Why myNoise is hard to beat
Hundreds of calibrated generators, each with per-band sliders, built over a decade by signal-processing engineer Stéphane Pigeon from his own field recordings. There is a hearing-test calibration that shapes sounds to your ears. The web version is free, a donation of any amount unlocks everything for life, and the apps sell full access for a one-time $19.99. It is one of the most honest products in this category, and if you love tweaking ten sliders per soundscape, stop reading and go use it.
What Foyer does differently
Foyer bets that most people do not want ten sliders. You get one canvas: every sound is a glowing orb, and where you drop it is the whole interface. Distance sets volume, angle sets stereo direction, and the mix renders binaurally, so the stream really runs past your right shoulder. AirPods head tracking keeps the room still while you turn. On the Mac it folds into the menu bar; rooms sync to your iPhone.
Side by side
| Foyer | myNoise | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 once (Mac + iPhone) | Web free / donation; apps ~$14.99–$19.99 one-time |
| Catalog | Small, curated, grows monthly | Hundreds of generators (far larger) |
| Interface | One spatial canvas, drag to mix | Per-generator multi-band sliders |
| Spatial placement | True binaural placement + head tracking | Stereo animation within a generator |
| Account | None | None needed (optional for favorites) |
| Platforms | Mac, iPhone, native | Web first; iOS, Mac, Android apps |
| Subscription | Never | Never |
Prices and free-tier limits checked July 2026 against official sites and App Store listings. Tell us if something changed: [email protected].
Which one is for you
Pick myNoise if you want range and fine control: it has soundscapes Foyer will never have, and the calibration features are unique. Pick Foyer if you want a small set of excellent loops arranged as a room you live in, with the app out of sight in the menu bar. Some people will keep both; they cost less together than one year of a typical subscription app.
The Foyer library previews free in the browser: