Review Insights · App Store
Happiest Baby, makers of SNOO
The Happiest Baby, Inc. · 4,952 ratings · ★ 4.0
4.0
★★★★★
4,952 ratings
🎯 Build a better version
Top complaints - extracted from 84 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
"snoo"
48 negative reviews mention this · 57% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Paywall. Honestly, I find what they paywalled egregious. Instead of making new features or a new snoo with better hardware, this company decided to charge existing users to change the volume on their bassinets. Shame because we liked it." - abaillargeon3333
2
"features"
36 negative reviews mention this · 43% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Paywall. Honestly, I find what they paywalled egregious. Instead of making new features or a new snoo with better hardware, this company decided to charge existing users to change the volume on their bassinets. Shame because we liked it." - abaillargeon3333
3
"month"
29 negative reviews mention this · 35% of all complaints
★★★★★ "You can set the default to be no movement. Unless paying 20 dollars a month. What a joke. Avoid Snoo!" - Just drive home
4
"subscription"
28 negative reviews mention this · 33% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Squeeze out of every last drop from us. If you thought a $1700 bassinet was not enough money to save your sanity, I have great news for you. This app requires a $20/month subscription for tweaking very basic features on your bassinet! This feels like a predatory business model fo…" - M.C.GOOGLE
5
"free"
21 negative reviews mention this · 25% of all complaints
★★★★★ "You have to pay for. You get only two free options for Snoo after spending over $1000 for these things, 20$ a month. Or you ca adjust volume and motion limitation dip switch. But nothing else." - HannahHAL36
6
"baby"
21 negative reviews mention this · 25% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Don’t even want it for free. $1700 device but have to pay for all functions. Want to mute? Pay up. Want to set speed to constant so baby doesn’t shake violently? Pay up." - Anonymous100023423423423
7
"expensive"
21 negative reviews mention this · 25% of all complaints
★★★★★ "App requires subscription for most features. I used to love the app and the ways I was able to adjust settings and track my baby’s sleep. However, one day I updated the app and now I must pay a $20/month subscription to use most of the basic functions of the bed. I feel the subscripti…" - SharonRC
8
"product"
18 negative reviews mention this · 21% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Horrible Product. Do not waste your time and money. This thing seems nice, but it’s atrocious how bad the UX and technology is. It’s a nightmare to setup, the app never actually works. And they paywall basic features like speed control and volume. They are a…" - visualust
9
"basic"
18 negative reviews mention this · 21% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Horrible Product. Do not waste your time and money. This thing seems nice, but it’s atrocious how bad the UX and technology is. It’s a nightmare to setup, the app never actually works. And they paywall basic features like speed control and volume. They are a…" - visualust
10
"company"
17 negative reviews mention this · 20% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Paywall. Honestly, I find what they paywalled egregious. Instead of making new features or a new snoo with better hardware, this company decided to charge existing users to change the volume on their bassinets. Shame because we liked it." - abaillargeon3333
11
"behind"
17 negative reviews mention this · 20% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Subscription model absurdity. Yeah, pay a lot of money for a product that gets < 6 months of use. Oh? The app isn’t free and 95% of the features are locked behind a subscription model that costs $20 a month. Great job on extorting sleep deprived parents." - OscarLuu
12
"paywall"
16 negative reviews mention this · 19% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Paywall. Honestly, I find what they paywalled egregious. Instead of making new features or a new snoo with better hardware, this company decided to charge existing users to change the volume on their bassinets. Shame because we liked it." - abaillargeon3333
📋 All 84 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").
Horrible Product
Do not waste your time and money. This thing seems nice, but it’s atrocious how bad the UX and technology is. It’s a nightmare to setup, the app never actually works. And they paywall basic features like speed control and volume. They are a terrible company. Your kids will sleep eventually, I promise. Do not reward these folks with your hard earned money.
You can set the default to be no movement
Unless paying 20 dollars a month. What a joke. Avoid Snoo!
Awful connection
For an almost 2k piece of equipment it would be nice if it easily connected to your phone.
Squeeze out of every last drop from us
If you thought a $1700 bassinet was not enough money to save your sanity, I have great news for you. This app requires a $20/month subscription for tweaking very basic features on your bassinet!
This feels like a predatory business model for the most desperate and sleep deprived parents.
