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The 9 Best Alarm Clocks of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

Our top choice is the Lenovo Smart Clock Essential

Lenovo Smart Clock Essential with Alexa Built-in

Spruce / Jaclyn Mastropasqua

Alarm clocks may be a necessary evil for our morning routines, but that doesn't mean you can't find one that helps you both wake up and potentially get better sleep. We consulted with Dr. Shelby Harris, who is board-certified in behavioral sleep medicine and director of sleep health at Sleepopolis, and although she points to the benefits of waking up naturally as the ideal option, she also attests to the value of sunrise alarms, dimmable displays, and soothing sounds, while warning against overly bright displays and loud, traditional alarms. 

Dr. Harris cautions, "If you are having trouble with your sleep quantity or quality, waking up in the morning, or sleeping through your alarm clock, speak with your doctor or a sleep specialist." But if it's just a matter of finding the right alarm clock, then we have a few buzz-worthy picks!

We tested firsthand all of the sleep-friendly features of various alarm clocks, bringing them to our bedsides and evaluating sounds, lights, looks, and general usability across two-week periods of daily use. So, grab your cup of coffee, and let’s dive right into our insights on the best alarm clocks for sleepers of all types.

Our Top Picks

Best Overall

Lenovo Smart Clock Essential

Lenovo Smart Clock Essential

Amazon

Our Ratings
  • Ease of Setup
    5/5
  • Audio
    5/5
  • Performance
    5/5
  • Design
    4.8/5
  • Value
    4.5/5
What We Like
  • Intuitive voice commands to set and control alarms

  • Smart speaker with many sound options

  • Dimmable display and night light

  • Reasonably priced

What We Don't Like
  • Google Assistant only

  • Relatively basic design with small buttons

  • No date on display

Alarm clocks don't always need a lot of advanced features to do their jobs, but we found that the Lenovo Smart Clock Essential's "smart" functions are convenient and reliable enough to earn our top overall spot. After a relatively simple setup process of connecting the device to your home's Wi-Fi network, it integrates seamlessly with the Google Home smart home platform and takes voice commands through Google Assistant. (It isn't compatible with other platforms like Amazon's Alexa, but a separate version with built-in Alexa is available as an alternative.) 

The voice commands help the clock earn 5 out of 5 stars for its ease of setup, and we gave it top marks in audio quality and performance as well. The default alarm sound is subtle but effective, and you can easily change it to just about anything, from your favorite songs to bird chirps. It essentially functions like a smart speaker that can play streaming music and answer your questions—while providing a large, auto-adjusting LED clock display and dimmable night light. Given the feature set, its list price is fairly reasonable, but you can occasionally find it on sale. 

Our at-home tests put the device in a situation where reliable wake-ups were critical. The family testing the device had a newborn child who needed to feed every three hours throughout the night. The Lenovo Smart Clock Essential not only dependably replaced the parents' phone alarms for the task, but it also made their nights a bit more manageable with its ability to set the next alarm through voice commands and play soothing white noise for the baby. 

Dimensions: 3.27 x 4.76 x 2.52 inches | Weight: 0.52 pounds | Alarm Type: Sound | Dimmable Display: Yes | Power Source: USB power cord | Battery Backup: No

Best Budget

Jall Digital Alarm Clock

Jall Digital Alarm Clock

Amazon

Our Ratings
  • Ease of Setup
    5/5
  • Audio
    4.3/5
  • Performance
    5/5
  • Design
    4/5
  • Value
    4/5
What We Like
  • Adjustable brightness and volume

  • Can set three separate alarms

  • Elegant-looking design

  • Comes in multiple colors

What We Don't Like
  • No other sound options

  • Buttons in back can be hard to use

If all you need is a basic, cost-effective alarm clock, the Jall Wooden Digital Alarm Clock gets the job done while looking nice doing it. For an affordable price, we appreciate its sleek wood styling and unique triangular shape; one editor even uses it as the clock for her living room. The simplicity of the design translates to its functionality, with three small buttons in the back of the unit. It may take some initial study of the instructions to figure out how the buttons work, as well as some fumbling to reach them when you want to snooze or turn off the alarm. 

