Hatch app alternatives if you would rather skip Hatch+

The simplest Hatch app alternative is often to keep your Hatch and skip Hatch+. Hatch says its Restore still plays 40 sleep sounds without a membership. If you want more than that without paying $49.99 a year, a sound machine with no subscription or a one-time-purchase app covers the sound side, though no phone app replaces Hatch's light.

What is Hatch, and what does Hatch+ cost?

Hatch makes bedside sleep devices, the Rest and Restore lines, plus the Hatch Sleep app that sets them up and controls them. Hatch+ is the optional membership on top.

According to Hatch's own free vs premium page, Hatch+ costs $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year after a 30-day free trial, as of October 2026. The Hatch Sleep App Store listing also shows $5.99 and $9.99 monthly options and a $59.99 yearly option, so check which price you're actually being offered before the trial ends.

The clearest difference Hatch lists for Restore is sound: 40 sleep sounds free, or 80+ with Hatch+. The device itself is a separate purchase. Restore 3 runs about $169.99.

What do people like about Hatch?

A lot, and fairly. A Hatch is a dedicated device, so the sound doesn't depend on a phone that also gets texts, updates and low-battery warnings. It has a built-in light, which a phone app can't really match. And routines let you set light and sound together on a schedule, so bedtime looks the same every night without anyone touching a screen.

For a nursery or a shared bedroom, that's a real advantage. If those are the reasons you bought one, they're good reasons.

What do some Hatch owners find frustrating?

The friction shows up in individual reviews on the App Store listing, and it's worth reading them yourself. The themes that come up:

• Features that owners say moved behind the Hatch+ paywall after they bought the device.
• The app being slow, or needing to reconnect to the device each time.
• The device disconnecting.
• No phone support.

These are anecdotal reviews, not a measured failure rate, and plenty of owners are happy. But if you're reading this because the membership prompt or the connection step annoys you, you're not alone.

Is Hatch+ worth it?

It depends on how you use the device. If you play the premium sounds or content most nights, $49.99 a year may feel fair. If you mostly play one fan or white noise sound and use the light, the 40 free sounds may already cover you.

Over three years the subscription adds up. Here's how it compares to apps that charge once, using prices as of October 2026.

Sources: Hatch, BetterSleep, myNoise, Baby Shusher and White Noise.

This isn't an apples-to-apples table. The Hatch+ rows assume you already paid for the hardware, and none of the apps give you a light or a bedside device. The point is narrower: if sound is all you want, you don't need a recurring charge to get it.

What are your options if you skip Hatch+?

Keep the device and skip the membership

This is the cheapest path if you already own a Hatch. Per Hatch's page, Restore keeps its 40 free sleep sounds without Hatch+, and you keep the light and the hardware you paid for. Cancel during the 30-day trial if you don't use the extras.

The 40-sound figure is for Restore. If you have a Hatch Rest and want to run it without a subscription, check what your model includes in the Hatch Sleep app before the trial converts.

Use a sound machine with no subscription

A plain sound machine like a Dohm from Yogasleep has no app, no account and nothing to renew. The trade-off is less choice. Some reviewers say the Dohm isn't loud enough or that it rattles. If you're weighing hardware against your phone, we compared them in white noise machine vs phone app.

Use an app with a one-time purchase

A phone app gives you more sounds for less money, at the cost of a phone in the room and no light. As of October 2026, White Noise from TMSOFT is $0.99, myNoise is free with a $19.99 Full Access option, and Baby Shusher is $1.99, though it has no continuous mode. Sleepy Noise is free with a $9.99 Lifetime upgrade.

Before you pick one, test it overnight. Lock the phone, let an alarm go off and see whether the sound comes back. Our guide to white noise apps with no ads has a fuller checklist, including how to read the privacy label.

What about volume in a nursery?

Whatever you choose, volume and distance matter more than the brand. A 2014 study in Pediatrics tested 14 infant sleep machines at maximum volume and found all 14 exceeded 50 dBA at 30 cm, with 13 still above it at 200 cm (summary from CHOP). The 50 dB figure is the hospital-nursery limit that study used. It isn't an AAP guideline for sound machines, and the AAP's 2023 policy statement on noise gives no decibel number for them.

The practical version: keep the source across the room, keep it low and ask your pediatrician if you're unsure. There's more in our white noise for babies guide and in how loud white noise should be for a baby.

Where Sleepy Noise fits

We make Sleepy Noise, and we're not affiliated with Hatch. It's a phone app, not hardware. It has no night light, no sunrise routine and no device to set on the nightstand. If the light is the reason you bought a Hatch, keep the Hatch.

If sound is the part you care about, here's what it does:

• Opens to one big Play My Sound button, which can be a single sound or a saved mix.
• 12 core sounds free for good, including White, Brown and Pink noise, Box Fan, Gentle Rain, Shush and Heartbeat.
• Plays all night unless you set a timer, and timers fade out. It picks back up after calls, alarms and Siri.
• A safer volume limit, on by default, caps app volume at 60%, with a tip to keep the phone at least 2 m (about 7 ft) from the crib. Phones can't measure decibels, so treat it as guidance.
• A pure-black night screen with a dim clock.
• No ads, no account and no tracking. The App Store label reads Data Not Collected.
• Sleepy Noise Lifetime is $9.99 once, with Family Sharing on iPhone. No subscription exists to cancel.

It doesn't do cry detection, sleep tracking or an Apple Watch app. You can try the core sounds in your browser from our sounds page first.

Frequently asked questions

Can you use a Hatch without a subscription?

Yes. Hatch says Restore plays 40 sleep sounds without Hatch+ and 80+ with it. Check Hatch's free vs premium page or the app for what your model includes.

How much does Hatch+ cost?

As of October 2026, Hatch lists Hatch+ at $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year after a 30-day trial. The App Store listing also shows $5.99 and $9.99 monthly and $59.99 yearly options.

Is Hatch+ worth it?

If you use the premium sounds and content most nights, it may be. At $49.99 a year it comes to about $150 over three years, so if you mostly play one sound, the free tier or a one-time app may cover you.

Is there a white noise app with a one-time purchase instead of a subscription?

Yes. As of October 2026, White Noise from TMSOFT is $0.99, Baby Shusher is $1.99, Sleepy Noise Lifetime is $9.99 and myNoise Full Access is $19.99, each paid once.

Does Sleepy Noise work with a Hatch device?

No. Sleepy Noise is a separate phone app and isn't affiliated with Hatch. It plays sound from your phone and doesn't control a Hatch light or speaker.