Comparison

Environments vs UCLA Mindful

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Environments

Experience long-form nature recordings from the 1960s and 70s, remastered for modern use. This app offers a unique collection of ambient sounds designed to aid work, meditation, sleep, and focus, all without requiring an internet connection.

Highlights
  • Long-form analog recordings
  • No internet connection required
  • Ad-free experience
  • Playlist creation
  • Focus and stress reduction
  • Historic nature sounds
Features
Read full description

Environments is a historic catalog of long form field recordings created for the way you live. Whether you need to work, meditate, sleep, or any other use, Environments is the only ambient sound app based on extended recordings created in the 1960s and 70s on analog tape. Environments began as an unprecedented series of vinyl records, garnering widespread acclaim and selling millions of units. Now Environments steps into the mobile age as an invaluable and unique sonic tool for the way YOU live. • No internet connection required — all recordings are part of the app. • 23 fully remastered long-form analog recordings, most 30 minutes or more. Not short loops, not white noise — Environments live and breathe like nature itself. • Simple, intuitive navigation. Unobtrusive, ad-free look and feel evokes a simpler, better time. • Put your favorite environment on infinite loop, or build your own playlist of favorites. • Blocks distractions, increases focus and mindfulness, reduces stress, helpful with tinnitus and fussy babies. • Sounds include ocean waves, birdsongs and dawn chorus, chimes, "be-in", thunderstorms, gentle rain, heartbeat, wind in trees, wordless choir, summer cornfield, creaky sailboat, country stream, country meadow, blizzard, and many more. • Features informative biography of Environments creator Irv Teibel, along with concise informational screens on individual recordings. • The only app ever shortlisted for the best historic album Grammy award. • A co-creation of Syntonic Research, Inc and the Grammy-nominated reissue label Numero Group. • "It's intuitive, beautifully minimalist, and a perfect evolution of the original work." — Boing Boing • "A remarkably creative way to reintroduce Teibel’s work and ideas… something great and sublime." — The New Yorker • "Enjoy nature exactly the way God intended it, as an App." — Vice • "The music of the future isn't music." — Irv Teibel

About

UCLA Mindful

Practice mindfulness meditation with guided sessions and educational content from UCLA Health. Learn to manage stress, reduce anxiety, and cultivate positive emotions through regular practice. Explore various meditation types, informative videos, and weekly recordings to enhance your well-being.

Highlights
  • Guided basic meditations
  • Wellness meditations for health conditions
  • Informative videos on mindfulness
  • Weekly live/virtual meditation recordings
  • Talks on mindfulness topics
  • Customizable meditation timer
Features
Read full description

With this easy-to-use app, you can practice mindfulness meditation anywhere, anytime with the guidance of UCLA Mindful, the mindfulness education center of UCLA Health. Scientific research shows mindfulness can help manage stress-related physical conditions, reduce anxiety and depression, and cultivate positive emotions. Mindfulness is paying attention to our present moment experiences with openness and curiosity and a willingness to be with our experience. Through regular practice, taught through this app, you can develop a meditation practice and learn to bring more mindfulness into your daily life. This app offers: • Basic Meditations for getting started in multiple languages. Languages include Arabic, Armenian, Cantonese, Farsi, Filipino, French, German, Greek, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Mixteco, Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese, American Sign Language • Wellness Meditations for people suffering from challenging health conditions • Informative videos exploring how to get started, supportive meditation postures, and the science of mindfulness • Weekly recordings from our live and virtual drop-in meditations -- a 30-minute meditation on different themes you can search for and bookmark • Talks on mindfulness-related topics • A timer to meditate on your own • A list of our current events and classes that you can add to your calendar UCLA Mindful, the mindfulness education center of UCLA Health, is dedicated to advancing mindfulness education to promote individual and cultural well-being and resilience world-wide. Our mission is to provide innovative, evidence-based mindfulness programs that empower individuals and institutions to manage stress, enhance health, and cultivate inner and outer peace. Through educational programs, we strive to inspire transformative growth and contribute to a culture of compassion and wellness for all. Due to UCLA Mindful’s mission of radical accessibility, this app is entirely free to use. Disclaimer: These meditations are for educational purposes and are not clinical treatments.

