We researched and tested top alarm clocks, evaluating their design, ease of setup, audio and light quality, features, and overall value. Our best overall pick is the Philips SmartSleep Wake-up Light for its many features that help you unwind and wake up peacefully. Here are the best alarm clocks on the market today. The Philips HF3520/60 SmartSleep Wake-up Light offers a relaxing way to wind down at night and wake up gently. Its sunrise and sunset lighting features, customization, and minimalist design help this alarm stand out from competitors. At night, this alarm clock projects a light that emulates the sunset, and in the morning, it will mimic the sunrise. You can customize the brightness with 20 different settings and pair it with five nature-inspired sounds (birds, Buddha, yoga, ocean waves, and Nepal bowls). You can also opt for a radio station and choose the maximum volume. Rather than sounding at the top volume, the alarm gets gradually louder after a minute and a half, allowing you to take your time waking. You can set two alarms at a time and press a nine-minute snooze button for extra rest time. If you’re someone who loves to read before bed, this alarm clock can moonlight as a reading lamp. This alarm’s modern rounded shape looks good on any bedside table, while its anti-slip rubber feet help secure it. Despite the alarm clock’s versatile design, there aren’t an array of colors. It’s also pricier than other options. However, our tester rated this alarm clock a perfect 5/5 in all our evaluated categories and praised the peaceful wake-up experience. Price at time of publish: $100 Price at time of publish: $149 If you have small children, the Mirari OK to Wake! Alarm Clock & Night Light serves multiple purposes. The clock’s face turns green when it’s time to wake up. As a result, kids learn not to get up and disturb the rest of the family if the clock isn’t the correct color. The clock is also useful for nap time, quiet time, and can even be used for other events (for example, letting them know when dinner will be ready, or when it’s time for their favorite TV show). If green isn’t your kid’s favorite color, don’t worry since the clock also comes with a second interface, which is purple—and surely, they’ll like one of the two color options. In addition to the color indicator, the clock features an audible alarm. Instead of a large, jarring sound, it produces a series of beeps, which kids can turn off themselves by depressing the large feet on the clock. The clock is charged using a USB cable and uses 2 AA batteries for backup. After using this clock with her kids for two weeks, our tester found it to be super child-friendly and easy to use. She gave it a 5/5 for both ease of setup and included features, but found the quality of the unit to be somewhat lacking—particularly given the price. Price at time of publish: $40 The Hatch Restore smart light can also serve as a reading lamp, allowing you to remove your regular lamp and save space on your nightstand. You can choose to operate the clock by using touch controls or download the app to use your smartphone. Subscribers to Hatch premium also have unlimited access to such content as meditations and sleep stories. Just note that the clock requires a Wi-Fi connection to operate. Price at time of publish: $130 In addition, the HoMedics includes 8 soothing sounds that can be set to turn off in 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 60 minutes, or you can listen to them all night. The sounds include a fan, ocean, rainforest, gentle rain, thunderstorm, white noise, brook, and campfire. You can choose to wake up to these sounds, the digital FM radio, or a regular beeping alarm. There’s also a snooze button in case you want to sleep a little longer. The clock plugs into an outlet and uses battery backup. In addition, there’s a USB port on the back of the clock for charging your smartphone. Price at time of publish: $40 You can choose to use either the loud buzzer or bed shaker, or you can use them together. The LED display has large numbers so it is easy to read even when your eyes are barely open or you haven’t put on your glasses yet. But you can dim the screen’s brightness if you find it provides too much light. Other features include a snooze button, AC power with battery backup, and a USB charger port for charging your phone while you sleep. Price at time of publish: $24 All of this information is sent to your smartphone to show the specific times you slept lightly, deeply, or were awake. It even provides a sleep score. The Withins Steel HR tracks this data by day, week, and month to help you understand what’s going on when you go to bed, and the watch learns to gently vibrate to wake you at the optimal point in your sleep cycle. The waterproof watch has a rechargeable battery life that lasts for up to 25 days. In addition to having an alarm function and tracking your sleep, it also monitors your awake activities, such as how many steps you take, and how many calories you burn. Price at time of publish: $180 It’s small enough to fit in your hand and operates on a rechargeable battery (and has a USB charging cable). There’s even a screen battery life indicator on the LED screen. One charge lasts 5 to 6 months if you’re only using the alarm clock. A single charge lasts 17.5 hours when the dimmable light is in its brightest mode, and 160 hours when it’s in the darkest light mode. This makes it convenient to also use the clock in your office, or even pack it in your suitcase when traveling. Price at time of publish: $50
What to Look for in an Alarm Clock
Noise
The key to an alarm clock’s success is its ability to get you up and out of bed. The types of noises produced by a clock can vary widely, and some may be or more less effective for you. Standard buzzer variations are common, but you might also prefer nature noises or the ability to use the radio as a morning wake-up call. Keep your preferences in mind as you search.
Battery Backup
Nothing is worse than waking up to a blinking alarm clock that needs to be reset, only to realize that you overslept. If you live in an area prone to power outages, make sure that any alarm clock you buy is equipped with a battery backup. The battery will keep the clock running, even if the power supply is interrupted — which means your alarm will still go off at the set time, saving you stress and frustration.
USB Charging
USB charging is popping up on alarm clocks more and more frequently. This might be a must-have item if you like to keep your phone handy at your bedside but need a convenient power source to charge it. If you don’t opt for an alarm clock with a USB port, keep in mind that your clock will likely be taking over the electrical outlet next to your bed — perhaps requiring you to plug your phone in somewhere farther away.
Why Trust The Spruce?
Terri Williams is a professional writer who has tested hundreds of products. She has product review bylines at Tom’s Guide, and both home improvement advice and product review bylines at Realtor.com, Bob Vila, Apartment Therapy, and Heavy.com. To select picks for this article, she consulted dozens of customer reviews and insights from our own testers.
