The Best Sleep Apps to Help You Get Some Shut-Eye in 2024, Tried and Tested

As one of the most advanced sleep trackers on this list, the Oura ring measures sleep habits by collecting data on temperature, movement, and heart rate, which is more than the other apps on our list. The variability of these metrics is often higher during light sleep or while awake and lower during deep sleep, making the predictions of the amount of time spent in each sleep phase (non-rapid eye movement 1, 2, or 3 and rapid eye movement) more accurate.

We liked that the app uses our data to calculate a numeric “sleep score” and “readiness score” each morning, letting us know how well we slept and how well we recovered from the day before, which can help us set realistic goals for the day. We also liked that the ring is not intrusive or bulky like a watch or wristband, the battery lasts multiple days, and the ring charges in just a couple of hours. We also found it helpful to see the changes in our daily readiness score for the day, which helps us choose appropriate workouts based on the feedback and tips provided (for example, if we got worse sleep one night, maybe we don’t go as hard at the gym that day). 

The Oura ring requires a monthly membership to access all data and insights on the app. This membership gives you unlimited sleep history tracking, charts to visualize your sleep patterns, a readiness score, and more. We liked that after a couple of weeks, the Oura app learned our sleep patterns and gave us personalized tips and reminders, like when to start winding down for bed to improve sleep quality. Overall, if you’re looking for a comprehensive sleep tracker app and wearable device, Oura has all the features to fully understand your sleep and recovery patterns.

• Free Trial: Yes, one month
• Membership Required: No, you can use the app without the membership, but it is very limited in the data it provides. To get the most out of the device, you'll need a membership.
  
• Total Costs: The Oura ring starts at $299. The app is free to download; membership costs $6 per month.
  

The Apple Watch is a popular wearable device that tracks many health metrics throughout the day and night. But the sleep insights are less advanced than many other sleep trackers. This is where SleepWatch by BodyMatter comes in: It automatically tracks sleep from information collected by your Apple Watch. We liked that the app gives a sleep score to measure how well we slept and provides an in-depth analysis based on length of sleep; whether we were in light, deep, or disrupted sleep; and variations in heart rate throughout the night.

All we needed to do was wear our Apple Watch to bed, and the app did the rest. One of our favorite aspects of the app was the white noise composer, as it allowed us to create a custom white noise mix. We found the number of insights slightly overwhelming, so we mainly focused on the length and quality of our sleep. One of the features that caught our attention was that it records any sounds throughout the night with the ability to play them back in the morning. Some users may not like this, but we found it helpful to hear how much or how little we snored or talked at night. The most valuable information we saw: reports on three-day sleep debt (when you get less than the recommended number of hours a night), sleeping and waking times, and how close we were to reaching our nightly sleep goal. 

Don’t have an Apple Watch? Don’t worry; you can also use the app without one. We also tested it without using the watch, and it was easy to start and stop sleep tracking and answer brief questions in the morning to compile our sleep report. There is also the option to track behaviors such as late-night eating or alcohol consumption to help identify if certain behaviors impact the quality of your sleep. This is helpful if you are trying to determine what disrupts your sleep. We did find it frustrating that the app doesn't necessarily tell you how to use the data to improve sleep and sometimes overloads you with information that isn't particularly relevant to changing behaviors, like how you compare with others similar to you. 

• Free Trial: Yes, one week
• Membership Required: No, but features are limited without a membership
• Total Costs: The premium membership is $5 per month or $40 per year, which gives you access to all the features on the app.
  

Ever lay awake at night with a million thoughts running through your head, unable to fall asleep? This is where sleep apps like Calm come in handy. The Calm app is designed to help you relax and decrease stress and anxiety, a common cause of sleep disturbances. A 2021 study found that using Calm at night helped users fall asleep, stay asleep, and not wake up too early, largely due to its extensive collection of sleep stories, sounds and white noise, and sleep meditations. 

We really enjoyed using the Calm app before bed to help us unwind and relax. We started with soundscapes—think rain hitting the window or water running through a stream—and those were great, but we were even more impressed with all the other options the app offers. Calm also features various music playlists if you like to listen to music before bed. The songs seamlessly blend and are soothing and slow in tempo. We particularly enjoyed the collection of celebrity sleep stories to help lull us to sleep. Who knew listening to one of your favorite actors talk could be so relaxing? Lastly, the sleep meditations are similar to other apps, and we found them to be a great way to decrease stress before bed, especially after a busy day. 

Like other self-care apps, you get out of Calm what you put into it. We found it works best when used every night and can seem expensive if you aren’t using it regularly. Since our primary goal with this app was getting help falling asleep, we did not mind that it lacked many of the features of other apps on the list, like sleep tracking and noise recordings. So, if you aren’t interested in sleep data, using Calm to help you fall asleep may be a great option. 

• Free Trial: Yes, one week
• Membership Required: No, but features are limited without a membership
• Total Costs: You can choose a membership plan of $15 per month, $70 per year, or $400 for a lifetime subscription. There's also a family subscription option that's $100 per year for up to six people.

