Comparison

Brainwave Studio vs CYO

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

Head to head
About

Brainwave Studio

This app offers a system for relaxation, stress relief, sleep support, meditation, and mind training. It utilizes isochronic tones integrated into ambient music and nature sounds to help users achieve desired mental states. Choose from 40 sessions across 5 categories to find calm and focus.

Highlights
  • 40 brainwave entrainment sessions
  • Isochronic tone technology
  • 60 ambient nature sounds
  • 48 atmospheric music tracks
  • Customizable sound mixes
  • Universal app for iOS devices
Features
Read full description

Stressed out? Trouble sleeping? Distracting sounds at work or school? Need a relaxing break from a busy day? If your answered yes to any of those questions then Brainwave Studio is for you! Brainwave Studio is a professionally designed relaxation, stress relief, sleep support, meditation and mind training system, with 40 brainwave entrainment sessions of carefully selected nature sounds and superb quality ambient music. ________________________ How does it work? Brainwave Studio uses isochronic tones, widely regarded as the superior brainwave tone. Isochronic tones pulse at specific frequencies, and stimulate the brain to help you achieve your desired mental state. Unlike binaural beats, isochronic tones work through headphones or speakers. The isochronic tones are integrated into the backgrounds of beautiful, soothing melodies. Listen to the peaceful music while the tones automatically do their magic in the background. ________________________ Features - 5 categories: Relaxation, Sleep, Meditation, Stress and Anxiety, Mind Training - 40 brainwave entrainment sessions with dynamic isochronic tones - 60 soothing ambient sounds - 48 atmospheric music tracks (endless loops) - Universal app runs on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch - Saved soundscapes are synchronized using iCloud - Separate volume controls for every sound - Create customized sound mixes by combining ambient sounds together - High quality Retina graphics - AirPlay support - Multitasking support: play your favorite melodies while using other applications ________________________ 5 Categories With 40 Sessions - Relaxation: Quick relax ∙ Tension relief ∙ Lunch break relax ∙ After a busy day ∙ Relax before important event ∙ After high stress ∙ Before going to bed ∙ Deep evening relax - Stress and Anxiety: Quick stress relief ∙ Workplace stress relief ∙ Anxiety reduction ∙ Anxiety reduction before sleep ∙ Reduce anxiety before taking a test ∙ After work stress reduction ∙ Deep stress relief - Meditation: 7Hz Zen meditation ∙ Coffee break meditation ∙ Low-Alpha meditation ∙ Mid-Alpha meditation ∙ Theta meditation ∙ Delta meditation ∙ 7,83Hz Schumann rhythm meditation ∙ Deep Schumann rhythm meditation. - Sleep: Short anti-insomnia session ∙ Sleep induction ∙ Mental workers sleep support ∙ Hyperactive people sleep induction ∙ Sleep induction for insomniacs ∙ Clear your mind and fall asleep ∙ Deep sleep induction - Mind Training: Workout performance enhancer ∙ After-Workout recovery session ∙ Attention enhancer ∙ Mental workers support session ∙ Idea generation session ∙ Motivation enhancer ∙ Energy enhancer ∙ Creative tasks helper ∙ Concentration enhancer for studying ∙ Sensory-motor rhythm session. ________________________ 60 Ambient Sounds Birds ∙ Piano ∙ Cat ∙ City ∙ Clock ∙ Crickets ∙ Dolphins ∙ Fire ∙ Forest ∙ Frogs ∙ Heart ∙ Monk ∙ Music box ∙ Night ∙ Rain ∙ River ∙ Space ∙ Submarine ∙ Thunder ∙ Train ∙ Cave ∙ Water ∙ Whale ∙ White noise ∙ Wind ∙ Wind Chimes ∙ Jungle ∙ Flute ∙ African night ∙ Howling wolf ∙ Sea lion ∙ City park ∙ Lakeside ∙ Shopping mall ∙ Industrial ∙ Nightingale ∙ Spring birds ∙ Crowd ∙ Oscillating fan ∙ Swamp ∙ Dripping water ∙ Owls ∙ Tropical forest ∙ Factory ∙ PC fan ∙ Vacuum cleaner ∙ Fan ∙ Pirate ship ∙ Waterfall ∙ Fridge ∙ Pneumatic drill ∙ Waves ∙ Hair dryer ∙ Rain on window ∙ High Voltage ∙ Harbor ∙ Running water ∙ Winter blizzard ∙ Highway ∙ School If you have any questions or comments please don't hesitate to contact us at any time: info@rcs-software.com

