About Sleep
Sleep Related Conditions
Sleep Disorders
The Sleep Cycle app is probably one of the better-known apps for sleep-tracking apps in the market. However, not everyone may enjoy using it for various reasons like interface, features, and so on. If not this app, what else could you go for? Well, in this article, we are introducing the 5 best sleep cycle alternatives in 2025.
Keep on reading! Otherwise, you won’t get the best of this article.
Our List of Best Sleep Cycle Alternatives
Best Overall: ShutEye
Best Meditation App: Headspace
Best for Sounds: Noisli
Best Alarm: Pzizz
Best Sleep Stories: Slumber
| Top 5 Sleep Cycle Alternatives | Why we chose it | App Store Rating |
| ShutEye | Best Overall | 4.8/5 |
| Headspace | Best Meditation | 4.8/5 |
| Noisli | Best Sounds | 4.2/5 |
| Pzizz | Best Alarm | 4.8/5 |
| Slumber | Best Sleep Stories | 4.7/5 |
What is a Sleep-Tracking App?
A sleep-tracking app is an app that monitors and records your sleep patterns every night. Tracking your sleep cycle allows you to better understand if you have been getting good-quality rest or if there’s a need for you to improve your sleep on it.
Most sleep apps should provide you with a sleep report of how your night went and how long you’ve spent in each of the different sleep stagesâ light sleep, deep sleep, and REM sleep. These metrics are key indicators that help you know if you might have trouble falling asleep or if you are dealing with sleep deprivation.
Additionally, aside from tracking sleep, such apps may also come with other features such as meditation exercises, sleep sounds, sleep stories, or a smart alarm to help you cultivate good sleep hygiene and sleep habits.
Do Sleep Tracking Apps Really Work?
Yes, they do. Unless your phone is powered off. To let tracking apps work, you need to connect your charger, lock your phone, and put it aside. Each app has powerful AI (artificial intelligence) algorithms that recognize, calculate, and analyze the files recorded by the microphone to produce your sleep status information. Every app has lots of tests before becoming available for users.
Moreover, the more attempts you make to the apps, the more personalized and accurate reports you will get. So, give it a try, or more and you will get what you want!
The 5 Best Sleep Cycle Alternatives
1. Best Overall: ShutEye
ShutEyeŸ is considered one of the best sleep apps overall in our opinion. ShutEyeŸ is built with a patented sleep-tracking technology that accurately and automatically tracks sleep patterns and offers valuable insights into your sleep health. Utilizing artificial intelligence algorithms, the app is able to recognize, calculate, and analyze sleep data and sleep sounds such as snoring are recorded to produce your sleep status information.
Additionally, dozens of tests are conducted frequently to ensure that ShutEyeÂź’s accuracy remains in the top 90th percentile compared to other sleep-tracking apps in the market. Conducting comparative tests with Medical PSG (polysomnography) is also part of testing procedures to ensure users get highly accurate and reliable results.
The best part is that ShutEye offers both a free version and a premium version (access to exclusive features and sleep study), making it one of the best sleep cycle alternatives.
User Ratings: 4.8/5 Stars
Features:
- Collection of sleep sounds and ambient noise
- Bedtime stories for children and adults
- Smart alarm clock feature for a gentle wake experience
- Sleep tracker and sleep sound recorder for sleep talking and snoring
- Detailed nighttime sleep analysis report
- Customizable sound mixes
Price: Free
2. Best Meditation App: Headspace
Originally, a meditation app, Headspace also makes a a strong competitor to Sleep Cycle, offering impressive features for sleep support. The free version of the app offers a feature called âsleepcasts,â which are 45-55-minute-long audio recordings (kind of like adult bedtime stories) that help you visualize calming experiences, like a slow-moving train or a walk through a garden.
New stories are constantly added to the app, ensuring that you’ll never get bored of it. If you choose to upgrade to the paid version, you’ll get access to more than 40 themed meditation courses (like for sleep and stress), plus many more sleepcasts and music options to help you wind down.
User Ratings: 4.8/5 Stars
Features:
- Daily guided meditations
- Sleep sounds and sleep music
- Personalized mental health coaching
- Progress tracking
- Daily reminders
- Self-care tools and resources
Price: Free or $12.99/month for premium version
3. Best for Sounds: Noisli
This super simple and cheap app is one of the best rival apps for its sound features. The app basically lets you choose from a bunch of different sounds (like thunder, wind, white noise, and even the buzz of a coffee shop) to create your ideal sleep soundtrack. Not only that but you can create a combo of sounds you love that you can save in the app for future use. Unfortunately, this app is not available for Android users so it’s something to take note.
Pro tip: if you’re using it overnight, keep your phone plugged inâotherwise, you may wake up to a dead battery.
User Ratings: 4.2/5 Stars
Features:
- Customizable sound mixes
- Play sounds offline
- Timer with fade out function
- Background audio support
Price: $1.99
4. Best Alarm: PzizzÂ
Pzizz is a great app if you need something that can get you to wake up early in the morning. The app allows you to set a timer for the length of a sleep session so it plays a soothing dreamscape while you snooze; then, you can wake up to the built-in alarm. The downside to this is that if you are looking for a huge variety of sleep sounds to choose from, you’ll probably have to upgrade to their premium version. However, the app does offer a seven-day free trial.
Another thing to consider is that the app does not support apple watch users, a slight inconvenience for those who don’t keep their phones near them at night.
User Ratings: 4.8/5 Stars
Features:
- Sleep module
- Nap module
- Focus module
- Customizable sleep duration and volume
- Integrate Apple Health
Price: Free or $7.99/month for premium version
5. Best Sleep Stories: Slumber
Slumber offers a combination of experiences to help you fall asleep, whether it’s meditation-focused, a six-part bedtime story series, or the sound of a warm Jacuzzi. You can also choose a background noise (like rain or the ocean) to play for up to 10 hours after the main track ends.
Slumber is also known for its sleep-inducing stories that are added each week. Upgrading to the premium version allows you to listen to this never-ending list of stories, or if you choose not to upgrade, you’ll get a set number of stories that are completely free to listen.
User Ratings: 4.7/5 Stars
Features:
- Library of sleep meditations
- Bedtime stories
- Meditation guide and suggestive hypnosis
- Customizable nature sounds
Price: Free or $9.99/month
Conclusion
Here you are! Feel free to choose! We are all different and we have our likes and dislikes! But, in the context of this article, all we want is â a good sleep! If you feel that the sleep cycle app may not be for you, perhaps you may consider one of the alternatives listed above.
Personally, we recommend using the ShutEyeÂź app if you are looking to accurately track your sleep cycle and discover other sleep tools to help you fall asleep faster at night. Try it for FREE now!
