Free white noise, pink noise and brown noise for sleep or focus

You can play white, pink or brown noise for free, with no daily time limit, in Still. It makes the sound on your own device, works offline, and has a sleep timer that fades out. In short: white noise is a bright hiss, pink noise is softer, like steady rain, and brown noise is a deep rumble that many people find the easiest to sleep to.

White, pink and brown noise, in plain words

Think of any sound as a mix of pitches, from low rumbles to high hisses. The "colors" of noise just describe how much of each pitch is in the mix.

White noise has every pitch at the same strength. To our ears that sounds bright and hissy, like radio static or air escaping from a tire. It is very good at covering other sounds, and some people find it harsh at higher volumes.

Pink noise turns the high pitches down. The result sounds more even and softer, closer to steady rain or wind in the trees. If white noise feels sharp to you, try pink.

Brown noise turns the high pitches down even more, so most of what you hear is low. It sounds like a deep rumble: a waterfall in the distance, or the hum inside an airplane. The name comes from Brownian motion, named after the scientist Robert Brown, not from the color.

None of them is better than the others. It comes down to taste, and the only way to find yours is to listen to each for a few minutes.

Which one for sleep, and which for focus

For sleep, steady sound helps in a simple way: it covers sudden noises. A door, a car outside or a snoring partner is less jarring when it rises out of a steady background instead of silence. Many people settle on pink or brown noise for the night because they are gentler than white. Give each one a few nights before you decide.

Keep the volume low. The right level is the quietest one that covers the noise you want to cover, not louder.

Steady sound helps many people relax and drift off. It is not a treatment for insomnia or any other condition, and Still is not therapy or medical care. If you sleep badly most nights, talk to a doctor.

For focus, brown noise is popular with people who work in noisy places or find silence distracting. Rain is another favorite. Open a mix in one tab and your work in another, whether that is studying for an exam or finishing your resume. For more free tools for school, see free apps for students.

Rain, fan and other sounds

Noise colors are steady. Nature sounds have more texture, and some people find that easier to listen to.

Rain sounds a lot like pink noise with drops in it. It is one of the most popular sleep sounds for a reason.
Ocean waves rise and fall. Some people find the rhythm calming, and others notice every wave.
Wind and fire add movement and a soft crackle.

Many people sleep with a fan on for the hum, even in winter. A fan's hum sits close to brown or pink noise, so if you miss your fan, brown noise is a good place to start.

You can also layer sounds. Rain over a little brown noise is a common mix: the rain gives your mind something to follow, and the noise fills the gaps between drops.

Sleep timers that fade out

If the sound stops all at once, the sudden silence can wake you. A sleep timer that fades out lowers the volume slowly over the last stretch, so the room goes quiet without a jolt.

Still's sleep timer works this way. If you would rather keep the sound on until morning, skip the timer and let it play all night.

On Android phones and computers, the sound keeps playing when the screen is off, with controls on your lock screen. On iPhone, Safari may stop sound when the screen locks; for the night, Still's Dim the screen keeps the screen on but black.

What the free versions of Noisli and BetterSleep give you

Both are good apps, and plenty of people happily pay for them. Here is what you get without paying, as reported in 2026. Prices and limits change, so check their sites.

Noisli is well made and easy to use. Its free plan has 16 sounds, which is a good set, but it is capped at 1.5 hours of listening a day. That covers a work session, not a night's sleep. Pro is listed at $12 a month, or $10 a month billed yearly (2026).

BetterSleep, formerly Relax Melodies, is a well-known sleep sounds app with many fans. Its own help page now says it is no longer a free app: new users get a free trial, then a subscription. Plans are listed at $9.99 a month, $59.99 a year or $249.99 for life (2026).

Calm and Headspace are meditation and sleep apps. Calm's free version is a sampler that includes 8 Sleep Stories, and Headspace has no free tier in the app beyond a 14-day trial (2026). We compare them in a free Calm and Headspace alternative.

Other free options worth knowing:

A fan you already own. Simple, and it cools the room too.
Your phone's built-in sounds. iPhone has Background Sounds in its Accessibility settings, with noise, rain and ocean.
Long noise videos online. Free, though ads can cut in at the worst moment.

How to use Still's mixer

Open Still and go to Sounds.
Pick white, pink or brown noise, or a sound like rain or ocean.
Add another sound on top if you like, such as rain over brown noise.
Set the sleep timer, or let it play.
Install Still from your browser so it opens like an app. After your first visit, it works without a connection.

Every sound mix in Still has its own link, so you can bookmark your favorite or send it to someone. Still is free with no subscription, no ads and no time limit. The sounds are made on your device rather than streamed, so Still costs almost nothing to run. More on that in why these apps are free.

For a baby's room

Many parents play white noise in the nursery to cover household sounds. If you do, keep the volume low and put the phone or speaker across the room, never in or next to the crib.

To see and hear the baby from another room, Monitor turns two phones you already have into a free baby monitor. It is not a medical device: it does not track breathing, heart rate or oxygen, and it does not replace safe sleep practices or an adult's supervision. Here is how to set up an old phone as a baby monitor.

What Still does not do

It has a small set of sounds. Still mixes a handful, like rain, ocean, wind, fire and noise, made on your device rather than recorded. If you want a large library of sounds, Noisli and BetterSleep have more.
Some browsers stop sound when the screen locks. On iPhone, Safari may; Still's Sounds page says so, and Dim the screen keeps the screen on but black for the night.
It is not therapy or medical care. It gives you calm sounds to fall asleep to, not treatment.

Questions

What is the difference between white, pink and brown noise?

White noise has every pitch at the same strength and sounds like a bright hiss. Pink noise turns the high pitches down and sounds softer, like steady rain. Brown noise turns them down further and sounds like a deep rumble.

Is brown noise better for sleep than white noise?

There is no single best. Many people find brown or pink noise gentler than white for a whole night. Try each one at a low volume for a few nights and keep the one you like.

Is there a free Noisli alternative with no time limit?

Yes. OpenApps Still is free with no daily time limit, because the sounds are made on your device. Noisli's pricing page lists its free plan at 1.5 hours of listening a day (2026), and limits can change.

Does Still work offline and with the screen off?

After your first visit, OpenApps Still works without a connection. On Android the sound keeps playing with the screen off; on iPhone, Safari may stop it when the screen locks, so use Dim the screen at night.

Can I use white noise in my baby's room?

Many parents do. Keep the volume low and the phone or speaker across the room, not in or near the crib. OpenApps Monitor lets you watch and listen from another room with two phones you already have. It is not a medical device.