Compare
Attune vs Noisli
Noisli is a sound mixer. Attune is a mood-aware focus audio system. Both are useful — they just solve different problems.
| Feature | Attune | 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, activated | 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 (5 sessions/mo) · Pro from $4.99/mo or $29.99/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 generous free tier. If you want to hand-craft your own ambient mix and tweak it exactly to your taste, Noisli is genuinely good at that.
Attune starts from 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 engineered for that specific combination — not a static backdrop you assemble yourself. If your focus needs shift depending on the day, or if you want binaural beats tuned to your current state, Attune addresses that in a way a sound mixer can't.
One thing worth noting: Noisli built its reputation on manual control, and Attune has that too. Volume, warmth, and depth sliders plus per-layer toggles let you shape the soundscape in real-time during any session. The difference is that Attune starts from an engineered baseline matched to your mood and mode — you're adjusting something already calibrated for you, not building from silence. Noisli offers oscillation — slowly drifting volumes — as a premium feature you toggle on manually. In Attune, every layer breathes at its own rate and phase automatically, so the mix never feels static without you having to think 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 Attune 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 Attune 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. Attune 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, Attune's mood-aware approach addresses that directly.
Does Attune have a sound mixer like Noisli?+
No. Attune 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, Attune 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. Attune's free tier gives you 5 full sessions per month with no time-of-day restrictions and no credit card required. Pro is $4.99/month or $29.99/year — about half the price of Noisli Premium. Attune also offers a $79.99 lifetime plan with no equivalent on Noisli.
Which is better for ADHD — Attune 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. Attune uses synthesized textures with no real-world associations. More importantly, Attune asks how you're feeling before each session. ADHD presents differently every day — scattered, anxious, activated — and Attune 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 →
Try Attune free — no account required, no credit card.
Start a free session5 sessions/month free · Pro from $4.99/mo · Lifetime $79.99