Comparison

BrainHQ vs Muffl

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

Head to head
About

BrainHQ

This app offers a scientifically-backed brain training program designed to improve cognitive functions like memory, attention, and processing speed. It features adaptive exercises that adjust to your performance, fitting into your daily routine with sessions as short as five minutes.

Highlights
  • Scientifically validated brain exercises
  • Improves memory and processing speed
  • Adaptive training adjusts to performance
  • Daily free exercise
  • Personalized brain fitness goals
  • Flexible training sessions
Features
Read full description

Train your brain with BrainHQ from Posit Science—the most rigorous program available for better brain health, and the only one backed by more than 100 scientific papers showing benefits - including the breakthrough NIH-funded ACTIVE study. Now with new features that contribute to your brain fitness success!

 BrainHQ represents the culmination of 30 years of research in neuroscience and brain health. Top scientists from around the world helped to develop and test the BrainHQ exercises. The result: a training system that comprehensively improves brain performance, from the most basic elements of perception through the most complex elements of memory, attention, and cognitive function.

 No other brain fitness program can match BrainHQ in scientific proof. More than 100 publications from independent, randomized controlled trials have shown that the exercises and assessments in BrainHQ drive real change. These changes include: • cognitive improvements, such as better memory and faster processing speed • real-world improvements, including safer driving and improved quality of life • physical brain changes, like healthier white matter and more coordinated neurons. 
 All of this means that BrainHQ works—in laboratory studies, and in the lives of everyday people:

 •"BrainHQ is a no-brainer must-have in my book…This training has expanded my visual, fine-tuned my audio and even my reflexes seem to be getting faster. BrainHQ is fun and gives me the challenges I need to keep my brain working out on a daily basis." - C. MacDonald

 •"Only a few months into the BrainHQ exercises the difference is clear, this isn’t left to speculation, I saw drastic improvements…and my family has noticed a strong improvement." - A. Amitrano

 And leading publications agree: “Our testers concluded that Posit's product—one of the few so far to undergo clinical trials and peer-reviewed research—had the firmest scientific grounding.” - Wall Street Journal
 The BrainHQ app helps you set and achieve your brain training goals—so it not only works, it works for you.
 Each exercise adapts to your performance and gets more challenging as your performance improves, just like a personal trainer for your brain.
 The training is designed to fit into your life: train for just 5 minutes in your spare time, or do a complete workout in an hour. 
BrainHQ is a free download, and includes a free exercise every day. 
For full access, we offer the following recurring subscription options:

 1 month: $13.99
 1 year: $94.99

 These prices are for United States customers. Pricing in other countries may vary and actual charges may be converted to your local currency depending on your country or residence. 

Monthly subscription are billed once per month, and an annual subscriptions are billed once per year. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal. Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. Privacy Policy: https://www.brainhq.com/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.brainhq.com/terms

About

Muffl

Features
Read full description

Muffl listens, but records nothing and sends nothing. When a sound you find hard appears — chewing, crunching, sniffing, keyboard tapping, a pen clicking — Muffl gently covers it with a soft layer of sound in your headphones. When it's quiet again, the layer fades away. The rest of the time you hear people as usual, so you can stay at the dinner table instead of leaving it. HOW IT WORKS • One big button. Turn the shield on from the app, Control Center, the Action button, Siri or your Apple Watch. • Pick the sounds that are hard for you: chewing, crunching, lip smacking, slurping, sniffing, heavy breathing, snoring, keyboard typing, pen clicking, tapping, a spoon on a cup. • Situation profiles: Dinner, Office, Transit, Cinema, Sleep next to snoring — each with its own triggers, masking sound and strength. • Eight masking sounds, generated live so they never loop or click: soft rain, rustling leaves, a brook, pink and brown noise, a low hum, café murmur, a warm fan. • Spectral fitting shapes the sound to the trigger's pitch, so it works at a lower volume. • Teach Muffl a sound of your own from a few examples. AFTERWARDS • A quiet diary of episodes and how they felt, with CSV and PDF export for your therapist. • A 30-second breathing circle when a moment was hard. PRIVATE • Audio is analysed in memory on your iPhone — nothing is written to storage and nothing leaves the device. No account, no ads, no analytics. • Optional iCloud sync for the diary uses your own private iCloud database. HONEST ABOUT LIMITS Muffl cannot remove sounds from the room and cannot switch your AirPods' modes. It adds a masking sound at the right moment. Best with AirPods Pro in Transparency mode; any headphones work. MUFFL PRO Free: the Dinner profile, up to 3 triggers, 45 minutes of shield a day and 3 days of diary. Muffl Pro removes the daily limit and unlocks every trigger and your own sounds, all profiles, all 8 masking sounds with spectral fitting, Apple Watch control and the full diary with export: yearly with a 7-day free trial, monthly, or a one-time lifetime purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the period; manage them in your Apple ID settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://evgeniybruchkovskiy.github.io/muffl-legal/privacy.html Muffl helps you get through trigger sounds. It is not a medical device, does not diagnose or treat any condition and does not replace working with a specialist.

Screenshots

BrainHQ4 screens
Muffl4 screens

Verdict

The call

BrainHQ and Muffl are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters — price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. BrainHQ sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $13.99 per month and Muffl sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
BrainHQ versus Muffl: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBrainHQMuffl
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (22K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews47.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings22K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size172 MB3 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperPosit ScienceYevhenii Bruchkovskyi

Bugs and requests

BrainHQ

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Frequent app crashes
  • Audio issues on iOS
  • Inconsistent performance across devices
  • Progress reset issues

Requested features

5 requests
  • Apple Watch app
  • Apple TV app
  • Better progress tracking in-app
  • Customizable difficulty levels
  • More diverse representation in exercises

Muffl

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

BrainHQ

Subscriptions2
  • BrainHQ$13.991 Month
  • BrainHQ$94.991 Year
3 purchases

Muffl

Subscriptions2
  • Muffl Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Muffl Pro Yearly7 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Muffl Pro Lifetime$59.99

Questions

Is BrainHQ free?
BrainHQ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Muffl free?
Muffl is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do BrainHQ or Muffl have ads?
Neither BrainHQ nor Muffl shows ads.

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