Brain.fm makes music designed for focus, relaxation and sleep, and sells it by subscription. Flight is a focus timer you fly, with real ambient recordings, free to start. They answer different needs: if music is what gets you into focus, Brain.fm is a strong choice. If you focus better with steady, wordless sound, like the hum of an airliner, and want a session with a clear end, Flight does that without a subscription.
Disclosure: Flight is our product, and this blog belongs to it. We've tried to be fair: what we say about Brain.fm comes from its own site and app listings, checked in October 2026. Apps change, so check prices there before you decide.
At a glance
| Flight | Brain.fm | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A focus timer you fly, with ambient sound | Music made for focus, relaxation and sleep |
| Runs on | Any modern browser | Web, iPhone and Android |
| Sound | Real recordings: cabin, rain, waves, forest and more | Generated music, in modes and genres |
| Focus timer | The flight is the timer | Session timers |
| Price | Free to start a flight | Subscription, with a free trial |
Where Brain.fm is stronger
If you like working to music, Brain.fm is built for it: music in focus, relax, sleep and nap modes, in a range of genres, designed not to grab your attention the way a favourite song does. It works on the web and on phones, and its trial lets you test whether it suits you before paying.
Where Flight is stronger
- No subscription to start. Open Flight and fly; our free sound tools need no account either.
- Wordless, steady sound. Many people find any music, however gentle, competes with reading and writing. Steady noise doesn't: it masks distractions and fades into the background. Our post on types of noise covers why.
- A session with an end. In Flight the sound comes with a destination, and stops when you land. You know exactly how long you're committing to.
- Real places, real sounds. A recording made in a real cabin at cruise, and a plane crossing a real map.
A day with each
With Brain.fm, you'd choose a focus mode and a genre, press play, and work to music designed not to distract. Later, a relax or sleep mode helps you wind down. It's a music service for your brain's different states.
With Flight, you'd choose a destination as long as your work, and a real recording, the airliner cabin or rain, plays until you land. Wordless, steady, and the same every time, so it quickly becomes the sound of “working”.
Switching from Brain.fm to Flight
- Try steady noise for a week before deciding whether you need music; many people focus better without it.
- If you do want music, play it with Flight's sound turned off: the flight still works as your timer.
- For sleep, try rain or brown noise with a sleep timer on our free tools.
Who should choose which
- Brain.fm if music helps you focus and you're happy to subscribe for music made for it.
- Flight if you prefer steady ambient sound and want a free session that feels like a flight.
Try the sounds on their own first: airplane cabin noise, rain or brown noise.
Try Flight
Open Flight, choose the cabin, and see how far you get before you land.
