COMPARE · 6 MIN READ

OSCAR alternatives: what to use when desktop-only is not enough

People look for OSCAR alternatives for a handful of reasons, and they are nearly always the same ones. OSCAR has no phone app. It lives on one computer. It cannot share a chart with a doctor without a screenshot. Its interface takes real effort to learn. And it has no way to show your heart rate or oxygen data from a watch beside your therapy. None of that is a knock on OSCAR, which is free, open source, reads more machine brands than anything else and shows more detail than any competitor. It is a statement of what OSCAR is for. If what you want is different, here are the options, compared honestly.

OSCAR alternatives: what to use when desktop-only is not enough
01

First: when you should just keep OSCAR

  • You want zero cost and zero cloud.
  • Your machine is Fisher & Paykel, Löwenstein or another brand the cloud tools do not read yet.
  • You want breath-level detail across every recorded channel.
  • You are happy to look at your data on one computer.

If that describes you, OSCAR is the right tool and the rest of this page is for curiosity.

First: when you should just keep OSCAR
02

The alternatives

  • SleepHQ

    A paid cloud platform with a web dashboard, an iOS app (4.7 stars, 609 ratings), a community forum and AI insights on Pro. It reads 57 machine models across 5 brands including ResMed, Philips, Löwenstein, Fisher & Paykel and BMC, so it comes closest to OSCAR's brand coverage. Pro is US $14.90/month or $149/year. The free tier is limited to one device, one member and 30 days, with no Health sync and no community. It supports one oximeter, the SleepHQ-branded O2 Ring. A hardware accessory, the Magic Uploader Pro (AU$399, ResMed only, requires Pro), uploads the card without a computer; it is listed as sold out at the time of writing.

    Closest to OSCAR on: brand coverage. Adds over OSCAR: phone app, community, AI, cloud access. Costs: real money for the useful tier.

  • Apnealytics

    A cloud platform with a free tier that does not expire and a Pro tier at $8.99/month or $99.99/year. Free covers unlimited imports, the nightly dashboard, the last 30 nights of history, Apple Health / Health Connect sync, Ask your data (chat with your own records using your own OpenAI or Anthropic key), family logins and data export. Pro adds full history, per-night waveforms (airflow, pressure, leak, event strips), oximetry overlays from the Wellue O2Ring, Contec CMS50 family, ResMed SAD.edf or any EDF/CSV oximeter, a doctor-ready PDF with a compliance autopilot, revocable read-only share links, multiple machines and a REST API. The iOS app is on the App Store and the Android app is on Google Play.

    Its limitation: it reads fewer brands than OSCAR and SleepHQ: ResMed (AirSense 10/11, AirCurve 10/11, S9 / Lumis), Philips DreamStation 1 and 2 and Fisher & Paykel SleepStyle. Löwenstein prisma is partial; BMC / React Health Luna G3 and Transcend are on a waitlist.

    Closest to OSCAR on: per-night waveforms and oximetry overlay. Adds over OSCAR: phone and web, Health sync, trend and anomaly detection, doctor report, share links, AI chat, family accounts. Behind OSCAR on: brand coverage, and raw channel depth.

  • myAir (ResMed)

    ResMed's free companion app. One 0–100 score per night built from usage, seal, events and mask on/off, delivered automatically over the machine's modem. ResMed only. No card, no setup, and limited detail by design. It is the only data source for the AirMini, which has no SD card.

    Adds over OSCAR: zero effort, AirMini support. Behind OSCAR on: nearly everything else; it is a summary, not an analyser.

  • DreamMapper (Philips)

    Philips' free companion app for DreamStation machines. A nightly summary with usage, mask fit and AHI, Philips only. Same role as myAir, for the other big brand.

    Adds over OSCAR: zero effort. Behind OSCAR on: detail.

