If you search for alarm apps on the Google Play Store, you’ll find a lot of options available. It’s hard to find ones that go above and beyond the stock Android alarm clock, so we’ve hunted down the top alarm apps for Android and compiled them here for you.
Here are the best alarm clock apps for Android, including how each one stands out.
1. Early Rise Alarm Clock
If you hate the shrill sound of your alarm clock when you wake up, try the Early Rise Alarm Clock app. Instead of loud beeps and buzzes, this alarm uses natural sounds and meditation guides to help you start your day. You can choose what type of meditation you wake up to, from relaxing and de-stressing to keeping your anxiety down. This makes Early Rise the best alarm app for relaxing, calm mornings.
Unfortunately, a lot of features are locked behind a paywall. Without paying, you can only choose from four soundscapes and one meditation course. However, the cost of the premium plan isn’t much and unlocks everything at once.
Download: Early Rise Alarm Clock (Free, premium version available)
2. GO Clock
If you’ve used Android for any period of time, you’ve almost certainly seen an app from the GO team at some point. Most of its apps are great, which is also the case with GO Clock.
This app is both beautiful and functional, packed with features that most other alarm clock apps don’t have: a built-in calendar, health-based reminders, and a bedside clock display.
Download: GO Clock (Free, subscription available)
3. Alarm Clock Xtreme
Alarm Clock Xtreme is the best alarm app for Android phones when it comes to customization. You can set how you turn off the alarm, from tapping the screen to shaking the phone. You can make a puzzle pop up for you to solve, or have an app launch when you dismiss the alarm.
Plus, Alarm Clock Xtreme has some daily planning tools you can use to better schedule your day. You can sync the app up with your calendar to see any upcoming events and set reminders for important tasks. These reminders have a lot of customization available; you can change the alert tone for each one and adjust how much of the screen they take up when they fire.
Download: Alarm Clock Extreme (Free, premium version available)
4. Glimmer
Glimmer uses an interesting method to wake you up. Instead of loud noises, it uses light to jar you out of your sleep. Some people prefer this method, as it emulates the sun rising and prompts your body to awaken naturally.
To achieve this, it will show a bright, calming scene when the alarm activates. It then slowly increases the brightness until it stirs you from sleep. If this doesn’t work, the alarm will then make a sound to ensure you wake up on time.
Glimmer is also the best Android alarm clock for smart bulb owners. Through the app, you can set a routine that slowly brightens your room’s lights when it’s time to wake up.
Download: Glimmer (Free, in-app purchases available)
5. Sleep Cycle
Sleep Cycle is one of the few alarms on the Play Store that can track your sleep quality. All you have to do is sleep with it next to you on the bed and it tracks sleep behavior using your phone’s microphone to detect movement.
Once it gets to know you, Sleep Cycle knows when you’re in the lightest phase of sleep. It uses this knowledge to wake you up in that phase, which minimizes grogginess and makes you feel well-rested and relaxed. You can set a custom wake window that Sleep Cycle will try to stay within.
Other features include sleep notes, in-depth graphs, and statistics to help you analyze what affects your sleep. For instance, if you’re an avid coffee drinker, you can take note of when you have a late-night drink, then compare the notes to your statistics to see if caffeine is disrupting your sleep.
Download: Sleep Cycle (Free, subscription available)
6. AMdroid
AMdroid has a great selection of features that you don’t find in every alarm clock app. For example, you can set wake up challenges, customizable alarm profiles, and an option to automatically disable alarms on public holidays.
One of its smartest features is its location awareness. If you’re not at a set location when an alarm triggers, it won’t sound. This means no more stray exercise alarms going off when you’re out at a party, for example.
Download: AMdroid (Free)
7. Timely
If you don’t need a load of features and don’t want to purchase a premium plan, try Timely, which is simple and free. The app has an account sync feature to match up your alarms with all of your devices. After you set that up, however, the full app is ready to use.
You can use the app to check the time, set alarms, and start a stopwatch. Its best feature, however, is its presentation—you’ll be hard-pressed to find an alarm that looks as sleek and relaxing as Timely.
Download: Timely (Free)
8. AlarmMon
While AlarmMon is huge in South Korea, it hasn’t gained much traction elsewhere. This is a shame, because AlarmMon is one of the most fun-loving alarm apps on Android.
AlarmMon has a range of characters you can choose from for your alarm. If you’re a light sleeper, you can use a quiet character with a fun mini-game to play to wake you up.
If you sleep through everything, you can select a noisier character who will play a loud animation until you shut it up. This ranges from loud animal noises to a rendition of the Psycho theme, making AlarmMon a customizable evil alarm clock. Don’t worry; it’s only as evil as you allow it to be!
The alarm also has a history feature that details what time the alarm went off, which character alarm you used, and how long it took for you to turn the alarm off. This makes AlarmMon a great way to see where you’re slipping on your alarms and when you may need a louder character to get you out of bed.
Download: AlarmMon (Free, in-app purchases available)
9. Early Bird Alarm Clock
If you find it hard to pick one sound to wake up to, why not choose them all? Early Bird Alarm Clock lets you pick more than one sound as an alarm. Then, when it goes off, it randomly picks one of the sounds to play.
If you find that you tend to sleep through an alarm as your body adjusts to it, use this app to mix it up and keep you on your toes.
Early Bird comes with additional handy features, such as the local weather and an egg timer. Early Bird also keeps track of every alarm that goes off, how long it sounded for before you turned it off, and how many times you hit the snooze button.
Download: Early Bird Alarm Clock (Free)
10. Sleep as Android
Sleep As Android is all about getting a good night’s sleep. If you burn the midnight oil a little too much, the app can alert you that it’s bedtime so you don’t miss it.
Once you’re asleep, Sleep As Android gets to work. It uses the microphone to check how deep your sleep is and compares this to your sleep cycles. Once it gets an idea of how you sleep, it can wake you up in the lighter phases to stop you from feeling groggy.
To achieve this, Sleep As Android uses a “smart period” for alarms. The app will choose the optimal time during that period to wake you up, instead of going off at a specific time. For instance, an alarm set at 8am with a smart period of 30 minutes will go off between 8:00 and 8:30, depending on when it’s best.
When you install the app, you get two weeks of the premium service for free. Once the trial ends, you can get all the features back with a one-time purchase.
Download: Sleep as Android (Free, in-app purchases available)
Enhancing Your Alarm for Better Mornings
While the stock alarm feature in Android is useful, it may not appeal to everyone’s tastes. Thankfully, there are lots of high-quality alarm apps on the Play Store, whether you’re looking for meditation advice or a sleep quality monitor.
If you need the personal touch of someone else waking you up, try a social alarm app instead.
Read the full article: The 10 Best Alarm Clock Apps for Android
