A Soft Murmur vs Coffitivity (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, A Soft Murmur grades higher than Coffitivity: 3.0 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 9, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
A Soft Murmur grades higher on value for money, the free plan and platforms. They get the same grade on features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
A Soft Murmur
Ambient sound mixer for the browser, iPhone and Android
Coffitivity
Cafe and ambient background sounds for writing and study
Which one is for you
Pick A Soft Murmur if
- Fits if you want rain or coffee-shop noise in a browser tab without paying
- Works for falling asleep to waves, since a timer can fade the sound out
Look elsewhere if
- Too light for people who want a big library, as it tops out at 25 sounds on the web
- Tight if you listen on your phone, where only four sounds are free and the rest are paid packs
- Not for you if you want a Mac or Windows app, because there isn't one
- Watch out: neither phone app has been updated since 2023, going by the App Store and Google Play
- Watch out: the site says Pro sounds work on web and Android only, while the iOS notes say Pro accounts get them
Pick Coffitivity if
- Fits if a cafe hum helps you write and an hour a day is enough
- Works for people who would rather pay $239.99 once than subscribe
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you listen all day, because the free plan stops at 1 hour
- Pricey if you want the whole library: Plus unlocks unlimited time but only some of the tracks
- Skip it if you want an app, as it is a browser page only
- Watch out: the monthly-billing prices were not readable on the pricing page, only the yearly ones
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAA Soft MurmurVery good | 2.2GPACoffitivityFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | APro is $14.99 a year, which works out at $1.25 a month where the cheapest quarter of focus tools starts at $2.99 and the middle is $3.99. Most people won't even reach for it, since the free web mixer does the job. On iPhone the extra sounds come as packs at $1.99 to $3.99. | CPlus is $2.99 a month billed yearly and Premium $3.99, where the middle for focus apps is $3.99. Plus keeps the track list limited, and Lifetime Premium is $239.99, well past the $10 middle for one-time prices. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe website is free with ten sounds, the mixer, Meander, timers and saved mixes, which one person could use for years. The wall is the other 15 sounds, and the phone apps, which hand over only four before you pay. | CA free plan with 1 hour of streaming a day and limited tracks, which you will hit within a working afternoon. Paid plans carry a 7-day trial with a full refund if you cancel during it. |
| Features | CIt does its one thing completely: a slider per sound, up to ten playing at once, Meander to keep the mix drifting, timers that fade out and mixes you can save and share. That one thing is a small job, though, and the library stops at 25 sounds with Pro. | CCafe tracks, soundscapes, sound colors and brain waves. It plays sound and nothing more: no timer, no tasks. The full library needs Premium. |
| Ease of use | BNo store rating on record, but there's nothing to set up at all: open the page, drag a slider, you're listening. No account, no install, no settings to learn. | BNo store rating on record. Open the site and press play, with nothing to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | BAny browser, plus iPhone, iPad and Android apps that play their sounds offline. No desktop app, nothing it connects to and no API, and both phone apps were last updated back in 2023. | CWeb only. No phone or desktop app was found, and nothing connects to anything else. |
| Best for | background noise in a browser tab | cafe background noise while you write |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: A Soft Murmur and Coffitivity. How we grade
Price against what you get
A Soft Murmur starts at $1.25 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Coffitivity starts at $2.99 a month and scores 2.3.
A Soft Murmur scores higher and starts $1.74 a month lower. Of the other focus apps on the chart, 1 scores higher than A Soft Murmur for less, and 20 score higher than Coffitivity for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Coffitivity can be bought with a one-time purchase.
At a glance
| A Soft Murmur | Coffitivity | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $14.99 / year (Pro, bought on the web); iOS sound packs are $1.99 to $3.99 each | $2.99 per month, billed yearly ($35.99) |
| Free plan | Free on the web: 10 sounds with the mixer, Meander, timers and saved mixes. The iPhone and Android apps include 4 sounds free: rain, thunder, waves and wind. | 1 hour of streaming per day and limited track access. |
| Free trial | None listed | 7-day free trial on every subscription plan, cancel during it for a full refund |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Sleepy Rabbit LLC | Coffitivity |
| Price read from | asoftmurmur.com | coffitivity.com |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
A Soft Murmur
- The free web app has 10 sounds; the other 15 in its list need Pro at $14.99 a year.
