The 5 best sunrise alarm clocks for a gentler wake-up in 2024

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A blaring alarm clock in the morning can be a jarring way to start the day, leaving you startled and disoriented. To help you wake up peacefully and start the day in a better mood, we tested the top sunrise alarm clocks that mimic a natural sunrise with soft orange and yellow LED lights. These devices help reduce sleep inertia — that groggy, disoriented feeling that comes with abrupt awakenings — by offering a gentler, more gradual wake-up experience.

After consulting with experts, we've narrowed down the best options. Our top pick is the Philips SmartSleep Wake-up Light, for its high-quality, customizable features, simplicity, and stunning sunrise simulation. For a budget-friendly option, we recommend the Dekala sunrise alarm clock, which offers all the essential features of an effective sunrise alarm clock in a compact design and affordable price.

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Our top picks of the best wake-up alarm clocks

Best overall: Philips SmartSleep Wake-Up Light - See at Amazon

Best budget: Dekala Sunrise Alarm Clock Classic Version - See at Amazon

Best for personalization: Hatch Restore 2 - See at Hatch

Best for kids: Hatch Rest+ (2nd Gen) - See at Hatch

Best portable: Casper Glow Light - See at Amazon

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Best overall

The Philips SmartSleep Wake-up Light is our top pick for its simplicity, ease of use, and high-quality design. Despite being completely manual, it stands out with impressive colored sunrise and sunset simulations. With 20 adjustable light intensities and a selection of five natural wake-up sounds, including "Nepal bowls," "birds," and "ocean waves," it offers a customizable wake-up experience. You can even opt for your favorite FM radio station for a more personalized start to the day.

One of my favorite features is the automatic dimming display, which adjusts as the room gets darker, which is great for cocooning yourself in total darkness. The gradual sunrise simulation transformed my mornings, brightening over 30 minutes until it completely flooded the room with beautiful, warm, rich orange and yellow hues. The snooze function is particularly convenient — just a light tap anywhere on the device gives you an extra nine minutes of rest.

During testing, I woke up on time and felt refreshed every morning. This device is not only an effective sunrise alarm clock but also a great bedside lamp, with a great FM radio and sound quality.

Overall, the Phillips SmartSleep Wake-up Light has earned its place as our top pick with its smooth, spherical shape that beautifully mimics a natural sunrise. Its simplicity, functionality, and high-quality build make it ideal for anyone seeking a more natural and enjoyable wake-up experience.

Read our full Philips SmartSleep Wake-Up Light review.

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Best budget

For those looking for a budget-friendly option that still delivers a gentle and gradual wake-up experience, we recommend the Dekala sunrise alarm clock. The no-WiFi classic model may be the simplest version available, but it's packed with useful features, including eight wake-up sounds, multiple light colors and dimming options, a USB port for charging your phone, a snooze button, an FM radio, and dual-alarm functionality. Dekala also offers more sophisticated and affordable designs with upgrades like WiFi connectivity, Bluetooth speakers, and wireless charging.

This Dekala is built with eight buttons and a dial along the top rim. A short manual was included, but I personally found the setup quick and intuitive. The brightness level is impressive for its price point, with intensely vibrant light options that can be dimmed to create a cozy ambient atmosphere.

Although the sound quality isn't perfect on this device, as it is a more basic model, this sunrise alarm clock is highly customizable. Some users may find the number of buttons overwhelming; however, the buttons are labeled with intuitive icons that indicate their function, like volume control and FM radio, which makes them easier to operate.

The Dekala sunrise alarm clock has a compact and sleek design that fits perfectly on my bedside table without taking up too much space—plus, it looks great! During testing, it reliably woke me up on time. Despite its basic features, the Dekala offers great value for anyone searching for a straightforward and effective sunrise alarm clock without spending a fortune.

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Best for personalization

The Hatch Restore 2 is a super customizable sunrise alarm clock with many light and sound options, and it's controlled with an accompanying app(iOS and Android).

In addition to setting up and programming with the app, it features "sleep" and "rise" buttons to start the programs you set up in the app or a short press of either button to snooze. Hold down the button, and it shuts the routine off.

