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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Bedtime Stories vs Slumber-Calm Stories for Sleep

Bedtime Stories 4.5★ · Free to download 55
Winner Slumber-Calm Stories for Sleep
Slumber-Calm Stories for Sleep 4.7★ · Free + IAP 75

For a broader range of sleep-inducing content and a more reliable user experience, Slumber is the better choice, despite its premium cost.

Bedtime Stories offers interactive content for children but is plagued by technical issues and subscription problems. Slumber provides a wide variety of calming stories and meditations for sleep, though some users find the narrator variety lacking and the subscription price high.

Head to head

Content Variety & Quality edge: Slumber-Calm Stories for SleepR2R4R9R13
Bedtime Stories Bedtime Stories offers interactive stories for children, with options to read or sing R2. However, some users find the stories to be limited in number R4R13 and note issues with English proficiency in the writing R9.
Slumber-Calm Stories for Sleep Slumber provides a vast array of sleep stories, meditations, and sounds, including history, travel, and classic tales R71R83. However, a significant number of users complain about the overuse of certain narrators, particularly Thomas Jones, which can detract from the experience .
Ease of Use & Reliability edge: Slumber-Calm Stories for SleepR3R10R16R22
Bedtime Stories Bedtime Stories has significant technical issues, including the app taking over the screen and being hard to exit R3, stories not loading or downloading R45, and blank screens with only music playing R25. Users also report problems accessing paid content despite active subscriptions R10R16R22R31.
Slumber-Calm Stories for Sleep Slumber generally functions well, with users praising its effectiveness in helping them sleep . Some users report issues with background noises not working correctly or stories not having narration when they should . The app also uses a large amount of memory .
Price & Value tieR1R10R12R13
Bedtime Stories Bedtime Stories is free to download but requires payment for most stories, which many users find frustrating and expensive R1R12R13. There are also complaints about being charged without receiving access to content R10R22R31.
Slumber-Calm Stories for Sleep Slumber offers a free tier with limited content, but the majority of its features and stories are behind a paywall, costing $7.99 monthly or $39.99 yearly R69. Many users feel the subscription is expensive but acknowledge its effectiveness R69.
Customer Support & Subscription Management tieR6R22R24R51
Bedtime Stories Bedtime Stories users report significant issues with subscription management, including being charged after canceling , inability to cancel subscriptions through iTunes R51, and being prompted to upgrade despite having a subscription R6. Some users also report unresponsiveness from support R22. However, one user praised their quick response and issue resolution R24.
Slumber-Calm Stories for Sleep Slumber users have reported being charged after canceling free trials and for subscriptions they did not order . Some users also mention a lack of response to emails regarding broken features .
Pick Bedtime Stories if

you are looking for interactive story content specifically for young children and are willing to navigate potential technical and payment issues R2.

Pick Slumber-Calm Stories for Sleep if

you need a dedicated app to help with sleep issues, appreciate a wide range of calming stories and meditations, and are prepared to pay for a subscription for full access R83R86.

Evidence note: The reviews for Bedtime Stories are heavily skewed towards negative experiences related to payment, technical issues, and subscription management, despite its overall lifetime rating. Slumber's reviews, while generally positive, frequently mention the high cost and lack of narrator variety.

Frequently asked

What is the main difference in content between Bedtime Stories and Slumber?
Bedtime Stories focuses on interactive stories for young children, often with options to read or sing along R2, while Slumber provides a wide variety of calming stories, meditations, and sounds primarily aimed at helping adults and older children fall asleep R71R83R86.
Are these apps truly free?
Bedtime Stories is free to download but requires payment to access most stories R1R12R13. Slumber is also free to download and offers some free content, but a significant portion of its stories and features require a paid subscription, which costs $7.99 monthly or $39.99 yearly R69.
Do users report technical problems with either app?
Yes, Bedtime Stories users frequently report technical issues such as the app taking over the screen, stories not loading, blank screens, and problems accessing paid content R3R25R31R45. Slumber users occasionally mention issues with background noises or missing narration for some stories .

