The Best Alarm Clocks of 2026

When we tested the Loftie, we expected it would be too good to be true.

The very first morning, I opened my eyes and thought to myself that this is what waking up should be. It wasn't more than a minute or two before my phone was in hand, and I was researching how to procure my own Loftie. (We don't keep products we test, and I didn't want to even think about a morning without the device.)

The clock stands out for its attention to detail, smooth and intuitive interface, great design, and, of course, the phenomenal experience of waking up with it. The alarm wakes you up with two components. It starts with soft music to gently rouse you. Then, just shy of 10 minutes later, the "get-up tone" goes off.

It's also a calming and soothing experience, with a repetitive note that's designed to get your attention. There are several options for both of these alarms, and you can choose them directly on the device or through a mobile app that's connected through a Bluetooth speaker.

The Loftie alarm has a tremendous volume range, and because the alarm tones aren't blaring beeps, even at the loudest alarm setting it isn't a painful experience. (Don't get me wrong; at the highest setting, it's still loud.)

The alarm has a bunch of extra features, too, that make it more worth the money, including a selection of white noise tracks, meditations, and bedtime stories. The company periodically adds new tracks, and you'll be prompted to update the device through Wi-Fi when it does.

Finally, there's a subtle built-in light that can gently illuminate your nightstand if you find yourself waking up to go to the bathroom. You can even program it to come on to subtly cue that it's time to start your nighttime routine.

Read our full Loftie alarm clock review.

• Sound: Full-range 50mm speaker with 360-degree diffused sound
• Light: Warm white 2700K dimmable reading light with RGB
• Connectivity: 2.4GHz Wi-Fi (updates only), Bluetooth headphones
• Subscription: None

The Ambient Dreamie smart alarm clock replaces your phone on the nightstand without asking you to pay a monthly fee for the privilege. It bundles an alarm, sound machine, reading light, and sleep coach into a single unit, and every feature is unlocked out of the box.

Setup is genuinely plug-and-play. The Dreamie is corded, so there's no charging to manage, and its onboarding walks you through a custom bedtime routine in about five minutes. You can build that routine across four stages—Bedtime Cue, Wind Down, Noise Mask, and Back to Sleep—and swap between them with a swipe on the touchscreen. In our testing, that screen stayed easy to operate even half-asleep, whether we were switching routines or shutting off an alarm.

The audio is the standout. We were impressed by the 50mm speaker across the library of nature sounds—brown noise, thunder, wind, rain, and more—and it comfortably drowned out early-morning lawn mowers and garbage trucks. A sunrise light can ramp up ahead of your alarm, and we often woke to it before the alarm sounded, a far gentler start than a beep. Because it connects to Wi-Fi only for software and content updates, there's no phone tether tempting you back into a scroll.

It isn't cheap: at $249, it runs about $100 more than a Hatch or Loftie, and the light is closer to a nightlight than a lamp—dim enough that we couldn't read a paperback by it. But with no subscription, the Dreamie costs less over time than the $4.99/month Hatch+ or $9.99/month Loftie plans, and a 30-night sleep trial plus a one-year limited warranty take the risk out of trying it. If you want the best smart alarm clock for breaking a bedtime phone habit, this is it.

Read our full Dreamie smart alarm clock review.

For the coolest alarm clock that can do it all, you can't beat the LittleHippo Mella. This is the clock that can take you from the toddler years through the big kid years and will likely only be retired once your teenager deems it no longer cool.

Aside from its cuteness quotient, the Mella has a lot going for it. It works as both an "OK to wake clock" and a traditional alarm clock, it has a built-in night light and white noise machine, and it was simple to set and easy to hit the snooze button.

While it can be tempting to buy a kids' clock that serves just one purpose—either to help them wake up or keep them in bed, depending on the sleep issue you're facing—having a multifunctional clock like the Mella is far more practical in the long run.

One of the biggest reasons the Mella impressed us is because it is the only kids' alarm clock we tested that was consistently loud enough to wake kids who are heavy sleepers. This alarm's sound wasn't significantly louder than the other alarms, but something about the tone made it the best choice for waking kids up and getting them out of bed in time for an early school drop-off.