Screenshots

Environments4 screens
UCLA Mindful4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: UCLA Mindful at Free against Environments's $2.99. Environments's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.5) and chart position (#142 vs unranked). On review sentiment, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

UCLA Mindful is free to download; Environments costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Environments holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 229 and 172 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 82% of Environments's written reviews are positive against 77% of UCLA Mindful's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Environments ships an update every 2 months, UCLA Mindful every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Environments versus UCLA Mindful: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEnvironmentsUCLA Mindful
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (229 ratings) — better4.5 (172 ratings)
Positive reviews81.8% of reviews — better76.7% of reviews
Number of ratings229 — better172
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#142 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size579 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThe Numero GroupUCLA Health

Customer experience

Environments

All ratings229 ratings
Positive94.8%
Neutral1.3%
Negative3.9%
Written reviews88 reviews
Positive81.8%
Neutral4.5%
Negative13.6%

UCLA Mindful

All ratings172 ratings
Positive90.1%
Neutral0.6%
Negative9.3%
Written reviews60 reviews
Positive76.7%
Neutral5.0%
Negative18.3%

User reviews

Environments

From 229 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎵 Authentic analog field recordings with exceptional audio quality
  • 😴 Highly effective for sleep, meditation, and relaxation
  • 🎧 Long-form tracks (30+ minutes) without repetitive looping
  • 📚 Rich historical context about Irv Teibel and the Environments series
  • 💰 Excellent value at low price point for entire collection

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App crashes on certain iOS versions (iOS 16, older versions)
  • 📐 UI not optimized for iPad or landscape mode
  • 🔊 Audio output levels set too high, difficult to play quietly
  • 🖼️ Cannot zoom in on album cover artwork
  • 📍 Navigation could be simplified and improved

UCLA Mindful

From 172 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🙏 Free and accessible resource
  • 🧘‍♀️ High-quality guided meditations
  • 🗣️ Calming and comforting narrator voices (Diana Winston)
  • 👍 Simple, easy to use, and navigate
  • 🌍 Multiple languages offered

Room to improve

  • 🗣️ Presenter talks too much during meditations
  • 🔌 Requires a good internet connection (streaming)
  • 🔄 No offline access
  • 📱 App doesn't rotate on iPad in landscape mode
  • 🔊 Loud ding at the end of some tracks

Bugs and requests

Environments

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • App crashes immediately after pressing play on iOS 16
  • App removed from App Store after purchase, preventing re-download
  • Dynamic Island spacing issues on iPhone 14 Pro
  • Infinite loop button doesn't function properly
  • Audio doesn't resume after phone calls or text notifications
Show 4 more
  • Track display doesn't update when switching between selections
  • Audio clipping on thunderstorm recordings
  • Play and Information button touch sensitivity too small
  • Portrait mode lock interferes with other app orientation settings

Requested features

14 requests
  • Speed adjustment controls (16 rpm, 33 rpm, 78 rpm options)
  • Chromecast and Google Cast support
  • Alarm clock functionality using app sounds
  • Landscape mode support for iPad
  • Zoom capability for album cover artwork
Show 9 more
  • Ability to skip forward within tracks
  • Dedicated track list button for easier navigation
  • VoiceOver accessibility support
  • Seamless looping without audio gaps
  • Volume normalization or in-app volume control
  • Ability to offload app while keeping data
  • Higher resolution audio (hi-res audio option)
  • More tracks or future recordings
  • Improved UI/UX design and simplification

UCLA Mindful

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • 🐛 Loop repeat did not replay when screen is locked
  • 🐛 Audio stops when iPhone screen locks/turns off
  • 🐛 Back button disappears on search podcast tab
  • 🐛 Search in previous podcast is slow to respond
  • 🐛 Custom timer doesn't work as intended
Show 1 more
  • 🐛 Meditations won't load (show 0 time)

Requested features

6 requests
  • Offline access/downloadable sessions
  • More voice diversity (ethnicity and gender)
  • Add to Apple Health for tracking mindful minutes
  • Improve pausing points for Vietnamese meditations
  • Remove the ding at the end of tracks
Show 1 more
  • Wider selection of UCLA courses/Diana Winston meditations

In-app purchases

None

Environments

No in-app purchases

None

UCLA Mindful

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Environments free?
Environments costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is UCLA Mindful free?
UCLA Mindful is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Environments or UCLA Mindful?
Environments is rated higher. Environments averages 4.8 out of 5 from 229 ratings, while UCLA Mindful averages 4.5 from 172 ratings.
Do Environments or UCLA Mindful have ads?
Neither Environments nor UCLA Mindful shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Environments or UCLA Mindful?
Environments ships an update every 2 months, and UCLA Mindful every 3 months. Most recently, Environments was updated on October 15, 2026 and UCLA Mindful on October 12, 2026.

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