Review Insights · App Store
Brain.fm: Focus & Sleep Music
Brain.fm · 5,138 ratings · ★ 4.5
4.5
★★★★★
5,138 ratings
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Top complaints - extracted from 27 negative reviews
Recurring phrases mined from 1-2★ reviews. The bigger the percentage, the more users have the same problem. Fix the top 2-3 in your version and you have product-market fit on day one.
1
"subscription"
10 negative reviews mention this · 37% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Like the app but…. Been using this app for a few months now and it’s great. However, I got on the use it today and i don’t have access to any of the content without hitting their pay wall. My subscription is still active and up to date. If I try to click on t…" - RNinjaPro
2
"music"
8 negative reviews mention this · 30% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Overpriced. The app is way overpriced and is essentially just a YouTube Lofi playlist which you can get for free. I would consider paying if it was a more reasonable cost. In perspective you can purchase YouTube premium for like half the cost they want…" - BenM420
3
"free"
6 negative reviews mention this · 22% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Purchase?!. I heard about this app and I have adhd and can’t focus on things so I got the app not knowing that I’d have to do a purchase option either way so now I can’t use the app because I’m not gonna pay for an app and it’s just a bummer like I was…" - Livivianna
4
"focus"
5 negative reviews mention this · 19% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Purchase?!. I heard about this app and I have adhd and can’t focus on things so I got the app not knowing that I’d have to do a purchase option either way so now I can’t use the app because I’m not gonna pay for an app and it’s just a bummer like I was…" - Livivianna
5
"download"
5 negative reviews mention this · 19% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Deceptive. The app should make it clear that it requires a subscription before you download the app." - Kon883
6
"trial"
5 negative reviews mention this · 19% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Disappointed. Music Choppy. Team Slow to Respond. I would like to cancel my subscribtion. Not what I thought it was going to be. Signed up for 14 day trial, now it tell me that my trial ends in 3 days from the inital date of start. Canceling is made really difficult and obstructed as I hav…" - WizofNola
7
"every"
4 negative reviews mention this · 15% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Used for YEARS but recently getting error message :(. I have been using brain.fm on high neural effect (ADHD mode) since around 2022 and I have used it religiously-however for the last couple of weeks every time I try to listen to anything, any kind of session or type of sound, whether ADHD mo…" - Chameleon-814
8
"option"
4 negative reviews mention this · 15% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Purchase?!. I heard about this app and I have adhd and can’t focus on things so I got the app not knowing that I’d have to do a purchase option either way so now I can’t use the app because I’m not gonna pay for an app and it’s just a bummer like I was…" - Livivianna
9
"year"
4 negative reviews mention this · 15% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Used for YEARS but recently getting error message :(. I have been using brain.fm on high neural effect (ADHD mode) since around 2022 and I have used it religiously-however for the last couple of weeks every time I try to listen to anything, any kind of session or type of sound, whether ADHD mo…" - Chameleon-814
10
"immediately"
4 negative reviews mention this · 15% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Buggy onboarding, too harsh paywall, overpriced. While idea is nice, i deleted 1 minute later because i clicked wrong option on 1st screen and couldn’t change it anymore, then long wait time on screen that seemingly does something but it does absolutely nothing in real, only annoying wait…" - Siaho
11
"been"
3 negative reviews mention this · 11% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Used for YEARS but recently getting error message :(. I have been using brain.fm on high neural effect (ADHD mode) since around 2022 and I have used it religiously-however for the last couple of weeks every time I try to listen to anything, any kind of session or type of sound, whether ADHD mo…" - Chameleon-814
12
"adhd"
3 negative reviews mention this · 11% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Used for YEARS but recently getting error message :(. I have been using brain.fm on high neural effect (ADHD mode) since around 2022 and I have used it religiously-however for the last couple of weeks every time I try to listen to anything, any kind of session or type of sound, whether ADHD mo…" - Chameleon-814
📋 All 27 negative reviews
Every 1-2★ review we fetched. Use the copy button to grab them all for your own analysis (paste into ChatGPT/Claude with a prompt like "summarize core user problems, group by theme, ignore bugs, focus on missing features").
Crashes on login
Unable to login via the app. Web and desktop are working fine.
Purchase?!
