Best sunrise alarm clocks that help you wake up naturally, tried and tested

Best sunrise alarm clocks at a glance

Best overall – Dreamegg Sunrise 1 Sound Machine: £45, Amazon.co.uk

Best budget buy – Groov-e Wake-Up Light Alarm Clock: £33.49, Amazon.co.uk

Best for multi-functionality – Lumie Bodyclock Luxe 750DAB: £229, Lumie.com

Best sunset alarm clock – Philips SmartSleep Wake-up Light: £199.99, Boots.co.uk

Best for mood lighting – Hatch Restore 3: £149.99, Healf.com

Ellis Cochrane/The Standard

★★★★★

Best: Overall sunrise alarm clock

What we love: Easy to use, excellent sounds and light settings, dinky size, no need for an app

Take note: No sunset timer

With its dinky size, elegant linen finish, and impressive array of sleep-aid sounds, mood lighting, and adjustable sunlight settings, Dreamegg’s Sunrise 1 was an immediate favourite of mine. In fact, it is the one I still have on my bedside table to this day.

Helping me wake up gently and gradually, it includes nature sounds – gentle birdsong became my go-to each morning – while the sunlight mimicked a natural sunrise in a way that wasn’t too bright or jarring as I started to wake and open my eyes. Being able to dim or completely switch off the clock face also came in handy, especially if, like me, you prefer to sleep in as dark a room as possible.

It replaces often cumbersome apps with simple-to-follow buttons. While it doesn’t have a sunset timer, which dims as you start to drift off, it does have a general multi-timer, which can be used either before bed or to give yourself a few extra minutes in the mornings.

Ellis Cochrane/Groov-e

★★★★☆

Best: Budget sunrise alarm clock

What we love: Incredibly affordable, has an FM radio built in, nice selection of colours, sounds and brightness levels

Take note: Doesn’t come with a plug, feels quite plasticky, not as user-friendly

Just shy of £30, Groov-e’s Light Curve Wake-Up Light Alarm Clock with FM Radio is one of the most affordable sunrise alarm clocks. But it doesn’t scrimp on its settings. With 10 brightness levels, seven coloured LED options, an array of alarm tones and sound options, and FM radio, it packs a lot into a small package.

It does have a plasticky look and feel to it, particularly when it isn’t lit up. But as soon as you switch on one of the different light settings, it’s more aesthetically pleasing. It takes a little trial and error to get to grips with the exact buttons and settings, and I was also disappointed that it doesn’t come with a standard plug (it does come with a USB charging cable). I know most of us will have an adapter or USB converter plug to hand, but if you don’t, you will need to factor this and the additional cost in. The clock face remains illuminated, but it wasn’t bright enough to bother me.

Ellis Cochrane/Lumie

★★★★★

Best: Multi-functional sunrise alarm clock

What we love: Great for using during the day as well as at night, available in different colourways

Take note: One of the most expensive options, slightly bulky

Lumie is synonymous with sunrise alarm clocks. It has plenty of options to choose from, but the Bodyclock Luxe 750DAB most impressed me. Though expensive, it’s packed full of features and settings.

With DAB radio, Bluetooth and USB connectivity, you can use built-in alarm sounds or connect to your own sleep or relaxing playlists (think Spotify or Calm), with the speakers providing clear and undisturbed sound. This meant that I didn’t need to keep picking up my phone and looking at a screen, which has become a bit of a bedtime habit for me and prolonged how long it takes for me to fall asleep.

With its 15–90 minute sunrise/sunset duration, the clock is ideal for waking me up gradually, but it’s quickly become my go-to for listening to playlists, radio and even audiobooks.

I loved that you could choose from a few different colourways to match your existing interiors or style. The only negative, other than it being rather pricey, is that it did take some time to get used to all the buttons and settings, with some of them initially being a bit fiddly to use. But after a few times, this became second nature.

Ellis Cochrane/Philips

★★★★☆

Best: Sunrise and sunset alarm clock

What we love: 20 light intensities, fading sunset timer, spa-like sounds, FM radio

Take note: No coloured mood lighting, radio can sound a bit muffled

The Philips HF3531/01 SmartSleep Wake-up Light truly mimics the appearance of sunrise, taking you from a warmish red through to a bright yellowish white hue, with the ability to adjust it depending on your individual preference.

