Short answer: Noisli is a well-made sound mixer with a timer and a text editor. Its free plan stops after 1.5 hours of streaming a day. If you want rain, café or noise for longer focus sessions without paying, Nova Focus generates them in your browser with no daily limit and no account, next to a Pomodoro timer. If you want a big mixing desk of sounds, Noisli Pro or myNoise is the better choice.
Prices and features checked on noisli.com on 2026-09-30.
What Noisli does well
- A real mixer. Rain, thunder, wind, forest, bonfire, coffee shop, seaside, train, white, pink and brown noise and more, each with its own slider (noisli.com).
- Curated playlists for noise masking, focus, study, writing, sleep and relaxation.
- A timer and a distraction-free text editor in the same window.
- Apps alongside the web version.
- Clear pricing, shown with VAT included, and a discount for students, teachers and schools.
Why people look for a Noisli alternative
- The 1.5-hour daily cap on the free plan. A single long study session can use it up.
- Pro costs $10 a month billed yearly (pricing). The monthly-billing price is behind a toggle.
- The web features are intended for desktop and laptop browsers, according to Noisli’s own system requirements.
- They want a timer with methods, not just a countdown.
Nova Focus vs Noisli
| Nova Focus | Noisli | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, no ads | Free plan; Pro $10/month billed yearly; Business $24/month billed yearly for 2 users |
| Daily listening limit | None | 1.5 hours on the free plan; unlimited on Pro |
| Account | Not needed | Sign-up offered for the free plan |
| Sounds | 5: rain, café, brown, pink and white noise (rain, café and brown under every timer) | 16 free, 28 on Pro |
| Music | Nova Sounds playlists on Spotify (full tracks when logged in to Spotify) | Curated sound playlists |
| Timer | Pomodoro 25/5, 50/10, 52/17, Flowtime, Animedoro, 1 minute to 3 hours, classroom mode | Simple timer (advanced on Pro) |
| Text editor | No | Yes |
| Where it runs | Any modern browser | Desktop browsers, plus apps |
Who should pick which
Keep Noisli if you enjoy building your own soundscapes from many layers, use the text editor, or want the same mix on your phone. If you listen more than 1.5 hours a day, Pro is what makes it work.
Pick Nova Focus if you need a few steady sounds for long sessions without a cap, want the timer to be the centre of the page, or want to switch between noise and calm instrumental music.
Try myNoise if you want the deepest sound control on the web. It is free and ad-free with a curated selection of generators, and a donation unlocks all of them (myNoise).
Recreate a Noisli mix in Nova Focus
| If you use in Noisli | Try in Nova Focus |
|---|---|
| Rain | Rain, with the 25/5 timer |
| Coffee shop | Café, good for writing and admin |
| Brown noise | Brown noise, for covering voices and traffic |
| Pink or white noise | Pink noise or white noise |
| A “Focus” playlist | The Nova Ambient or Nova Noise playlist on Spotify |
About the evidence: research on noise and focus is small and mixed. A 2024 meta-analysis found a small benefit of white and pink noise on lab tasks for young people with ADHD symptoms, a small negative effect for those without them, and no studies of brown noise. Keep the volume moderate: according to the NIDCD, sounds at or below 70 dBA are unlikely to harm hearing, while long or repeated exposure at 85 dBA or above can.