Comparison

NOVID vs Brain Waves

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

Head to head
About

NOVID

This app provides proactive COVID-19 exposure alerts by warning you about potential cases within your personal network before you are exposed. It utilizes anonymous identifiers and Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and ultrasound technology to create a personalized COVID Radar, acting as a shield against the spread of the virus while maintaining user privacy.

Highlights
  • Proactive COVID-19 case warnings
  • Personal network exposure alerts
  • Anonymous identifier generation
  • Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and ultrasound scanning
  • Personalized COVID Radar
Features
Read full description

This app was primarily designed for use in Allegheny County, Don Salvador Benedicto, Georgia Tech, Grand Valley State University, Harvard, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Las Vegas in New Mexico, and Santa Fe. NOVID goes beyond contact tracing. It is the first and only application that warns you about cases of COVID-19 in your personal network before you you're exposed, while keeping you anonymous. It gives you personalized COVID Radar about disease spread. It also gives you exposure alerts if you have spent a long time near people who later self-report positive tests. It's your radar and shield in this difficult time. Under the hood, NOVID automatically generates a random anonymous identifier, which has no relationship to your personal information. You don't need to provide an email address, phone number, username, or password. NOVID periodically scans the nearby area using a combination of Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and ultrasound, detecting and sending only anonymous identifiers.

About

Brain Waves

Features
Read full description

Create a calmer sound environment in seconds. Brain Waves combines binaural tones, white, pink and brown noise, and relaxing ambient sounds for focus, sleep, study, meditation and rest. Choose a ready-made session or build your own mix. Adjust the binaural tone, noise, ambience, volume, timer, fade-in and fade-out. Use headphones for the best binaural experience. FREE • Relax, Focus and Sleep sessions • Up to 10 minutes per session • Optional rewarded videos for extra free sessions PRO LIFETIME • All premium presets • Unlimited timer • Custom session generator • Favorites and offline access • No ads and no subscription This app is not a medical device and does not diagnose, treat or guarantee results. Effects may vary. Use a comfortable volume and never use while driving or operating machinery.

Screenshots

NOVID4 screens
Brain Waves3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: NOVID at none against Brain Waves's shown. NOVID also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months) and iOS requirement (13.2 vs 15.0). On price, in-app purchases and device support 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

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NOVID ships an update every 3 weeks, Brain Waves every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
NOVID versus Brain Waves: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNOVIDBrain Waves
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (239 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews67.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings239 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS13.2 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size28 MB64 MB
Age rating4++12
DeveloperExpii, Inc.DrFranciscoLabs

Bugs and requests

NOVID

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Keeps crashing, cannot open
  • Setup fails, stuck on permissions screen
  • App stuck on 'scanning forever'
  • Does not seem to run in the background
  • Failed to register any contacts even when tested directly

Requested features

5 requests
  • Clarify microphone access purpose
  • Increase app promotion and downloads
  • Integrate with Apple/Google exposure notification API
  • Improve background operation for iOS
  • Make app usage less effortful

Brain Waves

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

NOVID

No in-app purchases

None

Brain Waves

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is NOVID free?
NOVID is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Brain Waves free?
Brain Waves is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do NOVID or Brain Waves have ads?
Brain Waves shows ads; NOVID does not.
Which is updated more often, NOVID or Brain Waves?
NOVID ships an update every 3 weeks, and Brain Waves every 3 months. Most recently, NOVID was updated on November 3, 2026 and Brain Waves on October 31, 2026.

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