The ability to set three independent alarms (with a weekday-only option) is one "advanced" feature we found quite helpful. You're stuck with one default alarm sound, but it's adjustable to five volume levels, so we felt that light and heavy sleepers alike could find a suitable setting. The digital clock face offers seven brightness levels, plus an option for the display to shut off after five seconds and turn back on when you touch it or make noise. The display also shows temperature and humidity readings fairly prominently, which we didn't find entirely necessary. Still, this is a top-notch clock, and it even comes in multiple colors!

Dimensions: 5.91 x 3 x 3 inches | Weight: 0.66 pounds | Alarm Type: Sound | Dimmable Display: Yes | Power Source: USB power cord | Battery Backup: Yes

Best Digital

DreamSky Digital Alarm Clock

DreamSky Compact Digital Alarm Clock

Amazon

Our Ratings
  • Ease of Setup
    5/5
  • Audio
    4.5/5
  • Performance
    5/5
  • Design
    4.8/5
  • Value
    4.8/5
What We Like
  • Large, easy-to-read digits

  • Adjustable brightness and volume

  • USB charging port

What We Don't Like
  • No other sound options

  • No additional alarm or display features

Digital displays are ideal when you want a clock that's easy to read, and the DreamSky Compact Digital Alarm Clock's generously sized digits are just that. Users who have difficulties with vision or need to see the time across the room will particularly appreciate the 2-inch-high white numbers taking up basically the small clock's entire face. (Several other display colors are available.) We didn't find the large numbers so bright that they were distracting, and a dial in the back lets you adjust the brightness to your preference. A dial also controls the volume of the alarm, which is limited to a default beeping sound that gets progressively louder and faster if you don't shut it off or snooze. 

The straightforward, travel-friendly DreamSky clock includes additional features, which help keep it easy to set up and operate. The big snooze button at the top is easy to groggily tap. The power cord needs to stay plugged into the wall for the display and alarm to function fully, but a battery backup is in place to save the time and alarm settings. As a bonus, a built-in USB charging port conveniently lets you charge devices at your bedside, even with the clock taking up an outlet. 

Dimensions: 1.4 x 5.3 x 2.6 inches | Weight: 0.5 pounds | Alarm Type: Sound | Dimmable Display: Yes | Power Source: USB power cord | Battery Backup: Yes

Best Sunrise

Winshine Touch Wake Up Night Light

Winshine Touch Wake Up Night Light with Sunrise Simulation

Amazon

Our Ratings
  • Ease of Setup
    5/5
  • Audio
    5/5
  • Performance
    4.8/5
  • Design
    4/5
  • Value
    5/5
What We Like
  • Multi-color night light

  • Nice sound options

  • Kid-friendly design

  • Mimics the dawning sun

What We Don't Like
  • No traditional snooze

  • Can set only one alarm

  • No sleep timer for nature sounds

For a more natural wake-up experience from your alarm clock, try Winshine's Touch Wake Up Night Light with Sunrise Simulation Alarm Clock. Half an hour before your set alarm time, the soft, warm light turns on and gradually becomes brighter until the audible alarm goes off, easing your body into the day by mimicking the dawning sun. At night, it also serves as a night light that you can set to different soothing colors. It's a great option for little ones, providing a comforting glow for bedtime and a gentle start to the morning

"The circadian rhythm, our body’s internal clock, uses light exposure as a signal to regulate what time to go to sleep and when to wake. Clocks with a sunrise and sunset feature simulate natural light to help you fall asleep faster and wake up easier in the morning," explains Shelby Harris, director of sleep health at Sleepopolis.

