A Noisli alternative you pay for once

Noisli was one of the first apps to put rain, wind and a coffee shop in a browser tab and let you mix them, and it is still a good one. If you are looking for an alternative, it is usually for one of two reasons: you do not want another subscription for background sound, or you hit the free plan's daily limit in the middle of a work session. This page is about both, and about where Noisli is still the better choice.

What Noisli costs

At the time of writing, Noisli's free plan has 16 sounds and 1.5 hours of streaming a day, with a simple timer. Pro removes the limit, adds more sounds and an advanced timer, and costs $8 a month billed yearly, so about $96 a year. A Business plan for two people costs more. Prices change, so check Noisli's pricing page before deciding.

The pay-once version

Kiri puts the timer first and the sound beside it. Write what the block is for, pick 25, 50 or 90 minutes, press Space. The countdown is in the tab title, a chime marks the end, and the sound keeps going in the same tab. The free tier has no daily limit: the timer, rain, brown noise and alpha binaural beats are free for as long as you use them.

The full version adds pink and white noise, forest, café, fireplace, sea, wind and waterfall, the nature and café sounds built from long real field recordings that do not loop, plus five binaural beat frequencies. It costs €39 once, with no subscription and a 30-day refund. At Noisli Pro's yearly price, that is less than half a year.

When Noisli is still the better pick

• You want to mix your own sound. Noisli's mixer, with a slider for each sound, is its best feature. Kiri plays one soundscape at a time, plus binaural beats if you want them.
• You want sound on your phone. Kiri runs only on a laptop or desktop, on purpose, so the phone can go in another room. If you listen on your phone, Kiri is not for you.
• You want more sounds. Noisli has more of them. Kiri has ten, chosen and blended by ear.

Try both in one afternoon

The player above needs no account. Run one block with it and one with Noisli, and keep whichever made the work easier. If you want to know which colour of noise to start with, read brown, white or pink noise.