Comparison

Madrona Meditation vs Cerebyte

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

Head to head
About

Madrona Meditation

This app offers guided meditations created by therapists to help users manage stress, anxiety, and distractions. It provides flexible sessions for daily support or deeper journeys, focusing on living more humanely.

Highlights
  • Therapist-curated content
  • Flexible session lengths
  • Focus on living more humanely
  • Integrates with Apple Health
  • Explores context and 'why' of practice
  • Guided by experienced clinicians
Features
Read full description

Madrona Meditation is an app for daily living & everything that comes with it—good, bad, or ugly. Madrona is the first meditation app created and curated by therapists. We’re integrating the contemplative with the clinical into original new content. To fill-in whenever you fall out. LIVE MORE HUMAN(ly) Too busy. Too distracted. Too anxious. Too exhausted. It’s inhuman! So, how about making a little space and time to reset and re-balance? Discover what it’s like to live in a more humane way, with room for your self, feelings and relationships. FLEXIBLE. CONSISTENT. EASY. Madrona is always here for you, whatever your schedule allows. 5 minutes between meetings, 30 minutes for a walk, 1 hour on weekends, or stuck at the airport Whether you need a quick one-off for daily support or full-blown course as part of a deeper journey: Our meditations are always flexible and friendly. FOR CURIOUS PEOPLE Meditation is more than a soothing voice and simple instructions. Minds. Behaviors. Relationships. Emotions. Discover what it means to love being human. Explore the context and "why" of your practice, letting your curiosity lead the way. Madrona is a journey for those who want to learn, not just follow. GUIDES YOU CAN TRUST No self-appointed “influencers.” No pseudo-spiritual narcissists. No overconfident public intellectuals. Madrona is created and curated by master’s and doctoral level clinicians, with thousands of hours of meditation training. We have practiced with Buddhist monks, in monasteries, and with renowned teachers. Before ever teaching another soul, we lived, breathed, and worked with these practices for years. You'll have the option to save your meditation sessions as Mindful Minutes in your Apple Health App. SUBSCRIPTION PRICING AND TERMS Madrona offers two auto-renewing subscriptions: $14.99 per month $119.99 per year This price is for US customers, and pricing in other countries may vary. The actual charges may be converted to your local currency depending on your country of residence. If you select the auto-renewing subscription membership option, payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase and your Madrona subscription will automatically renew in a year unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period; your credit card will be charged for renewal through your Apple ID account within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. You can turn off an auto-renewing subscription at any time from your Apple ID Settings but refunds will not be issued for any unused portion of the term. Here is a link to our Privacy Policy: https://www.madronameditation.com/privacy/ Here is a link to our Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Cerebyte

This neuroscience-based audio wellness app uses real brainwave recordings to help you achieve specific mental states like deep sleep, focus, or anxiety reduction. It offers personalized soundscapes and a unique approach to mental well-being beyond generic meditation or sleep sounds.

Highlights
  • Real brainwave recordings
  • Personalized soundscapes
  • Anxiety reduction states
  • Deep sleep audio
  • Focus and concentration tools
  • Wake up alarm
  • Guest access for trial
Features
Read full description

