Best Alarm Clocks (2025)

The Hatch Restore 3 goes above and beyond your typical alarm clock, providing numerous features to help sleepers stay off their phones as they unwind. The Restore 3 impressed our in-house product reviewer with its seemingly boundless lighting settings, sound effects, and nightly wind-down features. For that reason, the Restore 3 is my pick for the best overall alarm clock, earning a 4 out of 5 or higher in the user-friendliness, build, and functionality categories.

The Hatch Restore 3 is a feature-forward sunrise alarm clock, making it the perfect fit for sleepers who enjoy experimenting with different alarm customizations and lighting settings. But despite being packed with features, our in-house tester found that it was straightforward to use and set up. After using the Restore 3 in her bedroom for many nights, she gave it a 4 out of 5 for user-friendliness.

“The Restore 3’s settings are accessible through the Hatch app,” our product tester explained. “In the app, you can change everything from the color of the light to the sequence and type of alarms.”

Our product tester also gave the Hatch alarm clock a perfect 5 out of 5 in the build category, thanks to its durable construction and display. She also appreciated some of Hatch’s more creative details, like its fabric face that mimics a light shining through a curtain.

“I really like the look and feel of this clock,” our tester said. “It feels well-made and sturdy, even though it doesn’t weigh much. Its fabric ‘face’ seems durable, and the plastic shell is smooth and pleasant to touch.”

However, the real crown jewel of this alarm clock lies in its features and functionality, where it earned another 5 out of 5. It delivers more than an alarm clock should and comes with a variety of different sounds, lighting sequences, and other settings to try. While our product tester found the sheer number of settings overwhelming, she had no trouble accessing them (aside from the subscription-only options) and tailoring the experience to fit her sleep habits.

That said, our product tester noted that the Hatch app’s insistence on a nightly wind-down and other non-alarm features might be confusing to people who prefer a simple light-and-alarm interface. She also felt that the base price of $170, plus a monthly subscription for additional alarm sounds and features, was a little steep.

Head over to our full Hatch Restore 3 alarm clock review to learn more about its features.

The Loftie is likely the most intelligent alarm clock you will ever meet. With the Loftie app, you can cycle through numerous gentle alarm tones, adjust its lighting, and use its built-in sound machine to help you fall asleep. If you choose to sign up for the Loftie Rest subscription, you will also get access to custom wind-down routines, app blocking, sleep coaching, and bedtime stories. Our in-house testing team awarded the Loftie Alarm Clock a rating of 4 out of 5 or higher in the build, user-friendliness, and functionality categories.

When our in-house product tester got her hands on the Loftie Alarm Clock, she was immediately impressed with how sturdy it looked and felt out of the box, awarding it a near-perfect 4.5 out of 5 in the build category.

“This clock is very sleek, modern, and minimalistic,” she said. “I really enjoy the look, and it comes in a few color options as well. The light function is also really nice. It has a soft glow that illuminates underneath, and you can adjust the color and brightness settings.”

Our product testers also noted that the Loftie app was relatively straightforward to use, noting only a few minor hiccups during nightly use. She gave it a 4 out of 5 because she was able to access and adjust the alarm, sound, and lighting settings to her liking shortly after unboxing the alarm and plugging it in.

“You have to be somewhat tech-savvy to set this up and use it, but anyone comfortable with a smartphone should have no issues here,” our tester said. “You have to use an app for the initial setup, but then you can do everything on the actual clock itself, or continue to use the app for more added features. That said, the app lags sometimes. If you turn the volume up, it takes one or two seconds to catch up instead of smoothly increasing.”

However, the alarm itself was our product tester’s favorite feature. She awarded it a flawless 5-star score for functionality and praised its two-phase alarm sequence.

“To me, the alarm itself is where the Loftie shines,” she said. “By default, it plays a gentle tone that’s quite soft to lull you out of sleep. Then about nine minutes later, it plays another gentle tone but louder to help you completely wake up. I was an iPhone alarm user before, and the loud beeping noise is not pleasant to wake up to. I didn’t realize how unpleasant it was until I started using Loftie.”

The two-alarm sequence can also be beneficial for your sleep health, according to Dr. Dasgupta, who notes that traditional loud alarms can “trigger your stress response, increase adrenaline levels, and essentially shock you into waking up,” which may leave you groggy and elevate blood pressure.

The only drawbacks our tester noted about the alarm clock were that it is a little steep at $170 plus a monthly subscription for additional features, and that there might be a steep learning curve for sleepers who aren’t as technically inclined.

Learn more about the Loftie in our full Loftie Alarm Clock review.

