Dark Noise vs Noizio

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

Noizio

• People who want ambient sound without a subscription or account
• Masking office or street noise while working or studying
• Falling asleep to rain or waves with a fade-out timer

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.

Noizio

• Each platform is bought separately: $2.99 on iPhone and iPad, $9.99 on Mac and a $4.99 unlock on Android, at US store prices.
• No Windows app yet: the site says Noizio for Windows is on the way and takes email addresses for a launch notice.
• Noizio Lite for Mac and the free Android app each include 5 sounds; the rest of the library needs the paid version or the web mixer.
• The Pomodoro timer and alarm are listed for the Mac apps only; the iPhone and Android listings describe a sleep timer.

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.

Noizio

Sound mixer

More than 40 looping sounds, from October Rain and Sea Waves to Paris Cafe, white, pink and brown noise and brainwave tones. Several can play at once, each with its own volume slider.

Saved mixtures

Save a combination as a mixture and load it again later. The iPhone app can share a mixture with a friend or import theirs, and Mac mixtures sync through your own iCloud account.

Sleep timer, Pomodoro and alarm

A sleep timer fades the sound out and stops it. The Mac apps add a Pomodoro timer, with sessions of up to 180 minutes, an auto-pause timer and an alarm.

Free web mixer

Noizio Play mixes more than 40 of the sounds in a browser tab, free and without a download or an account.

Offline and background playback

The apps play their sounds without an internet connection and keep going behind other apps. On phones, playback continues with the screen locked and shows lock screen controls.

Noizio Lite for Mac

A free edition that lives in the Mac menu bar with five sounds, saved combinations, a Pomodoro timer, a sleep timer and a choice of output device.

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.

Noizio

• Web mixer$0

  Noizio Play mixes more than 40 sounds in the browser with no download or sign-up.

• Noizio Lite (Mac)$0

  Menu bar app with 5 sounds: rain, thunderstorm, sea waves, campfire and a sunny day. Includes saved mixes, a Pomodoro timer and a sleep timer.

• Noizio for iPhone and iPad$2.99

  one-time purchase, US App Store

  41 sounds, saved and shareable mixtures and a sleep timer. The listing says no subscription, ads, account or internet connection is needed.

• Noizio for Android$4.99

  one-time in-app purchase, Google Play (US)

  Free to install with 5 sounds; a single purchase unlocks all 40+ sounds for good, with no subscription or ads.

• Noizio for Mac$9.99

  one-time purchase, Mac App Store (US)

  40+ sounds, saved mixtures synced through iCloud, a timer, a Pomodoro timer and an alarm. The privacy policy says it is also in Setapp.

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.

Noizio

No public discounts listed.