While the original Restore had a single speaker, this latest version has three, helping fill out the sleep and wake sounds. The entire front is covered in a linen fabric, available in three colors (brown, cream, and gray), giving the Restore 2 a more refined look and helping diffuse the light. The half-oval shape mimics a sun rising over the horizon. 

In the app, you'll find sleep sounds ranging from pink noise to owl calls. You can set the duration and volume or have it run until you tap the clock's button. If you prefer to fall asleep to waves but want constant white noise while you sleep, you can set that up, too. You can choose from 13 wake-up sounds and pick a lighting color and brightness level. You can select the alarm duration and when you want to set the device to start gradually brightening. 

You can get a fair amount of functionality from the clock without the subscription ($49.99 yearly or $4.99 monthly). But the unwind programs, which include meditations, music, and stories, aren't available unless you subscribe.

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Best for kids

For parents looking to teach their kids healthy sleep habits with a sunrise alarm clock, we recommend the Hatch Rest+ 2nd Gen, which is specifically designed with babies, toddlers, and kids in mind — although it works wonderfully for adults too!

The device includes over 18 free soothing sounds, like "Calm Sea" and "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," with great sound quality. It also features nine gentle light colors and customizable programs for winding down, bedtime, and waking up. Everything can be easily controlled through the Hatch app, making it super convenient.

The Hatch Rest+ doubles as a portable nightlight. The device itself features three handy buttons for controlling the nightlight, adjusting brightness, and managing volume. This device is truly kid-friendly, with a toddler lock to prevent your child from messing with the settings. It comes with a charging base and a battery that lasts up to 8 hours, ensuring it runs smoothly throughout the night.

With fully customizable light and sound options, it's a fantastic choice for children and adults. Its simple, sleek design is compact enough to sit on your bedside table without taking up too much space. That said, to access the full library of sounds, lights, and other features, you'll need a Hatch+ subscription for $4.99 a month. While WiFi is required for initial setup and adjustments, the saved bedtime routines will continue to run without a WiFi connection.

Overall, the Hatch Rest+ is an excellent choice for parents who want to instill healthy sleep habits in their children from an early age. Its gentle, gradual sunrise alarm creates a smoother, more peaceful wake-up experience, making mornings easier and more pleasant for kids and parents.

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Best portable

The Casper Glow Light is a small, portable cylinder that you control with just a few gestures: flip to turn on, rotate to adjust the light intensity, and wiggle to turn on the night light. The device is softly lit and smartly designed with gentle, warm hues for a better sleep experience.

The light charges wirelessly and pairs with an intuitive app (available for iOS and Android). While you can operate the light without it, the app is a must to set wake-up and wind-down times, which cue a sunset or sunrise that can last from 15 to 90 minutes.

One of the unique features of the Glow Light is that it synchronizes with other Glow Lights to make pretty light shows. Once you have more than one, you can name each and group or ungroup them through the app. I used two lights together and found they set a tranquil ambiance.

This alarm clock can also be used as a portable night light. This feature is useful when you want to find your way at night without bright lights. It was fun to carry around when I needed a glass of water in the dark. It's made with polycarbonate to resist bumps and endure falls, so it's also great for kids to use. 

Falling asleep with the Glow Lights was a treat. The soft, warm lights create a peaceful sleep environment, gradually dim to slowly relax you, and then turn completely off for total darkness. The Casper Glow Lights are made with high-quality warm LEDs that were effective in waking me up gently.

However, the device focuses solely on effective light therapy, and unlike other models we tested, there are no sound options. It might not be ideal for heavy sleepers who need noise to wake up; you'll still need to set a separate, audible alarm. A single light costs about $100.

Read our full Casper Glow Light review.

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What to look for in sunrise alarm clocks

When looking for a sunrise alarm clock, certain features might impact the model you buy. 

Setup and ease of use: Setting up an alarm clock should be quick and intuitive. You should also be able to change the clock easily and adjust the volume and brightness without pulling out your phone. The snooze button should be large and easy to find. Also, most people don't want to have to remember to turn on their alarm clock every day, so we don't recommend the Lumie Bodyclock Shine 300, which also had many confusing buttons and was just a clunky experience, overall.

