If you’re like us, you struggle to get out of bed in the morning. Hey, it’s cool. This is a judgment-free zone. There are plenty of tricks you could try like putting your alarm clock across the room so you need to get up and get your phone. Maybe you could construct a Rube Goldberg device to drop some cold water on you. Thankfully, there is technology to help us. Personally, I’ve switched over to a real-life, physical alarm clock so I don’t wake up staring at my phone. But, there are plenty of helpful and ingenious apps that make waking up easy. So, with Daylight Savings just around the corner, we’ve rounded up some of the best alarm apps to get you up and out of bed.
Walk Up Alarm Clock
The concept for this app is positively ingenious. Imagine an alarm that blares at you until you get out of bed and literally walk around. You can’t mute it, you can’t snooze it, you can’t pause it—if you don’t get your lazy, tired ass out of bed and move, it’ll just keep going. So hit your steps for the morning and shut off your alarm. Android
Alarmy
Billed as “the world’s most annoying alarm app,” Alarmy is another app that literally forces you out of bed. The alarm is loud, obnoxious, and very annoying. Best of all, it can only be turned off when you take a photo of something specific (like your downstairs coffeepot, your shower head, your toothbrush, etc.). If you never want to sleep through your alarm again, Alarmy is perfect. iOS | Android
Loud Alarm Clock
This app does exactly what it says it does. No gimmicks. No puzzles. No tricks. Just an annoying, blaring, loud alarm clock. Featuring sounds like police sirens or car alarms. There’s no way you’re sleeping through this. Plus, the app includes a randomizer so you won’t get too accustomed to the same sounds. If you have roommates or thin walls, you might want to warn your neighbors before downloading this one. iOS | Android
Rise
When it comes to great alarm clock apps, perhaps none are discussed quite as often as Rise. We’ve even featured it before. A timeless app that’s done its job for years, Rise makes it easy to set alarms, and includes easy progressive alarms, alarms with your own unique sounds/songs, etc. It won’t physically get you out of bed in the morning, but it makes an often painful process a lot easier. iOS
Loftie
This is cheating just a little bit because the app only works with the physical Loftie alarm clock, but we wanted to shout out one of the best pieces of “wake up” tech out there. Loftie is a smart alarm clock so you can set your alarms right from your phone. Create your ideal sleep schedule with unique alarms for different days. Plus, Loftie’s ingenious 2-step wake-up process makes getting up in the morning relaxing. The first alarm gently eases you out of sleep while a second louder alarm will follow if you snooze or sleep through the first. iOS | Android
Rocket Alarm
Most alarm clocks promise aggressive, bombastic sounds to kick you out of bed in the morning. But Rocket Alarm is different. This app challenges you to complete a different minigame every morning to turn off the alarm. You might need to solve a math problem or a puzzle. Or, you’ll have to blow in the microphone. This interactive app is a brilliant way to get the morning started and force yourself out of that sleepytime haze. iOS
SpinMe Alarm Clock
This app does literally exactly what you think it does—and it’s a total pain in the ass. Essentially, you set an alarm, and when it goes off, the only way it’ll turn off is if you physically get out of bed and start spinning around until it decides you’re awake enough—or you smash your phone against the wall. Either way, you won’t be sleeping through this alarm. iOS | Android
I Can’t Wake Up!
Another brilliantly designed wakeup app, I Can’t Wake Up! is designed to ensure that you’ll get up no matter what. Using small chores or cognitive tasks like solving math, testing memory, rewriting phrases, associating word pairs, repetition, and even barcode scanning, I Can’t Wake Up! not only stirs you from sleep, but forces you awake in a way that makes going back to sleep nearly impossible. Android
Wake N Shake
The Wake N Shake app is nothing short of merciless. The app is beautifully designed, but aside from that, it’s awful—in the most necessary way. The app basically allows users to set an alarm, and then bombards them with an obnoxiously loud noise. You can’t snooze, you can’t lower your volume; the only thing you can do is shake the hell out of your phone. And we aren’t talking little baby shakes; we’re talking rigorous, actual shaking. The kind of shaking that’ll knock the fairy dust right out from behind your eye sockets. Burn some calories and get out of bed. iOS
Sunrise
Looking for an alarm app that’s a bit gentler but still effective? The Sunrise alarm clock gets you up with the sun for a soothing morning wakeup. It’s a simple, elegant app that turns on an alarm with one button. Simply click “on” and your alarm will get you up 15 minutes before sunrise. It’s the perfect alarm app for morning people or those who want to get a beautiful view of the sunrise. iOS
