Brain.fm vs Somaphi

Brain.fm provides music for focus, sleep, relaxation, and meditation, with modes such as Deep Work, Creativity, Learning, Light Work, and Motivation. The company says its patented neural entrainment technology is designed to guide listeners toward a desired mental state, and that it reduces attention-grabbing elements so the music can remain in the background. Infinite, Timer, and Interval options track work and break periods. Brain.fm describes its music as designed for ADHD and offers a High Neural Effect mode. The maker says it evaluates music using attention tasks and placebo controls, as well as EEG and fMRI studies. The service works on the web, iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS. Desktop downloads list macOS 12+ and Windows 10+, and an internet connection is required. Monthly access costs $14.99 a month; yearly access costs $99.99 a year. Both plans include Focus, Sleep, Relaxation, and Meditation modes across web, mobile, and desktop. A 14-day trial and student plan are available; there is no free plan.

Somaphi is a generative audio app for meditation, sleep, calm, focus, and flow. Its native C++ engine creates sound on the device in real time rather than playing recordings or loops. Five modes—Sleep, Drift, Calm, Focus, and Flow—use their own frequency ranges, scales, reverb spaces, and ambient textures. Sessions include a breath guide with inhale settings of 3, 4, 5, 6, or 8 seconds. Users can improvise with a chromatic keyboard tuned to the active scale, choose among three sequencer patterns, or use Symphony mode for continuous phrase and chord decisions. The free plan includes five modes with no account or subscription. Studio Pro adds keys, scales, chord voicings, 432 Hz tuning, breathing patterns, recording, and audio export. It is listed at $12.99 a month, billed as a one-time purchase. Exports can be lossless WAV, AIFF, or M4A, and the maker says they require no license, royalties, or attribution for listed uses. The maker says the app works offline, does not track users, and renders audio locally. It is available on iOS; Mac compatibility requires macOS 12.0 or later and Apple M1 or later.