Best free alarm clock app for Android and iPhone (2026)

The best free alarm clock app in 2026 is Beyond Alarm. It's free on Android and iPhone, it won't stop until you finish a wake-up mission, and it keeps the apps that drag you back to bed locked afterwards. The built-in clock is a fine backup, not a plan.

The short version:

• Beyond Alarm is the pick: 11 wake-up missions, a gentle volume rise, snooze limits and Morning lockout, all free with ads, on Android and iPhone.
• An alarm clock application earns its place by doing what the built-in clock can't: making you get up.
• Judge any clock and alarm app on four things: how you stop it, how it starts, what it does after, and what it costs.
• Free usually means ads. Check what's behind a paywall before you rely on it.

What makes a free alarm clock app worth installing

Every phone ships with a clock and alarm app, and it rings reliably. So the only reason to install another is that it fixes a problem the built-in one has. For most people that problem is one of three:

1. You stop it without waking up. One tap and it's gone.
2. It starts too harshly, and you lunge for it on reflex.
3. You get up, pick up your phone, and lose the next hour to it.

A good alarm clock app solves at least the first. The best one solves all three without charging for the part that matters.

The best free alarm clock apps, compared

Ratings and download counts are from each app's Google Play listing, and the "Contains ads" and "In-app purchases" labels shown there, on 13 November 2026.

1. Beyond Alarm: the best free alarm app

We built Beyond Alarm because the alarm going off was never the hard part. Getting out of bed was. So the alarm keeps ringing until a mission is done, and the missions that matter most are the ones you can't do lying down.

• Eleven wake-up missions. Push-ups, squats and jumping jacks are counted on the phone by pose detection. Walk it off counts steps. A photo of your morning spot, a household hunt and a code scan send you to another room. Maths, a memory game, typing and shaking wake your brain up.
• Up to five on one alarm. The first two are added straight away; each one after that unlocks with a short ad.
• Gentle wake-up. The volume rises over 15, 30, 45, 60 or 90 seconds, or starts at full if you prefer.
• Snooze your way. 1 to 30 minutes, limited to 1–10 snoozes, unlimited, or off.
• Morning lockout. After the mission, your chosen apps stay blocked for 15–60 minutes or a custom time.
• Wallpapers and a wake-up message. Photo, space, motivation and looping video screens, and a line of your own read aloud while it rings.

On Android, Beyond Alarm's ring has no time-out, and a Wake-up check can ring again if you don't confirm you're up. On iPhone, it uses Apple's AlarmKit. The app is available in English, Arabic, German, Spanish, French, Indonesian, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Turkish.

2. Alarmy

Alarmy lists 50M+ downloads and a 4.7-star rating from 2.2M reviews on Google Play. Its listing describes barcode, photo, maths, memory, typing, shake and squat missions, a Wake Up Check and a sleep tracker. It's on the App Store too, requiring iOS 17 or later. Our Alarmy vs Beyond Alarm comparison goes feature by feature.

Beyond Alarm

Beyond Alarm does this part for you: the alarm will not switch off until you have actually moved, and the apps you pick stay locked afterwards.

3. Alarm Clock Xtreme

Alarm Clock Xtreme lists 50M+ downloads and a 4.5-star rating. Its listing offers a slowly increasing volume, an extra-large snooze button, maths problems, a snooze limit and dismissal by button, volume keys, power key or shaking.

4. Sleep as Android

Sleep as Android lists 10M+ downloads and a 4.6-star rating. It's a sleep tracker first, with smart wake-up, gentle alarm sounds, a sunrise alarm and CAPTCHA tasks. Its listing offers 7 days of premium, then a free tier or an upgrade.

5. The clock app already on your phone

Google Clock and Samsung Clock on Android, and Clock on iPhone, are free and have no ads. They ring dependably and handle repeat days, labels and snooze. They stop with one tap, which is exactly the problem for anyone who turns the alarm off in their sleep. If you just need the steps, here's setting an alarm on Android.

Which free alarm app fits you

For heavy sleepers specifically, we've written a longer guide: the best free alarm app for heavy sleepers.

Before you trust any free alarm app

Test it once in daylight. Set an alarm two minutes out, lock the phone, and make sure it rings and the mission works where the phone will actually sit.

On Android, give the app unrestricted battery use; Beyond Alarm's Reliability screen walks you through it. On iPhone, allow alarms when the app asks. Then turn the built-in alarm off, so you're not relying on the one you can stop with a tap.

Sources

Checked on 13 November 2026.

• Beyond Alarm on Google Play · on the App Store
• Alarmy on Google Play · on the App Store
• Alarm Clock Xtreme · Sleep as Android