Softwr

Productivity · head to head

Brain.fm vs Rows

Brain.fm logo

Brain.fm

Productivity

Scientifically-designed music to enhance focus and productivity

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Rows logo

Rows

Productivity

Browser spreadsheet whose formulas call live data from analytics, CRM and payment services

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Brain.fm monthly plan at $14.99/month significantly more expensive per unit than annual plan ($8.33/month equivalent); Rows refresh frequency is the metered resource, so the free plan refreshes manually only and daily automation begins on the paid tier, which means the automatic reporting that justifies the tool is exactly what the free plan withholds.
  • They diverge on capability: Brain.fm covers Neuroscience-designed music, Rows covers Integrations in formulas.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Brain.fm and Rows actually diverge.

Attributes where Brain.fm and Rows differ
AttributeBrain.fmRows
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, DesktopWeb
Founded2015Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Productivity).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Brain.fm

  • Neuroscience-designed music
  • Focus tracks
  • Relaxation tracks
  • Sleep tracks
  • Offline mode
  • Multiple genres
  • Cross-platform access
  • Ad-free experience

Only in Rows

  • Integrations in formulas
  • Scheduled refresh
  • Publishable sheets
  • Cell enrichment
  • AI tasks
  • Guests
  • API access
  • Version history

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Brain.fm

  • Focus and deep worknot Rows
  • Sleep improvementnot Rows
  • ADHD supportnot Rows
  • Stress reductionnot Rows
  • Creative work sessionsnot Rows

Rows

  • A weekly marketing report that pulls analytics, advertising and CRM figures into one refreshing sheet instead of three manual exports.not Brain.fm
  • Agency client dashboards shared as a page, without handing over access to the underlying accounts.not Brain.fm
  • Enriching a list of companies or contacts from inside the sheet rather than through a separate tool and a re-import.not Brain.fm
  • A small team that needs live numbers in a familiar grid and has nobody available to build a proper reporting stack.not Brain.fm

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Brain.fm

  • Monthly plan at $14.99/month significantly more expensive per unit than annual plan ($8.33/month equivalent)
  • ADHD mode available only with active subscription; no trial access to specialised features
  • No offline mode documented; requires internet connectivity for audio delivery
  • Content library composition not published (proprietary vs. licensed music distinction unclear)

Rows

  • Refresh frequency is the metered resource, so the free plan refreshes manually only and daily automation begins on the paid tier, which means the automatic reporting that justifies the tool is exactly what the free plan withholds.
  • Exports carry values rather than connections, so a downloaded file from Rows is a dead snapshot and anything you built has to be reconstructed from scratch elsewhere, which makes recurring reports quietly expensive to move.
  • Guests are capped by tier at three on free and ten on the entry plan, so sharing a report with a client's team or a group of stakeholders pushes you up a tier for people who only ever look at a page.
  • It is not Excel or Google Sheets, so the function library, add-ins, pivot behaviour, scripting and offline files people rely on are not all present, and it works as a reporting surface rather than as an organisation's general spreadsheet.
  • The Pro tier adds a fixed monthly platform charge on top of the per-user price, so moving from daily to intra-day refresh, or from ten guests to a real audience, is a step change in cost rather than an increment.

Pricing, plan by plan

Brain.fm

Free
  • Monthly$14.99/month
    • Task-based audio across all categories
    • Focus modes: Deep Work, Creativity, Learning, Light Work, Motivation
    • Relaxation modes: Unwind, Destress, Recharge, Chill
  • Yearly$99.99/year
    • All monthly plan features
    • 40% savings vs. monthly billing
    • Task-based audio across all categories

Rows

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 5 AI Tasks per month
    • Manual data imports
    • 10 integration accounts
  • Plus$8/month
    • 200 AI Tasks per month
    • Daily data table automation
    • 10 integration accounts
  • Pro$79/month
    • 1,000 AI Tasks per month
    • Per-minute data automation
    • 100 integration accounts
  • Enterprise$null/mo
    • Unlimited AI Tasks
    • Custom integrations and API endpoints
    • Unlimited guest members

Which should you pick?

Choose Brain.fm if

  • You need neuroscience-designed music.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Desktop.
  • You also want focus tracks.
Brain.fm review

Choose Rows if

  • You need integrations in formulas.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want scheduled refresh.
Rows review

Questions people ask

Is Brain.fm or Rows better?
Neither clearly leads. Brain.fm starts at Free and Rows at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Brain.fm or Rows?
Brain.fm starts at Free and Rows at Free.
Does Brain.fm or Rows run on more platforms?
Brain.fm runs on Web, iOS, Android, Desktop. Rows runs on Web.
Can I use Brain.fm for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Brain.fm best used for?
Brain.fm is most often used for focus and deep work, sleep improvement, adhd support, stress reduction. Of those, focus and deep work and sleep improvement are not what Rows is typically brought in for.
What can Brain.fm do that Rows cannot?
Brain.fm covers Neuroscience-designed music, Focus tracks, Relaxation tracks, Sleep tracks. Rows covers Integrations in formulas, Scheduled refresh, Publishable sheets, Cell enrichment.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Brain.fm: How much does Brain.fm cost?

Brain.fm costs $14.99/month or $99.99/year. The yearly plan offers 40% savings compared to paying monthly.

Source
Rows: Can it replace Excel or Google Sheets?

Not for general spreadsheet work. It is for reports and sheets that pull live data, and most teams end up running it alongside a conventional spreadsheet rather than instead of one.

Brain.fm: Can I try Brain.fm before paying?

Yes. Brain.fm offers a free trial before you commit to either the monthly or yearly paid plan.

Source
Rows: What can I actually do on the free plan?

Real building: unlimited members, ten integration accounts, five AI tasks a month, 1 MB imports, three guests and seven days of version history. What you cannot do is schedule a refresh.

Brain.fm: What audio modes does Brain.fm offer?

Brain.fm includes task-based audio for Focus (Deep Work, Creativity, Learning, Light Work, Motivation), Relaxation (Unwind, Destress, Recharge, Chill), Sleep (Guided Sleep, Deep Sleep, Sleep and Wake, Wind Down, Power Nap), and Meditation (Guided and Unguided).

Source
Rows: Does the data stay live after I export?

No. Exports contain values only, so the connections and the scheduling do not travel and the file stops updating the moment it leaves.

Brain.fm: Can I cancel Brain.fm anytime?

Yes. You can cancel at any time from your Account Overview or by contacting support. There are no long-term contracts.

Source
Rows: Is pricing per user?

Yes on the paid tiers, with a fixed platform fee added at Pro. Guests are counted and capped separately from members.

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