Brain.fm vs focus.music

Brain.fm

• People who find lyrics distracting while they work
• Timed work sprints with a built-in interval timer
• One subscription that also covers sleep and meditation audio

focus.music

• People who work best to instrumental music without vocals
• Former Focus@Will subscribers, whose access carries over
• Timed 25- or 50-minute work sessions with a soundtrack

Brain.fm

• There is no free plan; listening after the free trial requires a subscription.
• The pricing page does not state how long the trial lasts; the 14-day figure comes from the App Store listing.
• The yearly plan is charged as a single $99.99 payment; paying monthly costs $14.99 a month.
• The student discount and team pricing are arranged by contacting the company rather than at checkout.

focus.music

• There is no free plan: after the 7-day trial it costs $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year.
• It provides music and session timing only; the pages read describe no website or app blocking.
• focus.music takes the place of Focus@Will, which the vendor says has evolved into this product.
• The Mac app needs macOS 13 or later and the Windows app needs Windows 10 or later; no Linux app is listed.

Brain.fm

Modes for different activities

Focus covers Deep Work, Creativity, Learning, Light Work and Motivation. Separate modes handle relaxation, sleep, including power naps, and guided or unguided meditation.

Adjustable neural effect level

The intensity of the modulation in the music can be turned up or down. A short quiz at sign-up sets a starting level, and a high level is aimed at listeners with ADHD.

Built-in timers

A count-up timer tracks how long you have worked, a countdown timer ends a session, and an interval timer alternates work and breaks in the Pomodoro style.

Music made to stay in the background

Tracks have no lyrics or intrusive sounds and run extra long so that a work session is not broken up by song changes.

Offline listening on mobile

The App Store listing says music can be downloaded for offline use, including in airplane mode.

Desktop apps with menu bar control

Apps for macOS 12 or later and Windows 10 or later sit alongside the web player, with playback control from the Mac menu bar.

focus.music

Human-made focus music

Every track is composed and performed by professional musicians. There are no vocals and, the vendor says, no AI-generated audio.

Guided or free-flow modes

Guided mode recommends a focus environment based on your sessions. Free flow lets you browse and choose a channel yourself, and you can switch between the two at any time.

Timed sessions

Set a 25-minute, 50-minute or custom session, or run with no timer, and give the session the name of the task you are working on.

Recommendations that adapt

The system learns from the sessions you complete and adjusts what it suggests. The vendor describes this as machine learning trained on 16 years of listening data.

Channels and energy levels

A subscription includes every channel and energy level, so you can change the feel of the music when the kind of work changes.

Apps for desktop and mobile

One account works in the browser, in desktop apps for Mac and Windows, and in the iPhone, iPad and Android apps.

Brain.fm

• Yearly plan$99.99

  per year, billed annually

  Full access to the focus, relax, sleep and meditate modes on web, desktop and mobile. Starts with a free trial.

• Monthly plan$14.99

  per month, billed monthly

  The same access paid month to month, with cancellation at any time.

focus.music

• Monthly$4.99

  per month, billed monthly

  Every channel and energy level, guided and free-flow sessions, and one account across web, iOS and Android.

• Yearly$39.99

  per year ($3.33 / month)

  The same access billed once a year. Both plans unlock everything, and the vendor labels this one a 33% saving.

Brain.fm

• Annual discount

  Yearly plan costs less than paying monthly

  The yearly plan is $99.99 against $14.99 a month, which comes to $179.88 over twelve months. The pricing page marks the yearly plan with a 40% discount badge.

• Education

  20% discount for active students

  Students can email support from a .edu address, or send a copy of a student ID or other proof of enrollment, to receive 20% off.

• Other savings

  Special pricing for teams

  Brain.fm supports team accounts for companies and classrooms and asks teams to get in touch through a form for special pricing.

focus.music

• Annual discount

  Save 33% with yearly billing

  The pricing page lists Yearly at $39.99, equal to $3.33 a month, against $4.99 billed monthly, and labels it a 33% saving.