Comparison

Ambi vs SLEEP by Max Richter

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

Head to head
About

Ambi

This app generates unique, ever-changing soundscapes to help you relax and focus. It masks distracting background noise with customizable mixes of various noise types, offering manual control over the sound or automatic randomization. Enhance your audio experience with reverb and an equalizer.

Highlights
  • Algorithmic noise generation
  • Customizable noise mixes
  • Manual and automatic sound randomization
  • Reverb effect
  • 8-band graphic equalizer
  • In-app timer (paid)
  • User preset saving (paid)
Read full description

Ambi generates calm soundscapes in real time — not from recorded loops. White, pink, brown, and water noise are synthesized live, so the sound never repeats and never seams. Drag the orb to blend all four sources, fine-tune with an 8-band EQ, and add reverb and motion until it feels right. BUILT FOR REAL LIFE Pick your use case on first launch — Sleep, Focus, Study, Baby, or Tinnitus — and Ambi loads a starter preset with a suggested timer. Seven beautiful presets are included; switch freely and explore. FREE TO PLAY • Play, mix, and explore all default presets • Blend four live noise generators with the orb • 8-band EQ, reverb, and motion • Set a sleep timer (hours, minutes, seconds) PREMIUM — ONE-TIME UNLOCK • Start the sleep timer • Background play and lock screen controls • Save, create, and manage custom presets • Siri, Shortcuts, and Control Center WHY AMBI? Most sound apps loop short recordings. Ambi uses algorithmic noise generation — smaller download, infinite variation, and a mix that responds to you in real time. Whether you need brown noise for deep focus, pink noise for baby sleep, white noise for study, or gentle water for tinnitus relief, Ambi is a simple, beautiful sound machine in your pocket. No subscription. No ads. Just calm.

About

SLEEP by Max Richter

Experience a unique musical journey designed to aid sleep, meditation, and focus. This app features exclusive compositions by Max Richter, customizable sequences, and tools for well-being tracking. It aims to help users fall asleep gently, wake up peacefully, and enhance concentration.

Highlights
  • Fall asleep with expert-consulted composition
  • Gentle wake-up sounds
  • Immersive music for meditation
  • Focus enhancement
  • Personal well-being journal
  • Unlockable planet experiences
  • Apple Watch heart rate integration
Features
Read full description

Max Richter's award-winning composition re-imagined to help you sleep, meditate and focus. SLEEP is renowned composer Max Richter's dedication to our daily ritual of sleep. Composed in consultation with sleep experts, SLEEP is a musical tour de force that enamored global audiences and saw more than half-billion digital streams. For the first time ever, exclusive new sequences of SLEEP are now introduced via a fully customizable app experience. Curated musical selections from the SLEEP album will help you sleep, meditate and focus. “The way that the app allows listeners to make a unique and personal journey through the landscape of SLEEP is remarkable and conveys the spirit of the music in a completely new way.” Max Richter SLEEP is free. There are no in-app purchases and all you need is a premium account on Apple Music or Spotify. FEATURES - FALL ASLEEP: A groundbreaking composition written in consultation with sleep experts to help you sleep - WAKE UP: Start your days gently with exclusive sounds from Max Richter that can only be found in this app - MEDITATE: Dive into immersive music and animations to relax your mind, body and soul - FOCUS: Blend out every day life’s noises and sharpen your focus - YOUR OWN JOURNAL: Reflect, take notes and track your well-being - EXPAND YOUR SPACE: Collect experience and progress to unlock further planets - FREE FOR ALL: All features are completely free with either an Apple Music or a Spotify premium account - APPLE WATCH: For Apple Watch, the SLEEP app measures your heartbeat and will adjust the music programming to approximate the rhythm of your heart Let the music of SLEEP guide you into your best slumber, relax your mind and gently wake you up into each brand-new day. Note on Apple Watch and HealthKit: an Apple Watch is required to use the HealthKit features of the SLEEP app. You can choose to grant or deny permission from the SLEEP Watch app to access your heartbeat. If granted permission, the app will try to sync the music programming to be close to your heart rate. Your data is stored locally on the device and is deleted when you delete the app. The SLEEP app uses HealthKit and integrates with the Health app in this manner.

Screenshots

Ambi4 screens
SLEEP by Max Richter4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SLEEP by Max Richter at none against Ambi's 1. SLEEP by Max Richter also leads on ads (none vs shown) and rating (4.8 vs 4.3). On price and review sentiment 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. Ambi sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. SLEEP by Max Richter asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SLEEP by Max Richter holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SLEEP by Max Richter has 1.7K ratings behind it against 87, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 58% of Ambi's written reviews are positive against 55% of SLEEP by Max Richter's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ambi ships an update every 4 months, SLEEP by Max Richter fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Ambi versus SLEEP by Max Richter: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAmbiSLEEP by Max Richter
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (87 ratings)4.8 (1.7K ratings) — better
Positive reviews58.1% of reviews — better55.5% of reviews
Number of ratings871.7K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS17.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB225 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMellowmuse LtdU-Apps

Customer experience

Ambi

All ratings87 ratings
Positive81.6%
Neutral6.9%
Negative11.5%
Written reviews31 reviews
Positive58.1%
Neutral9.7%
Negative32.3%

SLEEP by Max Richter

All ratings1,728 ratings
Positive95.0%
Neutral2.1%
Negative2.8%
Written reviews375 reviews
Positive55.5%
Neutral9.3%
Negative35.2%

Bugs and requests

Ambi

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

SLEEP by Max Richter

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes or fails to open
  • Music playback issues and skipping
  • Alarm not working as expected
  • Incorrect time and date displayed

Requested features

5 requests
  • Offline music playback option
  • More music and sound options beyond Max Richter
  • Integration with other music streaming services
  • Customizable sleep/wake up settings
  • Apple Watch and Health app integration

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Ambi

One-time1
  • Ambi Pro$4.99
None

SLEEP by Max Richter

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Ambi free?
Ambi is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SLEEP by Max Richter free?
SLEEP by Max Richter is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Ambi or SLEEP by Max Richter?
SLEEP by Max Richter is rated higher. Ambi averages 4.3 out of 5 from 87 ratings, while SLEEP by Max Richter averages 4.8 from 1.7K ratings.
Do Ambi or SLEEP by Max Richter have ads?
Ambi shows ads; SLEEP by Max Richter does not.
Which is updated more often, Ambi or SLEEP by Max Richter?
Ambi ships an update every 4 months, and SLEEP by Max Richter fortnightly. Most recently, Ambi was updated on November 6, 2026 and SLEEP by Max Richter on November 7, 2026.

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