Loóna review

Loóna takes a different route from the audio apps in this list. Instead of lying still and listening, you open a nightly escape, a guided session in which you color a rotating diorama while a narrator tells a calm story and sound builds around you. The idea, as Loóna describes it, is to shift your mood before bed, since anxiety or excitement at lights out can delay sleep and feel like a sleep disorder. During the day it offers playlists and immersive stories for different emotional states, and completed escapes are saved to Apple Health. The format suits people whose minds wander during meditation and who settle better with a light task. The catch is that it uses the screen right before sleep, and it has no tracker, alarm or CBT-I. Loóna Plus unlocks the full collection on 1-month, 3-month or 1-year plans, with a 7-day trial on the yearly plan, and prices vary by location.

Who it is for

Restless minds that cannot sit through meditation and calm down better with a gentle activity.

Price

See vendor pricing (USD check pending); 7-day trial on the yearly plan.

US price check pending. See the vendor pricing page.

Key features

• A nightly recommended escape
• Activity-based relaxation: color a rotating diorama while a narrator guides you
• Playlists and immersive stories for daytime moods
• Saves escape sessions to Apple Health
• Loóna Plus unlocks the full collection of escapes

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: An original format that gives restless hands something to do
• Strength: Short nightly routine that is easy to follow
• Strength: Apple Editors' Choice on the App Store
• Weakness: Screen-based, so it adds phone light at bedtime
• Weakness: No CBT-I, tracking or alarm
• Weakness: US prices are not listed on the vendor's pages

Key facts

• Format: Escapes: coloring, story and sound
• Plans: 1 month, 3 months, 1 year
• Free trial: 7 days with the yearly plan
• Platforms: iPhone, iPad
• Health sync: Apple Health

Where it ranks

Loóna is No. 10 in our Best Sleep Apps verdict.