When it comes to sleep hygiene, awareness of sleep habits and patterns is the first step to positive change. Creating a healthy sleep environment, knowing what time you go to bed and wake up in the morning, and being aware of your heart rate and breathing throughout the night can provide valuable insights. Pillow, the sleep app by NeyBox Digital Ltd., can track a range of metrics as you try to improve your sleep. It's designed to work with an Apple Watch for metrics like heart rate, respiration, and blood oxygen levels. We liked the easy-to-understand sleep analysis, which includes a sleep cycle diagram, heart rate analysis, and trends over time.

The sleep tips that Pillow provided us did help bring awareness to the nights we stayed up way too late or had trouble falling asleep. This made us more aware of our caffeine intake and bedtime procrastination, and the bedtime prompts were a good reminder that instead of sneaking in an extra TV episode, we should probably go to bed. It also has a nap mode, which we didn’t get a chance to try, but we liked the idea that it wakes you up at the ideal time to end your nap so you don’t feel even more groggy. Pillow can also enable audio recordings if you suspect that snoring or talking in your sleep is disrupting your sleep cycle. However, we found it could be inaccurate, as it also picks up sounds from anyone else in the room.

One of the most significant drawbacks was that we had to start a sleep session each night manually and set an alarm to wake up in the morning. We found it challenging to remember to start the sleep session and didn’t enjoy having an alarm set for the weekends. We also ran into issues with our Apple Watch dying halfway through the night, which ended the sleep session early. Overall, Pillow offers helpful insights into sleep quality. However, having to wear an Apple Watch and start a sleep session every night might be cumbersome for some users.  

• Free Trial: Yes, one week
• Membership Required: No, but features are limited without a membership
• Total Costs: Pillow does offer a free option with limited content, or you can get a Pillow Premium subscription for $10 per month. It also offers Premium Sleep Tracking for $39.99, a quarterly Premium subscription for 59.99, and an annual Premium subscription for $39.99.
  

Understanding the “why” behind the importance of restful sleep is key to improving sleep hygiene and habits. A good night’s sleep not only helps with growth and recovery but can assist in immunity and disease prevention, memory, attention, and emotional regulation as well as physical and mental well-being. Sleep Cycle by Sleep Cycle AB not only tracks sleep but also provides education and helpful tips. This app tracks your sleep cycle graphically and overlays audio recordings to help identify what is going on during different periods of sleep. Educational resources include short, digestible tips on various topics that impact sleep quality. 

We spent some time exploring the guided meditations, sleep stories, breathwork exercises, and educational portals. The quick and informative audio recordings, videos, and articles helped us better understand how and why improving sleep hygiene is essential. Scientists, doctors, and experts lead these tutorials, often offering valuable solutions to various sleep problems. We wouldn’t say this immediately changed our sleep habits, but it did bring more awareness to the parts of our daily routine that could use some work. What we liked most about the app is that no equipment or fitness wearables are needed; you only need to have your phone beside your bed.

Sleep Cycle must be turned on before going to bed, and since it uses sound analysis to identify sleep states, we did find that it picked up all the sounds in the room, which led to some errors. Starting and stopping the sleep timer manually can be problematic because it is hard to remember to do this every night. Overall, Sleep Cycle seemed to do a great job tracking sleep data throughout the night and is a versatile choice if you are interested in the science behind better sleep. 

• Free Trial: Yes, one week
• Membership Required: No, but features are limited without a membership
• Total Costs: A Sleep Cycle premium subscription is $10 per month or $40 for one year
  

Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is an evidence-based approach to improving sleep. This type of therapy is often used by therapists and non-clinical sleep coaches to help rewire the brain and is considered the most effective non-medical intervention to treat insomnia. What used to only be available in clinics or outpatient therapy is now available in the comfort of your own home with the Sleep Reset app. After downloading the app, our sleep coach (a real person!) contacted us and explained that she was overseeing the plan. This really sets Sleep Reset apart from other apps because it’s always easier to stick with a program when you know someone is there to keep you accountable.

As we worked through the eight-week program, our coach provided different strategies to improve sleep, all related to the CBT-I principles. The personal coaching was invaluable as we could see this being challenging if we tried to do it independently. Each day we completed a check-in form detailing the quality and length of sleep from the night before and completed two or three lessons designed to educate us on sleep science principles. We enjoyed reading through these as they made sleep concepts easy to comprehend.

Although the plan is slightly intense, the app made it easy to complete the check-ins, message our coach, and stay motivated throughout the eight weeks. If you cannot go to an in-person clinic, this is a great way to take advantage of CBT-I treatment at home. However, it’s important to note that because you are working with a sleep coach and not a licensed therapist, this should not replace medical advice; rather, it should be a supplement to treatment or a first step to finding a treatment that works for you. 

• Free Trial: There's a pay-what-you-can seven-day trial. Offers range from a free trial up to $29.
• Membership Required: Yes
• Total costs: $300 for the full eight-week plan (after the pay-what-you-can trial period)