There is no single best tinnitus app: the first thing to check is whether an app works on its own, like ReSound Relief, Starkey Relax or myNoise, or only with one brand's hearing aids, like Widex Zen. The guide to evaluating tinnitus apps covers the general framework — what features matter, what to be skeptical of. This one names specific apps people search for, and the single most important distinction that's easy to miss when comparing them: whether an app works standalone, or only if you already own a specific brand's hearing aids.
The split that matters most: standalone vs. hearing-aid-tied
A large share of "tinnitus apps" people find when searching are not independent products — they're companion apps for a specific hearing aid manufacturer's devices, and do little or nothing without them.
Requires that brand's hearing aids:
- Widex Zen — built around fractal tone therapy (continuously, subtly shifting musical tones, designed specifically to resist the habituation effect that can make static white noise less effective over time), but delivered through Widex hearing aids specifically
- Oticon ON / SoundSupport — tinnitus sound support built into Oticon's hearing aid ecosystem
- Phonak Tinnitus Balance — not a standalone masker at all; it's a relief feature inside Phonak hearing aids, controlled through the myPhonak app
Work standalone, no hearing aids needed:
- ReSound Relief — usable through any phone speaker or headphones, not just ReSound hearing aids. Offers nature sounds, broadband noise, and notched sound, with independent control over masker pitch and intensity — one of the more full-featured free options that doesn't require owning specific hardware
- Starkey Relax — similarly usable standalone, through headphones or a speaker
- myNoise — an independent app (not tied to any hearing aid brand), built by an audio engineer, with over 300 adjustable soundscapes and a dedicated tinnitus-generator mode that can be tuned toward your own tinnitus pitch. Free to download with a substantial free library; a one-time purchase unlocks the rest. Available on iOS, Android, and the web
- White Noise Lite — a simpler, more basic standalone option focused on sleep and general masking rather than tinnitus-specific features
If you don't already wear hearing aids from a specific brand, the hearing-aid-tied apps simply aren't a relevant option — check this first before evaluating anything else about an app, since it's the single fastest way to narrow the list. If you do have hearing loss, the aids themselves may matter more than the app: hearing aids for tinnitus covers that evidence.
What the standalone options do differently
Among the apps that work for anyone, the real differences come down to exactly the features covered in the general apps article: does it offer personalized, pitch-tunable notched sound (myNoise and ReSound Relief both do), or just generic pre-set soundscapes (closer to what White Noise Lite offers)? Is there any structured content beyond sound — psychoeducation, CBT-style exercises, tracking — or is it purely a sound generator with a nicer interface than a free alternative?
What a large trial says about apps on their own
Apps were tested head to head with clinical treatments in a 2025 international randomised trial of 461 people. Two of its four treatments were app-based — structured counselling and sound therapy — and both were delivered without any direct contact or guidance from clinicians. Every arm improved over the 12 weeks, and the trial reports that cognitive-behavioural therapy and hearing aids had large effect sizes on their own.
One caution comes with that: the trial had no untreated group, so improvement within an arm is not proof the app caused it. What it does show is that the two clinician-delivered treatments had large effects by themselves, which is worth knowing before an app becomes the whole plan. What the trial found about combining treatments is covered in detail.
Where this site's own tools fit in
Worth saying plainly, since this is a comparison page: this site's own sound library and tinnitus frequency test do the same core things several of the paid standalone apps charge for — finding your tinnitus pitch and generating tunable sound around it, with an optional and still experimental notched version — free, with no account, no app download, and no subscription. That's not a claim of being better engineered than a dedicated app with years of iteration; it's simply an honest note that "free browser tool vs. paid app" is a real, relevant comparison point worth checking before subscribing to anything.
A reasonable way to choose
- Do you already wear hearing aids from a specific brand? If yes, check whether that brand has a companion tinnitus feature (Widex Zen, Oticon SoundSupport, Phonak Tinnitus Balance) before looking elsewhere — it's likely already included or a low-cost add-on.
- If not, or if you want to try something free first, myNoise and ReSound Relief are the more full-featured standalone options with personalization; the free browser tools described in the previous section cover the same notched-sound mechanism.
- Before paying for any subscription, apply the test from the general apps article: what specifically does this do that a free option doesn't? If the honest answer is "a nicer interface," that's a legitimate preference, just not necessarily worth a recurring fee.