The Sharp AccuSet Jumbo Mirror Display Alarm Clock is the perfect option for sleepers who want a simple digital alarm clock with a large display that is loud enough to pull you from the depths of REM sleep. The Sharp AccuSet is my pick for the best alarm clock for heavy sleepers because its piercing chirp is enough to wake anyone up, and it is durable enough to withstand being thrown at the wall if it scares you. Our in-house testing team scored the Sharp alarm clock a 4 out of 5 in the build and user-friendliness categories.

Despite its simple construction, our in-house product tester praised the Sharp AccuSet alarm clock for its sleek and sturdy construction. She appreciated that its ultra-bright LED display was easy to see, even as someone with less-than-perfect vision. Overall, she gave it a 4 out of 5 in the build category.

“This is a pretty sleek alarm clock, aesthetically speaking,” she said. “The front of it is a mirror, and the rest is white. The construction itself is nearly all plastic. However, it doesn’t feel flimsy or cheap.”

Our product tester also awarded the Sharp AccuSet alarm clock a 4 out of 5 in the user-friendliness category. She noted that it was somewhat challenging to set up its two-alarm feature at first. However, after following the instructions a few times, it became a breeze.

“Once you get the hang of it, it’s really easy to set an alarm for the week and a separate one for the weekend,” she said. “It doesn’t have a lot of extras, but I love that there is a USB charging port on the back so I can use this as my phone charger and as a clock. It can also be battery operated, which is a nice backup if the power goes out.”

Overall, the Sharp AccuSet is a great, mostly bare-bones option with a couple of thoughtful touches. That said, our in-house tester noted that setting it up will likely take a few practice runs to get the hang of. She also mentioned that its loud, chirping alarm was quite jarring in the morning. However, for heavy sleepers who are notorious for sleeping in, this could be a blessing.

The Mesqool Projection Alarm Clock is a solid and affordable option for parents seeking an alarm clock that can wake their little ones while serving as a nightlight. While testing this alarm clock myself, I found that its projection feature was easy to use and not too disruptive in a dark room. Overall, I gave it a 5 out of 5 in the user-friendliness and alarm functionality categories.

If you’re buying an alarm clock for your kids to use, the Mesqool Projection Alarm Clock could be an effective tool for teaching them how to set their own alarm. I gave this alarm clock a 5 out of 5 for user-friendliness because it was super simple for me to figure out how to use it without instructions. 

I appreciated that all the buttons are clearly labeled, so there’s no confusion about what they do. It also has enough buttons; for the most part, none of the buttons share functions, so you don’t have to hit a button several times to find the setting that you want.

I also gave this alarm a 5 out of 5 in the alarm clock functionality category. All of its features worked as advertised, and the alarm clock radio was loud enough to jolt me out of bed. The projector on this alarm clock merely puts the time on the wall or ceiling, depending on where you aim it. You can adjust the size, but that’s about it. It doesn’t do anything fancy, but it isn’t disruptive and could be an effective nightlight if your little one has trouble sleeping in complete darkness.

If I had to criticize it, I would note that it isn’t the most durable option on the market. The alarm is made of lightweight plastic and feels a bit flimsy overall. However, unless your child is super rough with it or prone to spilling things, I don’t think you will have to worry about it breaking.

If you’re interested in getting in on the sunrise alarm clock trend, but don’t want to spend over $100 on an alarm clock, Jall has just the thing for you. The Jall Sunrise Alarm Clock is a surprisingly versatile and affordable option in this category. I was impressed by its selection of lighting and sound options during testing and gave it 4 out of 5 or higher in the user-friendliness and alarm functionality categories.

The Jall sunrise clock has an impressive array of alarm settings, especially considering it is around one fourth of the price of many other comparable models. During testing, I gave it a 5 out of 5 for functionality because all of its sound effects, lighting, and color settings worked flawlessly.

I appreciated that the Jall sunrise alarm clock has a lot of pleasant, natural sounds to wake up to. The sunrise effect is a nice touch, though I am not sure if it really had an impact on me, considering some natural daylight creeps into my bedroom.

I gave the Jall Sunrise Alarm Clock a user-friendliness score of 4 out of 5. Mine didn’t come with instructions, but I think that was just a fluke. Still, I think it is pretty easy to get the hang of it even when you just mash buttons. I would say it took me about five to 10 minutes to mess around with every sound effect and setting on the alarm. Fortunately, if you run into any issues with the Jall Sunrise Alarm Clock, it’s easy to make returns and exchanges through their Amazon storefront.

Overall, I think this is an excellent buy for sleepers who want a sunrise alarm clock without worrying about paywalled features. However, I have to knock off a few points for being a bit challenging to get the hang of, and because its lightweight plastic construction makes it feel cheap. 

Aside from that, I think this is a great entry point for sleepers who are interested in switching to a sunrise alarm clock but want to see if it actually helps them before committing to a more advanced clock with subscription-based features.