03

Comparison table

FeatureOSCARSleepHQApnealyticsmyAirDreamMapper
PriceFreePro US $14.90/mo or $149/yrPro $8.99/mo or $99.99/yrFreeFree
Free tierAll of it1 device, 1 member, 30 days, no Health sync, no community$0 forever: unlimited imports, dashboard, 30 nights history, Health sync, Ask your data, family, exportAll of itAll of it
MachinesResMed, Philips, F&P, Löwenstein, others57 models, 5 brandsResMed, Philips DreamStation, F&P SleepStyle (live); Löwenstein partialResMed onlyPhilips only
Phone appNoiOS; AndroidiOS and AndroidYesYes
Apple Health / Health ConnectNoNot on Free; ProYes, free
OximetersSeveralSleepHQ O2 Ring onlyPro: O2Ring, CMS50, SAD.edf, any EDF/CSVNoNo
WaveformsYes, all channelsYesPro: airflow, pressure, leak, eventsNoNo
PDF reportPrint/exportPro: doctor-ready + compliance autopilotNo
SharingNoCommunity; clinicianPro: revocable read-only linksVia AirViewVia Care Orchestrator
AINoPro onlyFree, BYOKNoNo
Privacy modelFully localCloudPrivate storage, direct upload, RLS, no trackers, never soldResMed serversPhilips servers
04

Who should pick which

Keep OSCAR if: you want free, local and deep, or your brand is not read by anything else.

Pick SleepHQ if: you want a phone app and community, your machine is a brand Apnealytics does not read yet, and the Pro price is fine.

Pick Apnealytics if: you use a ResMed machine and want a free tier that stays useful, phone apps with Health sync, a wider choice of oximeters, a compliance report and share links, and a lower Pro price. Accept that it reads fewer brands than OSCAR or SleepHQ today.

Use myAir or DreamMapper if: you want the manufacturer summary and nothing more. Most people keep these installed regardless of what else they use.

Pair OSCAR with a cloud tool if: you want a daily phone view and an occasional deep dive. The card is the same. Upload to SleepHQ or Apnealytics for the everyday view; import into OSCAR when you want to zoom into one night.

Who should pick which
05

Questions to ask yourself

  1. Where do you want to look at your data?

    If the answer includes "on my phone", OSCAR alone is out.

  2. What is your machine?

    ResMed opens every door. Philips opens OSCAR, SleepHQ and DreamMapper today. Fisher & Paykel and Löwenstein open OSCAR and SleepHQ. BMC opens SleepHQ.

  3. Do you need to hand something to a doctor or insurer?

    A compliance PDF and a share link save real time. OSCAR gives you a screenshot.

  4. Do you want wearable data beside therapy?

    Only Apnealytics lists Apple Health / Health Connect on its free tier.

  5. Will you pay?

    OSCAR is free. Apnealytics has a free tier that does not expire. SleepHQ's free tier is limited to 30 days and one device.

FAQ

Questions people ask

What is the best free alternative to OSCAR?

For a desktop analyser, there is no free alternative with OSCAR's depth. For a free cloud option on a ResMed machine, Apnealytics Free offers unlimited imports, a nightly dashboard, 30 nights of history, Apple Health / Health Connect sync, Ask your data, family logins and data export without expiry. SleepHQ Free is limited to one device and 30 days.

Is there an OSCAR app for iPhone or Android?

No. OSCAR runs only on Windows, Mac and Linux desktops. To see CPAP data on a phone you need a cloud service such as SleepHQ (iOS app live) or Apnealytics (App Store and Google Play), or the manufacturer app, myAir or DreamMapper, which show summaries only.

Does any OSCAR alternative read a Philips DreamStation?

Yes. SleepHQ reads Philips machines today, and DreamMapper is Philips' own summary app. Apnealytics also reads DreamStation 1 and 2 cards. OSCAR itself reads DreamStation cards too, so if you only want detail on a desktop, OSCAR remains the free choice for Philips users.

Can I move my OSCAR history to a cloud tool?

Not by exporting OSCAR's database, but you do not need to. Your SD cards are the source. Upload them to Apnealytics or SleepHQ and the nights on them are imported. Keep old cards; anything that was only on a card you discarded cannot be recovered by any tool.

Why would anyone pay when OSCAR is free?

For phone access, for charts a non-specialist can read in a glance, for Health sync, for a compliance report and share links, for trend and anomaly detection, and for not having to be at one specific computer. If none of those matter to you, OSCAR is the right answer and you should keep using it.

Ready for a clearer picture of your nights?

The web app is live today. iPhone and iPad are on the App Store. Android is on Google Play. Your first 30 nights are free, forever.