We make Mornio. So take our opinion for what it is, and check the receipts. Every competitor fact below is taken from that app’s own App Store listing or documentation, checked on 21 July 2026, and linked at the bottom of this page. We say plainly where other apps beat Mornio, because a comparison you can’t trust is worth nothing to you.
Short answer
Kiwake's idea was excellent: photograph an object far from your bed, complete a mini-game, then read your goals. Its App Store listing, however, shows version 3.2.1 released 17 April 2021, which is roughly five years without a published update.
No single current app reproduces all three steps. Alarmy's Photo Mission is the closest match to step one and runs on iOS 17. Mornio reproduces the spirit of the multi-stage flow with a scan plus a follow-up check. Nothing mainstream does the goals step.
If you want the multi-step wake-up
The idea of several steps is sound. What matters is whether the last one holds. Scan to stop. Then it checks you stayed up. Three completed wake-ups are free, then Pro.
If you are searching for a Kiwake alternative, you probably already know why. The app still installs, but it has not had a published update in roughly five years, across many major iOS releases.
We are not going to declare it abandoned, because we cannot know the developer's plans. What we can tell you is the date on the listing, and that for an alarm specifically, that date is a risk worth taking seriously. An unmaintained photo editor is an inconvenience. An unmaintained alarm is a missed flight.
What Kiwake got right, step by step
Its three-stage design is still the most thoughtful thing in this category, so the useful way to replace it is one step at a time.
Step 1: body wake-up
Photograph an object far from your bed
A location-anchored mission, and the reason Kiwake worked. Closest replacements:
Alarmy's Photo Mission is a direct equivalent: you photograph a specific place in your home and must return to it. iOS 17 and later, roughly 240,000 US ratings. This is the nearest thing to Kiwake step one that is actively maintained.
Mornio's Wake Check achieves the same result differently: you register a QR code or household barcode once and scan that exact code to dismiss. Setting up takes a minute; after that there is no framing or lighting to get right, which is the practical advantage over a photo mission. Requires iOS 26.1.
SuperAlarm offers both barcode and object scanning, on iOS 17 and later.
Step 2: brain wake-up
A mini-game requiring full attention
Alarmy and SuperAlarm both offer maths and memory missions, which is the same idea.
Mornio only partly covers this. It has a Math and a Type mission, but no mini-game, and a mission replaces the scan rather than adding a stage after it.
Worth knowing: cognitive missions are the weakest kind. A drowsy brain pattern-matches familiar puzzles well and often completes them with no memory. Kiwake's sequencing was smart precisely because the mini-game came after you were already standing across the room.
Step 3: motivation wake-up
Read your main goals
Honestly, nothing mainstream does this, and we are not going to invent an equivalent. Mornio has no goals feature and none is planned.
The nearest thing in spirit is Erly's streaks and daily accountability check-in, which supplies motivation on a longer timescale, on iOS 17.6 and later. Otherwise a note on the bathroom mirror does the job for nothing, which is roughly what Kiwake was digitising.
The reliability point
Whatever you switch to, this is the thing Kiwake now lacks and the reason to move. Since iOS 26, apps can use Apple's AlarmKit to schedule real system alarms that sound through Silent mode and Focus. Kiwake supports iOS 12 and predates that framework by years, so it cannot rely on it.
If you stay on Kiwake, test it deliberately: set an alarm two minutes out, enable a Focus, lock the phone, and confirm it fires. Then restart your iPhone and test again. And do not use it alone for a morning that genuinely matters.
Compared
Kiwake alternatives, from App Store listings on 21 July 2026.
Kiwake
Mornio
Alarmy
SuperAlarm
Last published version
3.2.1, 17 April 2021
2026
Current
Current
Photo or scan mission
Photo
Scan
Photo, QR, barcode
Barcode, object
Mini-game stage
Yes
No
Maths, memory
Maths, memory
Goals stage
Yes
No
No
No
Check after you dismiss
No
Yes, then restarts
Premium
Wake up check
Minimum iOS
12.0
26.1
17.0
17.0
Price
$1.99/mo or $14.99/yr
$7.99/mo or $29.99/yr
Free with ads
From $14.99/yr
Kiwake is cheaper than Mornio and supports far older iPhones. Those are real advantages, and the maintenance date is the reason to weigh against them.
Which alternative fits?
You valued the photo step most
Alarmy's Photo Mission. Closest direct match, actively maintained, iOS 17+.
You valued the multi-stage flow
Mornio, which pairs a scan with a follow-up check minutes later. Needs iOS 26.1.
You valued the mini-game
Alarmy or SuperAlarm. Mornio has Math and Type missions but no mini-game.
You valued the goals step
Nothing replaces it. Erly's streaks are the nearest in spirit, or a note on the mirror.
Your iPhone is too old for anything else
Kiwake still installs on iOS 12. Test it hard and add an independent backup alarm.
The same idea, kept current
A location-anchored mission and a follow-up check, actively maintained. Three wake-ups free.
Its App Store listing showed version 3.2.1, released 17 April 2021, when we checked on 21 July 2026. That is roughly five years without a published update, spanning many major iOS releases. We cannot say what the developer intends, but for an alarm app specifically we would treat it as unmaintained for planning purposes.
What app is most like Kiwake?
No current app reproduces all three steps. Alarmy's Photo Mission is the closest match to Kiwake's first step, photographing an object away from your bed, and it is actively maintained on iOS 17 and later. Mornio reproduces the multi-stage idea with a scan to dismiss plus a stay-awake check afterwards, but has no mini-game and no goals step.
Is there an alarm app that makes you read your goals?
Not among the mainstream options we checked. Kiwake's third step has no direct equivalent in Alarmy, SuperAlarm or Mornio. Erly's streaks and daily check-in provide motivation on a longer timescale, and a written note where your alarm mission takes you does the same job for free.
Should I keep using Kiwake?
Only with caution, and not alone for a morning that matters. It still installs and supports iOS 12, which is more than any current app offers, and it is cheaper than most. But an alarm that has not been updated across five years of iOS releases carries real risk. If you keep it, test it after every iOS update and pair it with an independent backup alarm.
Sources
Kiwake: smart alarm clock, Kiwake inc. App Store listing (three-step wake-up flow, pricing, compatibility, and the version 3.2.1 update date of 17 April 2021).
Alarmy - Loud Alarm Clock, Delight Room Co., Ltd. App Store listing (price, ratings, compatibility, mission list and App Privacy labels).
SuperAlarm - Loud Alarm Clock, Jiseop Han. App Store listing (mission list, pricing tiers, compatibility and App Privacy labels).
Erly: Wake Up Early, Glacier Labs LLC. App Store listing (compatibility, feature description and App Privacy labels).
Apple, AlarmKit framework documentation, and Apple’s WWDC25 session “Wake up to the AlarmKit API”, on the iOS 26 framework that lets third-party alarms sound through Silent mode and Focus.
App Store details change without notice. Everything above was checked on 21 July 2026 — if you spot something out of date, tell us at support@mornioapp.com and we’ll correct it. Written and published by the Mornio team. Last reviewed 21 July 2026.