This is the comparison people actually search for, so let us be straight about the asymmetry. Alarmy has been refining this category since 2016 and is the default recommendation almost everywhere. Mornio launched in 2026 and does one thing. Pretending otherwise would waste your time.
The one-line version
Alarmy is a complete wake-up platform: many mission types, sleep tracking, sleep sounds, statistics. Mornio is a single protected-morning flow: scan a code to dismiss, then get checked again a few minutes later.
The right question is not which app has more. It is which failure you are trying to fix.
Side by side
| Mornio | Alarmy | |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | Mornio | Delight Room Co., Ltd. |
| Minimum iOS | 26.1 | 16.0 |
| Other platforms | iPhone only | iPhone and iPad |
| App size | 6.9 MB | 233.4 MB |
| Ratings | New app, small review base | 4.8 stars, about 240K US ratings |
| Dismissal missions | QR or barcode scan only | Math, memory, shake, squats, photo, QR, voice |
| Follow-up check | Stay-awake check, then protection restarts | “Wake up check” (premium) |
| Backup alarm | Yes | Not stated on listing |
| Sleep tracking | None | Yes |
| Sleep sounds | None | Yes |
| Custom alarm tones | No, system tone only | Yes |
| Account required | No, none at all | Not stated on listing |
| Data used to track you | None declared | Location, Identifiers, Usage Data |
| Price | Free tier; Pro $7.99/mo or $29.99/yr | Free with in-app purchases |
| Category | Lifestyle | Lifestyle |
“Not stated on listing” means the App Store page does not mention it. We do not claim a feature is absent unless the developer says so.
Where Alarmy is clearly better
Reach, depth and track record
- It runs on far more iPhones. iOS 16 versus Mornio's 26.1. For a large share of readers this ends the comparison before it starts, and it is the single most important line in the table.
- Mission variety. Math, memory games, shaking, squats, a Photo Mission, QR codes and voice. Mornio has one mission. If scanning does not suit you, Mornio has no alternative to offer.
- The Photo Mission is excellent and Mornio has no equivalent. Photographing a specific place in your home is a genuinely strong location-anchored mission.
- Sleep tracking and sleep sounds are included. If you want your alarm and your sleep data in one place, Mornio simply does not compete.
- A decade of iteration and roughly 240,000 US ratings at 4.8 stars. For an app whose job is to work at 6 a.m., that history is worth real money. Mornio cannot match it and will not be able to for years.
- iPad support, which Mornio does not have.
- Custom alarm tones. Mornio uses the system tone only.
Where Mornio is better
Focus, privacy and the follow-up
- The follow-up check is the core product, not a premium extra. In Mornio, failing the stay-awake check restarts protection and the alarm returns. Alarmy's wake up check sits behind its premium tier.
- No account, and no Mornio server. Alarms, history and registered codes stay on your iPhone.
- Nothing declared under Data Used to Track You. Alarmy's own privacy label declares Location, Identifiers and Usage Data used to track you across other companies' apps and websites. An alarm clock tracking location is the part most people find surprising.
- Registered codes are stored as a salted one-way hash with a label you choose, never as a photo or a readable value.
- 6.9 MB against 233.4 MB. Mornio does less, and the download reflects it.
- No onboarding quiz. You set an alarm and register a code.
- Simple pricing. Two options, $7.99 monthly or $29.99 yearly. Alarmy's in-app purchase list runs to many tiers that are hard to compare at a glance.
Privacy, compared properly
This is the sharpest difference between the two apps, so it deserves more than a table row.
The App Store's Data Used to Track You section means data linked to third-party data for advertising, or shared with data brokers. As of 21 July 2026, Alarmy declares Location, Identifiers and Usage Data in that section. Mornio declares nothing there and requires no account.
Two honest caveats. First, these are developer declarations to Apple, not independent audits, and that applies to our label as much as theirs. Second, Alarmy collects more partly because it does more: sleep tracking genuinely needs data that an alarm does not. If you want those features, some collection is unavoidable, and choosing Alarmy with that knowledge is a perfectly reasonable decision.
Pricing as of 21 July 2026
Mornio has a free tier (one protected alarm with a Wake Check, the bedtime safety check, recent history) plus three free Protected Mornings that unlock everything with no card. Pro is $7.99 monthly or $29.99 yearly.
Alarmy is free with in-app purchases. Its listing shows a long set of tiers, from around $4.99 up to $69.99, covering different premium levels. Compare the specific tier you would actually buy rather than the headline number, and check current prices on the listing, since both apps' pricing can change and varies by region.
The reliability question
Mornio requires iOS 26.1 because it only ever schedules alarms through Apple's AlarmKit, the framework that lets a third-party app sound through Silent mode and Focus. We chose not to ship a notification-based fallback, since that is exactly the version a Focus mode can silence.
Alarmy supports iOS 16 and later, so for those users it necessarily uses an older mechanism. Whether it also adopts AlarmKit on iOS 26 is not stated on its listing, and we will not guess about another team's implementation. Whichever app you pick, test it: set an alarm two minutes out, turn on Silent mode, enable a Focus, lock the phone and wait.