I heard about this app and I have adhd and can’t focus on things so I got the app not knowing that I’d have to do a purchase option either way so now I can’t use the app because I’m not gonna pay for an app and it’s just a bummer like I was so excited and now I’m bummed out …I wish it was free so Everyone could use it
AI generated elevator music
They want $99/year though 😂😂😂😂
Bruh
I just want a good focus app that doesn’t require money
✌️😔
✌️😔
Renewal Issues
App itself was fine and did its job. Tried to cancel and did it on the web browser (as instructed by the app). The app still charged me today for a year long subscription. Canceled again and hopefully it works this time.
Feels like a scam.
Feels like a scam.
Deceptive
The app should make it clear that it requires a subscription before you download the app.
Don’t download
Don’t download. Just another Paid app!
Disappointed. Music Choppy. Team Slow to Respond
I would like to cancel my subscribtion. Not what I thought it was going to be. Signed up for 14 day trial, now it tell me that my trial ends in 3 days from the inital date of start. Canceling is made really difficult and obstructed as I have searched every tab. The website says cancel by visiting my account overview page, clicking on
"Membership" and then clicking "Cancel your membership. But that option/link does not appear. I reached out to support maybe an hour after I started my subscription to cancel and have still not gotten a response
"Membership" and then clicking "Cancel your membership. But that option/link does not appear. I reached out to support maybe an hour after I started my subscription to cancel and have still not gotten a response
Crashes when I log in
I have the app on my laptop and use the website all the time but when I try to log into this app on my phone it crashes
Stay far away from this app
I pay a monthly subscription but anytime I want to use the app it tells me i need a subscription even though I already have one and signed in. I paid and was not able to use what I paid for.
Not for people with ADHD at all
I didn’t like the jittery sounds in all their music make it sound like the song is glitching
Buggy onboarding, too harsh paywall, overpriced
While idea is nice, i deleted 1 minute later because i clicked wrong option on 1st screen and couldn’t change it anymore, then long wait time on screen that seemingly does something but it does absolutely nothing in real, only annoying wait time. Then, you have to start trial immediately or pay without even trying. Why would i commit to something and share my payment details for what i don’t know if it works at all. Closing that menu triggers paywall again and again, no way to explore the app. Overall subscription feels extremely overpriced and a poor quality app. I regret installing it and sharing my email.
It’s a waste of money
I have sincerely given this app time to work for me but the reality is that it has been a total waste of my time and money.
Glitch makes me unable to use my subscription
I have had persistent problems with this app. Despite being able to see my subscription in my iCloud, when I try to use this app it asks me to subscribe. I’m worried about not getting refunded. I don’t recommend you expose yourself to this possible scam.
It ain’t free
I am so done with apps that are “free”. you download it, they made you jump through hoops just to tell you it will be $100 a year.
Just say it upfront or offer some limited free option.
Just say it upfront or offer some limited free option.
Too expensive subscription
I’ve paid the annual subscription ($50) for about 3 years now. A few days ago they doubled that price, and now EVERY day when I open the app, it says my sub is “expired” and I need to pick a new, more expensive plan. I can “restore purchases” on my profile and it says “you have 214 days left” - each day it is counting down, but I shouldn’t have to go through that step 200 more times to complete my subscription in peace. App is great, music is wonderful, but the PRICE IS TOO HIGH. I won’t be renewing, I just hope they fix the “expired” problem so I don’t have to restore purchase on a daily basis :(
Music great, app terrible
Please please fix the playback error problem when I have a song saved in offline and I try to access it from another device or after replacing my iPhone. Some songs just always throw that error. Seems trivial but I get that error multiple times per day
NOT FREE
Not even worth downloading. Now I’ve got to go download another stupid scam app if I want to get a half decent sleep
Not free
It should be illegal to have a free app on the App Store that you download and it immediately wants $70 with some predatory free trial. Garbage, you can find what these people are selling as a subscription free online just about anywhere.
Beware of "free" trial
They offered me a 14 day free trial but immediately charged me 69.99 for a full year! I have requested a refund so we will see if they do. Then I will update this.
Used for YEARS but recently getting error message :(
I have been using brain.fm on high neural effect (ADHD mode) since around 2022 and I have used it religiously-however for the last couple of weeks every time I try to listen to anything, any kind of session or type of sound, whether ADHD mode is on or off, I always get an error message. I had to unsubscribe which I am so sad about because this was amazing help for my ADHD back when it worked for me
Overpriced
The app is way overpriced and is essentially just a YouTube Lofi playlist which you can get for free. I would consider paying if it was a more reasonable cost. In perspective you can purchase YouTube premium for like half the cost they want for this. Most disappointing was that the music is really just elevator type lofi stuff. I was looking for more straight up white noisy binaural beat type soundscapes and not this animal crossing soundtrack type of music.
