Comparison

mySleepButton vs Pixel Thoughts Official

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Cognitive shuffle technique
  • Guided imagery for sleep
  • Affective body scan meditation
  • Configurable meditation pack
  • Audio playback on external devices
  • Siri shortcuts
Features
Read full description

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.

About

Pixel Thoughts Official

This app offers a 60-second guided meditation to help you manage stress. Simply type your worries, watch them dissipate into space, and experience a sense of relief. It's a clinically studied tool for mental well-being.

Highlights
  • 60-second stress relief sessions
  • Type and visualize stressful thoughts
  • Clinically studied for anxiety reduction
  • Calming messages after each session
  • Free and ad-free experience
  • Simple, intuitive interface
Features
Read full description

Pixel Thoughts is interactive mindfulness: a 60-second meditation for stress and anxiety where you don't just listen, you take part. Type a stressful thought into the star, watch it shrink into the cosmos, and feel lighter in 60 seconds. CLINICALLY STUDIED Pixel Thoughts was the intervention tool in a randomized controlled trial at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, published in Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research (Westenberg et al., 2018). After a single 60-second session, participants reported: - 29% fewer anxiety symptoms - 30% less depression - 44% less anger - 13% less pain Four research publications, three peer-reviewed, including two randomized controlled trials. HOW IT WORKS 1. Type what's weighing you down 2. Watch your thought shrink into the stars 3. Read a calming message 4. Feel lighter, in 60 seconds CONNECTED BREATH New in 2.0: a live meditation you share with the world. Breathe in sync with people everywhere, and join the daily gathering when everyone breathes together at once. A GROWING UNIVERSE Pixel Thoughts is becoming a home for interactive mindfulness: short, carefully made experiences that respond to what you bring. Two today, more on the way. FREE No ads. Just you, a stressful thought, and the night sky. TRUSTED SINCE 2015 Used by millions to clear their minds. No learning curve. Just type and breathe.

Screenshots

mySleepButton2 screens
Pixel Thoughts Official4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Pixel Thoughts Official at none against mySleepButton's 14. Pixel Thoughts Official also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 5 months) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). mySleepButton's advantage is ratings volume (210 vs 23). On price, review sentiment, 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. mySleepButton sells 13 one-off in-app purchases. Pixel Thoughts Official asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Pixel Thoughts Official holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: mySleepButton has 210 ratings behind it against 23, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 73% of mySleepButton's written reviews are positive against 75% of Pixel Thoughts Official's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

mySleepButton ships an update every 5 months, Pixel Thoughts Official weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
mySleepButton versus Pixel Thoughts Official: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametermySleepButtonPixel Thoughts Official
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (210 ratings)4.8 (23 ratings) — better
Positive reviews72.9% of reviews75.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings210 — better23
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size45 MB18 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCogSci Apps Corp.Marc B

Customer experience

mySleepButton

All ratings210 ratings
Positive88.1%
Neutral5.2%
Negative6.7%
Written reviews129 reviews
Positive72.9%
Neutral6.2%
Negative20.9%

Pixel Thoughts Official

All ratings23 ratings
Positive95.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative4.3%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%

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

Pixel Thoughts Official

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

13 purchases

mySleepButton

One-time13
  • Disable iAd$0.99
  • Album d'items simples$3.99
  • 単語パック$3.99
Show 10 more
  • 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
None

Pixel Thoughts Official

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is mySleepButton free?
mySleepButton is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pixel Thoughts Official free?
Pixel Thoughts Official is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, mySleepButton or Pixel Thoughts Official?
Pixel Thoughts Official is rated higher. mySleepButton averages 4.5 out of 5 from 210 ratings, while Pixel Thoughts Official averages 4.8 from 23 ratings.
Do mySleepButton or Pixel Thoughts Official have ads?
Neither mySleepButton nor Pixel Thoughts Official shows ads.
Which is updated more often, mySleepButton or Pixel Thoughts Official?
mySleepButton ships an update every 5 months, and Pixel Thoughts Official weekly. Most recently, mySleepButton was updated on October 11, 2026 and Pixel Thoughts Official on October 7, 2026.

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