Noisli vs Tide

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

Tide

• People who work or study to rain, ocean and other nature sounds
• Anyone who wants a focus timer, sleep sounds and meditation in one app
• iPhone and Apple Watch users who want sessions synced to Apple Health

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.

Tide

• Tide publishes no prices on its website; the figures here come from its US App Store listing.
• The App Store also lists Tide Membership purchases at $1.99, $4.99 and $15.99 and a $9.99 monthly Plus item without explaining them.
• Neither the site nor the store listing itemizes which sounds and features are free and which need Tide Plus.
• No Windows or web version is listed, and the Chrome extension the site links to no longer has a Chrome Web Store page.

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.

Tide

Focus timer

A Pomodoro-style timer that plays nature sounds while it runs. Timer lengths can be customized, and an immersive mode is meant to keep you off your phone.

Nature soundscapes

A library of recorded scenes such as rain, ocean and thunder, filed under Nature, Urban, Melody and other categories. A music fusion mode mixes your own music with the sounds.

Sleep and nap modes

Sleep sounds for the night and a nap mode for daytime, with light wake-up alarms and a sleep analysis report.

Guided meditation

Mindfulness courses such as Breathing and Body Scan, plus single sessions on topics like falling asleep and study pressure.

Breathing guide

Paced breathing exercises, including balanced breathing and the 4-7-8 pattern.

Tide Diary and Apple Health sync

A report of your sessions with shareable cards. The iOS app syncs data to Apple Health through HealthKit and supports Siri Shortcuts.

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.

Tide

• Free$0

  Free download with part of the sound library. The listing does not say exactly where the free version stops.

• Tide Plus (Monthly)$11.99

  per month, US App Store in-app purchase

  Auto-renewing subscription, one of two options named in the listing. The listing does not itemize what Plus unlocks.

• Tide Plus (Annual)$59.99

  per year, US App Store in-app purchase

  The same subscription billed yearly. The in-app purchase list also shows an annual Tide Plus item at $54.99.

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.

Tide

• Annual discount

  Annual Tide Plus costs about 58% less than monthly

  The US App Store listing gives Tide Plus as $11.99 per month or $59.99 per year, so a year paid annually costs about 58% less than twelve monthly payments.