Compared
Veil vs Dark Noise:
a modern alternative for iPhone and Android
Updated
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, without recorded tracks restarting, and extensive controls for each sound. Start with six 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 restart | 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 | 28 library sounds, including Thunderstorm, plus Studio custom sound creation and premium mixing | 50+ recorded sounds |
| Mixing | Up to three library or saved Studio sounds, saved mixes (Premium) | Custom mixes, and Magic Mixes built from a typed prompt (Pro) |
| Apple integration | Home Screen playback and routine widgets; routine launches through Siri and Control Center (iOS 18+); sound-specific Siri Shortcuts (Premium), 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 and brown noise, Slow Fan, Light Rain and Warm Drone, with their controls, Studio draft audition, four unchanged starter routines, 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
Create your own sound in Studio. Veil is our pick for the most customizable sleep sound app: tune the library sounds, then go further with Studio custom sound creation. Start with generated noise or a tuned library sound, then shape a three-point frequency curve and adjust its width. Creating and auditioning a Studio draft is free. Premium lets you save, replay and refine up to six Studio sounds, and combine saved Studio sounds with library sounds in mixes of up to three.
Return to your setup with one tap. One-tap routines bring back your sounds, levels, timer and fade together. The unchanged Focus, Nap, Sleep and Meditate starters play free. Premium lets you save and play custom or edited routines, including routines that use saved Studio sounds.
The sound is synthesized on your device. Every Veil sound is synthesized on the phone while it plays, without a recorded track restarting and with 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 28 library sounds include Thunderstorm, and Studio opens up custom sound creation. Premium lets you mix up to three library or saved Studio sounds 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 Home Screen playback and routine widgets, routine launches through Siri and Control Center on iOS 18 and later, sound-specific Siri Shortcuts with Premium, and lock screen playback controls. Its four unchanged starter routines are free; custom routines require Premium. Veil has no Lock Screen widget or 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 without recorded tracks restarting, 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.
White, pink and brown noise, Slow Fan, Light Rain and Warm Drone are free to customize without ads, so you can start there.
Your sound, shaped to your ear
Start free with six library sounds, Studio draft creation and audition, four unchanged starter routines, precision volume and a fading sleep timer. No ads, no account. Premium unlocks all 28 library sounds, saving, replaying and refining up to six Studio sounds, three-sound mixing, saved mixes and custom routines: 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 six free 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, without a recorded track restarting.
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 six sounds are free.
Does Veil have widgets or Shortcuts?
Veil has Home Screen playback and routine widgets, routine launches through Siri and Control Center on iOS 18 and later, sound-specific Siri Shortcuts with Premium, and lock screen playback controls. Its four unchanged starter routines are free; custom routines require Premium. Veil has no Lock Screen widget or 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.