Welcome to Cerebyte, the neuroscience based audio wellness app designed to help you shift your mind into specific mental states using real brainwave recordings. In a market flooded with generic meditation apps, synthesized binaural beats, and basic sleep sounds, Cerebyte offers a radically different approach. We do not just give you calming music for sleep. We provide sound experiences modulated by the actual electrical activity of the human brain. The human brain produces electrical waves that correspond to different states of consciousness. For the first time, these waves have been recorded and translated into audio. We call them Cerebytes. When you listen, you are hearing the audio shaped by the real brain activity associated with the exact state you want to move toward, whether that is deep sleep, absolute focus, or anxiety reduction. Direct Brain to Brain Sound Technology is designed to help your brain shift into the state you need. What if you could listen to the sound of the state itself? Whether you are seeking a guided meditation app, study music for memory retention, or a tool to support brain training, Cerebyte adapts to your unique needs. During onboarding, you are prompted to select your primary goals to personalize your experience. Our library includes dedicated states for Anxiety Reduction, Craving Control, Creative Flow, Deep Sleep, Energize, Experimental, Focus, Meditative, Motivation, and Relaxation. If you are looking for an app to help with insomnia, improve your sleep cycle, or act as a sleep tracker companion, Cerebyte provides audio crafted from a real sleeping brain rhythm. Cerebyte is built to support your productivity and mental health throughout your entire day. You can indicate exactly when you need your desired state, choosing from Morning, Afternoon, Evening, Before Bed, or In Urgent Moments. Explore our core features: • The Wake Up Alarm: Set up your Wake up alarm and select a soundbyte to wake up to. Start your morning in a state of calm or elevate your brain right out of a dream. • Soundscapes: Initiate the creation of a new soundscape and personalize it to your liking. You can name your soundscape, select a cover picture, and choose custom colors. • My Sessions: Easily view your previously generated or saved sessions. Add your top tracks to your Favorites for quick access. • Guest Access: You can enter as a guest to try the app before committing to an account. If you are tired of standard sleep sounds, generic white noise for babies, or traditional mindfulness apps that fail to hold your attention, Cerebyte provides a scientifically grounded alternative. It serves as an excellent companion for those needing deep sleep music, concentration music for deep work, or relaxation music for anxiety. Our users find it to be an incredible asset for productivity, flow, and overall mental wellness. While we offer a free experience, a paywall screen invites you to upgrade to the premium Cerebyte Gold experience. With a Gold subscription, you unlock full access to the EEG state library. You receive full EEG database access, all brain states unlocked, unlimited sequence creation, early access to new cerebytes, and no interruptions. You can start a 7-Day Free Trial and cancel anytime. We believe in giving back to the scientific community. A percentage of the profits of this App goes to the Charity TeleEEG at www.teleeeg.org. By improving your own brain states, you are also helping support clinical EEG access worldwide. Download Cerebyte today to experience the true sound of your brain. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.cerebytes.com/

Screenshots

Madrona Meditation4 screens
Cerebyte4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Madrona Meditation at 4.8 against Cerebyte's 4.0. Madrona Meditation also leads on ratings volume (30 vs 1). Cerebyte's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Madrona Meditation sells 15 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Cerebyte sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Madrona Meditation holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Madrona Meditation has 30 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Madrona Meditation ships an update every 3 weeks, Cerebyte weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Madrona Meditation versus Cerebyte: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMadrona MeditationCerebyte
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (30 ratings) — better4.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews83.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings30 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS16.0.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size76 MB186 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperMadrona Meditation, LLCElectrodiagnostic Services Ltd

Customer experience

Madrona Meditation

All ratings30 ratings
Positive93.3%
Neutral3.3%
Negative3.3%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%

Cerebyte

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

15 purchases

Madrona Meditation

Subscriptions15
  • Monthly Subscription3 Days trial$0.991 Month
  • Monthly Membership14 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Monthly Membership14 Days trial$7.991 Month
Show 12 more
  • Monthly Discounted Membership3 Months trial$9.991 Month
  • Madrona Monthly14 Days trial$12.991 Month
  • Monthly Membership1 Year trial$14.991 Month
  • Madrona Monthly1 Month trial$14.991 Month
  • Monthly Membership14 Days trial$14.991 Month
  • Annual Membership14 Days trial$35.991 Year
  • Annual 50% off Promo14 Days trial$59.991 Year
  • Annual 20% off Membership1 Month trial$95.991 Year
  • Annual Discounted Membership3 Months trial$99.991 Year
  • Annual Membership1 Year trial$119.991 Year
  • Madrona Annual1 Month trial$119.991 Year
  • Annual Membership14 Days trial2 variants$119.991 Year
1 purchases

Cerebyte

Subscriptions1
  • Cerebyte Gold7 Days trial$4.991 Month

Questions

Is Madrona Meditation free?
Madrona Meditation is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Cerebyte free?
Cerebyte is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Madrona Meditation or Cerebyte?
Madrona Meditation is rated higher. Madrona Meditation averages 4.8 out of 5 from 30 ratings, while Cerebyte averages 4.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Madrona Meditation or Cerebyte have ads?
Neither Madrona Meditation nor Cerebyte shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Madrona Meditation or Cerebyte?
Madrona Meditation ships an update every 3 weeks, and Cerebyte weekly. Most recently, Madrona Meditation was updated on October 27, 2026 and Cerebyte on October 12, 2026.

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