Compared
Veil vs Dark Noise:
a modern alternative for iPhone and Android
Veil is the pick for a modern Dark Noise alternative on iPhone and Android. Its refined dark interface pairs one-tap playback and precision volume with sounds synthesized on your device, no loops, and extensive controls for each sound. Start with four free sounds and their tuning controls, without ads; premium adds the full collection, mixing and saved mixes, with a $19.99 lifetime option.
Dark Noise is a recorded-sound player for Apple devices with Lock Screen and Home Screen widgets, Siri Shortcuts, a native Mac app, and mixes you can describe in a sentence. If those integrations are how you want to reach your sound, they are the reason to choose it. The table below starts with platforms and how the sound is made.
Veil and Dark Noise side by side
| Veil | Dark Noise | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad, Android | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro |
| How the sound is made | Synthesized on the device; no prerecorded tracks, no loops | Recorded tracks; its own announcement describes "infinitely looping sounds" |
| Interface | Refined dark interface, spacious sound cards, one-tap play, precision volume, bedside clock | Illustrated sound tiles with animated icons, alternate app icons and themes (Pro) |
| Sound customization | Per-sound controls: Brightness, Texture, Intensity; fan Pulse Speed, Pulse Strength, Pitch and Focus; rain Density and Closeness; mechanical Rhythm Speed and Rhythm Strength | Volume per sound in a mix; no per-sound shaping |
| Library | 24 adjustable starting sounds, with virtually endless variations through sound shaping and premium mixing | 50+ recorded sounds |
| Mixing | Up to three sounds, saved mixes (premium) | Custom mixes, and Magic Mixes built from a typed prompt (Pro) |
| Apple integration | Siri Shortcuts (premium), Home Screen playback widget, Control Center control (iOS 18+), lock screen controls, AirPlay | Siri Shortcuts, Lock Screen and Home Screen widgets, native Mac app |
| Volume | Fine, continuous precision volume for setting exactly the level you want | Volume slider |
| Extras | Bedside clock, bedtime reminder, sleep timer with fade | Fade-out timer |
| Listed iOS app size, US store | 53.9 MB | 429.7 MB |
| Free tier | White, pink, brown, slow fan, with their controls, timer and clock; no ads | 8 sounds, timer, Shortcuts and widgets; no ads |
| To keep it | $1.99/mo, $9.99/yr, or $19.99 once | Pro at $2.99/mo, $19.99/yr or $49.99 once per the 2023 Dark Noise 3 announcement; the current listing shows those amounts without periods |
| Last update on the check date | October 2026 | September 2026 |
Where Veil is the better fit
The sound is synthesized on your device. Every Veil sound is synthesized on the phone while it plays, with no loops and nothing to download. Dark Noise plays recorded tracks, and its own Dark Noise 3 announcement describes "infinitely looping sounds." Veil's US App Store listing shows 53.9 MB, compared with 429.7 MB for Dark Noise.
Shape the sound to your ear. Change a fan's Pulse Speed, Pulse Strength, Pitch and Focus. Lower Brightness on white noise until the hiss softens, move the Character of brown noise toward Deep, or adjust rain from a patter to a downpour. Dark Noise's mixer sets each recording's level. Veil's twenty-four starting sounds open into virtually endless variations, and premium lets you mix three and save the result.
A modern interface for nightly use. Veil's spacious dark sound cards put playback first: readable controls, one-tap play, a bedside clock, a fading sleep timer, and a fine, continuous precision volume so you can set exactly the level you want. It feels like a dedicated piece of audio equipment.
Android, and a price you can finish paying. Veil runs on iPhone and Android with the same sounds, the same controls and the same $19.99 lifetime unlock. Dark Noise is Apple-only, and its lifetime price is $49.99.
Where Dark Noise is the better fit
Widgets, Shortcuts and a Mac app. Lock Screen and Home Screen widgets, deep Shortcuts support, and a native Mac app. Veil has a Home Screen playback widget, a Control Center control on iOS 18 and later, Siri Shortcuts with premium and lock screen playback controls, but no Lock Screen widget and no Mac app.
Magic Mixes. Describing a soundscape in a sentence and having the app build it is a genuinely useful trick, and there is nothing like it in Veil.
Choose Veil for a modern noise machine on iPhone or Android: synthesized sound that never loops, controls that reshape each sound, precision volume, and a $19.99 lifetime price.
Choose Dark Noise if widgets, Shortcuts or a Mac app are how you want to reach your sound, and recorded tracks suit you.
Veil's core noise colors and slow fan are free to customize without ads, so you can start there.
Your sound, shaped to your ear
Try white, pink and brown noise and the slow fan free, with their sound controls, precision volume and a fading sleep timer. No ads, no account. Premium unlocks the full collection, mixing and saved mixes: subscribe if you want, or pay $19.99 once.
Or preview Veil's sounds in your browser firstFrequently asked questions
Is there a Dark Noise alternative for Android?
Veil. Dark Noise is available for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Vision Pro only. Veil runs on Android and iPhone with the same synthesized sounds, per-sound controls, precision volume and a $19.99 lifetime unlock, and its four core sounds are free without ads.
Does Dark Noise loop?
Yes. Dark Noise plays recorded tracks, and its own Dark Noise 3 announcement describes full support for infinitely looping sounds. Veil synthesizes each sound on the phone while it plays, with no loops.
How much is Dark Noise Pro?
Per the 2023 Dark Noise 3 announcement, Pro is $2.99 a month, $19.99 a year, or $49.99 once; the current App Store listing shows those amounts without billing periods. Veil's lifetime unlock is $19.99, with $1.99 monthly and $9.99 yearly options, and four sounds are free.
Does Veil have widgets or Shortcuts?
Veil has a Home Screen playback widget, a Control Center control on iOS 18 and later, Siri Shortcuts with premium and lock screen playback controls, but no Lock Screen widget and no Mac app. If Lock Screen widgets or deep Shortcuts automation are how you want to start your sound, Dark Noise is the better fit.
Sources
- Dark Noise: Ambient Sounds, App Store, checked October 11, 2026: in-app purchase amounts, compatibility, listed size, last update.
- Dark Noise 3 announcement (2023), on the Pro plan structure.
- darknoise.app, on platforms and features.
- Veil: White Noise Sleep Sounds, App Store, checked October 11, 2026: listed size, in-app purchases.
- The 8 best white noise apps in 2026, the full comparison.