Brown noise vs white noise vs pink noise: the difference, and where to play them

What is the difference between brown noise and white noise?

The difference is how the sound's energy is shared out between low and high pitches.

White noise has the same power at every frequency. Take any slice of the spectrum that is 20Hz wide and it holds as much energy as any other 20Hz slice. Because the ear and a musical scale think in octaves, which double in frequency each time, a flat spectrum puts far more energy into the top octaves. That is why white noise sounds like a hiss, or a radio between stations.

Brown noise tilts the other way. Its power falls by about 6dB with every octave you climb, which means most of the energy lives in the lows. It sounds like a deep roar or rumble. The name comes from Brownian motion, the random jostling of particles, and has nothing to do with the colour. You will also see it called red noise.

Where does pink noise fit?

Pink noise sits between the two. Its power falls by about 3dB per octave, which gives roughly equal energy in each octave. Compared with white noise, it sounds softer and fuller. Compared with brown, it is lighter and has more air in it.

These slopes come from the standard definitions of coloured noise. Real products rarely hit them exactly, and the words get used loosely. Yogasleep, for one, says its Dohm machines make pink noise rather than true white noise.

Does brown noise help you focus or sleep?

We cannot tell you that, and we will not claim it. This site does not make claims about what any sound does for attention, sleep or a condition. The numbers above describe the sound, not an effect on anyone.

What is safe to say is practical. A steady sound raises the background level, so sudden noises such as a door or a conversation stand out less. Some people like that, some find any added noise irritating, and plenty prefer rain or a fan to any of the three colours. The cheapest way to find out is to try a free option for a few days before you buy a machine.

What should you look for in a noise source?

Four specs decide how a source sounds and behaves:

• Which colours it actually offers. Many apps and machines sell "white noise" and play something else. Look for a product that names pink and brown if you want them. The LectroFan Evo listing says it makes white, pink and brown noise.
• Whether it loops. A recording repeats, and some people hear the join. The Yogasleep Dohm Uno uses a real fan, so the maker says there is nothing to repeat. The LectroFan Evo generates sound electronically, so its listing says it does not repeat either.
• Tone control. myNoise lets you shape a sound across pitch bands, so you can turn the hiss down and keep the rumble, or the reverse. A fixed machine cannot.
• Volume and timer. Look for fine volume steps and a timer. Our white noise machines guide covers that in more detail.

Which apps and machines play brown noise?

Start free, then buy hardware if you want a bedside box.

On a phone. Apple's Background Sounds is built into iOS 15 and later, found in Control Centre or under Settings, Accessibility, Audio and Visual. Apple lists ocean, rain and bright noise sounds on its support page, and we could not confirm a sound labelled brown noise there. Endel is free with four classic soundscapes, and its listing says a paid plan lets you pick one of nine colours of noise. Prices in the UK listing run from £12.99 for one month to £59.99 for a year.

In a browser. myNoise runs without ads and is funded by donations. Some generators are for patrons only, and the page says a donation opens the full index.

As a machine. The LectroFan Evo is the one to look at if you want white, pink and brown from one box. The Yogasleep Dohm Uno is cheaper and makes a fan-like sound. The Hushh Portable is small enough for a bag, with three sounds.

As music. Brain.fm is a different thing: it plays its own composed music in activity modes. It does not appear to offer plain noise colours. The site makes strong claims about what its audio does. We have not checked them and do not repeat them.

Things to know

• Keep it low. Set it just above the sound you want covered, and below conversation level.
• Check the maker's guidance for children. If a machine goes in a child's room, follow the maker's advice on distance and volume. We have not tested any of these products.
• Apps change. Features and paid tiers move between versions. Endel's colours of noise are a paid feature at the time of writing.
• Dollar prices. Brain.fm and Endel bill in their own currencies or through the App Store, so check the UK price at checkout.
• We have not tested any of these. Details come from the makers' own pages and listings, checked on 2 November 2026.