Brain.fm vs Rize
We give Brain.fm a 2.6 GPA and Rize a 2.8, out of 4.0. Rize grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Brain.fm
Functional music for focus, relaxation, sleep and meditation
Rize
Automatic time tracker with focus tools and AI reports
How we grade them
| 2.6GPABrain.fmGood | 2.8GPARizeGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$99.99 a year, or $14.99 if you pay monthly. That's at the dear end for a focus tool, and what it buys is one thing: its own music. Students can ask for 20% off. | CBasic is $9.99 a month billed annually, or $12.99 monthly, which is more than most time trackers start at. Client reports, the API and Zapier need Pro at $23.99. Teams pay $29.99 a seat with a 2-seat minimum. |
| Free plan and trial | DNo free plan. The free trial comes as the start of the yearly plan, which is then charged as a single $99.99 payment. The pricing page doesn't say how long the trial runs; the App Store listing says 14 days. | CNo free plan. The 7-day trial has every feature and needs no credit card, but a week isn't long to judge a tracker. After that, it's $9.99 a month or nothing. |
| Features | AModes for focus, relaxing, sleep and meditation, with five kinds of focus alone. You can turn the effect up or down, run a Pomodoro-style timer inside it, and download music to your phone for a flight. | AAutomatic tracking with AI sorting by category, client and project, for billable hours and timesheets. Focus detection, distraction blocking, focus music and break reminders. A chat agent you can ask about your time, and profitability views for teams. That's a lot in one app. |
| Ease of use | B4.5 from about 5,500 App Store ratings, a shade under where our A starts. A short quiz at sign-up sets your starting level, then you press play. | BWe have no App Store rating on record, so a B is as high as we go. It runs in the background with no timers and no manual entry, and the AI does the sorting for you. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android, so every device is covered. It doesn't connect to anything else, though, and no API is listed. | BMac, Windows and a browser extension, with links to Linear, ClickUp, Asana, Slack, Zoom and your calendar. The API, webhooks and Zapier start on Pro. Linux is listed as coming soon, and a mobile app appears only under Enterprise. |
| Best for | focus music with no lyrics to pull you away | automatic tracking with focus tools built in |
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: Brain.fm and Rize. How we grade
Where they differ
- Brain.fm starts at $99.99 / year, billed annually. Rize starts at $9.99 / month, billed annually.
- Only Brain.fm lists a web app.
- Only Brain.fm lists iOS and Android apps.
- Only Rize lists a browser extension.
- Brain.fm also covers Pomodoro timer.
- Rize also covers site & app blocker and time tracking.
At a glance
| Brain.fm | Rize | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $99.99 / year, billed annually | $9.99 / month, billed annually |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | Free trial with full access; 14 days according to the App Store listing | 7-day free trial with full feature access, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Brain.FM, Inc. | Rize Inc. |
| Price read from | brain.fm | rize.io |
| Checked | Oct 4, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
Rize
- Freelancers and agencies that bill by the hour and dislike manual timers
- Individuals who want to see where their time at the computer goes
- Teams that want client and project visibility without screenshots
Worth knowing
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.
Rize
- There is no free plan; after the 7-day trial, plans start at $9.99 a month billed annually.
- The tracker is available for macOS 10.14.6 or later and Windows 10 or later; the pricing page says Linux support is coming soon.
- Team plans carry a 2-seat minimum at $29.99 per seat a month billed annually.
- API, webhook, Zapier and MCP access start on Pro, and a mobile app is listed only under Enterprise.
Key features
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.
Rize
- Automatic time tracking
- Captures time across apps and websites in the background, with no timers or manual entry, and uses AI to categorize and tag it.
- Client and project time
- Sorts tracked time by client and project for billable hours, timesheets and invoices. Client and scheduled reports in PDF or CSV start on Pro.
- Focus tools
- Focus detection, distraction blocking, focus music and break reminders sit alongside the tracker, with AI insights on productivity and focus.
- Rize Agent and AI reports
- Ask questions about your time, projects and clients in chat, and run reports on demand or on a schedule. Each plan includes a monthly AI credit allowance.
- Team visibility and profitability
- Team plans give managers dashboards by client and project. Profitability views show revenue, cost and margin by client, project and member.
- API, webhooks and MCP
- From Pro, time data can be reached through the Rize API, webhooks, Zapier and an MCP server for AI assistants such as Claude and ChatGPT.
Plans
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.
Rize
Basic$9.99
per month, billed annually ($12.99 billed monthly)
Automatic app and website tracking, AI categorization, AI chat, focus music and smart breaks, personal reports, exports and 500 AI credits a month.
Pro$23.99
per month, billed annually ($28.99 billed monthly)
Adds client and scheduled reports, AI automations and agents, MCP server access, API, webhooks and Zapier, and 1,000 AI credits a month.
Max$39.99
per month, billed annually ($49.99 billed monthly)
Everything in Pro with 3,000 AI credits a month and priority support.
Team$29.99
per seat / month, billed annually ($39.99 monthly)
Manager dashboards with per-client and per-project time breakdowns. 2-seat minimum.
EnterpriseCustom
Everything in Max plus a mobile app, SOC 2 compliance, SSO and SCIM provisioning, custom contracts and a dedicated account manager.
Ways to pay less
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.
Rize
- Annual discount
Save up to 25% with annual billing
Rize's pricing FAQ says annual billing saves up to 25% on Team plans and up to 23% on individual plans. The Basic card shows a saving of $36 a year.
