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Underlay vs Noisli
Noisli lets you mix sounds yourself. Underlay builds the mix for you based on how you feel. Different tools for different people.
| Feature | Underlay | Noisli |
|---|---|---|
| Audio approach | Engineered soundscapes shaped by mood and mode — then adjustable with sliders | Manual sound mixer — you drag sliders to blend ambient sounds from scratch |
| Mood awareness | Asks mood before every session — scattered, anxious, tired, wired | None — same interface regardless of how you feel |
| Adapts to you | Yes — audio changes based on mood + work mode combination | No — you manually adjust every time |
| Audio type | Synthesized ambient textures — no music, no recognizable sounds | Real-world ambient sounds (rain, coffee shop, white noise, etc.) |
| Sound variety | Curated stems per mood and mode | 26 mixable ambient sounds with individual volume control |
| Binaural beats | Yes — tuned to work mode + mood each session (Pro) | No |
| Focus modes | Deep Focus, Reading, Creative, Journaling, Light Work | None — single interface for all use cases |
| Pomodoro timer | Yes — built-in with auto breaks (Pro) | Yes — included free |
| Session history | Yes — logged with mood and mode (Pro) | No |
| Text editor | No | Yes — distraction-free editor built in |
| Starting price | Free (1 session/day) · Pro from $7.99/mo or $47.99/yr | Free (1.5 hrs/day cap) · Premium $10/mo or $120/yr |
| Lifetime plan | Yes — $79.99 one-time | No |
| Platform | Web PWA (any browser, installable on iOS + Android) | Web, Chrome extension, iOS, Android |
| Offline support | Yes — via PWA service worker | Yes |
The real difference
Noisli has been around since 2013 and over a million people use it. That longevity is earned. Sound masking works, and Noisli does it well with a clean interface and a free tier that isn't crippled. If you want to hand-craft your own mix and tweak it to your taste, Noisli is good at that.
Underlay asks a different question: not "what sounds do you want?" but "how are you feeling right now, and what are you trying to do?" The audio is built for that exact combination. If your focus needs shift day to day, or you want binaural beats matched to your current state, a static mixer can't do that.
Underlay also has manual controls — volume, warmth, and depth sliders plus per-layer toggles — so you can shape the sound in real-time if you want to. The difference is you're adjusting something already tuned to how you feel, not starting from silence. Noisli offers volume oscillation as a paid feature you turn on yourself. In Underlay it's automatic, running per layer in the background, so the mix stays alive without you thinking about it.
Choose Noisli if
You enjoy building your own sound mix, you want a built-in writing environment, or simple ambient noise is all you need.
Choose Underlay if
You want audio that adapts to how you actually feel today, not a static mix you have to configure yourself every time.
Common questions
What is the main difference between Underlay and Noisli?+
Noisli is a sound mixer — you choose which ambient sounds to layer and how loud each one is. It's manual and static: the same sounds play the same way every time unless you adjust them yourself. Underlay works differently. Before each session, it asks what you're working on and how you're feeling, then generates an audio environment specifically for that combination. The result adapts to your actual cognitive state rather than a generic "focus" setting.
Is Noisli good for focus?+
Yes, for many people. Sound masking — covering distracting noise with consistent ambient sound — is a well-established productivity technique, and Noisli does it well. The limitation is that it treats focus as a single state. Someone who is anxious and someone who is tired need different audio environments, but Noisli gives them the same interface. If you find that simple background noise works consistently for you, Noisli is a solid choice. If you notice your needs shift day to day, Underlay's mood-aware approach addresses that directly.
Does Underlay have a sound mixer like Noisli?+
No. Underlay doesn't give you sliders to blend sounds manually. Instead it makes those decisions based on your mood and work mode inputs. If you enjoy the process of crafting your own mix, Noisli is better suited to that workflow. If you want the audio figured out for you based on how you're actually feeling, Underlay is the better fit.
How does the pricing compare?+
Noisli's free tier caps you at 1.5 hours of listening per day. Premium is $10/month or $120/year. Underlay's free tier gives you one full mood-aware session every day, up to 45 minutes, with no credit card required. Pro is $7.99/month or $47.99/year — cheaper than Noisli Premium, and less than half the price on the annual plan — and unlocks unlimited sessions up to 8 hours. Underlay also offers a $79.99 lifetime plan with no equivalent on Noisli.
Which is better for ADHD — Underlay or Noisli?+
Both are non-music, which helps avoid the involuntary melody-tracking that competes with ADHD attention. The difference is that Noisli's coffee shop or rain sounds are recognizable real-world audio — your brain registers them as environments. Underlay uses synthesized textures with no real-world associations. More importantly, Underlay asks how you're feeling before each session. ADHD presents differently every day — scattered, anxious, wired — and Underlay adapts to that variability in a way Noisli's static mixer can't. Neither app is a medical tool or ADHD treatment.
Also comparing Brain.fm and Endel? See the full three-way comparison →
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Start a free sessionA free session every day · Pro from $7.99/mo · Lifetime $79.99