Choose Pillow
Pick Pillow if you already wear an Apple Watch. Heart-rate data makes for better sleep staging than sound alone, and Pillow uses it well. Its Health app integration is also far deeper than Restful’s.
Comparison
Restful vs Pillow
Pillow is the sleep tracker most often recommended to iPhone owners, and it is at its best with an Apple Watch on your wrist. Restful is built for the case where there is no watch, and never will be.
Facts about Pillow were read from its US App Store listing on 6 September 2026. Apps change; the live listing is the authority.
Side by side
| Restful | Pillow | |
|---|---|---|
| How you pay | USD 2.99 once. No subscription, no in-app purchase, no ads, no paid tier. | Free to download, with a subscription for the paid features. Prices change; check the listing. |
| What happens to features you already use | Nothing. There is no paid tier for anything to move into. | Feature access follows the subscription, so what is included can change with the plan. |
| Hardware needed | None beyond the iPhone or iPad you own. | Works phone-only, but is designed to be better with an Apple Watch. |
| Oldest iOS supported | iOS 13.0, so it still runs on an iPhone 6s. | iOS 17.0 — the highest requirement of the four apps compared here. |
| App Store ratings (US) | None yet. Restful is new and from a small team. | 95,661 ratings, averaging 4.4. |
| Sound library | Four nature tracks, four night-city ambiences, and a ten-channel mixer with a volume slider per channel. Small, and all of it included. | Included, and gated by the subscription. |
| Audio and where it goes | Analysed on the device one minute at a time, then deleted. No recordings are stored and nothing is uploaded. | Check the app’s own privacy policy and App Privacy label; practices differ and change. |
| Account required | No. Journals are stored on the device and the app works offline. | Check the current listing — several trackers in this category require or strongly push sign-in. |
| Apple Watch and heart-rate data | Not supported. Restful reads the microphone only. | Supported, and it materially improves the sleep staging. |
Which one should you actually buy
Choose Restful
Pick Restful if you have no wearable and do not want one, if your iPhone is older than iOS 17, or if you would rather pay once than subscribe.
This page is published by Curastone CORP, the developer of Restful. Pillow is made by Neybox Digital Ltd. and is not affiliated with Restful. Product names are the trademarks of their respective owners. We have tried to describe Pillow accurately and to say plainly where it is the better choice; if something here is wrong, tell us and we will correct it.
Other comparisons
Download
Get Restful for iPhone
Restful is a one-time purchase of USD 2.99. No subscription, no ads, and no wearable to buy — the sleep tracking runs on the iPhone you already own.
Requires iOS 13.0 or later. Overnight tracking works best with the iPhone plugged in and resting near the bed.