Sleep Cycle alternative for falling asleep (free)
Sleep Cycle runs about $39.99/year as of writing. Here's the honest comparison — including what they do better.
| Sleep Cycle | SoftWaves | |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | Tracking & smart alarm | The falling-asleep part |
| Price | ≈ $39.99/yr for premium | Free (all night, every sound) |
| Sound library | Thin | Deep composed catalog, all free |
| Microphone | Listens while you sleep | No mic access, ever |
| Account required | Yes | None needed — press play |
Credit where due: Sleep Cycle's wake-window alarm and long-term trend data are genuinely useful if analysis is what you're after.
Sleep Cycle and SoftWaves solve different halves of the night. Sleep Cycle measures — stages, snoring, wake windows. Its content for actually *falling* asleep is thin. SoftWaves is the other half: the sound that's playing while you drift off, seamless till morning.
There's also a privacy difference worth knowing: snore detection means the microphone runs at night. SoftWaves never uses the mic — nothing about your sleep is listened to or sold.
Plenty of people run a tracker alongside SoftWaves audio. But if you're choosing one thing to open at 11pm, choose the one that actually helps you fall asleep.
Play tonight's sound freeQuestions
- Does SoftWaves track my sleep?
- No mic, no wearables, no stage-tracking. Your morning report estimates session length from playback alone, framed honestly as an estimate.
- Can I use Sleep Cycle and SoftWaves together?
- Yes — they don't conflict. SoftWaves plays the night; a tracker can watch it if you want the data.
- Is SoftWaves really free?
- Yes — every sound, all night, no ads, no account required.