Comparison

Foyer vs elsehear

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

Head to head
About

Foyer

Features
Read full description

Make room for a little quiet. Foyer lets you build ambient rooms from rain, fire, forests, cities, water, and everyday sounds. Place each sound around you. Move it closer to make it louder. Move it left or right to shape the space. SAVE PLACES YOU WANT TO RETURN TO Give each room a name and cover. Foyer remembers every sound and its position, so your desk, bedtime, or reading room is always ready. MADE FOR HEADPHONES The spatial mix gives every sound a place around you. Supported AirPods add head tracking, so the room stays anchored as you turn. QUIET CONTROLS Start, pause, or switch rooms from the lock screen and Control Center. Set a sleep timer and let Foyer fade out gently. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account. No ads. Foyer does not record your listening. Your rooms stay on your device, with optional iCloud sync after you unlock. START FREE Play up to three sounds at once and save up to five rooms. One purchase unlocks unlimited sounds and rooms, AirPods head tracking, and iCloud sync on iPhone and Mac. No subscription. Yours to keep.

About

elsehear

Features
Read full description

Listen to real places around the world, live. Browse places around the world and tune into their live soundscapes. Discover the coordinates and stories behind the sounds you hear. Tap "Take me somewhere" and let Elsehear choose your next destination. Save your favorite places and return to them whenever you like. Favorites sync across your iPhones when you sign in with the same Apple account. See your current place and playback status on the Lock Screen with Live Activities. Browse places and control playback on your paired iPhone with the Apple Watch companion. Available in English, Korean, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, French, and German. Elsehear is an art project for sharing the sounds of the world. With thanks to Locus Sonus and the contributors who keep these open microphones listening. Sign in with Apple and an internet connection are required. Audio comes from live sources, so sounds and stream availability vary. Be here, hear elsewhere.

Screenshots

Foyer4 screens
elsehear4 screens

Verdict

The call

Foyer and elsehear are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters โ€” price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them โ€” neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Foyer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and elsehear sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Foyer ships an update every 5 days, elsehear every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Foyer versus elsehear: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFoyerelsehear
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 5 daysEvery 4 days โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, MaciPhone, iPad, Apple Watch โ€” better
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size84 MB40 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFlorent Berrezdohyun ahn

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Foyer

One-time1
  • Unlock Foyer$9.99
1 purchases

elsehear

One-time1
  • support elsehear$6.99

Questions

Is Foyer free?
Foyer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is elsehear free?
elsehear is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Foyer or elsehear have ads?
Neither Foyer nor elsehear shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Foyer or elsehear?
Foyer ships an update every 5 days, and elsehear every 4 days. Most recently, Foyer was updated on October 31, 2026 and elsehear on November 6, 2026.

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