For a device that emphasizes its light capabilities, we were impressed by the variety and quality of wake-up sounds available, from traditional beeps to natural sounds like ocean waves and the ubiquitous bird chirps. A sunset feature slowly dims the light to help you fall asleep, but we think it would be nice if you could set the white noise sounds to a sleep timer as well. The snooze function also works differently from how you might expect—if you don't hit the button on top, the alarm will go off again after five minutes. We noted that the ability to set additional alarms might help people who like having backup alarms, just in case. 

Dimensions: 4.33 x 4.33 x 7.99 inches | Weight: 0.64 pounds | Alarm Type: Sound, light | Dimmable Display: Yes | Power Source: Power cord | Battery Backup: No

Best Smart

Hatch Sound Machine

Amazon Hatch Restore Sound Machine and Smart Light at Amazon

Amazon

Our Ratings
  • Ease of Setup
    4.8/5
  • Audio
    5/5
  • Performance
    4.8/5
  • Design
    4.9/5
  • Value
    4/5
What We Like
  • Customizable sunrise/sunset lights

  • Large sound library

  • Remote app control

  • Offers plenty of comfort

What We Don't Like
  • Expensive

  • Some tech savvy required

  • Additional features require subscription

If you're willing to splurge, the Hatch Restore is a smart alarm clock designed to do far more for your sleep than make noise in the morning. You can choose from a wide collection of sounds (we love a chirping bird) to serve as your alarm or as white noise to play in the background. You can set the light to one of 22 calming colors of your choice for a sunrise alarm or a reading light as you go to bed.

All of these settings are fully customizable via a smartphone app so you can create your ideal light and sound routine, and we've felt a noticeable improvement in how we fall asleep better and wake more refreshed. 

It does take some technological familiarity to get the most out of the Hatch Restore because setup requires connecting to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, as well as using the app to customize your routines. There are also full playlists of soundscapes, meditation exercises, and sleep stories available through a Hatch Sleep Membership, but that adds $50 per year to an already pricey gadget. Still, even if you don't pay the extra fees, we agree this is a comforting alarm clock with plenty of customizable options.

Dimensions: 2.75 x 7.5 x 5.75 inches | Weight: 1.19 pounds | Alarm Type: Sound, light | Dimmable Display: Yes | Power Source: Power cord | Battery Backup: No

Hatch Restore

The Spruce / Hannah Freedman

Best Design

Loftie Clock

Loftie Clock

Loftie

Our Ratings
  • Ease of Setup
    3.5/5
  • Audio
    4.8/5
  • Performance
    5/5
  • Design
    5/5
  • Value
    4/5
What We Like
  • Tons of soothing sound options

  • Easy to use through buttons or app

  • Plays audio over Bluetooth

  • Extra wellness audio included

What We Don't Like
  • Expensive

  • Not for heavy sleepers

  • Setup process may take a while

Loftie knows how many of us are on our phones from the minute we open our eyes in the morning and when we close them at night, so it aims to break us free in hopes of better sleep. The elegant but expensive Loftie Clock takes cues from top-end smartphones in its sleek design and minimal display, which can be dimmed and fully blacked out. There are three easily accessible buttons on the black top (or white top, in the alternate color scheme), and once you learn what they do, operating the clock is intuitive and smooth. The bottom of the clock works as a night light with an adjustable warm glow, but it's not a full sunrise or sunset alarm. 

The alarm itself eases you awake with a two-phase alarm, using sounds you select from the expansive catalog of soothing wake-up noises. Our light-sleeping tester appreciated the gentle nudge, but acknowledged that heavy sleepers might require something more obnoxious. The high-quality sleep sounds include outdoorsy audio, white noise, and even brown and pink and red noise. The clock can double as a Bluetooth speaker to play your own music, and it's loaded with extra wellness content like meditations and breathing guides.

