The 9 Best Alarm Clocks of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

Best Overall

Lenovo Smart Clock Essential

$50 At Amazon $58 At Walmart View On Newegg.com

Our Ratings

• Ease of Setup
  5/5
• Audio
  5/5
• Performance
  5/5
• Design
  4.8/5
• Value
  4.5/5

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. 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. You can just tell it what time to wake you up next, which is hugely beneficial and easy. (It isn't compatible with other platforms like Amazon's Alexa, but a separate version with Alexa built-in is available.) 

We liked how easy this alarm clock was to set up, and felt like its audio quality was top-notch. The default alarm sound is subtle but effective, and you can easily change it to your favorite song or 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 price is fairly reasonable, but you can occasionally find it on sale. 

_{Dimensions: 3.27 x 4.76 x 2.52 inches | Alarm Type: Sound | Power Source: USB power cord | Battery Backup: No}

Best Budget

Jall Digital Alarm Clock

$18 At Amazon $23 At Walmart

Our Ratings

• Ease of Setup
  5/5
• Audio
  4.3/5
• Performance
  5/5
• Design
  4/5
• Value
  4/5

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 less than $25, we appreciate its wood styling and unique triangular shape. The simplicity of the design mimics its functionality, with just three small buttons on the back of the unit. You can set three independent alarms, with a weekday-only option, too. The display also shows temperature and humidity readings.

The downside is that you only get one default alarm sound, but it's adjustable to five volume levels. There are also seven brightness levels, plus you can turn the display entirely off—until you tap it or make noise to turn it back on. It may take some initial study of the instructions to figure out how the buttons work, but once you learn, it's easy.

_{Dimensions: 5.91 x 3 x 3 inches | Alarm Type: Sound | Power Source: USB power cord | Battery Backup: Yes}

Best Digital

DreamSky Digital Alarm Clock

$19 At Amazon

Our Ratings

• Ease of Setup
  5/5
• Audio
  4.5/5
• Performance
  5/5
• Design
  4.8/5
• Value
  4.8/5

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 this small clock's entire face.

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 has a power cord that 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 | Alarm Type: Sound | Power Source: USB power cord | Battery Backup: Yes}

Best Sunrise

Winshine Touch Wake Up Night Light

$29 At Amazon

Our Ratings

• Ease of Setup
  5/5
• Audio
  5/5
• Performance
  4.8/5
• Design
  4/5
• Value
  5/5

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. It also serves as a night light that you can set to different colors.

"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," say Dr. Harris.

We were impressed by the variety and quality of wake-up sounds—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 | Alarm Type: Sound, light | Power Source: Power cord | Battery Backup: No}

Best Smart

Hatch Sound Machine

$130 At Amazon View On Hatch.co

Our Ratings

• Ease of Setup
  4.8/5
• Audio
  5/5
• Performance
  4.8/5
• Design
  4.9/5
• Value
  4/5

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, plus using the app to customize your routines. There are also playlists of soundscapes, meditation exercises, and sleep stories available through a Hatch Sleep Membership, which adds $50 per year to an already pricey gadget—the original Restore is $130. 

While we tested the 2020 model, there is a newer model, the Hatch Restore 2, which is about $70 more. The look is much sleeker, and it comes with 10 more sunrise sounds, plus a morning meditation to help rouse you from sleep.

_{Dimensions: 2.75 x 7.5 x 5.75 inches | Alarm Type: Sound, light | Power Source: Power cord | Battery Backup: No}

Best Design

Loftie Clock

$150 At Amazon $149 At byloftie.com $149 At Huckberry

Our Ratings

• Ease of Setup
  3.5/5
• Audio
  4.8/5
• Performance
  5/5
• Design
  5/5
• Value
  4/5

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 minimal design and display, which can be dimmed and fully blacked out. There are three easily accessible buttons on the top, 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 clock eases you awake with a two-phase alarm, using sounds you select from the expansive catalog of soothing wake-up noises. Light sleepers appreciated the gentle nudge but acknowledged that heavy sleepers might require something a bit louder. The high-quality sleep sounds include outdoorsy audio and white, brown, red, and pink noise. The clock doubles as a Bluetooth speaker to play your music, and it's loaded with extra content like meditations and breathing guides.

We love the look—sleek and minimal without being too trendy—and that it's lightweight enough to travel with (travel adapter included). The one experience we didn't enjoy with this alarm clock was the lengthy initial download process.

_{Dimensions: 2.75 x 6.5 x 2.75 inches | Alarm Type: Sound | Power Source: USB power cord | Battery Backup: Yes (rechargeable)}

Best with Radio

iHome Bluetooth Alarm Clock

$50 At Amazon $79 At newegg.com

Our Ratings

• Ease of Setup
  5/5
• Audio
  4.8/5
• Performance
  5/5
• Design
  5/5
• Value
  4.5/5

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 | Alarm Type: Sound, light | Power Source: Power cord | Battery Backup: Yes}

Best for Heavy Sleepers

Roxicosly Super Loud Alarm Clock

$20 At Amazon

Our Ratings

• Ease of Setup
  5/5
• Audio
  4.3/5
• Performance
  4.5/5
• Design
  4.5/5
• Value
  5/5

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 ensure you feel the alarm.

It's more intense than most sleepers need, but potentially crucial for anyone who has trouble hearing, or is a very deep sleeper. Heavy sleepers found the vibrations surprising, but in an effective way that led to eventually using the vibrating alarm without sound. 

We like the clock's large, brightness-adjustable digits that are easy to read from any distance or angle. There are a few things we didn't love: The bigger size of the device makes it a tougher fit for smaller nightstands and the buttons are small and sometimes hard to see and reach. However, the snooze button is large and easy to access. 

_{Dimensions: 1.5 x 6.82 x 3.39 inches | Alarm Type: Sound, vibration | Power Source: Power cord | Battery Backup: Yes}

Best with Night Light

Gingko Edge Light Alarm Clock

$60 At Amazon View On Gingkodesign.com

Our Ratings

• Ease of Setup
  5/5
• Audio
  4/5
• Performance
  4.8/5
• Design
  4.8/5
• Value
  4/5

We were initially surprised by the sliced bamboo styling of the Gingko Edge Light Alarm Clock, but we came to appreciate the functionality of the design. 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 high design rating, 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 | Alarm Type: Sound | Power Source: Rechargeable battery | Battery Backup: No}