Claritune vs Brain.fm

Brain.fm and Claritune both make music meant to change your mental state, not to entertain. They take different routes to get there, and they suit different people. Here's a fair look at both.

This comparison reflects what we could confirm in November 2026. Pricing and features change, so check brain.fm for their current offer.

The short version

• Choose Brain.fm if focus is your main goal, you want music designed around the company's own neuroscience research, and you're happy to pay a subscription across iPhone, Android, web and desktop.
• Choose Claritune if you want a free Android app, you care about emotional states as well as focus (calm, sadness, motivation, love), and you like choosing the mood yourself.

How they approach music

Brain.fm focuses on what it calls functional music. Its tracks are generated and tuned for specific mental states, mainly focus, relaxation and sleep, and the company publishes research behind its approach. You pick a mode and an activity, and it plays continuously.

Claritune is mood-first. You start with how you feel, or how you want to feel, and choose from ten moods: Focus, Calm, Sleep, Peace, Motivational, Epic, Love, Melancholic, Emotional Processing and Alertness. Each mood is a curated collection of soundscapes with no vocals and no hooks. Guided activity sessions such as Studying, Workout, Running and Creative Work queue the right soundscapes for a task.

Side by side

• Price: Brain.fm is subscription-based after a free trial. Claritune is free to download with ads; Premium removes ads and unlocks every mood and offline downloads.
• Platforms: Brain.fm runs on iOS, Android, web and desktop. Claritune is Android-only for now, and you can listen to many soundscapes free on this website.
• Range of moods: Brain.fm centres on focus, relax and sleep. Claritune also covers motivation, cinematic energy, love, melancholy and grief.
• Science: Brain.fm builds its brand around published research. Claritune's soundscapes are designed around well-known principles for background sound, with no vocals, steady textures and no sudden changes, and it doesn't claim clinical effects.
• Languages: Claritune's app and website are available in nine languages.

Try Claritune's focus sound

Binary Flow and The Cocoon are from the Focus mood, and Heavy Blanket is from Sleep. All three play in full above.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a free alternative to Brain.fm?

Claritune is free to download on Android, and many of its soundscapes play in full on this website. The free version has ads, and some moods need Premium.

Is Claritune available on iPhone?

Not yet. Claritune is currently Android-only. Brain.fm is the better choice if you need an iPhone app today.

Which is better for studying?

Both can work well. Try Brain.fm's trial and Claritune's Studying session, and see which you find easier to work to.