In fact, we think it's the kind of alarm clock you'd see in a Nancy Meyers movie! "I love the look. It's sleek and minimal without being too trendy, and doesn't make my nightstand feel cluttered. Plus, because it's super lightweight and comes with travel adapters, you can pretty easily take it with you on the go," explains one tester. Because the device connects to your Wi-Fi, content is periodically updated; the downside is a lengthy initial download process when you first set up the device. 

Dimensions: 2.75 x 6.5 x 2.75 inches | Weight: 1.8 pounds | Alarm Type: Sound | Dimmable Display: Yes | Power Source: USB power cord | Battery Backup: Yes (rechargeable)

Best with Radio

iHome Bluetooth Color Changing Alarm Clock

iHome iBT29BC Bluetooth Alarm Clock

Amazon

Our Ratings
  • Ease of Setup
    5/5
  • Audio
    4.8/5
  • Performance
    5/5
  • Design
    5/5
  • Value
    4.5/5
What We Like
  • Colorful light options

  • Bluetooth audio and speakerphone

  • Can set two separate alarms

  • USB charging port

What We Don't Like
  • No sleep timer for lights

  • Limited alarm options

Radios and alarm clocks have long gone hand-in-hand, and the iHome iBT29BC melds the two nicely. It picks up FM signals and offers up to six preset stations, in addition to the more modern Bluetooth capability for connecting wirelessly to your phone and other devices. You can even use the built-in microphone to take calls hands-free over speakerphone. If you have a wired input you want to use, there's a 3.5-millimeter audio jack where you can plug it in. The USB charging port is another minor but very practical addition that we found useful. 

Adding to the iBT29BC's entertainment value is its glowing orb design, with a cabinet that lights up in a variety of vibrant shades and six color modes, including an option to pulse to the music. You can choose which light mode to activate when the alarm goes off as part of your wake-up routine. Unfortunately, you can't set up a sleep timer for the lights to shut off on their own—the pinkish color worked for us at night, but more sensitive sleepers may want it turned off or turned away. 

Dimensions: 6.03 x 6.03 x 5.28 inches | Weight: 1.37 pounds | Alarm Type: Sound, light | Dimmable Display: Yes | Power Source: Power cord | Battery Backup: Yes

iHome iBT29BC Bluetooth Color Changing Dual Alarm Clock

The Spruce / Tammy Gardini

Best for Heavy Sleepers

Roxicosly Super Loud Alarm Clock

Roxicosly Super Loud Alarm Clock

Amazon

Our Ratings
  • Ease of Setup
    5/5
  • Audio
    4.3/5
  • Performance
    4.5/5
  • Design
    4.5/5
  • Value
    5/5
What We Like
  • Can set two separate alarms

  • Large, easy-to-read digits

  • USB charging port

  • Vibrating puck

What We Don't Like
  • No other sound options

  • No additional alarm or display features

  • Somewhat large size

While gentle wake-ups are the goal for some alarm clocks, people who tend to sleep through their alarms may need the much less subtle approach of the Super Loud Alarm Clock with Bed Shaker from Roxicosly. If the loud, jarring buzzer sound isn't enough to rouse you, there's also a vibrating puck at the end of a 71-inch cord that you place under your pillow, serving as a "bed shaker" to make sure you feel the alarm. It's more intense than most sleepers need, but potentially crucial for the hearing impaired and other specific situations. Our tester, who is somewhat of a heavy sleeper, found the vibrations surprising, but in an effective way that led to eventually using the vibrating alarm without sound at all. 

In terms of the clock's display, we appreciated the large, brightness-adjustable digits that are easy to read even without glasses or contacts. On the downside, the bigger overall size of the device makes it a tougher fit for smaller nightstands. The buttons on the top are small and sometimes hard to see and reach, but the snooze button at least is larger. On the plus side, it's centered and easy to access. 