This feels like a predatory business model for the most desperate and sleep deprived parents.
God awful
Just cheap and extortionate and terrible
Don’t even want it for free
$1700 device but have to pay for all functions. Want to mute? Pay up. Want to set speed to constant so baby doesn’t shake violently? Pay up.
Subscription model absurdity
Yeah, pay a lot of money for a product that gets < 6 months of use.
Oh? The app isn’t free and 95% of the features are locked behind a subscription model that costs $20 a month.
Great job on extorting sleep deprived parents.
Oh? The app isn’t free and 95% of the features are locked behind a subscription model that costs $20 a month.
Great job on extorting sleep deprived parents.
App requires subscription for most features
I used to love the app and the ways I was able to adjust settings and track my baby’s sleep. However, one day I updated the app and now I must pay a $20/month subscription to use most of the basic functions of the bed. I feel the subscription model is overpriced and was bait-and-switch because I don’t know if we would have purchased this expensive bed to be used among our family members if we had known that we would need a subscription we cannot afford.
Bait and switch
This company is horrible. They took most important FREE features and put them behind a subscription. The whole point is the auto detect mode/weaning mode, and now you have to pay $20 a month.
Happiest baby… angriest parent
This app refuses to find Wi-Fi networks. Spent an hour trying to connect a Snoo, and another hour on the phone with support. No one could get it to connect.
I’ve jumped through all of the hoops I can think of. Rather than doing the RIGHT THING, which is allowing a user to enter their Wi-Fi credentials manually, they’ve programmed this app to cater towards tech illiterates while also manufactured a product that cannot be factory reset.
For $1700, this company should be rightfully ashamed.
I’ve jumped through all of the hoops I can think of. Rather than doing the RIGHT THING, which is allowing a user to enter their Wi-Fi credentials manually, they’ve programmed this app to cater towards tech illiterates while also manufactured a product that cannot be factory reset.
For $1700, this company should be rightfully ashamed.
Hell hath no fury like a mom who is paywalled out of something that already costs a mortgage payment
I like the snoo. I’ve used it for three babies. I think it’s a good (ungodly expensive) product that I invested in because I knew I’d use it across several babies. But I am furious that now on my third baby I am suddenly paywalled out of previous out of the box features. Literally tonight I go to turn on weaning mode for the first time as I prepare to transition my baby to a crib and…hey, get bent lady: PAYWALL. That level of greed is disgusting to me-you already squeezed five car payments out of me on this thing! A mortgage payment! JFC! I was going to send this in to get it refurbished so someone could buy it for less but now I’m going to give it away to prevent some other mom from bleeding their bank account dry. Goddamn.
Bait and switch!
We paid thousands for this thing and then the company turns around to put *basic* functions behind a paywall! Must have been purchased by PE! Betrayal of trust at a vulnerable time for a new parent.
$20/mo for 30min of white noise
You must buy the subscription to use the Snoo’s white noise without swaying, yet the white noise turns itself off after 30min without an option to stay on longer.
World’s most expensive and useless whitenoise machine.
World’s most expensive and useless whitenoise machine.
You need to pay for everything
Also the app is clunky, buggy and difficult to navigate. Stay away.
Don’t buy a Snoo.
The default sensitivity makes this device useless. My baby is screaming hysterically before it even starts to do anything. Have to pay an outrageous $20 a month for an already overpriced device, just to have it do the very function it’s marketed as having. Surprised the FTC hasn’t fined this company for the bait and switch tactics.
Premium Subscription is a Joke
Pay $1700 a premium bassinet and most basic features are behind a paywall is the most ridiculous greed I’ve ever seen.
Subscription required for BASIC features
Unbelievable that this product requires a $20/month subscription to simply disable motion until the baby cries. Free users must have it fully on (rocking all the time) or off. This is a very basic feature already built into the device, and should absolutely not require an additional subscription (especially one at such a high price) on top of the already incredibly expensive device itself. This is just plain explitative. Horrible company.
Bait and Switch for premium subscription, no way to unsubscribe
I bought my Snoo in 2018, I have had 4 kids and almost a dozen friends borrow our snoo bassinet over the past 7 years, recently with my 4th baby, Happiest Baby began charging for previously free features, there is also no recourse for unsubscribing from the $19.99 a month app. This was always my most favorite baby hack item, a must for tired parents. but the shady business practices started over the last few years is canceling out all of my previous good will and trust in this company and dr Karp.
