Samsung Health’s consent rollout has a lot of readers reevaluating the whole sleep-tracking corner of their phone. The good news: Android has genuinely useful sleep tracking without a Samsung account, without a Galaxy Watch, and, for several of the picks below, without a wearable at all. The bad news: no consumer app can match a medical polysomnogram; treat every score as a coaching hint, not a diagnosis.
We tested eight apps for sleep tracking on Android across three groups: phone-only detection, wearable pairing, and long-horizon habit change. Every pick works with the mainstream Wear OS watches, and every one respects Health Connect for cross-app data sharing.
What to look for in a sleep tracking app
- Phone-only mode that works when a watch is not on the wrist
- Smart alarm that wakes you in the lighter sleep window near your target time
- Sleep-stage estimates the app is honest about (they are estimates, not medical)
- Data export to Health Connect so the numbers are portable
- No dark-pattern paywall gating basic history
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Free plan | Paid tier | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep as Android | Deep phone-based sleep tracking | Trial with core features | One-time purchase or subscription | Very high |
| Google Fit Sleep | Minimal, watch-paired daily view | Fully free | None | High |
| Sleep Cycle | Smart alarm plus sleep sound | Free with limits | Sleep Cycle Premium | High |
| SleepScore | Sonar-based tracking without a watch | Fully free | SleepScore paid tier | Solid |
| Pillow | Watch-only tracker with strong graphs | Free with limits | Pillow Premium | High for Wear OS pairs |
| Rise Sleep Tracker | Energy prediction and sleep debt | Trial | Rise subscription | Solid |
| Pokemon Sleep | Habit-first, gamified tracking | Fully free | Cosmetics | Fun for kids and casuals |
| Bearable | Sleep as part of a wider mood tracker | Free personal use | Bearable Premium | Solid for chronic-illness users |
1. Sleep as Android – best deep phone-based tracking
Sleep as Android is the specialist app most Android power users install once and never leave. Sonar tracking works without a wearable, smart alarm reads the movement window and wakes you in the lightest phase around your target, and the graphs surface snoring, sleep talking, and heart rate (if a paired watch supports it). The developer has updated it consistently for more than a decade.
Where it falls short: UI density is high; onboarding takes an evening. Some integrations (like specific watches) live in add-on plugins.
Pricing:
- Free: 14-day trial with full features
- Paid: One-time purchase or subscription
Platforms: Android, Wear OS
Download: Google Play
Bottom line: The default deep sleep tracker on Android.
2. Google Fit Sleep – best minimal watch-paired option
Google Fit absorbed most of the daily-view sleep tracking role once Wear OS watches started writing sleep sessions directly. On Android, the Sleep card in Fit reads whatever your watch recorded and layers a weekly view. No subscription, no ads, and the data flows through Health Connect.
Where it falls short: Requires a compatible watch; Fit does not detect sleep from the phone alone. Depth of insight is minimal on purpose.
Pricing:
- Free: Every feature
- Paid: None
Platforms: Android, iOS, Wear OS
Download: Google Play
Bottom line: The right pick when a Wear OS watch already tracks sleep and you want a clean read.
3. Sleep Cycle – best smart alarm
Sleep Cycle is the app that popularized the smart alarm concept and is still one of the most reliable at waking you in the lighter sleep window. The recent versions added sleep sounds and a snore recording feature, and the free tier includes the core alarm.
Where it falls short: Long-term trend analysis lives behind Premium. Requires phone on or near the bed.
Pricing:
- Free: Smart alarm plus limited history
- Paid: Sleep Cycle Premium subscription
Platforms: Android, iOS, Wear OS
Download: Google Play
Bottom line: The pick if the whole point is waking up less groggy.
4. SleepScore – best no-watch tracker
SleepScore uses phone speaker sonar (developed with medical-device researchers) to detect breathing and movement from the nightstand. No wearable required, and the tracking accuracy is respectable enough to guide behavior change over weeks. The free tier surfaces the score and recommendations.
Where it falls short: Sonar can be disturbed by other people or pets in the bed. Advanced analytics need the paid tier.
