Two tones, one per ear. Your brain perceives the difference as a beat.
Requires headphones. Each ear receives a different frequency to produce the beat effect. Learn more ↓
Background Mix
4 Sound Mix
Sound Mix
Layer ambient sound under your tone. Volumes start low by default so they don't overpower the beat.
Music
Explore the full sound library
Noise, nature, ASMR and ambient sounds. Mix and save your own.
Binaural beats are an auditory illusion, not a sound that actually exists in the air. Play a 200 Hz tone in your left ear and a 210 Hz tone in your right, and your brainstem, specifically the superior olivary complex, which compares timing differences between your two ears for sound localization, perceives a third, phantom tone pulsing at 10 Hz: the difference between the two.
Because that illusion depends on each ear receiving a genuinely separate signal, binaural beats are the one entrainment method on this site that strictly requires stereo headphones or earbuds. Monaural beats and isochronic tones both work around that limitation in different ways, at some cost to how strongly the effect is perceived.
Research on brainwave entrainment shows modest, inconsistent effects. Some people notice clear benefits for relaxation and focus; others notice little. Treat it as one tool among many, not a guaranteed fix. If you have epilepsy or a seizure disorder, consult your doctor before use.
Worth putting your headphones on for
This one needs headphones to work at all, but that's not really a downside, it's an excuse for a few minutes where nothing else is competing for your attention.
It's your own brain doing the work
The "beat" you hear isn't on the recording, your brain blends the two tones together itself, which is part of why it can feel so immersive with your eyes closed.
If none of these quite fit
Not every preset will land for you. The Custom card at the bottom lets you set your own tone and pace instead of settling for the closest match.
Worth knowing before you dive in
It works well for some people and barely at all for others, so treat it as one relaxation tool among several. Check with a doctor first if you have epilepsy or a seizure disorder.
Some of the carrier tones in our binaural presets, mainly the ones in the Emotional and Spiritual categories, sit on a specific set of frequencies you may recognize from other wellness apps: 396, 417, 528, 639, 741, 852 and 963 Hz. These are known as the Solfeggio frequencies, and each one traditionally carries its own intention, 528 Hz for transformation, 396 Hz for releasing fear, and so on.
The specific healing claims attached to them go further than the evidence actually supports, and the scale's history is closer to a modern reinterpretation than a verified ancient tuning. None of that makes them unpleasant to listen to, though. We include these frequencies because they're a familiar, well-liked set of tones that a lot of people already find calming, and that's reason enough to have them here, whatever you make of the rest.
396Hz
Ut
417Hz
Re
528Hz
Mi
639Hz
Fa
741Hz
Sol
852Hz
La
963Hz
Extended tone
Read the research
Brainwave Entrainment articles, plain-language guides to what actually helps