If you’re looking for a small but significant change in your routine to get better sleep, consider getting a new alarm setup. That doesn’t mean you have to replace your phone with a clunky and jarring old-school alarm clock. These days, there are tons of more-advanced bedside companions that can help you ease into your day with ramp-up lighting or pleasing nature sounds. And the very best alarm clocks even come equipped with additional features, like voice assistants and interactive displays, for convenience.
Watch this: Tips to know when buying an alarm clock
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Best alarm clocks
Best alarm clocks compared
Travelwey Home LED Alarm Clock
Amazon Echo Show 5
Philips HF3500
RCA RCD30
Sonic Alert Sonic Bomb
Hatch Restore
Price
$20
$90
$48
$40
$42
$130
Display color
Red
Customizable
Orange
Red
Red
Customizable
Battery backup
2x AAA
None
None
9V
9V
None
Snooze length
9 min
9 min
9 min
9 min
Customizable between 1 and 30 minutes
9 min
Radio
✘
✘
✘
✘
✘
✘
Wake-up options
Two volume options
Sunrise light, a variety of tones, streaming music
Sunrise light and buzzing
Simple buzzing
Loud buzzing and vibrating accessory
Sunrise light or sound
Other features
Night light
Amazon’s Alexa for voice commands, touchscreen display for videos, shortcuts for smart home controls
Can use as reading light
None
Multiple volume and tone settings, multiple alarms
Personalization, sleep and wake routines, app accessible
Other alarm clocks we’ve tested
We’ve tested a lot of alarm clocks, not all of which made this best alarm clock list. But they’re still worth mentioning and might be the right fit for you.
The Lenovo Smart Clock 2 has a 4-inch touchscreen which can show you the weather, your commute and even your calendar. It’s connected to Google Assistant, so you can use voice commands to schedule your alarms. It’s not the most robust smart display out there — you won’t be watching videos or playing your music — but it’s still pretty handy.
The Lenovo Smart Clock also has a sunrise feature, meaning the screen gets brighter 30 minutes before your scheduled wake-up time. One drawback of the Lenovo Smart Clock 2 is the display always glows, no matter which clock face you choose. At the moment, you can only find it availble as part of a bundle with a Lenovo smart bulb. Read our Lenovo Smart Clock 2 review for more details on this clock.
Amazon Echo Dot with Clock
The Amazon Echo Dot with Clock displays the time, alarms and weather, with the display’s brightness adapting to the room. It’s still a smart speaker first, responding to voice commands through Alexa, but it works well as a basic smart alarm clock. Read our hands-on breakdown of Amazon’s latest Echo Dot for everything you need to know.
American Lifetime Day Clock
If you’re someone with impaired vision, you’ll like the large-print design of the American Lifetime Day Clock. You can program your alarms to include reminders that will be displayed on the screen, like “time to take your medications.” That said, it isn’t the best alarm clock we’ve tested. There is no snooze button. The display is bright, even in the dimmest setting. You must scroll through a menu to schedule alarms, which can get confusing.
iHome IBT29BC
If you’re someone who values all the bells and whistles, consider the $50-ish iHome iBT29BC. It has a built-in radio and two alarms; it doubles as a Bluetooth speaker and even has an auxiliary cable. The iHome IBT29BC allows you to customize it by adjusting the colors and sounds it uses to wake you up. The light doesn’t adjust, but it does come on when your alarm sounds. This alarm clock is a jack of all trades but doesn’t shine in any category.
HomeLabs Home Sunrise Alarm Clock
The HomeLabs Home Sunrise Alarm Clock has many features — the light changes colors and fades up. There’s a radio with various wake-up sounds, including classical music and nature sounds. With this Alarm, you get what you pay for, the buttons aren’t the most responsive and it is more difficult to set alarms. The brightness ramp-up isn’t as seamless as other options, but for less than $25, it’s a good option.
How we tested the best alarm clocks
There are a lot of features that go into alarm clocks, and we tested them all. When testing the best alarm clocks, we assessed each option on their display, sound and ease of use. We considered how long the snooze button was set for, how customizable the alarm is and additional light features you need to know about.
Once we had the data of each alarm clock compiled, we made sure to compare each alarm clock to each other to ensure this best alarm clock list is the best reflection of the current market.
What to consider when buying an alarm clock
When shopping for the best alarm clock for your needs, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with hundreds of options. It’s understandable. A wide variety of alarm clocks are available that differ by features and price. Keep these things in mind when looking for ideal fit:
Price: The alarm clock market is wide — with both budget and luxury options. Defining your budget early will help you narrow down your options and keep you from getting wowed by features you may or may not need.
Features: First and foremost, you must decide if you want to stick to the basics or dive into the ocean of alarm clock features. Do you want your alarm clock to charge your phone? Play music? Or would you rather just have a basic alarm clock with a clearly labeled snooze button? The good news is that there are so many combinations of features that you’re sure to get an alarm clock that fits your needs.
Display: Deciding how elaborate the display of your alarm clock is also important. Some have super bright screens, while others have simple red or orange numbers that don’t cast as much glow.
How it wakes you up: No longer are you limited to a loud blaring screech to wake you up. Alarm clocks have come a long way and now offer gentle wake-up with sound or light that progressively gets louder or brighter. But if you’re a heavy sleeper, you may want something louder.
How “smart” you want it to be: Many of the best alarm clocks are compatible with Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple’s Siri, making scheduling alarms easy.
Best alarm clock FAQ
What’s the best alarm clock for heavy sleepers?
What type of alarm clock is best for light sleepers?