Was great
They started off with a focus of helping people clear their heads and think more clearly. Once they got enough people hooked on their product they doubled the price. It’s the same programming, twice the price. At least they’re still helping people with money.
Like the app but…
Been using this app for a few months now and it’s great. However, I got on the use it today and i don’t have access to any of the content without hitting their pay wall. My subscription is still active and up to date. If I try to click on the subscription I already have won’t let me proceed and says I already have the subscription. Still, no dice.
Disorienting
I thought I was being dramatic, but I tried several Focus beats & immediately felt dizzy & disoriented, leading to a frantic, panicked, and unfocused state. The app layout is really nice, but this feeling made me very uncomfortable & it kept building. I’ve used binaural beats before & haven’t experienced this. The feeling stopped as soon as I stopped listening.
Theres A Critical Flaw
Personally, I find it remarkably short-sighted on the part of the marketing and development teams to take such a low-resolution risk. I always appreciate a preliminary trial period-it’s a necessary means of developing initial rapport with an app. However, the experience within that trial is everything.
While the content itself is lovely and the interface reasonably well-organized, the experience is undermined by what feels like an overly aggressive sales tactic. Each time the app is reopened, users are met with a full-page subscription prompt-effectively shouting “BUY, BUY, BUY” in their faces. It’s not only excessive; it’s uncomfortable. Literally every time you close or switch between apps, you’re forced to navigate through this.
I have no objection to a business earning revenue, but how you go about it reveals what truly motivates you. If user experience is so readily disrupted by profit-driven interruptions, then user wellbeing clearly isn’t the priority. The focus, quite plainly, is on maximizing subscriptions. If that weren’t the case, this constant paywall push wouldn’t exist-or at least would be more thoughtfully implemented. And that isn’t actually the issue; profit is critical, obviously. But this is a poor strategy, considering how simple of a mistake it is. I promise-regardless of what statistics you’re using-this is a low-resolution mistake aimed at short-term gain, not long-term success.
And that leads me to the core concern: if I can’t trust the intent behind your methods, how can I trust the integrity of your content? I’ve enjoyed the music, and I think there’s real potential within the model itself-the app has even complemented my workflow-but it’s difficult to fully invest in something that treats trust as secondary to conversion rates, and does so so casually and carelessly. You could have at least hidden the intent to some degree-or at all.
You could do better-and frankly, you should want to.
While the content itself is lovely and the interface reasonably well-organized, the experience is undermined by what feels like an overly aggressive sales tactic. Each time the app is reopened, users are met with a full-page subscription prompt-effectively shouting “BUY, BUY, BUY” in their faces. It’s not only excessive; it’s uncomfortable. Literally every time you close or switch between apps, you’re forced to navigate through this.
I have no objection to a business earning revenue, but how you go about it reveals what truly motivates you. If user experience is so readily disrupted by profit-driven interruptions, then user wellbeing clearly isn’t the priority. The focus, quite plainly, is on maximizing subscriptions. If that weren’t the case, this constant paywall push wouldn’t exist-or at least would be more thoughtfully implemented. And that isn’t actually the issue; profit is critical, obviously. But this is a poor strategy, considering how simple of a mistake it is. I promise-regardless of what statistics you’re using-this is a low-resolution mistake aimed at short-term gain, not long-term success.
And that leads me to the core concern: if I can’t trust the intent behind your methods, how can I trust the integrity of your content? I’ve enjoyed the music, and I think there’s real potential within the model itself-the app has even complemented my workflow-but it’s difficult to fully invest in something that treats trust as secondary to conversion rates, and does so so casually and carelessly. You could have at least hidden the intent to some degree-or at all.
You could do better-and frankly, you should want to.
The mobile and web app are riddled with issues. Same 5 songs over and over.
This is not complicated - 5-10 songs per theme and the app just has to play them. And yet - the app is riddled with issues. And now the web app is down? Too expensive and too much hassle to rely on regularly. Apple Music has tons, far more than the glitchy app, of these tracks.
Sentiment summary
88%
Positive (4-5★)
3%
Neutral (3★)
8%
Negative (1-2★)