- The mobile apps include four sounds free, and the rest are in-app purchases.
- The site's upgrade screen says Pro's extra sounds work on the web and Android only; the iOS release notes say Pro accounts get its added sounds, and others buy packs.
- There is no desktop app. The App Store's latest version is dated 10/13/2023 and Google Play shows the Android app as updated on Aug 23, 2023.
Coffitivity
- The free plan caps streaming at 1 hour per day and offers a limited track set.
- Plus removes the daily cap but keeps the limited tracks; the full library needs Premium.
- Only the yearly prices were readable: the pricing page has a Monthly toggle whose figures were not captured, and the page says yearly saves 40%.
- No mobile or desktop app was found; it is used in the browser.
Key features
A Soft Murmur
- Sound mixer
- Each sound has its own volume slider. The free web app carries rain, thunder, waves, wind, fire, birds, crickets, a coffee shop, a singing bowl and white noise, and up to 10 sounds can be active at once.
- Meander
- With Meander switched on, the volume of every active sound drifts up and down at random, so the mix keeps changing instead of looping at fixed levels.
- Timers
- A timer can stop the sounds after a set period, start them after a delay, or fade them out gradually, which the site suggests for falling asleep.
- Saved and shared mixes
- Mixes can be named, saved and switched between. A mix can be shared as a link, and the web app has share buttons for Facebook, Twitter, Reddit and Tumblr.
- Extra sounds with Pro
- The web app lists 15 Pro sounds, among them brown and pink noise, two fan speeds, air conditioning, a city, a stream, a waterfall, three more rain recordings, cicadas and frogs.
- Offline mobile apps
- The iPhone, iPad and Android apps store their sounds on the device, play without a connection and keep running in the background alongside music or podcasts.
Coffitivity
- Cafe ambience
- Free tracks such as Morning Murmur, Lunchtime Lounge and University Undertones are named on the homepage.
- Soundscapes, sound colors and brain waves
- Premium unlocks all soundscapes, sound colors and brain-wave tracks, beyond the cafe recordings.
- Free daily allowance
- The free plan allows 1 hour of streaming per day, without an account purchase.
- Use-case pages
- The site has pages aimed at writers, students, remote workers, developers and teachers.
Plans
A Soft Murmur
Free$0
Ten sounds on the website with the mixer, Meander, timers and saved mixes; four sounds in the iPhone and Android apps.
iOS sound packs$1.99 to $3.99
per pack, US App Store in-app purchase
Unlock all default sounds is $3.99, described as a one-off purchase, and adds the six sounds beyond the free four. Six themed packs cost $1.99 to $3.99 each.
Android in-app purchases$2.49 to $14.99
per item on Google Play (US); the basis is not shown
The listing says a single in-app purchase unlocks six of the app's ten sounds, and shows only a price range for its in-app items.
A Soft Murmur Pro$14.99
per year, or local currency equivalent
A yearly license bought on the website through Paddle: the 15 extra sounds in the web app's list, plus any web sounds released later.
Coffitivity
Free$0
per month
1 hour of streaming a day and a limited set of tracks.
Plus$2.99
per month, billed yearly ($35.99)
Unlimited daily streaming, but still a limited set of tracks.
Premium$3.99
per month, billed yearly ($47.99)
Unlimited streaming plus all cafe tracks, soundscapes, sound colors and brain waves.
Lifetime Premium$239.99
one-time
Everything in Premium with a single payment and no recurring charges.
Ways to pay less
A Soft Murmur
No public discounts listed.
Coffitivity
- Annual discount
Yearly billing saves 40%
Coffitivity's pricing page marks yearly billing as a 40% saving over monthly.
- Lifetime license
Lifetime Premium
A one-time payment of $239.99 gives Premium access with no recurring charges.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, A Soft Murmur or Coffitivity?
As of Nov 12, 2026, A Soft Murmur is cheaper to start with: $1.25 a month when paid by the year, against $2.99 a month for Coffitivity. A Soft Murmur starts at $14.99 / year (Pro, bought on the web); iOS sound packs are $1.99 to $3.99 each, and Coffitivity starts at $2.99 per month, billed yearly ($35.99).
Which has a free plan, A Soft Murmur or Coffitivity?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both A Soft Murmur and Coffitivity have a free plan.
Which platforms do A Soft Murmur and Coffitivity run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only A Soft Murmur lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.