The fading sunset simulation and accompanying sounds – the majority of which made me feel like I was in a spa – were just as impressive and helped me get ready to relax and unwind each night. If you’re prone to getting up in the middle of the night but don’t want to switch on a light or your phone’s torch, the Midnight Light function comes in handy. Just tap the top of the device, and it emits a dim orange-ish light that didn’t wake me up fully.

But even though it uses orange light, unfortunately there is no coloured mood lighting. I also found that even though the radio connected with no issues and could be operated with ease, on occasion the sound did get a bit muffled. Given the price, this was a bit disappointing.

Ellis Cochrane/Hatch

★★★★☆

Best: Sunrise alarm clock with mood lighting

What we love: Attractive design, great app, relaxing Unwind Routines

Take note: Subscription required to access extra features

With a stylish grosgrain-style finish, Hatch’s Restore 3 quickly became a firm favourite of mine. From the gentle yet rousing sunrise alarm to the fantastic range of colours and wakeup and sleep sounds, I also appreciated the dimmable clock face and the button on the side, which switches the main light on and off as needed.

But its Unwind Routines are what truly made it stand out from the rest. Operable via the free app, I particularly liked the relaxing and calming words of affirmation.

The only real negative is that to get access to all of the available settings and more premium features – additional sleep sounds, routines, podcasts, sound baths, meditations and more – you’ll need to sign up for a rolling subscription to Hatch+ – at £4.99 a month or £49.99 for a year.

If you were to find a premium routine or setup that you liked, you’d be tied in to keep paying for it, which isn’t ideal. And while my Restore 3 included a UK plug, those sold through Healf will have a US power cord and adapter. So, this is worth bearing in mind if you choose this retailer.

Ellis Cochrane/Beurer

★★★★☆

Best: Sunrise alarm clock with phone charger

What we love: Unobtrusive design, fun mood lighting, decent wireless charger, also works as a reading light

Take note: The display numbers are a bit bright; it might have been nice to have a radio function

The Beurer Wake Up and Charge Alarm Clock boasts a wireless phone charger and reading light – perfect if you’re short on space, or your bedside table is cluttered. At the same time, the ring light-style design also makes it much less obtrusive and sleeker than some of the bulkier models.

Easy to set up, I liked how adjustable everything was. All you need to do is give it a tap on the edge of the ring to switch between mood lighting colours, or to dim or increase the intensity of the light. It’s fun moving between the colours of the rainbow each night, while at the same time the bright white light is ideal for reading before bed.

The soothing sleep sounds gave my mind something else to focus on, instead of having to rely on my usual playlists. Waking up was also gentle, thanks to the pre-programmed wake-up melodies and gradual increase in light, helping me to rise in a calmer and less hurried way.

My only bugbears are the time display numbers, which are especially bright – so bright that I ended up having to cover it with a piece of fabric to maintain the dark environment that I’m used to at bedtime – and it would also have been nice to have a radio function.

Ellis Cochrane/Blueair

★★★★☆

Best: Sunrise alarm clock with air purifier

What we love: The built-in USB charger, controllable with an easy-to-follow app

Take note: App required to access all the settings, not as easy to read the time

The Blueair Mini Restful Sunrise Clock Air Purifier helps to remove dust, allergens and other fine particles from the air. This can be especially helpful in the bedroom, where we not only spend a significant chunk of our time, but also rest. And this one was quiet enough not to be distracting when trying to drift off.

The actual sunrise alarm clock works well too, with a number of adjustable light settings, as well as a brilliant range of sounds. You can control some of the simpler settings simply by touching the top of the device, but you will need the accompanying app to access everything.

The clock is complete with a built-in USB charger that kept my bedside table a bit tidier. However, the time is displayed on the top rather than the side. This makes it tricky to catch a glimpse of the clock throughout the night, so it almost didn’t function as a traditional clock, which was a shame.