Brain.fm and Dr.DIO side by side
| Brain.fm | Dr.DIO |
|---|
| Price | $14.99 a month or $99.99 a year | Free radio; Club $2.99 a month or $29.99 a year |
|---|
| Free plan | Free trial, no permanent free plan | Yes, 12 stations, no ads |
|---|
| Approach | Functional music with patented neural phase locking | Composed music in stations that follow the hour |
|---|
| Modes or stations | Deep Work, Learning, Sleep and others | Deep Focus, Night Drive, Café & Lounge and others |
|---|
| Use outside home | Private use only; no commercial or public settings | Separate Business plan, $14.99 a month per venue |
|---|
| Where it plays | Web, iOS, Android, desktop | Web, iPhone app, CarPlay, YouTube LIVE; Android coming |
|---|
| Good fit for | People who want a research oriented focus tool | People who want free music in the background |
|---|
When Brain.fm is the better choice
Brain.fm presents its music as a tool. It cites NSF funded research and peer reviewed publications, and it offers activity modes such as Deep Work, Learning and Sleep. Dr.DIO makes no claims about how music affects attention, so if that research angle matters to you, Brain.fm offers something we do not.
Brain.fm also covers sleep. Dr.DIO is not a sleep product. Students get a 20% discount at Brain.fm, and teams can ask about team accounts.
When Dr.DIO fits better
If you simply want calm music while you work and would rather not pay, Dr.DIO radio is free and has no ads. Twelve stations follow the hour of the day, from Deep Focus during working hours to Night Drive late in the evening.
All 2,298 tracks are made by one studio, Dr.DIO Studio in Ukraine, mostly instrumental. The catalog is much smaller than big label services and stays within electronic and ambient styles.
Brain.fm terms say its products are for private use only and not for commercial or public settings. Dr.DIO has a separate Business plan for venues.
How to try Dr.DIO
- Open drdio.studio and press play on the station for the current hour.
- Install the iPhone app from the App Store, or listen in CarPlay.
- Sign in with Google or Apple for a free account with skips, likes and playlists.
- Choose Club at $2.99 a month if you want offline listening and no skip limits.
Checked in October 2026
The facts about Brain.fm on this page come from its own website, its terms and public sources as they stood in October 2026. Prices and terms change, so check the current ones on the Brain.fm site before you decide.