Dimensions: 1.5 x 6.82 x 3.39 inches | Weight: 0.44 pounds | Alarm Type: Sound, vibration | Dimmable Display: Yes | Power Source: Power cord | Battery Backup: Yes

Best with Night Light

Gingko Edge Light Alarm Clock

Gingko Edge Light Alarm Clock

Walmart

Our Ratings
  • Ease of Setup
    5/5
  • Audio
    4/5
  • Performance
    4.8/5
  • Design
    4.8/5
  • Value
    4/5
What We Like
  • Attractive, flippable design

  • Compact size

  • Runs on rechargeable battery

  • Can set two separate alarms

What We Don't Like
  • No other sound options

  • No additional alarm or display features

  • Display can be hard to read

We didn't expect to see alarm clock design inspired by a sliced segment of bamboo, but that's what the Gingko Edge Light Alarm Clock somehow puts to very functional use. With the clock face turned toward you, you'll see the dimmable display and small buttons encircling it. When the standard beeping alarm goes off, you can snooze by pushing any button or picking up the clock and giving it a shake. You can turn the alarm off by flipping the entire device upside down, which makes the bottom face light up as a soft glow to start your day or function as a night light as you wrap it up. 

The actual alarm options are limited, but we thought the design and functionality came together well—it gave us something to pick up and interact with in the morning that wasn't our phone. As a compact gadget built to be handled and moved around, it makes sense that it runs cordlessly on a rechargeable built-in battery. We gave the Gingko Edge Light a design rating of 4.8 stars out of 5, docking only slightly because the display side can be hard to read in the dark. Still, we think this is a small, but solid alarm clock—with plenty of standout benefits.

Dimensions: 3.15 x 3.15 x 3.74 inches | Weight: 0.35 pounds | Alarm Type: Sound | Dimmable Display: Yes | Power Source: Rechargeable battery | Battery Backup: No

Gingko Edge Light Alarm Clock

The Spruce / Kate Donovan

Final Verdict

The Wi-Fi-connected Lenovo Smart Clock Essential is our top-choice alarm clock for its impressive overall feature set, which includes extensive sound options, adjustable lights, and voice commands through Google Assistant. If you want to splurge on a truly premium sleep companion, we think you should go with the Hatch Restore Sound Machine and Smart Light. It's another "smart" alarm clock with even more customizable sounds and lights, sunrise/sunset settings, and extra audio content available via subscription. 

Philips Alarm Clock

The Spruce / Stephanie Vermillion

How We Tested

To find the best picks for you, we sent top alarm clocks to our team of testers to evaluate on the basis of design, setup, audio, light, features, and overall value. They used each of their alarm clocks over the course of two weeks to wake up, fall asleep, and relax. We combined their insights with our writers' and editors' independent research to bring you this list.

What to Look for in an Alarm Clock

Alarm Settings

At their most basic, alarm clocks let you set at least one time in the day for when they will make noise and wake you up. Our best budget pick—the Jall Wooden Digital Alarm Clock—only uses a simple beeping sound, but you can set three separate alarms for different times. More complex clocks often offer much broader selections of alarm sounds, and many incorporate light into the alarm process. Some, like the Roxicosly Super Loud Alarm Clock with Bed Shaker, even throw a vibration alarm into the mix, which helped make it our top choice for heavy sleepers.

Adjustable Display

People can have diverse preferences and sleeping environments, so it's hard to gauge if a clock's display will be bright enough to be visible in your room, or if it's so bright that it's distracting. This is one reason we appreciate the design of the Loftie Clock, which can fully dim its digits even down to nothing. Beyond preference and visibility, a clock's brightness can have underlying effects on your sleep health. 

"If the display from an alarm clock is too bright or flashy, it can disrupt sleep and/or make it more challenging for someone to fall asleep," advises behavioral sleep medicine specialist Dr. Shelby Harris. "It’s important to sleep in as much darkness as possible, and a dimmable display can aid in eliminating any unnecessary bright light in your bedroom." 