Paywall for everything
Almost everything in the app is behind a paywall for a physical device you already purchased. It’s crazy they lock volume and motion controls for your device behind a subscription.
Love the snoo but subscription is crazy
The hardware is great but the fact that many essential features are now locked behind a subscription is reason to never buy a snoo. I wish I had known about the subscription before we bought a snoo. This app is also very laggy to connect to the snoo each night
Paywall for basic functions
Company is looking to make money off of secondhand buyers and locking its basic core functions behind a paywall. Without the subscription you only get two levels of motion, no smart motions, and white noise that is set to on by default and can’t be adjusted. The sound is loud and there’s no option to turn it off. There are cheaper options like the uppababy soma that provide core functions without the need for a subscription or access to servers
Basic features locked behind subscription
It’s so ridiculous that keeping the bed still and only moving when the baby cries requires a $20/month subscription, especially when it used to be a free feature and is built into the Snoo that you paid over $1000 for. This company seems so anti-consumer and only focused on shaking down parents for as much money as possible. Do not buy the Snoo. I’m glad I only rented mine so I can send it back and never buy any products from this company again.
Update: The company responded to me and said that shaking down desperate parents“sustains” their business. Funny how countless businesses are able to “sustain” themselves by selling a product once and not continuing to squeeze money out of customers. The founder of this company is worth over $100 million. There is zero reason that Happiest Baby needs to lock previously free features behind a paywall to “sustain” their business.
Update: The company responded to me and said that shaking down desperate parents“sustains” their business. Funny how countless businesses are able to “sustain” themselves by selling a product once and not continuing to squeeze money out of customers. The founder of this company is worth over $100 million. There is zero reason that Happiest Baby needs to lock previously free features behind a paywall to “sustain” their business.
Snoo keeps Speeding Up
The Snoo keeps speeding up for no reason. I tested it without a baby or any sound present and it consistently goes from Baseline, then up and up to level 4 when it times out.
Stingy company
You cannot lock levels. They make you pay. What a selfish company. Don’t buy. It is trash if you cannot have control what you buy. It doesn’t cost them anything but they tried to control you. such as selfish company after we spent $1600 on simple crib and they try to control you so stupid
No longer recommended
Update: we contacted snoo with our original purchase order / invoice / email information to have the complimentary access and they responded but nothing changed with our account. We told them about this and they are either unwilling or unable to help.
We don’t use any of the tracking features, just wanted to be able to adjust all of the settings like we did for our first child. But the developers figured out if they could limit some of the settings with a premium subscription, well, then secondhand snoo devices could keep making them money. They love their canned responses, “I’m sorry you feel that way.” I won’t be sorry when another smart bassinet takes a cut of your overpriced long-time dominant market share, or when someone releases a custom firmware, or an open-source snoo control app.
I also wonder if somehow the non-premium setting might be too rough for some babies and perhaps gating those setting behind a premium subscription could put Snoo at legal risk for a lawsuit related to implied warranty of fitness for a particular purpose.
We don’t use any of the tracking features, just wanted to be able to adjust all of the settings like we did for our first child. But the developers figured out if they could limit some of the settings with a premium subscription, well, then secondhand snoo devices could keep making them money. They love their canned responses, “I’m sorry you feel that way.” I won’t be sorry when another smart bassinet takes a cut of your overpriced long-time dominant market share, or when someone releases a custom firmware, or an open-source snoo control app.
I also wonder if somehow the non-premium setting might be too rough for some babies and perhaps gating those setting behind a premium subscription could put Snoo at legal risk for a lawsuit related to implied warranty of fitness for a particular purpose.
App is garbage
Completely ridiculous you spend >$1,000 on a bassinet and then have to pay MORE money to be able to use features that were previously FREE!! Not to mention the app crashes constantly as well. Complete scam and money grab. Will not be recommending this to anyone.
$2000 device to squeeze you dry every month
The app is essentially useless unless you pay $20 a month for “premium features”. You are better off just pressing the button yourself.
These features include a bunch of “expert tips” and advice that no one cares about and information that can be easily be found online for free.
It allows “advanced settings” changes. That translates to, you cannot change any settings unless you pay us money. No selecting a starting setting. No locking into a setting your baby is comfortable at.
