The best brown noise app for iPhone: 5 options compared
Brown noise is a deep, steady rumble, and plenty of iPhone apps play it. The real differences are price, ads, how much you can shape the sound and what else comes with it. Here are five options side by side, from the App Store listings.
Quick answer: For brown noise on iPhone, myNoise offers the most control (sliders on every soundscape, one-time purchase), White Noise Lite is free with ads, Dark Noise is a simple paid-upgrade mixer, iPhone's built-in Background Sounds has a free Dark Noise option, and our SleepBetter.ai pairs brown noise with other sounds and a sleep coach. Facts are as of October 30, 2026.
Key facts
- Disclosure: SleepBetter.ai makes SleepBetter.ai: Coach & Sounds, one of the apps compared
- Brown noise has more energy in low frequencies than white or pink noise, so it sounds deeper
- myNoise's listing says its White Noise & Co soundscape covers white, brown, green, grey and pink noise
- Prices are from the US App Store as of October 30, 2026 and change often
Disclosure: SleepBetter.ai makes SleepBetter.ai: Coach & Sounds, one of the apps on this page. To keep it fair, every fact about another app comes from that app's own US App Store listing or Apple's public lookup data, as of October 30, 2026, with a source link in each row and in the Sources list. We didn't score or rank the apps, we don't quote ratings, and prices change often, so check the listing before you buy.
On this page: Comparison table · What to look for · Who should pick which · How we chose
How do brown noise apps for iPhone compare?
Competitor facts are from each app's US App Store listing, Apple's lookup data or Apple Support, as of October 30, 2026. Where a listing shows several in-app prices, we give the range rather than guess which is monthly or yearly.
| App | Price (as of Oct 30, 2026) | Requires | Brown noise and controls, per the listing | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| myNoise - The Soundscape App | Free download; one-time purchases: Full Access $19.99, All You Can Hear $14.99 | iOS 16.4 or later | "White Noise & Co" covers white, brown, green, grey and pink noise, each soundscape with its own sliders; 350+ soundscapes; Creation Mode with up to 10 sliders; offline | listing, lookup |
| SleepBetter.ai: Coach & Sounds (ours) | Free to start. Premium is $4.99/month, or $29.99/year with a 7-day free trial | iOS 18 or later | 140+ sleep sounds incl. rain, white, pink and brown noise; mix up to 3 sounds plus a brainwave beat; sleep timer with fade; plays with the screen locked; guided sleep meditations; whispered affirmations; AI sleep coach | listing |
| White Noise Lite | Free, with advertising; full version without ads, White Noise is $0.99 | iOS 15.0 or later | Brown Noise plus white, pink, blue and violet noise among 50+ looped sounds; Mix Pad; fade timers and alarms | listing, lookup |
| Dark Noise: Ambient Sounds | Free download; Dark Noise Pro in-app purchases listed from $0.99 to $19.99, plus Lifetime $49.99 | iOS 26.0 or later | Subtitle "Green Brown Pink White Sleep"; 50+ sounds; custom mixes; fade-out timer; Siri Shortcuts and HomePod; widgets | listing, lookup |
| Background Sounds (built into iPhone) | Free, built in | iOS 15 or later; timer and EQ need iOS 26 | Balanced, Bright and Dark noise (Apple doesn't label any of them brown), plus ocean, rain and stream | Apple Support, sound list (MacRumors) |
What to look for in a brown noise app
Brown noise itself is simple: random noise with more energy in the low frequencies, so it sounds like a deep rumble rather than a hiss. Most apps can play it, so the differences are in everything around the sound:
- Can it play all night? For sleep you want a continuous loop with no gaps, and playback that keeps going with the screen locked.
- Can you shape it? Some people find plain brown noise too boomy. myNoise is the standout here: its listing says every soundscape has its own sliders, and a single soundscape covers white, brown, green, grey and pink noise. That's depth no other app on this list matches.
- Can you mix it? Brown noise under rain or a fan can sound more natural. White Noise Lite, Dark Noise and SleepBetter.ai all list mixing.
- Does it fade out? A timer that fades the sound, rather than cutting it, is less likely to wake you.