Size: Since most people keep alarm clocks on their bedside tables, they shouldn't be overly large. But the display should still be clear and large. 

Light and sound options: Sunrise alarm clocks often use a combination of light and sound to help wake you up. There should be multiple options for sound and brightness that you can select on the device. If you use a white noise sound machine to fall asleep, you might consider an alarm with fall-asleep routines incorporating sleep sounds. 

Alarms: You should be able to set multiple alarms. Turning off the alarm should be simple, so you don't need to hunt around for a button or switch first thing in the morning. Consider our guide's best silent alarm clocks if you don't want to disturb your partner. 

Battery backup: If your power goes out in the middle of the night, an alarm with a backup battery or the ability to stay on for a few hours without power can save you from being late.

Smart features: Accompanying apps should enhance the alarm's use, but it should not have to rely on WiFi connectivity to work. 

Durability: Most people probably need an alarm clock to withstand the occasional knock off the nightstand.  

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How we tested sunrise alarm clocks

As a certified sleep science consultant with extensive experience in both sleep research and product testing, I conducted hands-on evaluations of 11 different sunrise alarm clocks. In addition to my expertise, we consulted with sleep experts Dr. Alex Dimitriu, founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine, Dr. Chris Winter of Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine, and said Kelly Waters, MD, a sleep specialist at Spectrum Health. Over five consecutive nights with each device, we thoroughly assessed the following key factors:

Sleep quality testing: I personally slept with each device for five consecutive nights, noting factors such as how smoothly the sunrise alarm clock woke me up, how gentle and gradual the light felt, and whether the device woke me up on time. I also noted whether I experienced any sleep inertia and how refreshed I felt in the morning with each device.

User-friendliness: I took notes on how easy or difficult the setup was, how intuitive the device was to use, whether it worked with an app or manually, and which devices included easy-to-follow instructions.

Brightness options: I tested the range of brightness settings on each device, noting light intensity and brightness levels, as well as how well the gradual lights performed.

Sound options: I evaluated the sound quality based on how soothing or jarring it was, noted the available sound options, and evaluated whether they were gentle enough to avoid abrupt awakenings.

Dimmable Display: I checked whether the clock's display could be dimmed but also turned off completely for total darkness. This is important because even the smallest amount of light can interfere with sleep quality.

Backup Power: To ensure that the alarm clock would function in the event of a power outage, I checked to see which devices included backup batteries.

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Sunrise alarm clock FAQs

Is waking up to light good for you?

"Sudden awakenings can lead to sudden changes in cortisol and other neurotransmitters that could cause problems," Dr. W. Chris Winter said. "Waking up with a gradual increase in wake-promoting light makes a lot of sense."

These clocks may help regulate cortisol and melatonin production, two important hormones for controlling sleep/wake cycles. The lights' "wake-up" cycles encourage the production of cortisol in the morning by simulating a natural and gradual sunrise.

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Is a wake-up light alarm clock worth it?

Sunrise alarms are pricey compared to traditional alarm clocks and phone apps. However, if you are groggy most mornings, it might help you wake up more gradually.

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Is it better to wake up to sound or light?

This depends on your needs. Sleep mask wearers may not respond to light cues, while others have trained themselves to ignore the sounds of their alarm. Many sunrise alarms use both to "help better prepare the body to wake up more gently with less startle," Dr. Alex Dimitriu said.

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Do sunrise alarm clocks work?

Light-based alarms may not work for everyone, said Kelly Waters, MD. "If someone is sleep deprived or catching up on sleep or a deep sleeper, this may not be sufficient to wake them," she said.

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How does a sunrise alarm clock compare to a traditional alarm?

The key difference is that sunrise alarm clocks use gentle light and sound to help you wake up before resorting to the loud noises typical of a standard alarm clock.

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What is sleep inertia?

Sleep inertia is that drowsy feeling that occurs after you wake up. "Gradual alarms (sound or light) are excellent solutions to wake people gradually," said Dimitriu, since these softer alarms offer a gentler, more natural wake-up experience.