I understand companies make more money thru subscriptions, but for an overpriced bassinet, $20 subscriptions is just taking advantage of parents.
UNETHICAL COMPANY.
These features include a bunch of “expert tips” and advice that no one cares about and information that can be easily be found online for free.
It allows “advanced settings” changes. That translates to, you cannot change any settings unless you pay us money. No selecting a starting setting. No locking into a setting your baby is comfortable at.
I understand companies make more money thru subscriptions, but for an overpriced bassinet, $20 subscriptions is just taking advantage of parents.
UNETHICAL COMPANY.
$20 a month for basic features is insane
I bought the Snoo from Happiest Baby in 2023 for my first baby. I’m using it for my second baby in 2026 and there is now a $20 a month subscription you have to pay for basic features that were completely free before. $20 a month is insane for these features!! - this includes the weaning mode aka they are basically forcing you to pay for premium so you can wean off the snoo. I used to recommend the snoo to everyone but not anymore. You pay all this money for a product and then are forced to pay even more on a subscription for things that should be free. Seriously disappointed in Happiest Baby.
Can’t turn off sounds
Developer refuses to allow turning off of white noise feature. Arrogant developers don’t trust parents to make choices for their kids - product is getting returned and getting a different one instead .
Terrible app, even worse you have to pay a subscription for device settings
Why would anyone pay for a device that requires you to buy a subscription for updating settings. Can’t update snoo to weaning without paying 20$, is insane
Too expensive
$1300 for the SNOO then I have to pay for a premium membership on top of that just to adjust the volume on this thing?? Y’all like to rip people off in the name of “helping your babies.”
Support non existent
Tried calling and emailing support at 3:00pm central time and no response terrible for such an expensive piece of equipment
Swindle and racket
I’m furious I need to purchase a $20 monthly subscription to lock the Snoo so it doesn’t automatically go to the highest setting when my baby is crying (which she doesn’t like). This should be automatic for safety reasons.
Shame on snoo
The bassinet costs over $1,000 and you put software features behind a pay wall. What a joke
Constant connectivity issues
This device is always disconnecting from the app and does not function. We spend hours per month trying to reconnect it.
Difficult to Set Up, Features Behind Subscription Model
If you’re seeing this it’s probably already too late and you’ve got the SNOO. But I can’t not say something about how difficult it was to set up with a 2.4ghz only wifi network. The app struggled a lot to make the connection, I had to play around with a bunch of different things, and had to do some forced factory resets at times on the wifi (not this was second hand from a friend) - also if you get second hand make sure original owner unregisters the device in their app.
Finally got it working but there’s certain things (like locking the level of rocking it’s at) that are only behind a subscription. An expensive one at that. I miss the days before the IOT… when things just had buttons and you had full control. I get that new features may come out and subscription models and IOT help with that. But it seems absolutely WILD to me that I can’t say “operate at level 2 and don’t change levels” without paying $20 a month!
Finally got it working but there’s certain things (like locking the level of rocking it’s at) that are only behind a subscription. An expensive one at that. I miss the days before the IOT… when things just had buttons and you had full control. I get that new features may come out and subscription models and IOT help with that. But it seems absolutely WILD to me that I can’t say “operate at level 2 and don’t change levels” without paying $20 a month!
Paywall plus app bugs
Having to pay $20/month to use the base features is absurd with such an expensive product.
I also have observed a number of bugs in the app. The data plotting doesn’t match the numbers at all. It’s poor coding quality - they provide a graph of feeding trend that is wildly inaccurate
I also have observed a number of bugs in the app. The data plotting doesn’t match the numbers at all. It’s poor coding quality - they provide a graph of feeding trend that is wildly inaccurate
Ridiculous
That they would make you pay 19.99 a month to use a simple feature like tracking a sleep after the initial payment of a snoo is absolutely ridiculous.
So bummed I accidentally deleted the original app. Super disappointed.
So bummed I accidentally deleted the original app. Super disappointed.
Erased my connected snoos
I updated the app bc it wouldn’t work and I reopen it and it has erased both of my connected snoos from the app! I have twins and 3 other kids. Thanks for making my life more difficult.
What’s the point?
Cannot control the snoo from the app. Have tried restarting phone and snoo several times. If it does work it takes ages to respond…
Paywall hell
Another great product that locked it’s features behind a $20/mo paywall.
