What Brain.fm is and how it works
Brain.fm is a subscription app with music for focus, relaxing, sleep and meditation. It runs on the web, iOS, Android and desktop. Focus has five activities: Deep Work, Creativity, Learning, Light Work and Motivation. Sleep has five too, one of which is Power Nap, and Relax and Meditate have their own.
The main ingredient is fast volume modulation added to the music. Brain.fm's white paper says beta-rate modulation, 12 to 20 Hz, "is now a core part of Brain.fm's Focus music technology". Its pricing page says focus tracks also filter out high frequencies, and sleep tracks use 3D spatial audio to create a gentle rocking motion.
You can turn the effect up or down through neural effect levels, and a short quiz at sign-up picks a starting level. Brain.fm's App Store listing mentions a boost option "for ADHD brains", offline downloads and a Pomodoro mode. Its site lists three timers: one that counts up, one that counts down, and an interval timer.
Brain.fm says its music is not binaural beats, and that it works with one or two ears and without headphones.
Is Brain.fm AI generated?
Partly. Brain.fm's home page says its music is composed by humans. Its white paper describes the process. People write the melodies, harmonies and sound design. Then "a patented algorithmic system (A.I.) arranges these motifs over long timescales" and adds the modulation. Human listeners check the tracks and tweak or drop them.
So people write the music, and software arranges it and adds the effect.
Does Brain.fm work? What the research shows
Brain.fm's main evidence is one peer-reviewed paper: Woods and colleagues, 2024, in Communications Biology. It is Brain.fm's own study. The first author is Brain.fm's director of science, and another author worked for the company when the research was done. The paper says so in its conflict of interest statement.
What it found:
- In an online test with 83 people, music with fast amplitude modulation improved sustained attention when it came early in the experiment. The comparisons were less-modulated music and pink noise.
- In an fMRI study with 34 people, the modulated music raised activity in attention networks. In EEG with 40 people, it produced stronger coupling between the music and brain activity.
- In the last set of online experiments, modulation at 16 Hz helped more for people with more self-reported ADHD symptoms. Changing how deep the modulation was made no significant difference.
What it does not show:
- The paper does not report any ADHD diagnoses. It grouped online volunteers by a self-report questionnaire, the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale, so it is not a trial in people with diagnosed ADHD.
- The tasks were short lab tests of attention. In the final experiments each sound condition lasted five minutes. The paper does not test a full working day or weeks of use.
- We found no independent replication of it. A PubMed search for "brain.fm" on 15 Oct 2026 returned this paper and its two published corrections, nothing else.
Brain.fm's claims, checked
Brain.fm's website says more than the paper does. Here is what each claim says, word for word, and what we found.
| Brain.fm says | Where | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| "Composed by humans, back by neuroscientists" | Home page | Mostly right. People write the music. Its white paper says a patented algorithmic system then arranges it and adds the modulation. |
| "Peer-reviewed research in a top journal" | Home page | One paper, Woods et al. 2024 in Communications Biology. Brain.fm staff are among the authors. |
| "Shown to boost attention networks for ADHD brains" | Home page | Overstated. In the 2024 paper, the fMRI result on attention networks came from a general group of 34 people. The ADHD-related result was a behavioural one, in people who scored higher on a self-report ADHD questionnaire, which is not a diagnosis. |
| "Patented audio technology proven more effective for focus than binaural beats, Spotify, and YouTube focus playlists" | Home page | Not shown in the 2024 paper, which compared modulated music with less-modulated music and pink noise. It did not test binaural beats, Spotify or YouTube. |
| "...boost focus-associated beta brainwaves by 119%" | Home page, on its focus music | The 2024 paper does not report this figure, and we could not find its source. |
| "Brain.fm is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF-STTR#1720698)" | Pricing page | Right, though the grant has ended. NSF lists award 1720698 as a $225,000 STTR Phase I grant that ran from July 2017 to November 2018. |
| "Binaural beats produce weak neural synchrony while modulation directly in each stereo channel (used by Brain.fm) has much stronger effects on brain activity" | Science page | No published study has compared the two head to head. For binaural beats alone, a 2023 review found 5 of 14 EEG studies supported entrainment. |
"Composed by humans, back by neuroscientists"
Mostly right. People write the music. Its white paper says a patented algorithmic system then arranges it and adds the modulation.
"Peer-reviewed research in a top journal"
One paper, Woods et al. 2024 in Communications Biology. Brain.fm staff are among the authors.
"Shown to boost attention networks for ADHD brains"
Overstated. In the 2024 paper, the fMRI result on attention networks came from a general group of 34 people. The ADHD-related result was a behavioural one, in people who scored higher on a self-report ADHD questionnaire, which is not a diagnosis.
"Patented audio technology proven more effective for focus than binaural beats, Spotify, and YouTube focus playlists"
Not shown in the 2024 paper, which compared modulated music with less-modulated music and pink noise. It did not test binaural beats, Spotify or YouTube.
"...boost focus-associated beta brainwaves by 119%"
The 2024 paper does not report this figure, and we could not find its source.
"Brain.fm is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF-STTR#1720698)"
Right, though the grant has ended. NSF lists award 1720698 as a $225,000 STTR Phase I grant that ran from July 2017 to November 2018.
"Binaural beats produce weak neural synchrony while modulation directly in each stereo channel (used by Brain.fm) has much stronger effects on brain activity"
No published study has compared the two head to head. For binaural beats alone, a 2023 review found 5 of 14 EEG studies supported entrainment.
NSF's award database names that grant "Remediating Inattention via Algorithmically Generated Music". It went to Transparent Corporation, with Brain.fm's Kevin Woods as principal investigator. A grant pays for research. It is not, on its own, evidence that the product works.
How strong is the evidence?