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R2] Bedtime Stories 5/5 · US My autistic boy's favorite story app: So many positives in this story app : interactional, options to read / sing the stories. My kid loves it!!
  2. [R4] Bedtime Stories 1/5 · US Great but one problem: It’s super fun but wish there was more stories.
  3. [R9] Bedtime Stories 3/5 · US Alright: Stories are alright. However, you can tell that the stories where made by some one who isn’t proficient in English. Some words are incorrect and sometimes the sentences make no sense.
  4. [R13] Bedtime Stories 1/5 · US Horrible please read: Worst game in the world it only has like seven bucks unlocked and the other are locked. Like, what kind of game is that the worst and plus if I couldn’t even judge this, I wouldn’t even give it a zero that’s why I didn’t even rate it because I would give it a zero but I guess since you can’t give it a zero I would give it a one and plus I thought it was a kid friendly game. T
  5. [R3] Bedtime Stories 3/5 · US Seems cool but…: Just started, the app seems cool but it takes over my whole screen making it hard to minimize or exit. Have to restart my phone when I need to exit the app. Annoying
  6. [R10] Bedtime Stories 2/5 · US Charged me 29.99$ for nothing: This app charged me 29.99$ but the stories are still not available. Total scam.
  7. [R16] Bedtime Stories 1/5 · US Awesome app: Love this app. Wonderful for kids my daughter really loves it. One problem I have is that sometimes I am not able to open some of the stories that I am paying for. I feel so bad when my daughter is trying to open them and it’s staying that I’m not subscribed. I called apple to make sure that I am paying for it and it was confirmed. Even them was having difficulty helping me to get the
  8. [R22] Bedtime Stories 1/5 · US not working: i have a year subscription, but i couldnt access the stories. Email them and they didnt replied, able to get a response from fb messenger and they told me to restore purchase and it still didnt work. i have pay for something that i didnt get, very frustrating.
  9. [R1] Bedtime Stories 1/5 · US Wrest game ever: I don’t like this game because it’s not fun and it’s just so boring to play and I don’t like it because it’s not good it makes you pay for it but no one wants to pay for it because it’s not worth playing because you can’t afford it because it’s so much 💵💰 more money than you think it is because it’s not a good game and it’s just a bad game
  10. [R12] Bedtime Stories 3/5 · US Good overall: Hate the fact that you have to pay to read baby books 😐
  11. [R6] Bedtime Stories 3/5 · US It’s ok: My little one likes this app but its not his favorite. We have a subscription yet, we’re still always being prompted to upgrade. It’s quite annoying.
  12. [R24] Bedtime Stories 3/5 · US Great customer service!: Our 2 year old daughter loves the content. We had an issue with the app and they responded right away and corrected the issue. Our daughter was very happy. Thank you!
  13. [R51] Bedtime Stories 1/5 · US You cannot cancel subscription under iTunes and setting: First off, I do not even know how I was charged $30 for the yearly plan when all we have viewed are literally the seven “free stories” . I went to my settings in the iTunes on my phone and all it states is that my subscription will be renewed in June for $30 . NO OPTION TO CANCEL ! The only Option it gives me on my phone is to view th
  14. [R71] Slumber-Calm Stories for Sleep 5/5 · US Using this app for years now: Amazing consistency, love Sam, Olympia, Arif, French Whisperer, Dan Jones and the dragon stories, Elizabeth Grace… Love the “history of” stories too And Elizabeth reading Wizard of Oz, she has fun voices.
  15. [R83] Slumber-Calm Stories for Sleep 5/5 · US Replaces intrusive, negative thoughts with stories, music and sounds: I have PTSD and going to sleep has been a nightmare for me for years. I take different sleep aids through the week in hopes I’ll pass out before my mind spirals. I tried this app expecting it to be more annoying than relaxing, but it was actually nice. This app has many genres to choose from like sleep meditations, imaginative
  16. [R86] Slumber-Calm Stories for Sleep 5/5 · US Sleep: This app is awesome! It helps me go to sleep every night. They also have so many different varieties of stories, from history to fairytales. I have really enjoyed this app, whenever I can’t sleep I just turn on a story and it knocks me right out!
  17. [R69] Slumber-Calm Stories for Sleep 3/5 · US Would be a 5: It would be 5 stars if most of the good stuff didn’t cost money but overall a great app. Helps me fall asleep every night when I use it and I have insomnia. The meditations are the best. Many sounds to use and adjust and super calming.
  18. [R25] Bedtime Stories 1/5 · US App is blank only music plays: Hopefully a rep contacts me to troubleshoot this, getting a blank screen with just music playing all day today.
  19. [R31] Bedtime Stories 1/5 · US Paid Subscription & No Access: I paid for a full year subscription which let me view all the stories at the time I paid. Once I closed the app and opened the next night it’s saying I need to purchase even though my subscriptions say I’m paid up until January of 2025!! How is that possible??
  20. [R45] Bedtime Stories 1/5 · US Story: I love to love this app but as soon as I do the free trial the app doesn’t work at all it say keep loading.

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store