The Best Alarm Clock - 2021
We looked at the top 15 Alarm Clocks and dug through the reviews from 62 of the most popular review sites including and more. The result is a ranking of the best Alarm Clocks.
Why Trust The DWYM Score?
DWYM is focused on helping you make the best purchasing decision. Our team of experts spends hundreds of hours analyzing, testing, and researching products so you don't have to.Learn more.
Our Picks For The Top Alarm Clocks
- The Best Alarm Clock
- 1. USCCE LED Digital Alarm Clock
- 2. ROCAM 6.5-Inch LED Display Alarm Clock
- 3. RCA Digital Alarm Clock
- 4. LBell Colored Sunrise Simulation Alarm Clock
- 5. American Lifetime Premium Alarm Clock
- 6. iHome Bluetooth Color Changing Dual Alarm Clock
- 7. hOmeLabs Sunrise Simulation Alarm Clock
- 8. American Lifetime Digital Alarm Clock
- 9. Philips Wake-Up Light Alarm Clock
- 10. Sonic Alert Travel Alarm Clock
- 11. Sonic Alert Sonic Bomb Alarm Clock
- 12. Travelwey Home LED Digital Alarm Clock
- 13. Electrohome Projection Alarm Clock
- 14. Sony Radio Alarm Clock
- 15. Kkafu Wireless Bluetooth Alarm Clock
Easy to ReadThanks to the oversized numbers and bright LED backlight, this alarm clock can be read at a quick glance.
Battery Backup IncludedNot only does this alarm clock allow you to adjust the loudness of the alarm, but also the brightness of the screen.
Most Economical ClockTraditional is the best word to describe this alarm clock.
Wake Up GraduallyThis alarm clock allows sleepers to wake up gradually by slowly intensifying the light before sounding the alarm.
Why we recommend these alarm clocks?
Products Considered
Products Analyzed
Expert Reviews Included
User Opinions Analyzed
Our experts reviewed the top 15 Alarm Clocks and also dug through the reviews from 62 of the most popular review sites including and more. The result is a ranking of the best of the best Alarm Clocks.
DWYM is your trusted roduct review source. Our team reviews thousands of product reviews from the trusted top experts and combines them into one easy-to-understand score. Learn more.
The Best Overall
USCCE LED Digital Alarm Clock
Our Take
Although this alarm clock looks basic at first glance, it comes with plenty of choices. Users can go with either the 12 or 24 hour settings, as well as increase or decrease the brightness of the LCD screen. The unit even comes with a charging port for your phone.
The Best Bang For Your Buck
RCA Digital Alarm Clock
Our Take
This simple, easy-to-use alarm clock is also an economical choice. You can customize the brightness to keep your room dark while you sleep. You'll also get convenient buttons, including a wide snooze button that will be a big help during those groggy early waking moments.
What other experts liked
What other experts didn't like
Our Alarm Clock Findings
USCCE LED Digital Alarm Clock
What We Liked: Although this alarm clock looks basic at first glance, it comes with plenty of choices. Users can go with either the 12 or 24 hour settings, as well as increase or decrease the brightness of the LCD screen. The unit even comes with a charging port for your phone.
ROCAM 6.5-Inch LED Display Alarm Clock
What We Liked: You’ll find an oversized snooze button on the top of this alarm clock, which allows sleepers to get an additional 9 minutes of sleep before starting the day. The snooze button also doubles as a nightlight and comes with a choice of seven light colors. The additional battery backup means power outages won’t keep you from waking up for work on time.
RCA Digital Alarm Clock
What We Liked: This simple, easy-to-use alarm clock is also an economical choice. You can customize the brightness to keep your room dark while you sleep. You’ll also get convenient buttons, including a wide snooze button that will be a big help during those groggy early waking moments.
LBell Colored Sunrise Simulation Alarm Clock
What We Liked: Not only does this alarm clock give you seven different soothing sounds to wake up to each morning, but it also offers an FM radio setting. Once you select the sound, you can opt for the sunrise simulation that gradually increases the light in the room to wake you up slowly. As an added bonus, this unit also comes with a USB port for charging your phone or tablet.
American Lifetime Premium Alarm Clock
What We Liked: Designed for individuals with impaired vision, this alarm clock features an extra large digital screen that is easy to read. In fact, the screen lists the date, day of the week, time and whether it is morning or evening without any abbreviations and using big letters. There’s also a battery back-up in the event that you suffer a power outage during a storm.
Our Alarm Clock Buying Guide
Waking up is never easy, especially if you don’t get to do it on your own. Alarm clocks have been used for more than a century for pulling people out of a deep slumber, evolving in sophistication along the way. Many people today use a smartphone to wake up, but there are still benefits to an alarm clock. It frees you from the burden of having your smartphone next to you as you sleep, for one, while also giving you a wider range of options as to how you’ll be awoken.
