Comparison

Sleep Effect vs Anook

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

Head to head
About

Sleep Effect

Features
Read full description

SLEEP EFFECT: YOUR ARCHITECT OF CALM. Stop fighting the silence. Whether you’re battling a racing mind, a noisy neighborhood, or the hum of tinnitus, Sleep Effect empowers you to build a personalized audio sanctuary. Using a state-of-the-art layering engine, we don't just play sounds—we help you conduct your environment. WHY SLEEP EFFECT? Unlike standard sound machines that play repetitive loops, Sleep Effect uses an organic replay engine. By introducing natural delays between sounds, we eliminate "loop fatigue," creating an unpredictable, immersive atmosphere that feels like the real world. THE CORE FEATURES: 1. AN INFINITE LIBRARY OF HIGH-FIDELITY AUDIO Curated by sound enthusiasts, our library is immersive and categorized for effortless discovery: * WATER & RAIN: Thunderstorms, mountain streams, and the ocean pulse. * THE GREAT OUTDOORS: Rustling leaves, meadow breezes, and forest nights. * WILDERNESS ECHOES: Haunting loon calls, distant gulls, and midnight owls. * COZY ELEMENTS: Crackling log fires and wind-swept cabins. * AIR & SPACE: Mountain gusts and soft drones to clear mental clutter. 2. THE CUSTOM MIX ARCHITECT Don’t just listen—create. Layer unlimited sounds simultaneously with precision control: * INDIVIDUAL VOLUME SLIDERS: Make the rain heavy, but the distant thunder faint. * NAMED FAVORITES: Save your "Rainy Cabin" mix with custom emojis for one-tap relaxation. 3. PRECISION CONTROLS & SLEEP TIMER * GENTLE FADE-OUT: Set your timer and drift off as the audio gracefully fades to silence. * MASTER PLAYER: A polished, tactile interface to pause or stop all sounds instantly. 4. ORGANIC REPLAY DELAYS Our "Natural Replay" feature allows you to add manual delays between tracks. This ensures your environment stays fresh and organic, preventing your brain from spotting a loop. DESIGNED FOR YOUR BEDSIDE: * OBSIDIAN DARK MODE: Designed to reduce eye strain and keep your room dark. * LOCK SCREEN CONTROL: Full artwork and media controls without unlocking your phone. * BACKGROUND PLAY: Keep your soundscape running while using other apps. PERFECT FOR: * DEEP SLEEP: Mask tinnitus and silence racing thoughts. * PARENTS: Create a consistent, soothing environment for babies. * DEEP WORK: Block out office distractions and reach a flow state. * MEDITATION: Ground your practice with high-fidelity nature. Transform your space. Find your frequency. Download Sleep Effect today.

About

Anook

Features
Read full description

It's 2 a.m. and you can't sleep. So go somewhere else for a while — rain on a Tokyo street, a fire crackling in snowy Tromsø, the northern lights over Iceland's black-sand coast. Anook is a globe of 18 cozy places across 12 countries, each with its own view, its own hour and its own ambient sounds — rain, ocean waves, wind, a crackling fireplace, a distant city. Spin the globe, tap a light, and you're there. Then stay: to fall asleep, to focus, or to do nothing at all. TONIGHT, SLEEP SOMEWHERE ELSE • Sleep sounds with a view: fog outside a high-rise window in 2 a.m. Manhattan, snow on a cabin in Altay, waves under the cliffs of Big Sur • Set the sleep timer and close your eyes — the sound keeps playing with the screen off, then fades out slowly instead of cutting off • A short nap or a whole night: pause or resume right from the Lock Screen BY DAY, FOCUS SOMEWHERE ELSE • Nature sounds for deep work: wind across a Tuscan wheat field, a summer garden in Kyoto, moss and birdsong in a Swedish forest • Rain sounds and soft background noise keep the room around you at a distance while you work, study or read • Plays alongside your own music, podcasts or audiobooks — or add gentle relaxing music from the sound panel SOUND YOU CAN MOVE Every soundscape is built from layers — rain, wind, waves, birds, fire, the hum of a distant city — each at its own direction and distance. Put on headphones for spatial audio, then drag any sound closer, further away or behind you, and set each layer's volume yourself. Richer than a white noise machine, quieter than a playlist. MADE FOR QUIET HOURS Falling asleep, a midday nap, studying, deep work, reading, or a few minutes of meditation — Anook is ambience for whatever the hour asks of you. THE 18 PLACES Japan — Rainy Tokyo Streets · Shibuya Rainy Night · Kyoto Garden Iceland — Vestrahorn Aurora Norway — Snowy Tromsø Sweden — Mossy Forest United Kingdom — Oxfordshire Fields France — Seine at Sunset Italy — Tuscan Fields Türkiye — Bosphorus Strait United States — 2 A.M. Manhattan · Big Sur Cliffs China — Altay Snow Cabin · Wheatfield Chime, Lijiang Indonesia — Ubud Rice Fields · Nusa Penida Vista · Uluwatu Cliffside Dining Australia — Sydney Harbour Dusk New places are added regularly. ANOOK PRO Anook Pro opens every place and every sound, plus each new place as it arrives. Choose monthly, yearly (with a free trial for eligible new subscribers) or a one-time lifetime purchase; prices are shown in the app before you buy. Payment will be charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours before the current period ends. You can manage or cancel your subscriptions anytime in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use: https://app.notion.com/p/3bd0378c2ce28142b529e95e2fb4c044 Privacy Policy: https://app.notion.com/p/3bd0378c2ce281b184ebc54abb4750b4

Screenshots

Sleep Effect4 screens
Anook4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Sleep Effect at none against Anook's 5. Anook's advantage is iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.1). On price, update cadence, ads 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. Anook sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Sleep Effect asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sleep Effect ships an update fortnightly, Anook every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 4 level
Sleep Effect versus Anook: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSleep EffectAnook
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 4 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS26.118.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size324 MB192 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAhmed NabulsiNous Studio Ltd

In-app purchases

None

Sleep Effect

No in-app purchases

5 purchases

Anook

Subscriptions2
  • Anook Pro Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Anook Pro Annual7 Days trial$8.991 Year
One-time3
  • Anook Pro Lifetime$14.99
  • Anook Pro Lifetime$19.99
  • Anook Pro Lifetime$29.99

Questions

Is Sleep Effect free?
Sleep Effect is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Anook free?
Anook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Sleep Effect or Anook have ads?
Neither Sleep Effect nor Anook shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Sleep Effect or Anook?
Sleep Effect ships an update fortnightly, and Anook every 4 weeks. Most recently, Sleep Effect was updated on November 9, 2026 and Anook on November 2, 2026.

Other comparisons