Dark Noise vs Noisli

Dark Noise

• Falling asleep or masking noise with a simple sound app
• Apple users who start sounds from widgets, Siri or Shortcuts
• People who prefer a one-time purchase to a subscription

Noisli

• Masking office, traffic or household noise while working
• People who prefer mixing their own ambient sound to playing music
• Writers who want background sound, a timer and an editor in one tab

Dark Noise

• Apple platforms only: iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Vision. No Android, Windows or web version is listed.
• The free tier has 8 sounds; the rest of the library, custom mixes, alternate icons and premium themes need Dark Noise Pro.
• The App Store listing requires iOS 26, iPadOS 26 or macOS 26 or later.
• Custom mixes cannot be shared natively; the help center suggests sending a screenshot for others to copy.

Noisli

• The Free plan limits streaming to 1.5 hours a day and includes 16 of the 28 sounds.
• Oscillation, Shuffle, the advanced Timer and the advanced Text Editor need Pro or Business.
• Noisli says plan features are intended for desktop browsers on Mac or Windows; the iPhone and iPad app is a separate $1.99 purchase.
• The site also names an Android app and a Chrome extension, but its Google Play link returned Not Found and its Chrome Web Store link showed the item as not available.

Dark Noise

Sound library

More than 50 ambient sounds, each with an animated icon, including stereo remasters of Rain, Thunderstorm, Beach and Airplane Interior and a Green Noise sound. Eight sounds are free.

Custom mixes

Dark Noise Pro lets you combine sounds into a named mix, with a volume slider for each sound and a custom icon. Mixes cannot yet be shared with other people from inside the app.

Magic Mix

Describe a soundscape, such as a stormy beach, and Apple Intelligence builds a custom mix from the prompt. It arrived on iOS in version 3.5 and on the Mac in 3.6.

Fade-out timer

A timer fades the sound out at a set time of day or after a set duration, and a Long Fade option stretches the fade over a period you choose.

Widgets, Siri and Shortcuts

Interactive Home Screen, Lock Screen and Control Center widgets start and stop sounds without opening the app, and Siri or a Shortcut can play a sound by name.

Offline playback and AirPlay

Every sound is stored on the device and plays without an internet connection. AirPlay is supported, and Siri Shortcuts can start a sound on a HomePod.

Noisli

Sound mixer

28 background sounds, each with its own volume control, can be layered into a mix that Noisli calls a Combo. The Free plan includes 16 of them.

Curated Playlists

Playlists group suggested Combos for situations such as focus, study, writing and sleep. Free accounts get 3 Playlists and paid plans 10.

Favorites

Save your own Combos to replay later and share them with other people. The Free plan stores up to 5 and paid plans up to 10.

Session Timer

Set the length of work sessions and breaks, with optional auto-start and a daily count of finished sessions. Sounds stop when the time is up.

Text Editor

A minimal writing space with Markdown formatting and a word counter. Text is saved to the account and can be downloaded or sent to Dropbox or Google Drive.

Oscillation and Shuffle

On paid plans, Oscillation slowly varies the volume of sounds within a Combo, and Shuffle moves between Combos at a frequency you set.

Dark Noise

• Free$0

  Eight sounds with infinite looping, the fade-out timer, and Siri and Shortcuts integration.

• Dark Noise Pro (monthly)$2.99

  per month, US App Store in-app purchase

  Unlocks more than 50 sounds, custom mixes, alternate app icons and premium themes. The app is universal across iPhone, iPad and Mac.

• Dark Noise Pro (yearly)$19.99

  per year, after a 7-day free trial

  The same Pro features billed yearly. The App Store shows amounts without periods; the billing basis is from the vendor's release posts.

• Dark Noise Pro Lifetime$49.99

  one-time purchase

  Pro unlocked with a single payment in place of a subscription.

Noisli

• Free$0

  1 user, 16 sounds, 1.5 hours of streaming a day, 3 curated Playlists, up to 5 Favorites, simple Timer and Text Editor.

• iOS app$1.99

  one-time purchase, US App Store

  The iPhone and iPad app, bought separately from the web plans: offline sounds, saved Combos and a timer with fade-out.

• Pro$10

  per month, billed yearly ($120)

  1 user, 28 sounds, unlimited streaming, 10 Playlists, advanced Timer and Text Editor, Oscillation and Shuffle. $12 if billed monthly.

• Business$24

  per month for 2 users, billed yearly

  Pro features plus team management and centralised billing. The page's plan data prices it at $144 per user a year, or $14 per user monthly.

Dark Noise

• Annual discount

  Yearly Pro costs about 44% less than monthly

  The vendor prices Dark Noise Pro at $19.99 a year against $2.99 a month, which comes to $35.88 over twelve months.

• Lifetime license

  Dark Noise Pro Lifetime for a one-time payment

  The US App Store lists a Dark Noise Pro Lifetime in-app purchase at $49.99, which the vendor describes as a one-time purchase.

Noisli

• Annual discount

  Yearly Pro billing costs about 17% less

  The pricing page's plan data lists Pro at $120 billed yearly against $12 billed monthly, which comes to $144 over twelve months.

• Education

  Discount for students and teachers

  Noisli offers students, teachers and educational institutions a special discount on its yearly plan. The page does not state the amount.