About

CYO

Features
Read full description

CYO transforms your Apple Watch and Apple Health biometrics into an elite physiological telemetry system. Designed for endurance athletes, strength trainers, and performance-minded individuals, CYO translates complex cardiovascular and autonomic nervous system data into clear, actionable protocols for daily training and recovery. CONTINUOUS 24-HOUR CARDIAC & STRESS TIMELINE View your entire day unfolded on an interactive timeline: - Drag your finger across the intraday curve to inspect exact timestamps, heart rate, and cardiovascular zones. - Switch between continuous Heart Rate and Autonomic Stress Load (0 to 100) to pinpoint periods of sympathetic activation versus parasympathetic recovery. - Track resting heart rate, peak workout heart rate, and active zone minutes. AUTONOMIC RECOVERY & READINESS Know when to push your limits and when to prioritize rest: - Calculated from a rolling 30-day baseline standard deviation (z-score) of Heart Rate Variability (HRV SDNN / rMSSD) and Resting Heart Rate. - Accounts for sleep performance ratios and respiratory rate shifts. - Receive daily readiness classifications: Primed, Adequate, or Rest & Recover. TRUE LOGARITHMIC DAY STRAIN (0.0 TO 21.0) Cardiovascular load is not linear. CYO calculates daily strain using percentage of Heart Rate Reserve (Karvonen formula): - Exponential zone weighting across Active Recovery, Aerobic Base, Cardio Tempo, Threshold, and Anaerobic Peak. - Dynamic Optimal Strain Tunnel prescribes a targeted workload range based on your morning recovery score. ACUTE-TO-CHRONIC WORKLOAD RATIO (ACWR) Apply the sports science gold standard to prevent injury: - Compares 7-day Acute Load against 28-day Chronic Load. - Visual meter guides you to remain in the progressive overload sweet spot (0.8 to 1.3) while avoiding overreaching or soft-tissue injury risk. CIRCADIAN SLEEP COACH & CONSISTENCY Maximize restorative sleep and biological hormone anchoring: - Sleep Consistency score measures bedtime and wake time variance over rolling 7-day periods. - Dynamic sleep need itemizes your baseline requirement, accumulated sleep debt, and extra strain demand. - Actionable schedule outputs exact target times for Wind Down, Sleep By, and Wake Up. PRO ANALYTICS & 30-DAY BASELINE TUNNELS Move beyond isolated daily numbers: - 30-day statistical baseline tunnels (shaded mean +/- 1 standard deviation) for HRV, Resting HR, Sleep, and Respiratory Rate. - Instantly identify whether biometrics are within your normal biological range, suppressed, or elevated. - Weekly Performance Assessments (WPA) tracking recovery day distributions (Green, Yellow, Red) and net volume changes. - Estimated VO2 Max, 1-minute Heart Rate Recovery, and Vitality Biological Age advantage. ELITE WORKOUT TELEMETRY Detailed session analysis for every activity: - Individual workout strain scores (0.0 to 21.0). - 5-zone heart rate distribution bars. - Aerobic Training Effect (0.0 to 5.0) and Anaerobic Training Effect (0.0 to 5.0). - Estimated post-workout recovery hours. 100% PRIVATE ON-DEVICE APPLE INTELLIGENCE Powered by on-device Apple Foundation Models. Your health data is processed exclusively on your device, ensuring total privacy with zero cloud latency and full offline capability. CYO integrates seamlessly with the Apple Health app (HealthKit) to read heart rate, HRV, resting heart rate, sleep analysis, workouts, respiratory rate, and active energy. Terms of Use (Standard Apple EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.notion.so/BioCharge-Privacy-Policy-2bff568e99bc80eebf94c9bcd55f710e?source=copy_link Disclaimer: CYO is not a medical device and is intended solely for general fitness, athletic telemetry, and wellness purposes. Consult a physician before beginning any new training program.

Screenshots

Brainwave Studio4 screens
CYO4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: CYO at Free against Brainwave Studio's $3.99. CYO also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 5 weeks). Brainwave Studio's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and device support (3 vs 1). 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

CYO is free to download; Brainwave Studio costs $3.99 up front. CYO sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Brainwave Studio asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Brainwave Studio ships an update every 5 weeks, CYO every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Brainwave Studio versus CYO: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBrainwave StudioCYO
Price$3.99Free — better
Rating4.5 (105 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews84.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings105 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS7.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size376 MB14 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperRCS LTADRIAN DANIEL CIOC

Bugs and requests

Brainwave Studio

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • App crashes on startup with iOS 16 and newer
  • Content missing on iPhone 15 Pro Max
  • Freezes after 30 seconds on newer devices
  • App closes when other audio apps are opened
  • Crashes when attempting to restore purchases
Show 4 more
  • Constant crashes requiring frequent reinstalls
  • Frequency range descriptions are inaccurate
  • Music stops playing if swiped left or stopped
  • High memory consumption on iPad

Requested features

12 requests
  • Background playback with phone screen off
  • Ability to layer with personal music library
  • Multitasking support with other audio apps
  • Timer and alarm functionality
  • Mac app version
Show 7 more
  • More isochronic tone programs
  • Lucid dreaming and motivation sessions
  • Custom mix saving functionality
  • Screen rotation support on iPad
  • Voice recording for personalized suggestions
  • More tasteful/elegant music selections
  • Wake-up mode for mornings

CYO

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Brainwave Studio

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

CYO

Subscriptions2
  • BioCharge One Month Subscription$3.991 Month
  • BioCharge One Year Subscription3 Days trial$19.991 Year

Questions

Is Brainwave Studio free?
Brainwave Studio costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is CYO free?
CYO is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Brainwave Studio or CYO have ads?
Neither Brainwave Studio nor CYO shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Brainwave Studio or CYO?
Brainwave Studio ships an update every 5 weeks, and CYO every 3 days. Most recently, Brainwave Studio was updated on November 6, 2026 and CYO on November 5, 2026.

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