What it does

Endel produces sound for four purposes: focus, relax, sleep and activity. The site says its soundscapes are generated endlessly in real time and react to inputs such as time of day, weather, heart rate and location, and that an Autoplay mode picks a soundscape to suit the moment. Besides these adaptive soundscapes, the app has Scenarios, which are timed sessions with a set beginning, middle and end, including a Binaural Beats Scenario meant for stereo headphones. The site lists apps for iOS, Android, Apple Watch, Mac, Windows and the web, plus Amazon Alexa, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV, and albums on streaming platforms that are not personalised. Endel describes its approach as based on neuroscience and points to a whitepaper and a peer-reviewed study comparing it with playlists and silence, while admitting it may not work the same way for everyone. It uses a paid subscription, but the page text gives no prices.

Capabilities

Soundscapes for focus, relax, sleep and activity that adapt to time of day, weather, heart rate and location
Autoplay chooses a soundscape for the current part of the day
Timed Scenarios, including a Binaural Beats session for headphones
Standalone Apple Watch app that works without the phone
Mobile, Mac, Windows and web player, plus Alexa and TV apps

When to use it

You want background sound to help you concentrate while working or studying
You want a sleep or wind-down soundscape, including through a smart speaker
You want sound that follows you while walking or moving