- What does it cost over a year? Compare one-time prices with subscriptions. White Noise Lite is free with ads, and its sibling without ads is $0.99.
Who should pick which
- You want the most control over the sound: myNoise. Sliders on every soundscape, 350+ soundscapes and one-time purchases.
- You want free and don't mind ads: White Noise Lite, or pay $0.99 for [White Noise], which has no advertising(https://apps.apple.com/us/app/white-noise/id289894882).
- You want nothing to install: try Dark Noise in iPhone's built-in Background Sounds.
- You want a minimal app you can start with Siri: Dark Noise, on iOS 26.
- You want brown noise plus a wind-down routine: SleepBetter.ai: Coach & Sounds, our app. Brown noise is one of 140+ sounds; you can layer it with up to two other sounds and a brainwave beat, each with its own volume, set a sleep timer that fades the whole mix, and keep it playing all night with the screen locked. An AI sleep coach adds a morning check-in and a wind-down checklist. Free to start; Premium is $4.99/month, or $29.99/year with a 7-day free trial. Where we're behind: we don't offer myNoise-style sliders, and White Noise Lite costs nothing.
Hear it before you choose: play brown noise for sleep free in your browser, compare it on the free sleep sounds player, or put on deep sleep brown noise for 8 hours. Our one-minute rain vs brown noise vs fan clip helps if you're torn. Use the free sleep calculator to pick a bedtime, or see all free sleep tools.
Get SleepBetter.ai on the App Store (free to start).
How we chose
We included iPhone apps whose App Store listing names brown noise, Apple's built-in Background Sounds, and our own app. For each we recorded the same facts from its US App Store listing, Apple's lookup data or Apple Support as of October 30, 2026: price, in-app purchases shown, minimum iOS and listed features. We didn't test, score or rank the apps, and we left out ratings and user counts. To understand the noise colors, read white vs pink vs brown noise; to keep the volume sensible, see how loud sleep sounds should be.
Questions
Is there a free brown noise app for iPhone?
Yes. White Noise Lite lists Brown Noise among its 50+ free sounds and shows ads, as of October 30, 2026. SleepBetter.ai, myNoise and Dark Noise are free to download with paid upgrades. You can also try brown noise free in your browser on our brown noise page before installing anything.
Is iPhone's Dark noise the same as brown noise?
Background Sounds offers Balanced Noise, Bright Noise and Dark Noise, but Apple doesn't call any of them brown noise, so we don't either. If you like a low rumble, Dark Noise is the one to try first; compare it by ear with a brown noise track.
Which brown noise app has no subscription?
As of October 30, 2026, myNoise sells one-time purchases (Full Access $19.99, All You Can Hear $14.99), White Noise Lite is free with ads, and TMSOFT's White Noise, without ads, is $0.99. Dark Noise lists a Lifetime option at $49.99 alongside other in-app purchases.
Does brown noise help you sleep?
Some people find a steady, low sound masks noises that would otherwise wake them, but research on brown noise specifically is limited. Keep the volume low and see what works for you over a few nights. Our guide to white, pink and brown noise covers what the studies say.
Sources
- App Store (US): myNoise - The Soundscape App, by myNoise BVBA. Listing, description and in-app purchases checked October 30, 2026.
- App Store (US): SleepBetter.ai: Coach & Sounds, by Daniel Gnecco (makes this site). Listing checked October 30, 2026.
- App Store (US): White Noise Lite, by TMSOFT. Listing and description checked October 30, 2026.
- App Store (US): White Noise (full version), by TMSOFT. Price checked October 30, 2026.
- App Store (US): Dark Noise: Ambient Sounds, by Dark Noise LLC. Listing, subtitle and in-app purchases checked October 30, 2026.
- Apple Support: Use Background Sounds to help with sleep, focus, and more. Checked October 30, 2026.
- MacRumors: Play Ambient Background Sounds on iPhone (lists Balanced Noise, Bright Noise, Dark Noise, Ocean, Rain and Stream). Checked October 30, 2026.
- Apple iTunes Search API lookup (download price, minimum iOS, current version and date) for every app on this page, queried October 30, 2026.
This page is general information about sound and sleep habits, not medical advice. If poor sleep is affecting your days, talk to a doctor or a sleep specialist.