It is real but early. One peer-reviewed study, run by the company, found promising lab results on attention, with the clearest effect in people with more ADHD symptoms. We found no independent replication yet.
What you pay for Brain.fm
| Plan | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $14.99 a month | Billed monthly |
| Yearly | $99.99 a year | Billed annually, about $8.33 a month |
| Free trial | $0 | The pricing page does not state the length. Its trial button says "Then $99.99 billed annually". |
| Students | 20% discount | Email Brain.fm from a .edu address or with proof of enrolment |
| Teams | Ask Brain.fm | Team accounts for companies and classrooms |
Prices checked 15 Oct 2026 on brain.fm/pricing. We re-check them every quarter, next by 15 Jan 2027. Prices inside the iOS app can differ: the US App Store listing shows Brain.fm Pro in-app purchases from $6.99 to $69.99.
If you start the free trial on the yearly plan and only want to test it, set a reminder before it renews.
What users say
Ratings checked 15 Oct 2026:
- App Store (US): 4.5 out of 5 from about 5,500 ratings.
- Google Play: 4.3 out of 5 from about 8,300 reviews.
- Trustpilot: TrustScore 2.6 out of 5 from 119 reviews.
The app store ratings are high. Trustpilot is lower and split, with 44% five-star reviews and 41% one-star. Most one-star reviews there are about billing: being charged after a free trial, trouble cancelling, and refund requests. Most positive reviews say the music helps the reviewer focus or sleep. Brain.fm has claimed its Trustpilot profile and replies to negative reviews.
Brain.fm vs free options
NSDR.co's Focus Mode, like many free focus tracks online, uses binaural beats: a slightly different tone in each ear that you hear as a slow beat. The evidence for them is mixed. A 2019 meta-analysis of 22 studies found a medium average effect (g = 0.45) across outcomes that included attention and memory. But a 2023 review found 5 of 14 EEG studies showed the brainwave entrainment the idea depends on. Binaural beats also need headphones.
Brain.fm's method is different, and its study tested its own modulation, not binaural beats. No published trial has compared the two head to head. Brain.fm says binaural beats "produce weak neural synchrony" next to its approach. That is the company's view.
NSDR.co's Focus Mode is free to use. It has 24 focus sessions across Deep Work, Study, Creative and Sprint, binaural beats plus a pulse in the music for speakers, ambient sounds to layer underneath, and a Pomodoro timer. It runs in the browser, so there are no offline downloads, and the library is much smaller than Brain.fm's. For a feature-by-feature table, see Brain.fm vs NSDR.
Is Brain.fm worth it?
Pay for Brain.fm if:
- You will use focus music on most working days, so the yearly plan gets real use.
- You want offline downloads, phone and desktop apps, and a neural effect level you can turn up.
- Binaural beats have not helped you and you want to try a different method.
- You want music with a published study behind it, and you are fine that the company ran it.
Try a free option first if:
- You only need background sound now and then.
- You are happy to listen in a browser, ideally with headphones.
- You want guided rest between work blocks. NSDR.co has free guided NSDR sessions next to Focus Mode.
- Money is tight. Free tools cost nothing to test, and Brain.fm's trial lets you compare before you pay.
For ADHD, see our guide to free focus music for ADHD. For the binaural beats research in full, see binaural beats for focus.
FAQ
Is Brain.fm free?
No. Brain.fm is a paid subscription at $14.99 a month or $99.99 a year (checked 15 Oct 2026), and its pricing page lists only paid plans. There is a free trial, so you can try it before you pay.
Is Brain.fm safe?
Brain.fm's focus music is instrumental, with fast volume changes, played at whatever volume you choose. Brain.fm describes it as safe. Its published study measured attention and how pleasant and arousing people found the music, not side effects. As with any audio, keep headphone volume moderate, and turn the neural effect level down if the music feels like too much.
Is Brain.fm good for ADHD?
ADHD is where its research is aimed. In Brain.fm's 2024 study, 16 Hz modulation helped sustained attention more in people with more self-reported ADHD symptoms. Those people were grouped by a self-report questionnaire, not a diagnosis. The tests were short, and the company ran the study. The iOS app has a boost option Brain.fm markets for ADHD. Focus music is not a treatment for ADHD and does not replace care from a clinician. This is general information, not medical advice.
Brain.fm vs Endel: what's the difference?
Both are paid apps. Brain.fm adds modulation to music written by people and has published a study of its own music. Endel generates soundscapes in real time that react to inputs such as time of day, weather, heart rate and location. If you want sound that adapts to your day, look at Endel. If you want music built around fast modulation, with a published study of its own, look at Brain.fm.
Sources
- Brain.fm pricing page, brain.fm/pricing (checked 15 Oct 2026)
- Brain.fm home page, brain.fm (checked 15 Oct 2026)
- Brain.fm science page, brain.fm/science (checked 15 Oct 2026)
- Brain.fm white paper, brain.fm/pdfs/white-paper.pdf (checked 15 Oct 2026)
- Woods KJP et al. (2024). Rapid modulation in music supports attention in listeners with attentional difficulties. Communications Biology 7:1376. PMID 39443657
- NSF award 1720698, STTR Phase I: Remediating Inattention via Algorithmically Generated Music
- Brain.fm on the US App Store (checked 15 Oct 2026)
- Brain.fm on Google Play (checked 15 Oct 2026)
- Brain.fm on Trustpilot (checked 15 Oct 2026)
- Garcia-Argibay M et al. (2019). Efficacy of binaural auditory beats in cognition, anxiety, and pain perception: a meta-analysis. Psychological Research. PMID 30073406
- Ingendoh RM et al. (2023). Binaural beats to entrain the brain? A systematic review. PLoS One. PMID 37205669
- Endel home page, endel.io (checked 15 Oct 2026)