SleepHQ has built a genuinely useful platform for PAP users — a polished mobile app, automatic cloud sync, and an active community that helps users make sense of their data. If those features match your workflow, SleepHQ is a solid choice. But if you prefer to keep your breathing data off cloud servers entirely, there's an alternative that does the analysis in your browser — no upload required.
What SleepHQ Does Well
SleepHQ earned its community following with a genuinely strong product. Its strengths are real:
- Mobile app — upload and review your data from your phone. A workflow many users prefer over a laptop.
- Cloud sync and long-term history — data stored in SleepHQ's cloud means you have a persistent record accessible across devices without managing local files.
- Multi-device support— ResMed, Philips, Fisher & Paykel, and others, including some machines that AirwayLab does not yet support.
- Clinician sharing — a shareable report link makes it easy to send data to your sleep physician without exporting files.
- Community — the SleepHQ user base is active, and community-driven features have shaped the product over time.
If mobile access, cloud backup, or multi-machine support is your primary need, SleepHQ is worth considering on those merits alone.
Cloud Upload vs. Browser-Only Processing
The clearest difference between SleepHQ and AirwayLab is where your data goes.
SleepHQ is cloud-first: you upload your SD card or CPAP data file to SleepHQ's servers, where it is stored and processed. This is what enables the mobile app, cross-device sync, and long-term history. It also means your nightly breathing data lives on a third-party server, subject to SleepHQ's privacy policy and retention practices.
AirwayLab works differently. All four analysis engines — Glasgow Index, WAT, NED, and the oximetry pipeline — run inside your browser using Web Workers. Your EDF files are read locally and never transmitted to a server. Results persist in your browser's localStorage for 30 days. Nothing leaves your device unless you explicitly opt in to the AI insights feature, which is fully consent-gated.
This architectural difference matters for some users and not at all for others. If you're comfortable with health data in the cloud (your phone already knows a lot about you), SleepHQ's cloud model is a reasonable trade-off for the convenience it delivers. If you work in healthcare, have specific privacy preferences, or simply want your breathing data staying on your own hardware, browser-only processing is the right model.
On verifiability
AirwayLab is GPL-3.0 open source — the analysis code is public and auditable. You can verify what the engines actually compute. This is the kind of trust that closed-source platforms cannot offer in the same way.
Analysis Depth
SleepHQ surfaces the metrics your PAP machine records — AHI, leak rate, usage hours, ResMed's device-reported flow limitation channel — in a clean, readable interface. For many users, that is exactly what they need.
AirwayLab runs four additional analysis engines on top of the raw EDF waveform:
Glasgow Index
9-component breath shape score (0–9 scale) that captures inspiratory waveform distortion across the full night — patterns that AHI cannot detect.
WAT — FL Score, Regularity, Periodicity
A continuous 0–100 flow limitation percentage, sample entropy of minute ventilation, and a Fourier-based periodicity index for cyclical breathing patterns.
NED + RERA Estimation
Per-breath Negative Effort Dependence scoring and heuristic estimation of RERA sequences — respiratory events that standard AHI counting misses.
Oximetry Pipeline
17-metric SpO₂ and heart rate framework from Viatom/Checkme O2 Max data, including ODI-3, ODI-4, HR surges, and coupled desaturation events.
These metrics go beyond what device firmware reports. They are calculated from the raw waveform, not inferred from the machine's event summaries.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | SleepHQ | AirwayLab |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile app | Yes | Browser (mobile-friendly) |
| Cloud storage | Yes | No (browser only) |
| Data leaves your device | Yes (cloud upload) | No (opt-in only) |
| Multi-device support | Yes (5+) | ResMed |
| Long-term history | Yes | 30-day local cache |
| Clinician share link | Yes | Exportable PDF/CSV |
| AHI, leak, usage hours | Yes | Yes |
| Flow limitation scoring | Device-reported channel | 4 waveform engines |
| RERA estimation | — | NED engine |
| Glasgow Index | — | Yes |
| Open source | No | Yes (GPL-3.0) |
| Cost | Free / Premium tiers | Free core (always) |
Who Each Model Is Right For
SleepHQ is a good fit if you...
- Primarily manage your therapy from a phone
- Want data synced across devices without managing files
- Use a non-ResMed device
- Value a shareable link for your sleep physician
- Are comfortable with health data in the cloud
AirwayLab is a good fit if you...
- Want your breathing data staying on your device
- Use a ResMed machine (AirSense 10/11, AirCurve)
- Want flow limitation analysis beyond device-reported metrics
- Want open-source, verifiable analysis algorithms
- Prefer no-account, no-install access to your data
These tools solve different parts of the same problem. Some users run both — SleepHQ for the mobile interface and long-term record, AirwayLab for deeper flow analysis on nights when the metrics look unusual. Read more about who can see your PAP data and your rights.
The Flow Limitation Gap
If your AHI is low but you still feel tired, standard metrics — AHI, leak, usage hours — may not be showing the full picture. Flow limitation is partial airway narrowing that produces a characteristic flat-topped inspiratory waveform without triggering a scored event. It does not appear in AHI.
SleepHQ surfaces the device-reported flow limitation channel, which is ResMed firmware's categorical 0/0.5/1.0 estimate updated every few seconds. This is better than nothing, and it shows up clearly in OSCAR too.
AirwayLab's analysis goes further: it runs the Glasgow Index, FL Score, NED, and RERA estimation on the raw EDF waveform, independent of what the device firmware reported. These are per-breath scores, not categorical snapshots. If flow limitation is a factor in your data, the additional depth can surface patterns that the device channel alone might not show.
Your sleep physician can help interpret these patterns in context. AirwayLab's exportable PDF and forum-formatted export are designed to make that conversation easier.
Learn More
OSCAR Alternatives: Web-Based CPAP Analysis Tools for 2026 — a broader look at the free tools available for PAP data analysis.
AirwayLab vs OSCAR: What Each Tool Does Best — comparing AirwayLab with OSCAR, the long-standing open-source desktop app.
Understanding Flow Limitation in Your PAP Data — what flow limitation is and why AHI misses it.
Your PAP Data Belongs to You — who can access your CPAP data and how to protect it.
AirwayLab Methodology — full documentation of all four analysis engines.
A note on self-analysis
AirwayLab is a data visualisation and analytics tool, not a medical device. The metrics it computes describe patterns in your breathing data — they are not clinical diagnoses. Flow limitation analysis from EDF data is an estimate, not a polysomnography-grade measurement. Always discuss your data with your sleep physician. The metrics provided are for educational purposes and to support clinical conversations.
Analyse your data without uploading it
AirwayLab runs four analysis engines entirely in your browser. Your ResMed EDF data never leaves your device. No account, no install, no cloud upload. Free and always will be.