Pricing:
- Free: Score plus basic guidance
- Paid: SleepScore paid tier for deeper coaching
Platforms: Android, iOS
Download: Google Play
Bottom line: The right pick when you refuse to wear something to bed.
5. Pillow – best for Wear OS watches
Pillow was iOS-first for years and now has a mature Android app that shines when paired with a Wear OS or Fitbit-style watch. Sleep stages, heart-rate variability trends, and the audio recording feature (snore detection, sleep talking) match the depth of Sleep as Android with a calmer UI.
Where it falls short: Most advanced features require Premium. Standalone (no watch) tracking is thinner than Sleep as Android.
Pricing:
- Free: Basic tracking with limits
- Paid: Pillow Premium subscription
Platforms: Android, iOS, Wear OS
Download: Google Play
Bottom line: The right pick for a Wear OS user who wants richer graphs than Fit.
6. Rise Sleep Tracker – best energy prediction
Rise Sleep Tracker flips the framing: instead of showing you a sleep score, it predicts your energy across the day based on sleep debt and circadian rhythm. That framing is often more actionable than a raw score for people trying to change habits. It works with phone-only input or wearable data.
Where it falls short: Trial only; there is no permanent free tier. Some users find the energy prediction more motivational than diagnostic.
Pricing:
- Free: Trial
- Paid: Rise subscription
Platforms: Android, iOS, Wear OS
Download: Google Play
Bottom line: The right pick for anyone who cares more about daytime energy than nighttime scores.
7. Pokemon Sleep – best gamified tracker
Pokemon Sleep is a serious sleep tracker wrapped in a Pokemon-collecting loop, and that is exactly the reason it sticks for casual users and kids. The phone sits on the mattress overnight, records movement, and issues research rewards in the morning. Health Connect writes back the sleep session.
Where it falls short: Not a clinical tool; treat the tracking as a habit prompt. Cosmetics push in-app purchases.
Pricing:
- Free: Full core game and tracking
- Paid: Optional cosmetic purchases
Platforms: Android, iOS
Download: Google Play
Bottom line: The right pick if the biggest barrier is remembering to open the app every night.
8. Bearable – best for chronic-illness users
Bearable logs sleep as one dimension in a broader health tracker (mood, symptoms, medications, food, exercise). For anyone whose sleep quality genuinely affects a chronic condition, the correlation view surfaces patterns single-purpose apps cannot show. Sleep can be logged manually, from Health Connect, or from a wearable.
Where it falls short: Not a dedicated tracker; do not expect smart-alarm depth. Some correlation features require Premium.
Pricing:
- Free: Core symptom, mood, and sleep tracking
- Paid: Bearable Premium subscription
Platforms: Android, iOS
Download: Google Play
Bottom line: The right pick when sleep quality is tied to a broader condition.
How to pick the right one
- If you want deep phone-only tracking: Sleep as Android
- If you already own a Wear OS watch and want a clean dashboard: Google Fit or Pillow
- If waking up less groggy is the whole goal: Sleep Cycle
- If you refuse to wear anything to bed: SleepScore
- If daytime energy is what actually matters: Rise
- If you need a habit hook, especially with kids: Pokemon Sleep
- If sleep is part of a bigger chronic-illness picture: Bearable
FAQ
Do sleep tracking apps actually work without a watch? Phone-based tracking is genuinely useful for movement, breathing, and rough sleep stages. It is not medical; treat it as guidance for habit change.
What is the best free sleep tracking app on Android? Google Fit Sleep (with a watch) and Sleep as Android’s trial. Pokemon Sleep is fully free if the gamified format works for you.
Can Android track sleep without a wearable? Yes. Sleep as Android’s sonar mode and SleepScore both work with the phone alone on the nightstand.
Is Sleep as Android worth the subscription? Yes for anyone who tracks nightly. The one-time-purchase option makes long-term use cheaper than most subscription competitors.
Does Google Fit track sleep? Yes, but only from a paired Wear OS watch. Fit does not detect sleep from the phone alone.
