Six apps, read line by line, November 2026
For adults who want a bedtime routine without a subscription. Three taps, one honest match.
1 of 3
What do you want from bedtime?
Free on iPhoneIf you want a free bedtime routine with no sleep score, Sleepward's four-minute evening reset is free forever; if you want steps read aloud, Routinery's free plan gives you 2 routines with ads; if you only need a schedule, Apple's Sleep in the Health app costs nothing. We make Sleepward, so weigh our pick with that in mind. Everything below comes from each app's own App Store listing, read on 4 November 2026.
"Free" means very different things on a sleep app: a whole routine, two routines with ads, or a seven-day trial.
The quiz scores six options on three things: what you want the routine to do, how you feel about sleep numbers, and whether you'll ever pay. Here is what each result means.
You want a clear end to the day. A four-minute reset: a private Brain Dump, up to three things for tomorrow, Your Hour of protected time before bed, then a darkening wind-down screen with white, pink and brown noise. No score, no broken chains.
You only want a schedule. The Health app sets a sleep goal, bedtime and wake times, and turns on Sleep Focus at bedtime to quiet your Lock Screen. Nothing to download.
You want a checklist that runs itself. Steps of 1 to 5 minutes, each on a timer, with a voice calling the next one. The listing says routine data is stored on its servers.
You want something to listen to. Sleep meditations, sleep music and white noise are on its free features list. Premium adds courses and offline listening.
You want sounds plus tracking. 300+ sounds, 250+ meditations, a sleep tracker and a sleep recorder; the listing says premium features need a subscription.
You want sleep-debt numbers and will pay for them. Not a free option: the listing requires a subscription or a 7-day trial.
| App | What's free | Paid | Sleep score | Account |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sleepward (ours) | Evening reset, Brain Dump, Your Hour, routines, wind-down, white/pink/brown noise, sleep logs, Minimal Mode | Pro $9.99/mo, $49.99/yr or $99.99 once | Never | None |
| Apple Sleep | Schedule, sleep goal, Sleep Focus, wind down | Built in | Yes, with Apple Watch | Apple Account |
| Routinery | 2 routines, with ads | Premium: monthly, 6-month or yearly | No | None needed |
| Insight Timer | Thousands of guided practices, sleep music, white noise | $9.99/mo or $59.99/yr | No | Optional |
| BetterSleep | Some sounds; premium features need a subscription | Premium, several tiers | Tracker | Optional |
| RISE | 7-day trial only | Yearly subscription | Sleep debt | Required |
Read from each App Store listing and Apple Support on 4 November 2026. Prices are US and can change; the listing on your phone is the final word. "Account" for Insight Timer and BetterSleep is our reading of their listings, not a promise.
The cheapest routine is the one you already own: Apple's Sleep schedule. The question is whether a schedule is enough.
Search "bedtime routine app" and half the results are reward charts for kids. Everything on this page is for adults running their own evening. If you're after a chart for a four-year-old, none of these six is the right tool.
Apple's Sleep feature in the Health app is free and built in: a sleep goal, bedtime and wake times, Sleep Focus and wind down, per Apple Support. Among downloads, Sleepward's evening reset, routines, wind-down and white, pink and brown noise are free forever; Pro is optional.
Routinery. Its listing says each step runs on its own timer while a voice calls out what comes next. The free plan includes 2 routines and shows ads.
No. RISE's App Store listing says a paid subscription or a 7-day free trial is required to access the content of the app.
No. A routine is about what you do before bed. Sleepward lets you log sleep if you want to and hide every number if you don't. Apple's Sleep Score needs sleep tracking from an Apple Watch.
$9.99 a month, $49.99 a year with a 7-day free trial on the annual plan for eligible new subscribers, or $99.99 once. Pro adds all 13 world chapters, studio soundscapes with a 3-layer mixer and more. The routine itself stays free.
The CDC (2024) lists 7 or more hours for adults aged 18 to 60. This is general information, not medical advice. Talk to your clinician.
If poor sleep has lasted weeks, a clinician will help more than any app. This is general information, not medical advice. Talk to your clinician.
Four minutes tonight, free, no account. See Sleepward on the App Store.
Updated November 2026