Pillow vs NightBell
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Pillow
This app helps you understand and improve your sleep. It automatically tracks your sleep cycles, analyzes heart rate, and records audio events like snoring. Get personalized insights and tips to wake up feeling refreshed.
- Automatic sleep tracking
- Smart alarm clock
- Snore and sleep talking recorder
- Sleep cycle analysis
- Heart rate analysis
- Personalized sleep tips
- Sleep aid library
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Sleep trouble? Sleep better with Pillow, your smart sleep tracker. Pillow can analyze your sleep cycles automatically using your Apple Watch, iPhone or iPad. Use Pillow as a smart alarm clock to wake up at the lightest possible sleep stage and start your day refreshed and relaxed. Record important audio events such as snoring, sleep apnea, and sleep talking. Explore trends about your sleep and compare your sleep quality with many Apple Health metrics that affect sleep. As seen on: The New York Times, Forbes, The Guardian, BuzzFeed, The Washington Post, TechCrunch, MacStories, Daily Mail, and many more. Rated as one of the best sleep tracking apps for the Apple Watch and iPhone. Join the millions that have discovered the life-changing benefits of great sleep! TRACK YOUR SLEEP AUTOMATICALLY - Simply wear your Apple Watch during sleep. Pillow will automatically detect and analyze your sleep. - View last night's report right on your Apple Watch, along with the heart rate analysis for the night. - Switch between manual and automatic mode anytime. SLEEP CYCLE & HEART RATE ANALYSIS - Advanced sleep cycle analysis algorithm based on the latest scientific findings in sleep research. - Detailed heart rate analysis - Detailed sleep stage diagram (Awake, REM, Light Sleep, Deep Sleep) and sleep score. - Home Screen, Lock Screen Widgets and Apple Watch Complications AUDIO RECORDINGS USING MACHINE LEARNING - Snoring, sleep apnea, sleep talking and other nightly sounds. - All processing is done using on-device intelligence to ensure privacy. PERSONALISED INSIGHTS & SLEEP TIPS - Create a unique personal sleep program to reach your goals - Regularly updated sleep tips - Advanced Insights, including optimal bedtime, chronotype and more. SLEEP TRENDS - Explore your sleep history with Week, Month, Year, and All Time overviews. - Compare your sleep quality with many Apple Health categories that affect sleep. BACKUP & SYNCHRONIZE - Synchronize and backup your sleep data and audio recordings between your devices. ALARM PRESETS & NAPS - Powernap, recovery, and full-cycle nap - Customisable alarm presets MOOD & NOTES - Track your mood when you wake up - Discover how your notes affect your sleep quality SLEEP AID - Access an expanding library of Meditations, Bedtime Stories, Soundscapes and Music. - Use a track from Apple Music or iTunes as an alarm. - Siri Wind Down support PREMIUM FEATURES: - Unlimited sleep history & analysis - Advanced sleep analysis - Sleep trends & Apple Health comparison - Sleep notes - Heart rate analysis - Sound recordings - Nap modes & Customisable presets - Access to Sleep aid library - Access to all wake-up melodies - Discover: Create a personalised sleep program. - Wake-up melodies from your iTunes library or Apple Music - Data export in CSV format - Smart Wake-up Learn more at https://pillow.app SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION Your payment will be charged to your iTunes Account as soon as you confirm your purchase. You can manage your subscriptions and turn off auto-renewal from your Account Settings after the purchase. If you start a free trial, you will be charged automatically at the end of the trial period unless you cancel 24 hours before the expiration period. Your subscription will renew automatically unless you turn off auto-renew at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. The renewal cost will be charged to your account within 24 hours before the end of the current period. When canceling a subscription, your subscription will stay active until the end of the period. Auto-renewal will be disabled, but the existing subscription will not be refunded. If offered, any unused portion of a free trial period will be forfeited when purchasing a subscription. Terms & Privacy Policy: https://pillow.app/pillow-privacy-policy-en
NightBell
This app monitors for sleepwalking episodes using motion sensors. It triggers a gentle alarm to wake you and can alert household members. A unique task-based system on a smartwatch helps differentiate between sleepwalking and being awake to prevent false alarms.
- Sleepwalking detection via motion sensors
- Gentle alarm to wake user
- Household member alerts
- Smartwatch task for false alarm prevention
- Designed for sleepwalker safety
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NightBell is an app developed to meet sleepwalker needs. It’s designed to keep you safe by triggering an alarm, gently waking you up, and alerting your household members, if you start sleepwalking. Key Features: 1. Sleepwalking Detection: NightBell uses motion sensors to detect sleepwalking episodes and triggers an alarm to wake you up. 2. Gentle Alarm: The app wakes you up gently, minimizing disruption while ensuring you are aware of your sleepwalking. 3. Prevention of false alarms: If NightBell detects walking when the session is active, it will ask the user to perform a simple Task on the Apple Watch to understand if he’s awake or sleepwalking. Download NightBell now and experience the peace of mind that comes with knowing you'll be alerted if sleepwalking occurs. Sleep tight and let NightBell watch over your slumber.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: NightBell at 100% against Pillow's 42%. NightBell also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.4) and in-app purchases (none vs 6). Pillow's advantage is ratings volume (96K vs 3) and chart position (#169 vs unranked). 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
Both are free to download. Pillow sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month. NightBell asks for nothing beyond the download.
NightBell holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pillow has 96K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 42% of Pillow's written reviews are positive against 100% of NightBell's.
Pillow ships an update every 10 days, NightBell every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Pillow | NightBell |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (96K ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 41.6% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 96K — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days — better | Every 11 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #169 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 691 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Neybox Digital Ltd. | Irina Deeva |
Customer experience
Pillow
NightBell
Bugs and requests
Pillow
Reported bugs
4 issues- App crashes or freezes
- Sleep data not syncing properly
- Audio recording issues
- Alarm not working as expected
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to edit sleep sessions and data
- Sleep cycle trends and insights
- Dream journal integration
- More customization options for alarms and sounds
NightBell
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Pillow
- Pillow Premium - Monthly$19.991 Month
- Premium Sleep Tracking7 Days trial$49.991 Year
- Pillow Premium - Annual$49.991 Year
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- Pillow Premium - Annual1 Year trial$49.991 Year
- Pillow Premium - Quarterly$59.993 Months
- Pillow Premium - Legacy$249.99
NightBell
No in-app purchases









