A Soft Murmur vs Rainy Mood (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, A Soft Murmur and Rainy Mood share a 3.0 GPA, both have a free plan and their prices can't be set side by side, so the choice depends on which platforms you need.
Checked Oct 9, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on all five counts.
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
Rainy Mood
Rain sounds for studying, sleeping and relaxing
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 Rainy Mood if
- Fits if you want one rain sound and no sign-up
- Makes sense if you want to pay $4.99 once and not subscribe
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you use Android, Mac or Windows apps, as only the web page and an iOS app exist
- Too light for focus work beyond sound: no timer or tasks outside a sleep timer
- Watch out: the iOS app needs a recent iOS version, listed as iOS 26.1 or later
- Watch out: the free web version plays one rain recording; the scenes and mixer cost $4.99
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAA Soft MurmurVery good | 3.0GPARainy MoodVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | A$4.99 once for the iOS app, with no subscription, which is under a year of the $3.99 monthly middle for focus apps. The web version costs nothing. |
| 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. | BThe web player is free for good with no account, and one person could live on it. The scenes, mixer and sleep timer sit in the paid app. |
| 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. | CIt plays rain and does that fully: four scenes in the app, a mixer, a sleep timer and a randomiser so the loop is hard to spot. It is the narrowest kind of focus tool, with no timer or tasks. |
| 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 page and the rain starts. |
| 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. | BWeb plus iPhone and iPad, so it spans a computer and a phone. No Android app and no integrations. |
| Best for | background noise in a browser tab | a free rain sound in a browser tab |
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 Rainy Mood. How we grade
Where they differ
- Rainy Mood can be bought with a one-time purchase.
At a glance
| A Soft Murmur | Rainy Mood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | $4.99 one-time, iOS app |
| 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. | The web version at rainymood.com is free to use. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Sleepy Rabbit LLC | Plain Theory |
| Price read from | asoftmurmur.com | apps.apple.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.
Rainy Mood
- No Android, Mac or Windows app is listed; the App Store entry says it is designed for iPad and not verified for macOS.
- It plays rain only, with no timer or task features beyond a sleep timer in the iOS app.
- The iOS app needs a recent iOS version (the listing says iOS 26.1 or later).
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.
Rainy Mood
- Free web player
- Open the site and rain starts playing in the browser, with no account.
- Four rain scenes in the app
- The iOS app has Classic, Ocean, Countryside and Cafe scenes that can each be adjusted.
- Sound mixer and sleep timer
- The app lists a sound mixer and a sleep timer, and it can play alongside your music apps.
- Large sample library
- The App Store listing cites 400+ thunder claps, cricket chirps, ocean waves and effects, with a randomizer so the sound does not loop obviously.
- Mixes with YouTube videos
- The site lists mixes of songs over rain, and says swapping youtube.com for rainymood.com in a video link makes your own mix.
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.
Rainy Mood
Web$0
Free rain sounds in the browser.
iOS app$4.99
one-time, no subscription
Four customizable rain scenes (Classic, Ocean, Countryside, Cafe), sound mixer, sleep timer and free lifetime updates.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, A Soft Murmur or Rainy Mood?
As of Nov 12, 2026, A Soft Murmur starts at $14.99 / year (Pro, bought on the web); iOS sound packs are $1.99 to $3.99 each, and Rainy Mood starts at $4.99 one-time, iOS app.
Which has a free plan, A Soft Murmur or Rainy Mood?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both A Soft Murmur and Rainy Mood have a free plan.
Which platforms do A Soft Murmur and Rainy Mood run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only A Soft Murmur lists an Android app. Both list a web app and an iOS 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.