Quiet trial
We were okay with minimum features for free, we use the log a lot to track baby's sleep.
This morning we woke up to find that we can't use the log because the free trial for the basic app features ran out. I learned that 9 months starts when you first pair the device and I paired it to make sure everything was working well in advance of baby's arrival.
We love the Snoo, but I'm disappointed that I'm being shaken down for an additional $20 a month to store a tiny amount of data after buying a $1000+ bassinet. Come on!
This morning we woke up to find that we can't use the log because the free trial for the basic app features ran out. I learned that 9 months starts when you first pair the device and I paired it to make sure everything was working well in advance of baby's arrival.
We love the Snoo, but I'm disappointed that I'm being shaken down for an additional $20 a month to store a tiny amount of data after buying a $1000+ bassinet. Come on!
Unhelpful Features
Echoing the other reviews about the usability of this app. The old app was way more user friendly (used the old app with my first born). This app needs to be way more simple without all the different charts and graphs which is totally unnecessary. Getting to the logs shouldn’t take several clicks. Also agree that having to pay a subscription to use the snoo features feels like robbery, especially for having spent $$$ on the snoo already.
Lost usefulness between children
I got a snoo for my first child and really liked all of the features it had. It was expensive but an investment as I planned on having more children.
A few years later I have another child, so I set the snoo up again only to find out most of the features are now behind a paywall.
A few years later I have another child, so I set the snoo up again only to find out most of the features are now behind a paywall.
Greedy company
You need to pay $20/ month now to use any features including locking the motion. It used to be free but now if my other child cries from the other room, it sets off the motion and wakes the baby up. It seems that they block free features every month when the snoo itself is already extremely expensive. Don’t invest in the Snoo if you’re not willing to shell out exorbitant amounts of money.
I have to pay for all the features?!
I can’t believe you can buy something so expensive and not get access to all the features without a subscription. This is unethical and should be illegal. The snoo is $1600 and you’re going to charge me $20 a month to get the best features your machine offers? Wild. It’s like buying a car and not being able to go over 50mph unless if you pay a subscription fee. Shame on you snoo. Don’t buy if you can avoid.
Gone down hill fast
I think the current management team is quickly eroding the good work of Dr. Karp. From all the app glitches to not being able to get to a real human support person (thanks, AI), this isn’t a product a new parent should rely on. I would really appreciate if anyone has other recommendations for a smart bassinet!
Worse over time
When we bought the Snoo 3 years ago for our first, all the features were available. Today we brought home a new baby and found the ween and basic control function behind a paywall for the happiest baby app. I still have the original snoo app and this is not the case for that app. I tried setting up the snoo with that app but they’ve clearly broken it so it no longer works and taken it off the app store. I used to recommended the snoo in the past. Definitely no more- this is not a way to treat customers. I will actively tell people to avoid them now.
Update:
Gave proof of purchase and they WOULD NOT give me a permanent subscription like they said they would. They gave me 6 months free. If I have another kid I’ll have to go through this process again. The 1 star stands.
Update:
Gave proof of purchase and they WOULD NOT give me a permanent subscription like they said they would. They gave me 6 months free. If I have another kid I’ll have to go through this process again. The 1 star stands.
Not Worth The Money
First off the app itself is not stable at all. Constantly it logs you out, removes the device and says there’s an issue only to resolve itself 30-60mins later. The SNOO itself will jump levels (3 & 4 which are insane) without even a grace period in between hardly before stopping completely. Plus if you don’t have the premium which for the problems it has it’s not worth the extra $19.99 a month.
Barely useful at this point
We liked the app fine for the first three months we used it. There were some inconveniences-can’t see the sleep from the Lock Screen, only one person can track nursing, it’s hard to adjust the sleep start and end times, and there is no log for medicine. But overall, it worked fine and was worth some of the minor inconveniences to have everything in one app since we had the Snoo. However, the most recent update makes saving sleep cycles almost impossible because of an error message that there was a Snoo session overlapping. Like duh he was sleeping in the Snoo? I assume that creating this inconvenience was intentional to drive people towards premium.
+ 34 more in the clipboard copy
Sentiment summary
74%
Positive (4-5★)
2%
Neutral (3★)
24%
Negative (1-2★)