The Best Free Sleep Apps in 2026: What's Actually Free
Most apps that appear under "free sleep app" are free to download but not free to use: Sleep Cycle asks you to start a trial before its free version unlocks, Sleep as Android limits free tracking to every other night after a trial, and BetterSleep has required a subscription for full access since 2025. The apps that are free without a catch are mostly run by nonprofits or governments, plus the sleep features already built into iPhones and Android phones. This guide sorts the options by how free they really are, so you can pick one based on what you need rather than what the store listing says.
How we compared them
We did not install and rate these apps over weeks of nights. Instead, we compared what each developer says its free plan includes, using official pricing pages, support articles and store listings, all checked in October 2026, with each source linked below. Free plans change often, so treat the details as a snapshot and check the developer's page before relying on a feature. SleepUtility, which publishes this blog, appears in the web tools section and is labelled as our own.
At a glance
| App | Type | What's free | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medito | Meditation and sleep sounds | Everything | None stated by the developer |
| Insight Timer | Meditation and sleep sounds | A large free library | Courses and some features are paid |
| Insomnia Coach (VA) | Insomnia program | Everything | Not a substitute for treatment |
| CBT-i Coach (VA) | Insomnia program | Everything | Built to support therapy with a clinician |
| iPhone Sleep (Health app) | Schedule and tracking | Everything | Automatic tracking needs an Apple Watch |
| Android Bedtime (Clock app) | Schedule and wind-down | Everything | Features vary by phone |
| Sleep Cycle | Tracker and smart alarm | Smart alarm, sleep analysis, nightly graph | You must start, then cancel, a trial |
| Sleep as Android | Tracker and smart alarm | Alarms; tracking every other night | Ads and tracking limits after the trial |
| SleepUtility (ours) | Web calculators | Everything | No tracking; web only |
| BetterSleep | Sounds and stories | A very limited selection after a trial | No longer a free app |
Completely free apps
Medito
The Medito Foundation is a nonprofit that publishes Medito with "no ads, no paywalls, no account needed", and its sleep section includes guided sleep meditations and sleep stories. If what keeps you awake is a racing mind rather than when you go to bed, it is the only meditation app in this list whose developer states that every feature is free.
Insight Timer
Insight Timer describes its collection as the world's largest library of free guided meditations, including thousands of sleep meditations, nature sounds and bedtime stories. The free library has no time limit, while structured courses and some extra features sit behind a paid membership.
Insomnia Coach and CBT-i Coach
Both apps come from the US Department of Veterans Affairs and are free with no ads, and both are open to civilians as well as veterans. Insomnia Coach is a self-guided, five-week training plan based on cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), with a sleep diary and 17 tools. CBT-i Coach covers the same method but is designed as supplemental support for people working through CBT-I with a clinician. The VA recommends talking to a healthcare provider first if you have conditions such as sleep apnea, bipolar disorder or epilepsy, because the program changes your sleep habits.
Free features already on your phone
iPhone: Sleep in the Health app
On an iPhone you can set a sleep schedule in the Health app, with separate schedules for weekdays and weekends, a wake-up alarm and a Sleep Focus that silences notifications at bedtime. Apple's sleep tracking records your nights automatically if you also wear an Apple Watch.
Android: Bedtime in the Clock app
Android phones that use Google's Clock app can set a bedtime schedule with a wake-up alarm, a bedtime reminder and Bedtime mode, which silences notifications and can switch the screen to grayscale. Exact features depend on your phone and Android version.
Free with limits
Sleep Cycle
Sleep Cycle's free version includes the smart alarm that wakes you during light sleep, nightly sleep analysis and a sleep graph, according to its feature comparison. Snore detection, full statistics, weekly reports and online backup are paid. Its support team confirms that you have to start a free trial to reach the free version, then cancel before it ends to avoid being charged.
Sleep as Android
Sleep as Android gives full access during a trial. Afterwards, according to its documentation, the free version shows ads and tracks sleep only on alternate days, while alarms, lullabies and bedtime reminders keep working without limits. A one-time purchase or a subscription removes the restrictions, and the app is Android only.
Free web tools: no app needed
Sleep calculators that run in the browser need no install or permissions, and saving one to your home screen makes it behave much like an app.
SleepUtility (our own site). SleepUtility works out bedtimes and wake-up times from 90-minute sleep cycles, and adds a nap calculator, a sleep debt calculator, a caffeine calculator and a sleep schedule planner. It is free, shows no ads and works without an account. It does not track your sleep, so it pairs better with one of the apps above than it replaces them.
sleepytime.cc and I'm Sleepy. sleepytime.cc and I'm Sleepy are minimal bedtime calculators in the style of the old SleepyTi.me, which now redirects to a mattress review site.
No longer free: BetterSleep
BetterSleep was long recommended as a free sleep sounds app, and it still appears on lists of free apps. Its own help center now states that BetterSleep "is no longer a free app": it moved to a subscription model in 2025, new users get a trial, and without a subscription only "a very limited selection of content" remains.
Which one to choose
The right pick depends on the problem you want to solve:
- You can't switch your mind off at night: Medito or Insight Timer.
- You've had trouble sleeping for weeks: Insomnia Coach, which follows the CBT-I method that the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends as the first treatment for chronic insomnia, ideally alongside advice from a doctor.
- You want a consistent schedule and fewer late-night notifications: the sleep features already on your iPhone or Android phone.
- You want to wake up during light sleep: Sleep Cycle's free version, if you are willing to cancel a trial, or a sleep calculator if you would rather not track anything.
- You want detailed tracking every night: expect to pay, because none of the trackers above offers unlimited free tracking with full statistics.
Conclusions
- Few popular sleep apps are free without a trial or a limit. Of the ten options compared here, the fully free ones come from a nonprofit (Medito), the US Department of Veterans Affairs (Insomnia Coach, CBT-i Coach) and the phone makers' built-in tools.
- Free trackers trade features for money in different ways. Sleep Cycle keeps the smart alarm free but requires a cancelled trial, while Sleep as Android keeps alarms free but limits tracking to alternate nights and adds ads.
- BetterSleep is no longer a free app. Lists that still recommend it as free predate its 2025 switch to a subscription.
- Calculators and trackers answer different questions. A tracker estimates how you slept, whereas a calculator such as SleepUtility helps you plan when to sleep, and the two work well together.