BetterSleep vs Headspace

Updated November 2026 · AppBreakup editorial

BetterSleep

Sleep app with mixable sleep sounds, bedtime stories, sleep meditations and music.

Free plan + paid

Visit BetterSleep BetterSleep profile

Headspace

Subscription meditation and sleep app with structured courses, sleepcasts and focus music.

Free plan + paid

Visit Headspace Headspace profile

The short answer

BetterSleep is built around a sound mixer: you blend noise colours, rain, fans and nature sounds into your own sleep mix. Headspace is a meditation app first, with structured beginner courses and sleepcasts on the side. Pick BetterSleep if background sound is what gets you to sleep; pick Headspace if you want to learn meditation and also want sleep content.

BetterSleep or Headspace: our take

The two apps start from different places. BetterSleep, formerly Relax Melodies, is a sleep app whose main feature is a mixer for white, pink, brown and green noise, nature sounds and binaural-style tones, with a timer. Around that it adds sleep meditations, hypnosis sessions, narrated SleepTales, music and some sleep tracking. Headspace is known for its structured meditation courses, starting with the Basics series, and offers sleepcasts, sleep music and white noise alongside meditations, movement sessions, focus music and a new meditation every day. It has also grown into coaching and therapy, which the app increasingly promotes, and its about page says it is now part of Sword.

Both are freemium with thin free content. BetterSleep's Premium membership is listed at $59.99 a year at regular price, with a family plan at $119.99 a year for five memberships and a student plan; new users get a free trial. Headspace has a 14-day free trial on its yearly plan, a family plan at $99.99 a year for up to six people, and a $9.99 a year rate for verified students, which is one of the cheapest ways into either app. Both subscriptions renew automatically, so cancel before the trial ends if you don't want to pay.

On platforms, BetterSleep runs only on iPhone and Android, with no desktop app. Headspace adds a web version. Headspace's terms say its products are meant for people aged 18 and over with limited exceptions, while BetterSleep includes wind-down content for kids.

Choose BetterSleep if you fall asleep best to background noise and want control over exactly what you hear. Choose Headspace if you want guided courses that teach meditation from scratch, a single app for sleep, focus and movement, or you're a student who qualifies for the low yearly price. Experienced meditators may find Headspace's courses basic, and people after detailed sleep analysis may want a dedicated tracker instead of either.

Choose BetterSleep if…

People who fall asleep to background noise and want to build their own sound mixes
Flexible mixer for noise colours, nature and ambient sounds
Large library of sleep stories, meditations and music

Choose Headspace if…

Beginners who want structured courses and a tidy app, and students on the cheap plan
You need Web, which BetterSleep doesn't list
Structured beginner courses starting from Basics
Sleep, focus music and movement sessions in one app

What is BetterSleep?

BetterSleep, formerly known as Relax Melodies, is a mobile app for falling asleep and relaxing. Its best-known feature is a sound mixer: you combine white, pink, brown and green noise, rain, fans, nature sounds and binaural-style tones into your own mix and set a timer. On top of that it offers sleep meditations and hypnosis sessions, narrated bedtime stories called SleepTales, music playlists for sleep and focus, and content for winding down kids. It also includes sleep tracking features. A small selection of content stays free, but most of the library sits behind an auto-renewing Premium subscription, usually started with a free trial; family and student plans exist. It runs on iPhone and Android. It suits people who fall asleep best to background sound and want to customise it. People mainly after guided meditation courses or detailed sleep analysis may prefer Headspace, Calm or Sleep Cycle.

What is Headspace?

Headspace is a subscription meditation app known for its structured, beginner-friendly courses, starting with the Basics series. The library is organised into sleep content (sleepcasts, sleep music and white noise), meditations, movement sessions, short daily videos and focus music, with a new meditation every day. The brand has grown from a meditation app into a wider mental-health service: it now also sells coaching and therapy, and its about page says Headspace is now part of Sword. For individuals the core product is still the app subscription, with a free trial on the yearly plan. A family plan covers up to six people for one yearly price, and verified students get a heavily discounted yearly rate. Its terms say the products are meant for people aged 18 and over, with limited exceptions. The trade-off: free content is thin, the app increasingly promotes services beyond meditation, and experienced meditators may find the courses basic compared with apps aimed at deeper practice.

Side by side

Attribute	BetterSleep	Headspace
Pricing	Free plan + paid	Free plan + paid
Open source	No	No
Self-hostable	No	No
Platforms	iOS, Android	iOS, Android, Web
Best for	People who fall asleep to background noise and want to build their own sound mixes	Beginners who want structured courses and a tidy app, and students on the cheap plan
Status	Active	Active

Verified facts, compared

Facts both apps publish, checked on each vendor's own site.

Fact	BetterSleep	Headspace
Free trial	Yes, for new users	14 days
Family plan	$119.99 a year for 5 Premium memberships	$99.99 a year for up to 6 people