mySleepButton vs Insomnia Coach
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
mySleepButton
This app uses a "cognitive shuffle" technique to help users fall asleep by distracting their minds with imagery. It offers guided meditations and can be used with audio devices for a screen-free experience.
- Cognitive shuffle technique
- Guided imagery for sleep
- Affective body scan meditation
- Configurable meditation pack
- Audio playback on external devices
- Siri shortcuts
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mySleepButton® is a CogSci Apps® invention. Its purpose is to help you fall asleep with the "cognitive shuffle", as featured in the The New York Times, The Guardian, Forbes Magazine, Canadian Government’s Institute of Health Research, The BC Medical Journal online, Popular Science Magazine, Forbes Magazine ("disrupt all patterns and rest in blissful chaos"), LifeHacker ("surprisingly effective"), etc. It’s so easy: Just lie in bed, touch the “Put Me to Sleep” button, imagine the various descriptions it reads to you, and let yourself fall asleep… pleasantly. That is the Cognitive Shuffle! O, The Oprah magazine, calls mySleepButton “An easy little game to trick yourself to sleep.” The Guardian wrote: "My top recommendation remains the visualisation method known as the “cognitive shuffle”: download the MySleepButton app". Quartz says mySleepButton is “a drug-free sleep trick for your restless mind”. International Business Times of London says “mySleepButton App Hijacks Thoughts to Help Sleep”. Into mindfulness meditation? mySleepButton also contains a configurable "affective body scan" meditation pack. It taps into the brain's body maps. Still awake after the meditation? Instantly proceed to guided shuffled imagery. You can try mySleepButton for FREE! There's no subscription fee. Buy the pack(s) that you like, and shuffle your thoughts to sleep. The goal of mySleepButton is to keep your mind off your concerns while putting it in an imagery rich state conducive to sleep. mySleepButton can also be triggered with Air Pods and played on Apple's Home Pod (or other devices) if you don't want an iPhone or iPad in your bed room. It even has Siri shortcuts. So, why not enjoy a dreamy transition to sleep? “Shuffle Your Thoughts to Sleep” with mySleepButton.
Insomnia Coach
This app offers a guided training plan and interactive tools based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-i). It provides personalized feedback and tips to help users track and improve their sleep patterns. Designed for daily use over five weeks, it aims to help users regain healthy sleep habits.
- Guided weekly training plan
- Personalized sleep coach feedback
- Interactive sleep diary
- 17 sleep improvement tools
- Scientifically-based approach
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Insomnia Coach is designed for Veterans, military Servicemembers, and others who are suffering from insomnia. The app is based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-i) and provides: * a guided, weekly training plan to help you track and improve your sleep * a sleep coach with personal feedback about your sleep and fun sleep tips * an interactive sleep diary to help you keep track of daily changes in your sleep * 17 tools to help you get your sleep back on track This app is based on scientific research about how people can change their behaviors and thoughts to improve their sleep. This app does NOT replace professional care. Insomnia Coach is designed to be used daily for 5 weeks by following the Training Plan. After that, you can continue using the app to track your sleep and maintain good sleep habits. Insomnia Coach was created by VA’s National Center for PTSD.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: mySleepButton at 4.5 against Insomnia Coach's 3.8. mySleepButton also leads on review sentiment (73% vs 51%) and update cadence (every 4 months vs every 9 months). Insomnia Coach's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 14). On price, ratings volume, 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
Both are free to download. mySleepButton sells 13 one-off in-app purchases. Insomnia Coach asks for nothing beyond the download.
mySleepButton holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 209 and 73 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 73% of mySleepButton's written reviews are positive against 51% of Insomnia Coach's.
mySleepButton ships an update every 4 months, Insomnia Coach every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on August 5, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | mySleepButton | Insomnia Coach |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (209 ratings) — better | 3.8 (73 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 72.9% of reviews — better | 50.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 209 — better | 73 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months — better | Every 9 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 161 MB | 35 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | CogSci Apps Corp. | US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) |
Customer experience
mySleepButton
Insomnia Coach
User reviews
mySleepButton
From 209 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 No fuss, just works
- 👍 Effective for insomnia
- 👍 Puts me to sleep quickly
- 👍 Helps shut down racing thoughts
- 👍 Better than sleeping pills
Room to improve
- 🐛 Audio quality issues (crackling, clicking)
- 🔧 Requires in-app purchases to unlock full functionality
- 🔧 Repetitive content in free version
Insomnia Coach
From 73 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- ✅ Effective CBT-i program
- 💰 Free to use
- 💡 Helpful explanations
- 📈 Tracks sleep patterns
- 🧘 Guided relaxation
Room to improve
- ⚠️ Struggles with irregular sleep
- 😵 Makes insomnia worse
- 📱 Bright white background
- 🎧 No wireless headphone support
- 🔄 Inability to edit entries
Bugs and requests
mySleepButton
Reported bugs
2 issues- App crashes after iOS updates
- Purchased content not restoring properly
Requested features
4 requests- More diverse content and voices
- Randomized word/scene order
- Support for additional languages
- Apple Watch app
Insomnia Coach
Reported bugs
8 issues- Sleep diary errors (negative hours)
- Progress tab not reflecting data
- App won't download
- Audio not playing through headphones
- Sleep diary calculation errors
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- Error when entering shift work hours
- App doesn't account for sex in diary
- Diary locks entries after prescription update
Requested features
9 requests- Dark mode feature
- Wireless headphone compatibility
- Ability to edit past diary entries
- Sync between devices
- More sleep stories and anxiety resources
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- Option to indicate getting out of bed in the middle of the night
- Better handling of irregular sleep hours
- Clearer overview of weekly exercises
- Support for Bluetooth earbuds
In-app purchases
mySleepButton
- Disable iAd$0.99
- Album d'items simples$3.99
- 単語パック$3.99
Show 10 moreShow fewer
- 简单事物专辑$4.99
- Simple-Things Pack$5.99
- Drawing Pack2 variants$5.99
- Scenes Pack$5.99
- Album d'items à dessiner$5.99
- Simple-Things Pack$6.99
- Album d'items simples$6.99
- Scenes Pack$8.99
- Body Scan Pack$8.99
- Kids Pack (4+)$8.99
Insomnia Coach
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is mySleepButton free?
Is Insomnia Coach free?
Which has better reviews, mySleepButton or Insomnia Coach?
Do mySleepButton or Insomnia Coach have ads?
Which is updated more often, mySleepButton or Insomnia Coach?
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