We just published an overview of free awesome Android alarm clock apps, and here is the apps breakdown for iOS devices. However, the apps on this list are not only free, but also paid ones, alas, iTunes has always been and will be more costly than its Android counterpart marketplace. There are three free apps on the list, and they are nonetheless excellent suggestions for the right user, so check out today’s compilation.
SleepBot – Smart Cycle Alarm with Motion & Sound Tracker
- By SleepBot
- Free
This app is also on our Android list, and it takes a scientific approach to sleep tracking and waking up. Besides the beautiful UI, SleepBot offers a comprehensive tracking toolbox designed to track your sleep cycles and wake you the moment when getting up is easier than eve – during the light sleep cycle.
The app does require plenty of access permissions since it tracks your movements and sounds throughout the night, recording, storing, analyzing. As a result, you get a full picture of your sleep patterns, with graphs and charts, fall asleep suggestions and sleep deficit stats.
The app sports in-depth customization features that let you create personalized alarms and great soothing soundtracks when you fall asleep. So, besides smart alarm clock, SleepBot is also a sleep tracker and a lullaby to your dreams. Offering 10 awesome custom created soundtracks for smart wake-up, it will start waking you up gradually when the motion sensors detect movement during the light sleep phase, while stats will help you come up with a sleep schedule to regain your healthy sleeping habits. Besides, you can synchronize your settings in the cloud, and transfer them to your other devices. The app also has an Android version and both versions are recognized by the U.S. National Institute if Health and the National Academy of Engineering.
Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock
- By Northcube AB
- $0.99
Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock also adopts a scientific approach to normalizing your good night’s rest, using your device’s accelerometer to record and analyze your sleeping activity. As much as the above-mentioned SleepBot, Sleep Cycle wake you when its algorithm decides you entered the light sleep cycle, thus ensuring the waking up process is smooth and painless.
You set a 30 minute time gap when the app should wake you up, and when it determines the best moment based on your sleeping movement, it starts the waking up procedure. The smart alarm feature is complemented by the full tracking capabilities, so you can toy with records of your sleepy sounds and movement.
Sleep Cycle also generates detailed sleep statistics and graphs; offers 15 custom alarm melodies and the ability to select user-defined music file as an alarm ringtone; makes it possible to snooze by simply shaking the device or tapping. It can also run in the background, offer advice on healthy sleeping habits, and even measure your heart rate. Once you have generated enough sleep stats to analyze, you can export it to Excel file.
Nightstand Central
- By Thomas Huntington
- Free
Nightstand Central is a go-to nightstand clock replacement app. It turns your iPad, or iPhone, into a beautiful and highly functional nightstand alarm clock featuring awesome photos you can set as background for the clock, built-in weather information, and multiple customizable alarms.
You have a rich gallery of alarm sounds to choose from, as well as label your alarms and have them repeat as you like. However, if you should want to use your own music files as alarms, you will need to upgrade via in-app purchases. The same concerns the soothing lullaby feature designed to help you fall asleep, as well as the feature that would enable you to set your own images as a clock wallpaper.
The clock is aesthetically appealing, both smart and elegant, while the functionality makes this app an easy choice.
Its full version also offers the possibility to use your music podcasts and books as alarm tones, built-in flashlight, and the possibility to re-size and reposition the clock and the weather widget.
Night Stand HD 2
- By Spoonjuice LLC.
- ($2.99)
Night Stand HD 2 is a stylish and feature-rich app that can be a perfect clock app for the right user. Besides a multitude of clock designs, it features repeating alarms, a library of built-in sounds, the possibility to use your own music files, and an ‘aggressive alarm,’ which will throw mini challenges at you before you can turn off the alarm. Clock design deserves a standalone say, because the amazing futuristic and retro clock faces performed with Retina graphics are spectacular.
It’s a slick and beautiful app designed to turn waking up into a game – you accumulate points with every action you perform in the app, and as you proceed, you unlock new clock designs and other perks.
The default LCD clock sports green, pink, blue and violet color schemes, and scored a high rating on the iTunes store while the weather widget displays the current temperature and weather conditions. You can customize the snooze option, choose your own music files as alarm or sleep music, use the alarm when traveling since it supports multiple time zones and more.
Rise
- By Kellen Styler
- ($1.99)
Rise is a sophisticated minimalist alarm clock for the devotees of the simplicity and functionality. It is ingenious in its simplicity since it supports gesture controls – swipe to trigger or disable the alarm, or slide down to set the alarm. Gesture controls can also be configured for both right and left handed folks.
You can customize the app’s background, alarm sounds, set your own music as an alarm tone, or even tune in the sweet SleepTunes to put you to sleep. Surprisingly enough, the ability of creating multiple alarms is available via IAPs.
The UI is beautiful, while the features are smart and advanced enough to make it easily one of the best alarm clocks on iTunes. You can snooze the alarm by shaking the device, although this particular feature is available in iPhones only. The large clock features customizable background you can dim, or choose a live camera mode for a transparent background. The Asleep mode will help you fall asleep as you set its timer and add your favorite go-to-seep playlists.
The app is compatible with iOS 7 devices.
CARROT Alarm Clock
- By Grailr LLC
- ($1.99)
This app is by far unique in making the morning waking up torture a little bit fun, even though slightly sadistic. It makes your morning routine a game where you solve various mini challenges to make Carrot happy, so when you score enough points, it will unlock more songs and mini games. If you should use the snooze button too often, Carrot will get angry, and penalize you with highly annoying wake up noises and sarcastic comments.
Carrot Alarm Clock is different from other alarm apps that challenge you with math and puzzle games to ensure you are not dozing off after hitting that snooze button in a way that Carrot is witty and funny, yet aggressive. The UI is simple and intuitive, supporting gesture controls to set alarms while the wake up songs are accompanied by Carrot’s witty comments encouraging, bribing or threatening to do something nasty unless you get out of bed. Carrot (it’s a She, and she calls herself your Mistress) will reward you with more features, bedtime stories and songs as you complete her bizarre and hilarious chores.
Carrot Alarm Clock is a game, indeed, with unlockables, rewards, a fine sense of humor and iCloud sync feature.
