Best Sleep and Meditation Apps for Ios and Android – 2023 Update

by Bob Ozmentsleep gadgets, sleep wellness, sound and sleep

We have been working on gathering enough data to make a solid list of best sleep and relaxation apps that would go beyond popularity and user reviews for the past six months.

The results you’re about to see take into account our own testing of the apps (our featured testers to be more precise). You’ll see our top 5 picks of sleep and relaxation apps that are available for both iOS and Android.

woman relaxing and listening to sleep app sounds

This top 10 list is updated quarterly basis to make sure we stay on top of things and keep our picks relevant to what’s currently out there. So without further ado, let’s look at our choices and what earned them a place on the list.

Contents - click to expand

Calm

We’ll kick things off strong by presenting an app that’s been awarded Apple’s 2017 “app of the year” award – Calm.

Currently ranked at number five in the app store (health and fitness category), come is not just a sleep app. It stands out from the crowd by offering much more than soothing sounds to help you sleep, but a chance to learn meditation skills.

It’s not an app that you would turn on only is the day comes to a close, but can be used for breathing exercises throughout the day.

Current ratings on iTunes

Current ratings on Google Play

For meditation

In terms of meditation, and are probably better ups out there, but they are meant to be used by people who already have some experience in the field, while Calm is a solid choice for those starting out there meditation journey.

The app offers sessions of guided meditation that can last anywhere between 3 and 25 minutes.

Stories

It might sound childish, but sleep stories for adults are scientifically proven to work, especially for those suffering from chronic insomnia. Calm includes over 60 of these.

Natural sounds

With over 30 so the natural sounds to help you drift off, Calm stands tall even when compared to dedicated sound apps.

Details

Pricing: subscriptions ranging from the $9.99 to $59.99
Size: 151.1 MB
Requirements for iOS: iOS 9.0 or later
Requirements for Android: 4.1 and up

Sleep as Android

With over 240,000 reviews on Google play store, sleep as android the most popular sleep and relaxation up we found.

It might not be as advanced as calm, but since it comes from the orb an untreated team the compatibility with android devices is unparalleled.

Let us look at some of the features that make Sleep as Android the nifty app that it is.

Current ratings on Google Play

sleep as android screenshots of app features

Special features:

tracking of sleep cycles
smart wake up
light bulb (Phillips Hue)
sleep statistics (deficit, snoring and time spent in deep sleep)
captcha wake up verification to prevent oversleeping
pre-screening for sleep apnea

Range of sounds & details

Natural (sea, storm, gentle rain…)
Binaural sounds
Requirements: variable by device

Sleep Sounds by Relaxio

When we set the Calm app can be compared to the best sound dedicated apps, this relax you app (and a few others) is what we had in mind.

It’s beautiful in its simplicity and is calming sounds are your primary reason for getting an app, Sleep Sounds will likely meet and exceed your expectations.

Current ratings on Google Play

Natural sounds

The list of natural sounds ranges from a variety of rain types (refreshing regular, drops on the windshield, forest and rainforest) to evening beach or autumn woods.

Urban sounds and updates

On the other hand, those who prefer urban sounds might find the train soothing. Latest updates include instrumental music and notification control. The HD sound paired with a good pair of noise-cancelling headphones is probably the highest sound quality among the listed apps.

sleep sounds app modes screenshots collage

Details

All the sounds are HD and app doesn’t require an Internet connection to work.
Requirements for Android: 4.0.3 and up

Relax Melodies

Relax melodies by Ipnos software is another sleep and relaxation app that owes its popularity (35 million downloads) to the quality and range of sounds available.

What stands out about this app in particular is the option to create a mix of sounds included and create one that works best for you. It allows you to choose the sounds you want included in your mix and control the volume of each.

Current ratings on iTunes

Current ratings on Google Play

The community feature

You can then save your mixes to the sound library and choose one for different purposes (from relaxation and meditation to naps and sleep).

Over the last year the app grew in popularity, primarily because of the melodies sharing feature. This means that you can create your mix of melodies and share it with the community.

Details

Size for android: variable by device
Size for iOS: 116.9 MB

Relax Melodies

If you’re looking for an app that will reliably track your sleep and pinpoint any problems or this balance between your sleep phases you’ll probably find this app to be as reliable as dedicated sleep trackers.

Not only does it allow you to track your progress in sleep quality on your phone, but you can also upload the data Apple Health to make long-term analysis easier.

Current ratings on iTunes

Current ratings on Google Play

Interface & design

The interface is intuitive and easy to use and the reliability comes from the fact that it utilizes movement tracking to reach conclusions about your sleep. It’s the same kind of technology used by sleep trackers.

For some people, the downside of movements-based sleep tracking can be the fact that your phone has to be placed on your mattress for the app to work.

The slick minimal design of the interface and included alarm clock deserves full five stars.

Details

Size for iOS: 79.7 MB
Size for Android: variable by device
Requirements for iOS: 9.0 and up
Requirements for Android: 4.1 and up

Updates to this guide

With new sleep and relaxation apps sheet in the marketplace practically every day, we are bending our rules on updates (for most sleep-related products we update the reviews and top picks annually) and go with quarterly updates.

It goes without saying that choosing an app that will be helpful for your specific circumstances includes a range of factors. The good news here is that even the apps with a hefty price tag usually include a trial period that should give you a chance to determine which of these works for you.