The most useful thing you can know before installing an alarm app is what happens after you answer the onboarding questions. Some apps hand you a working alarm. Others hand you a price list. The App Store label says “Free” either way.
What each app gives you without paying
| App | Can you set a working alarm free? | Free trial | Ads on the free tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Clock | Yes, everything is free | Not applicable | None |
| Mornio | Yes, one protected alarm with a Wake Check | 3 Protected Mornings, no card | None |
| Nuj | Yes, the app is free | Not applicable | No ad indicator |
| Alarmy | Yes, listing states free features include the alarm clock | 7-day trial stated | “Contains Advertising” |
| SuperAlarm | Free with ads; free-tier limits not itemised | Not stated | Sells ad removal $2.99/mo |
| Alarm Scan | Free with ads | Not stated | Sells ad removal $1.49/mo |
| Erly | Reviews report a paywall after onboarding; limits not itemised | Not stated | No ad indicator |
| Wayk | No. Listing states a subscription is required | Not stated | No ad indicator |
| Sleep Cycle | Free with in-app purchases; limits not itemised | Not stated | No ad indicator |
| Kiwake | Free with premium at $1.99/mo | Not stated | No ad indicator |
Most listings do not itemise exactly what a free tier includes, so “not itemised” means the App Store page does not say. We are reporting what is published, not testing every free tier ourselves.
The one that says it outright
Credit to Wayk for being explicit where most apps are vague. Its App Store description carries a heading reading “SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED” and states: “After you complete the short setup questions, an active Wayk Pro subscription is required to set alarms and use missions.”
That is not a criticism. It is a legitimate model, its ratings are strong, and telling you before you download is better behaviour than discovering it at the end of an onboarding flow. Just know what you are choosing: listed pricing was $9.99 monthly, with yearly tiers from $19.99 to $59.99.
The pattern to watch for
The uncomfortable one is the long onboarding questionnaire ending at a price list. It works commercially because you have invested effort by the time you reach it. A recurring theme in Erly's public reviews is frustration at exactly this.
We should be straight that Mornio does something in the same family: new users get three Protected Mornings with the full Pro experience, and after that the stay-awake check needs Pro. The differences we would point to are that there is no questionnaire before your first alarm, no card is required for the trial, and the free tier afterwards still sets a real protected alarm with a Wake Check rather than nothing. Judge that for yourself.
Free tiers worth taking seriously
Apple Clock
Entirely free, no tier, no trial, no ads, no privacy label. Rings through Silent mode and Focus, survives restarts, and since iOS 26 supports a custom snooze duration from 1 to 15 minutes per alarm. Set it to one minute and put the phone across the room and you have a genuinely decent setup for nothing. It has no mission and no follow-up check, which is the only reason to go further.
Nuj Alarm Clock
The app is free and its listing showed no in-app purchases. The money is the penalty you set for yourself, so your cost depends entirely on how often you fail. It requires payment details, and its label lists financial info linked to you. For someone who reliably gets up, it can cost nothing at all.
Alarmy
Its description states “Free features: alarm clock, sleep tracker, sleep sounds etc.” and that a 7-day free trial is provided. That is a more generous free offering than most of this list, and it runs on iOS 16. The trade is that the listing carries Apple's “Contains Advertising” note, so the free tier is paid for with ads and with Location, Device ID and Advertising Data used for third-party advertising.
How to test any app without paying
- Install and try to set one alarm immediately. If you cannot get to a working alarm without a card, you have your answer in two minutes.
- Test the mission on a morning that does not matter, ideally a weekend, before you rely on it.
- Check Settings for the subscription if you start a trial, and set a calendar reminder two days before it renews.
- Judge the free tier, not the trial. The trial always feels good. What matters is what you keep on day eight.