fan generates that exact sound for you. You can play a fan sound at low, medium or high speed and also set a time for how long you want the noise to play. Three fan sounds come in the free app, and with the $1.99 upgrade, you receive five more — well worth it if the basic sounds don't work for you. The additional fan sounds offer lower and higher-frequency sounds that mimic brown noise, pink noise and more. If you're looking for an app that replicates your fan noise, I've found that Sleep Aid Fan provides the best selection of high-quality fan recordings.

Download Sleep Aid Fan from the Apple App Store or get the Sleep Aid Fan app on Google Play for free (we highly recommend the $1.99 upgrade)

Updated 2/9/2022

[woman sleeping image via Shutterstock]

For the past 20+ years, Techlicious founder Suzanne Kantra has been exploring and writing about the world’s most exciting and important science and technology issues. Prior to Techlicious, Suzanne was the Technology Editor for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and the Senior Technology Editor for Popular Science. Suzanne has been featured on CNN, CBS, and NBC.

Topics

Health and Home, Health & Fitness, Mobile Apps, Tips & How-Tos, Top Picks

Discussion

From AceyMan on April 19, 2014 :: 6:08 am

Chromadoze on Android is sweet. You can tweet the sound of the noise to your liking. Great app.

From William JTucker on September 13, 2014 :: 1:30 pm

Really good job on the site, Thanks for guide!

From Power App on January 14, 2015 :: 9:18 am

I would to add that we just released Relax ! for iOS. It comes with sounds in 6 different moods: Forest, Rain, Under Water, Fire, Beach and Noise.
Noise is not only white noise but some tuned noises as well.
Please check it out in the app store:
http://bit.ly/relaxApp

From Tatiana on January 29, 2015 :: 3:43 pm

I’m currently working a new ios app. It has white noise, soothing music, lullabies and short stories for babies. Make bedtime quality time!

http://www.babynighttime.com

From Janelle Abel on February 02, 2015 :: 11:11 pm

For sleep apps, I’m a big fan of White Noise HD: http://www.whitenoisehd.com.

I run it for every nap on an old iPhone connected to some speakers. And, I bring it with me on my iPad. It has never failed me.

The best thing about it is that it has three sound modes (one for soothing, one for blocking out sound, and another for regular use) and if you change a mode it slowly transitions so it won’t wake the baby.

It’s definitely the simplest and best app I’ve come across, plus it’s free!

From Jeffery N. on August 21, 2015 :: 5:32 pm

And I will second the White Noise HD Recommendation, it has worked well for several of my family members.

From Milana Cane on April 27, 2016 :: 3:15 am

This place is really great. I didn’t know somewhere to have a good view of white noise machine as well as where to buy but now I found it. Thanks for sharing great information. I really appreciate your hard work.

From Stephan on December 19, 2016 :: 12:06 pm

If you are a Mac user, Serenity is a really good one. It’s got some nice choice of sounds and takes up minimal CPU power. http://www.serenityapp.net

From Same Jydimir on July 02, 2017 :: 8:54 am

Always listen to music and noises while working and studying.
My favorite app is Sky Talks. It helps me be focused while listening to the air traffic broadcast. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.github.andreilisun.skytalks&hl=en

From Alice MacDonald on October 27, 2017 :: 5:06 pm

My favorite white noise app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.amikulich.whitenoise

From Goodie on January 07, 2018 :: 4:45 am

A recent favorite and bookmark site. Clean and simple to use, less cluttered than some others.

http://www.noiseclear.com

From Robert Jenkins on February 15, 2018 :: 7:05 am

I’ve found the Homedics white noise machine performs a little better than the Dohn, especially if you want to listen to it at high volume.

From Borche on June 01, 2018 :: 9:14 am

You can check out Jinglow too https://jinglow.com/
It has a library of calming sounds, including white noise, and guided meditations.

From Lacy on January 03, 2019 :: 5:39 pm

You can record and upload your own sounds using White Noise. I have used it for a few years.

From Bradbury R on February 11, 2019 :: 11:14 pm

I’ve tried a lot of background noises to help me fall asleep. The first night I fell into such a deep sleep using the noise generator by Mynoise.net that when my wife touched my hand in the AM telling me it was time to get up I had no idea who she was or what she was saying! I felt rested and had a terrific and productive day. And it hasn’t stopped, but now I recognize her…. I use my android phone to launch it. I also use other noises to stay awake while driving. There are an incredible number of noises available, every one customizable to your exact specs.

From Fireplace on March 07, 2019 :: 7:41 am

i like chroma doze, better than others

From LavaKK on September 01, 2019 :: 9:10 pm

My fav is Nature Soundloops, been trough a ton of them;

NS had no ads or purchases, really easy to use and does the timer thing as well

Had sleep issues before, hope this helps someone
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/nature-soundloops/id1472878914

From Lucas on October 23, 2019 :: 5:10 pm

It’s a simple white noise app, and if anyone has feedback of which sounds to add I’m all ears. The app was originally designed to help babies, but works for anyone! It’s called baby sleepytime and is currently on on IOS for iPhone and iPad. I hope you enjoy!!

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/baby-sleepytime/id1480001818

From spectrekitty on February 19, 2020 :: 6:51 pm

Man, I had one of these as a kid! It was the sixties, & I’d always pack it if I was going to someone’s house to spend the night. Got some really strange looks - some of my friends, or even their PARENTS, wouldn’t let me plug it in & use it!! I guess they thought it was going to do something nefarious to their innocent little darlings…

From Mark Bridges on September 15, 2021 :: 4:58 am

I’ve developed a white noise app that I think are pretty unique compared to what else is out there; such as customisable reverb and live rendered visualisations.

https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/my-white-noise/id1459538265