Comparison

Environments vs Loftie

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

Loftie

This app helps users improve sleep and morning routines through guided meditations, soundscapes, and screen time management. It offers tools to shift mindset, reduce distractions, and build healthier habits for a more refreshed feeling.

Highlights
  • Screen time limits
  • Guided wind-downs
  • Daily audio tools
  • Routine builder
  • Member-only content
Features
Read full description

Break up with your smartphone at night. Loftie is the alarm clock that gets your phone out of the bedroom. The app sets up your Loftie Clock or Lamp, then gets out of the way: alarms, sounds, the sunrise light and wind-down routines, from your phone when you want them and from the clock when you don't. Meet Henry. Tell him what's on your mind, a to-do, a 2am idea, your frequent flyer number, and he keeps it, sorts it and reminds you when it matters, so it stops pulling you back to your phone. Henry runs on Claude, by Anthropic. He's free while we build him with you. Less phone, built in: • Drift. Your phone senses your Loftie Clock nearby and puts your chosen apps to sleep the moment you walk into the bedroom. Walk out in the morning and they wake up with you. • Rest. Block distracting apps automatically around your sleep and wake times, in three phases: Relax, Sleep and Rise. • The Loftie Card. A wallet-sized card that blocks your apps with one tap to your phone, wherever you are. • A calmer home screen. The Loftie Clock + Henry widget, and Flip: a plain list of only the apps you need. • Your rules. Choose exactly which apps and websites go quiet and which stay open, like calls, maps and music. For your Loftie: • Alarms, sounds, the sunrise light and red mode on your clock, set from anywhere in the house • Hundreds of sounds, stories, meditations and breathwork for your clock's library • Wind-down routines for the clock and the lamp Works with a Loftie Clock or Loftie Lamp; Drift needs a Loftie Clock. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://loftie.com/pages/privacy-policy

Screenshots

Environments4 screens
Loftie4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Loftie at Free against Environments's $2.99. Loftie also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (1.5K vs 229). Environments's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.3) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). On 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

Loftie is free to download; Environments costs $2.99 up front. Loftie sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Environments asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Environments holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Loftie has 1.5K ratings behind it against 229, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 82% of Environments's written reviews are positive against 54% of Loftie's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Environments ships an update every 2 months, Loftie every 9 days. Both last shipped on October 15, 2026.

Scorecard10 real differences · 1 level
Environments versus Loftie: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEnvironmentsLoftie
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (229 ratings) — better4.3 (1.5K ratings)
Positive reviews81.8% of reviews — better53.6% of reviews
Number of ratings2291.5K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#148 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS12.0 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size579 MB268 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThe Numero GroupLoftie, Inc.

Customer experience

Environments

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

Loftie

All ratings1,459 ratings
Positive82.7%
Neutral4.9%
Negative12.4%
Written reviews394 reviews
Positive53.6%
Neutral9.1%
Negative37.3%

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

Loftie

From 1.5K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Sleek design
  • 🌙 Gentle alarm sounds
  • 🔕 Helps reduce phone usage
  • 🎧 Variety of sleep sounds
  • ⏰ Reliable alarm functionality

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Connectivity issues with WiFi and Bluetooth
  • 🔌 Requires constant internet connection
  • 🕰️ Unreliable alarm functionality
  • 🤯 Confusing app navigation
  • 💸 Expensive for an alarm clock

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

Loftie

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Alarms not going off as scheduled
  • Frequent disconnections between app and clock
  • App freezing and crashing
  • Incorrect time display on clock
  • Lamp settings not syncing properly

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to play custom audio files
  • More customization options for alarms and sounds
  • Integration with smart home devices and voice assistants
  • Offline mode for alarm clock functionality
  • Improved app stability and responsiveness

In-app purchases

None

Environments

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Loftie

Subscriptions2
  • Loftie Rest Monthly7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Loftie Rest Annual1 Month trial$59.991 Year

Questions

Is Environments free?
Environments costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Loftie free?
Loftie is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Environments or Loftie?
Environments is rated higher. Environments averages 4.8 out of 5 from 229 ratings, while Loftie averages 4.3 from 1.5K ratings.
Do Environments or Loftie have ads?
Neither Environments nor Loftie shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Environments or Loftie?
Environments ships an update every 2 months, and Loftie every 9 days. Most recently, Environments was updated on October 15, 2026 and Loftie on October 15, 2026.

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