Lissa compared · Read from each app’s own pages, 8 October 2026
Comparisons between Lissa and other popular apps
Each of these apps is good at something. Endel puts a soundscape on every screen you own. Calm and BetterSleep carry stories and guided meditation. Brain.fm makes music for focus and has a peer-reviewed study behind it. Lissa puts beats, noise and generative music inside a session with a shape and an alarm at the end.
| Feature | Lissa | Endel | Brain.fm | Calm | BetterSleep |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runs on | iPhone, iPad, and a web player; Apple Watch and Android planned | iOS, Android, Apple Watch, Mac, Windows, Apple TV, web, Alexa | Web, iOS, Android, desktop | iOS, Android, web, Apple TV, Apple Watch, Wear OS | iOS, Android, web |
| Sound that adapts to you | Yes: a daily rhythm, plus heart rate, sleep, activity and weather if you turn them on | Yes, by its own account: time of day, weather, light, heart rate, motion | Modes chosen by activity | Fixed recordings | A mixer of fixed sounds |
| Binaural beats | Binaural, monaural and isochronic, synthesized live, one Range beat per brainwave band | One Binaural Beats scenario (40 Hz Gamma) | No: “Brain.fm is not binaural beats”; its music has modulation built in | — | Binaural beats and isochronic tones among its sounds |
| Build your own mix | Yes: a live mixer of music, beats, noise and sounds | No layer control named on its site | — | — | Yes: the mixer is its core |
| Sleep stories, guided meditation | No | — | A Meditate mode | Yes: Sleep Stories and guided meditation are its core | Yes: meditations, hypnosis and SleepTales |
| Timers and alarms | Sessions in phases, Pomodoro breaks with alarms, a Wake Alarm that rings in silent mode | A Pomodoro-style Focus Timer, timed scenarios, a Smart Alarm | — | — | Timers, bedtime reminders, a Smart Alarm |
| Your own music | Apple Music playlists and stations inside a session | — | — | — | A setting to play alongside other apps |
| Sleep tracking | Reads your night from Apple Health; no recorder | — | — | — | A sleep tracker and recorder |
| Price (US) | $14.99 a month or $69.99 a year; 7 days free on the yearly plan | App Store yearly plans from $34.99 to $119.99; 7-day free trial | $14.99 a month or $99.99 a year; 14-day free trial in the App Store | $14.99 a month or $69.99 a year in the App Store | 7 days free, then $59.99 a year |
In short
Choose another app if…
- You use Android, Windows or a smart speaker. Endel runs on all of them today; Lissa is iPhone, iPad and the web for now.
- You want a voice to guide you. Calm and BetterSleep are built around narrated stories and meditation. Lissa has no narration.
In short
Choose Lissa if…
- You want all three kinds of beat, made live. Binaural, monaural and isochronic, synthesized on the phone, in every band.
- You want the session, not just the sound. Phases, Pomodoro breaks with alarms, a Wake Alarm that rings in silent mode, and apps blocked until you finish.
- You live in Apple Music. Your playlists play inside a session, and a beat can retune to each song’s key.