Dr. Harris suggests alarm clocks with sunrise and sunset features as a way for our bodies to feel a more natural pattern of light, as provided by models like our top sunrise alarm, the Winshine Touch Wake Up Night Light with Sunrise Simulation Alarm Clock.

Power Source

You can find some travel-friendly alarm clocks that run only on battery, like our best night light option, the rechargeable Gingko Edge Light Alarm Clock. Most other alarm clocks, though, are powered by a power cable that plugs into the wall. If wall outlets are scarce at your bedside, you might consider a unit with an integrated USB charging port where you can plug in your phone. In fact, our best digital pick, the DreamSky Compact Digital Alarm Clock, is one such option.  

Many alarm clocks include some type of small backup battery configuration for the purpose of saving the time and possibly some alarm settings in case they lose power, but these typically won't allow the device to continue with its normal range of functions until you plug it back in.

Advanced Features

The extra features you might find on alarm clocks tend to either relate to light (i.e., night lights and sunrise/sunset alarms) or sound (i.e., extra alarm noise options or background audio). Such functions can have real value, as Dr. Harris points out: "Clocks that include the option for different sleep sounds, such as white noise, can be a great option for anyone who wants to mask any outside noises that may interfere with their sleep." 

On more of the entertainment side, some clocks can double as a speaker to play music from your own sources, and others may have an FM tuner to pick up radio stations, like our radio-equipped suggestion, the iHome iBT29BC Bluetooth Color Changing Dual Alarm Clock FM Radio

You can find many of the above features and other advanced functions like app or voice control as part of alarm clocks that connect to your phone via Bluetooth and/or to the internet via your home Wi-Fi network. Devices with connective capabilities tend to be considered "smart" alarm clocks, with the Hatch Restore Sound Machine and Smart Light being our top pick in the category.

FAQ
  • How do you set an alarm clock?

    This depends on the format of your clock. Wind-up alarm clocks generally have knobs on the back to set the time and alarm wake-up time, plus another knob on top or on the back to set or turn off the alarm. Electrical alarm clocks use button technology to set the time and set an alarm. Usually, you have to hold one button that says "alarm set" while you press other buttons to set the time of the alarm.

  • When were alarm clocks invented?

    The practice of using an alarm clock has been traced back to Plato in the 4th century BCE, who engineered a whistling water clock to help him wake at 4 a.m. But the first mechanical clocks were a Medieval-era invention that allowed town belfries and churches to ring out the hours for the whole community. In the U.S., the first known personal mechanical alarm clock was invented in 1787 by Levi Hutchins, and by the 1930s or '40s, alarm clocks had become a household staple. The evolution of alarm clocks to the present day includes the progression from wind-up alarm clocks to electronic versions, the advent of the snooze button, and, of course, the move to digital timekeeping that is prevalent in the age of the smartphone. 

  • How did people wake up before alarm clocks?

    Early humans slept when it was dark and woke up with the light. Throughout history, and before personal mechanical alarm clocks became household items in the 20th century, people have woken up with the help of everything from church bells and other religious calls to worship to crowing roosters, factory whistles, household servants, and the dedicated “knocker-uppers” in 19th-century Britain who were hired to go around town knocking on designated windows and doors.

Why Trust The Spruce?

Anton Galang is a freelance writer, reviewer, and editor who began working in the consumer technology space in 2007 with PC Magazine. He now covers tech-focused topics for The Spruce, ranging from smart lights and lamps to plugs and surge protectors, and enjoys expanding his own collection of smart gadgets in his home. 

To write this list of best alarm clocks, Galang consolidated feedback from real-world testers who used the products in their homes, along with first-hand experience from other editors at The Spruce, combined with further research into each device's specifications, features, value, and third-party reviews. For added insight on how alarm clocks and their various features affect sleep health, Galang also spoke with Dr. Shelby Harris, a licensed psychologist who is board certified in behavioral sleep medicine. She serves as director of sleep health at Sleepopolis and can be found on Instagram and TikTok.

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