Where Noisli is genuinely good
Credit first. Noisli runs in any browser, so it works on a Windows PC or a Chromebook, where Foyer simply does not. It bundles a work timer and a distraction-free text editor next to the sounds, and its curated playlists for focus, study and sleep save you from making choices. If your day happens across three operating systems, a web app is a fair answer.
Where the deal wears thin
The free tier gives you 16 sounds and 1.5 hours of streaming a day, tied to an account. Past that you are on Pro at €8 a month billed yearly, about €96 a year, for audio loops that do not change from one month to the next. Rain is rain. Paying rent on it forever is a strange arrangement, and because it streams, your focus sound depends on your connection.
How Foyer compares
| Foyer | Noisli | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 once, forever | Pro at ~€8/month billed yearly (~€96/year) |
| Free tier | Full library, 3 sounds at once, no time limit | 16 sounds, 1.5 h streaming per day |
| Account | None | Required |
| Platforms | Mac, iPhone (one purchase covers both) | Web, Chrome extension, iOS, Android |
| Offline | Everything on device | Streams from their servers |
| Spatial placement | Yes: drag each sound around you, distance is volume | No: per-sound sliders |
| Extras | Menu bar app, sleep timer, AirPods head tracking | Built-in timer and text editor |
Prices and free-tier limits checked July 2026 against official sites and App Store listings. Tell us if something changed: [email protected].
The part Noisli cannot copy in a browser tab
Foyer's mixer is a canvas, not a column of sliders. Each sound is a point of light you drag around yourself: pull the rain close and it swells, push the thunder to the edge and it recedes. The mix is rendered binaurally, so with headphones the fire actually sits to your left. On a Mac the whole thing lives in the menu bar; on iPhone it keeps playing with the screen locked.
You can hear the raw material on the free sound pages before installing anything: