brainboop vs GENUS
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
brainboop
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brainboop is a tool that helps you guide your mind using brainwave entrainment—a scientifically-supported method that uses sensory stimulation to influence your brain's natural rhythms. By presenting your brain with precise audio and light patterns, the app helps you shift into a more focused, relaxed, or restful state. FIND YOUR STATE: - Get in the Zone: Tune into frequencies designed to sharpen concentration and mental clarity. Perfect for tackling a big project, studying for an exam, or diving into creative work. - Unwind & Relax: Let go of the day's stress. Soothing tones and gentle light pulses guide your mind toward a state of calm and tranquility. - Journey Inward: Immerse your senses in a cascade of synchronized light and sound. This powerful experience is designed to gently overwhelm external distractions, creating the perfect space to turn your focus inward for deep meditation, creative visualization, or self-exploration. - Drift to Sleep: Quiet your racing thoughts and prepare for restorative rest. Our sleep sessions gently guide your brain toward the delta waves associated with deep sleep. HOW IT WORKS: Sessions combine synchronized sound and light to create a powerful, immersive experience. Choose from a library of precisely engineered sessions, including: - Binaural Beats & Isochronic Tones: The foundational blocks of audio brainwave entrainment. - Shepard Tones: Experience the auditory illusion of a sound that seems to endlessly rise or fall, creating a unique and mesmerizing effect. - A Light Show for Your Mind: Brainboop pulses your phone's screen or flashlight to work in sync with the audio. With your eyes closed, these gentle flashes of light can inspire a vibrant kaleidoscope of colors and patterns that are unique to you and every session. Whether you want binaural beats for sleep, focus music for work, or a guided path into deep meditation, brainboop helps you find your frequency. "I used the Chronic Pain one this AM… I was pain free for a glorious little bit, a great way to start the weekend." -Marah F. "This app is an awesome introduction to binaural meditation!" - Sarah L. Important Safety Information: The synchronized light feature uses rapidly flashing lights (stroboscopic effects). This should not be used by individuals with photosensitive epilepsy or similar conditions.
GENUS
This app uses synchronized audio-visual stimulation at 40 Hz gamma frequency to potentially enhance brain health, memory, and focus. It offers various frequency modes, guided breathwork, and personalized ambient soundscapes for a customizable wellness experience.
- 40 Hz gamma frequency stimulation
- Multiple frequency modes (Alpha, Theta, Delta)
- Cinematic visual themes
- Built-in guided breathwork
- Personalized ambient sound library
- Streak tracking and habit building
- Apple Watch companion app
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Mental clarity isn't just meditation or sleep. GENUS delivers 40 Hz gamma frequency stimulation — the same audio-visual rhythm MIT's Picower Institute identified as a potential lever for brain health, memory, and focus. Stop relying on vague wellness routines. GENUS uses synchronized screen flicker, isochronic audio tones, and haptic pulses — all locked to exactly 40 Hz on your iPhone's ProMotion display — to deliver clinically-inspired sensory stimulation in sessions you can do anywhere. CORE FEATURES: 40 HZ GAMMA STIMULATION The core science. Synchronized light, sound, and haptics all locked to 40 Hz — the rhythm MIT's research identified as a potential brain wellness frequency. FOUR FREQUENCY MODES Stimulate different brain states with precision-tuned sessions: 40 Hz Gamma for brain wellness and cognition, 10 Hz Alpha for relaxed focus, 6 Hz Theta for deep meditation, and 2 Hz Delta for deep sleep. CINEMATIC VISUAL THEMES Choose from animated coherence backgrounds — Heart Field's toroidal energy flow, Cymatic Bloom's rotating mandala, plus Aurora, Space, Ocean, Resonance Field, Harmonics, and more. Each one breathes with your session. BUILT-IN BREATHWORK Sync your breath with six guided patterns including Box Breathing (4-4-4-4), 4-7-8 calming breath, Triangle, Coherent 5-5 / 6-6, and a fully custom box where you set your own inhale, hold, and exhale durations. PERSONAL AMBIENT LIBRARY Layer your stimulation with pure tone, warm drone, brown/pink/white noise, rain, ocean swells, jungle ambience, or quiet cave drips. Each ambient locks to your selected frequency for perfect synchronization. STREAK TRACKING & HABIT BUILDING Build a daily session habit with automatic streak tracking, a 7-day minutes chart, full session history, and gentle daily reminders you control. APPLE WATCH COMPANION Start sessions from your wrist, monitor heart rate live via HealthKit, and sync session history seamlessly with your iPhone — no extra setup. LIVE ACTIVITY, DYNAMIC ISLAND & WIDGET See your live session countdown in the Dynamic Island, on your Lock Screen, or in a home-screen widget. Your streak is always one glance away. PRIVACY-FIRST GENUS doesn't require an account. Your session history stays on your device. We don't collect personal information and we don't sell data — ever. GENUS PREMIUM: Unlock the full experience with GENUS Premium: • Animated visual themes (Heart Field, Cymatic Bloom, Aurora, Resonance Field, and more) • Kaleidoscope visual mode • Box Breathing patterns and 4-7-8 calming breath • Custom session durations from 1 to 120 minutes • Smart Sleep Fade for Delta sessions — audio and brightness gently fade so you can fall asleep without an abrupt cutoff • Extended ambient sound library (Ocean, Jungle, Cave Quiet) • Completely ad-free sessions Start with a 7-day free trial. Then $39.99/year (just $3.33/month) or $6.99/month. Cancel anytime in App Store settings. IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION: GENUS uses flickering light and synchronized sensory stimulation. Do not use this app if you have epilepsy, a history of seizures, or are sensitive to flashing lights. Do not use while driving or operating machinery. If you experience dizziness, discomfort, or visual disturbances during a session, stop immediately. Consult your doctor before use if you have any neurological conditions. GENUS is a wellness and relaxation tool. It is NOT a medical device and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Statements about brainwave stimulation refer to general consumer-wellness use and have not been evaluated by the FDA. Inspired by MIT's GENUS research (Gamma Entrainment Using Sensory Stimulation) led by Dr. Li-Huei Tsai at the Picower Institute. Read our full Terms & Privacy Policy inside the app or on our website. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: brainboop at 14.0 against GENUS's 18.0. On price and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. brainboop sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and GENUS sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
| Parameter | brainboop | GENUS |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Freemium |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 77 MB | 30 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jonathan Harford | Ryan Ristau |
In-app purchases
brainboop
- Unlock Standard Sessions$14.99
GENUS
- GENUS Monthly$6.991 Month
- GENUS Yearly$39.991 Year