If it’s been a while since you’ve gone alarm clock shopping, you may be surprised to hear about the many options now available. You can still get the standard digital alarm clock that lets you choose between disruptive beeps and other noises versus waking up to a local radio station. But there are also alarm clocks that sync to your phone, letting you wake up to music from your playlist.
There’s another option that you may have missed along the way. One alarm clock actually model uses light therapy techniques to wake you up gently and naturally. It simulates the natural light from the sunrise, working with your body’s circadian rhythms to gently nudge you awake. Even some digital clocks use changing colors as a wake-up technique to combine this new approach with traditional alarm clock design.
One thing to consider is the ease of use of your alarm clock. You’ll likely want a digital readout that you can decipher when you roll over in the middle of the night, but you also don’t want it to be so bright that it lights up your entire room. If you’ve ever struggled to set the time or change your wake-up alarm time, you likely know the importance of ease of use. It’s important to consider that feature when you’re shopping, especially if you wake up at different times every day.
DWYM Fun Fact
The need to wake up at a designated time predates alarm clocks. In ancient Greek and ancient Egypt, sundials and obelisks were used to tell time, but that didn’t help with the need to rise and shine. In ancient China, timers in the form of candle clocks were used for the purpose. A candle clock combined wax and nails, with the nails hitting a metal plate once the wax melted beyond a certain point. The noise served to wake up nearby sleepers. In 725, an engineer in China came up with something known as the “water clock,” which used a water wheel and gears to set off gongs at specific times.
The Alarm Clock Tips and Advice
- For visually challenged consumers, there are alarm clock models that not only have a display that is easy to read, but they also give you details you can use after waking up, including the day of the week and whether it’s morning, afternoon, night or evening. If you want to use the alarm clock for reminders, certain models even offers an alert that reminds you when it’s time to take your medicine. The information on the screens of these models are also clear from every angle.
- If you’re looking for something simple and straightforward, consider the RCA Digital Alarm Clock, which is small but features the numbers prominently enough for you to make them out even in your sleepiest state.
- Brightness preferences can vary dramatically from one person to the next. The RCA Digital Alarm Clock has a high/low brightness control that lets you find exactly the level of light you want your clock to put out. Other models also have that feature, but the minimum brightness still may put out too much light for some.
- There’s an alarm clock for every budget, from the RCA Digital Alarm Clock, which is super affordable, to the ROCAM 6.5-Inch LED Display Alarm Clock and the USCCE LED Digital Alarm Clock, which retail for a bit higher.
- Simple designs also mean easier operation. The RCA Digital Alarm Clock has easy-to-use buttons and a full-width snooze button for those mornings when you just can’t get going. The only downside to this alarm is that the minute and hour buttons go in only one direction, so you’ll often find you have to run the full cycle to get to the desired time.
- Although it may seem complicated, setting most alarm clocks is surprisingly easy. You simply choose the wake-up time, and if included, select from one of five wake-up sounds. Some models also allow you to customize the light to the intensity that works best for you. If your model has a simulated sunrise, for example, thirty minutes before your scheduled wake-up time, the simulated sunrise would begin, reaching full intensity at the end of that time period.
- Morning isn’t the only time your alarm clock will help you. Use models with a light as a bedside lamp to read at bedtime each night. As it gets closer to your preferred bedtime, you can dim the light slowly to gradually ease you into a peaceful night’s sleep.
- The LBell Colored Sunrise Simulation Alarm Clock has a unique round design with seven different light-emitting colors that you can change at the touch of a button. In a dimly lit room, the chosen color can set a mood.
- If you want to be able to wake up to FM radio, you’ll want the LBell Colored Sunrise Simulation Alarm Clock. The LBell Colored Sunrise Simulation Alarm Clock has the best sound, as well as a strong FM reception.
- If you want to wake up to your own music, look for a model with Bluetooth connectivity. This will allow you to stream music from your smartphone.
- If the power dies overnight, what will happen to your alarm the following morning? With a battery backup, you’ll be covered no matter what. The RCA Digital Alarm Clock and LBell Colored Sunrise Simulation Alarm Clock both have battery backups. Many of these clocks backup for up to eight hours after a power failure. The RCA Digital Alarm Clock’s backup uses a 9-volt battery that isn’t included.
About The Author
Stephanie Faris is a former information technology professional who spent most of her career working with computers and printers. Now a novelist and professional writer, her writings on electronics have been published on top tech sites. When she isn't writing about technology, she's often checking out the latest news on the upcoming iPhone release.