Best Tinnitus Apps: A Real, Named Comparison

The article on evaluating tinnitus apps covers the general framework — what features actually matter, what to be skeptical of. This one names actual, 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 — genuinely 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.

What the standalone options are actually doing 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?

Where this site's own tools fit in

Worth saying plainly, since this is a comparison page: this site's own sound library and pitch match & notched sound tool do the same core things several of the paid standalone apps charge for — tunable, notched sound generation matched to your own tinnitus pitch — 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

1. 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.
2. If not, or if you want to try something free first, myNoise and ReSound Relief are the more full-featured standalone options with personalization; this site's own pitch match tool is a genuinely free alternative covering the same notched-sound mechanism.
3. 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.

The practical takeaway

"Best tinnitus app" doesn't have one universal answer, because the field splits cleanly into hearing-aid-companion apps (only relevant if you already own that hardware) and standalone options anyone can use. Among standalone apps, myNoise and ReSound Relief currently offer the most genuine personalization for free or low one-time cost — and this site's own free tools cover the same core mechanism without even requiring an app download.