Alarmy is the app most people think of when they hear “an alarm you can’t turn off.” It has 50M+ downloads on Google Play and a 4.7-star rating from over two million reviews. People look for an Alarmy alternative for three reasons: they are tired of its ads, the strongest anti-snooze features are paid, or they want a mission Alarmy does not have.
Quick answer: the best Alarmy alternatives for Android in 2026 are Arisely (AI push-up mission, no account), Sleep as Android (sleep tracking with CAPTCHA tasks), Alarm Clock Xtreme (free math and QR puzzles) and AMdroid (the widest range of dismissal challenges, including NFC and Wi-Fi).
Alarmy alternatives compared
All figures are from each app’s Google Play listing, checked in October 2026.
| App | Downloads | Rating | Ads in free version | Ways to dismiss | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alarmy (reference) | 50M+ | 4.7 | Yes | Photo, barcode, math, memory, typing, shake, squat | Free + Premium |
| Arisely | 100+ (new) | Not yet rated | Yes — one banner, never on the ring screen | Math, memory, code, sequence, typing, trivia, shake, steps, QR/barcode, AI push-ups — chainable | Free + Pro (monthly, yearly or lifetime) to remove the ad |
| Sleep as Android | 10M+ | 4.6 | Yes | CAPTCHA tasks: math, sheep counting, barcode, and more | 7-day premium trial, then freemium |
| Alarm Clock Xtreme | 50M+ | 4.5 | Yes | Math, retype password, QR/barcode | Free + upgrades |
| AMdroid | 5M+ | 4.3 | Yes | Math, CAPTCHA, Wi-Fi, NFC, barcode/QR, light | Free + Premium to remove ads |
| Google Clock | 1B+ | 3.9 | No | None — one tap | Free |
Two patterns stand out. Every mission alarm here is ad-supported in its free tier, Arisely included; only Google Clock has no ads, and it has no missions. And the missions themselves have converged: almost everyone has math and barcode. What actually separates these apps is where the ads appear, how you remove them, privacy, and whether the mission gets you physically out of bed.
What Alarmy does well (and why people leave)
Alarmy earned its reputation. Its missions are the core of the app, its loud sounds work, and its Wake Up Check — which restarts the missions if you do not confirm you are awake shortly after dismissing — closes the “dismiss and fall back asleep” loophole. It also offers an optional “prevent turn off” mode that uses the accessibility service to stop you powering the phone off while the alarm rings.
The reasons people search for an alternative are consistent:
- Ads. The Play listing marks Alarmy as containing ads.
- Paywalled features. Wake Up Check and some sounds are part of Premium, according to app reviews, and subscription pricing varies by region and changes often.
- Permissions. Alarmy can use location (for weather), camera (photo missions), device admin (to prevent uninstall) and accessibility. All optional, but a long list for an alarm clock.
If none of that bothers you, Alarmy is still a strong choice. If it does, here are the alternatives.
Arisely (best for a physical wake-up)
Arisely is built around the same idea as Alarmy: the alarm keeps ringing at full volume until you finish a mission. It is free and needs no account, and your alarms, settings and sleep log stay on your phone. The free version shows one banner ad on the Alarms, Sleep and Settings tabs — never on the ring screen, during a mission or over your lock screen. Arisely Pro, monthly, yearly or a one-time lifetime purchase, removes it.
It has 10 missions. The one Alarmy does not have is the AI push-up mission: you set a rep count, and the camera counts your push-ups and checks your form in real time, so you cannot fake it. Getting your body moving is the hardest thing to sleep through, which is why a physical mission beats a mental one for the heaviest sleepers.
Two things set it apart from a single-mission alarm. You can chain missions so one alarm runs several in order — math, then a barcode, then push-ups — each with its own difficulty and rounds, which is much harder to beat half-asleep than any one task (a single mission is free; chaining is a Pro feature). And two optional anti-dodge guards close the usual escapes while the alarm rings: one snaps the volume back up if you turn it down, the other blocks the power-off menu so you cannot silence it that way. Its tones are also organised into a categorised library — Trending, Funny, Motivational, Classic and Nature — all royalty-free.
It also covers the reliability basics that matter more than any mission: exact-time alarms that fire when the phone is locked or idle, and playback on the alarm audio channel so it rings even with media muted or Do Not Disturb on. (If your alarms have ever gone off late, our guide to why Android alarms don’t go off explains why.)
- Best for: heavy sleepers who want Alarmy-style missions, a push-up check that gets them out of bed, and no account.
- Trade-off: it is new, with far fewer users and reviews than Alarmy, and no sleep-cycle tracking — it logs how long you slept from your alarm times instead. The free version shows a banner ad.
Sleep as Android (best for sleep tracking)
Sleep as Android is a sleep tracker first and an alarm second. It tracks your sleep with the phone’s sensors or a wearable, wakes you during a lighter sleep phase within a window you set, and offers “CAPTCHA” tasks — math, counting sheep, scanning a barcode — to dismiss the alarm. It integrates with Spotify, Wear OS and smart lights.
- Best for: people who want to understand their sleep, not just survive the alarm.
- Trade-off: it is a deep, settings-heavy app. Free with ads after a 7-day premium trial; the listing shows in-app purchases up to $75.
Alarm Clock Xtreme (best for free puzzles at scale)
Alarm Clock Xtreme has 50M+ downloads and over a million reviews. Its puzzles — math with five difficulty levels, retyping a password, or scanning a QR code you printed and put across the room — appear only when you hit dismiss. It also lets you cap snoozes and shorten the snooze interval.
- Best for: a free, familiar mission alarm with a huge user base.
- Trade-off: ad-supported, and no physical mission beyond walking to a QR code.
AMdroid (best for unusual dismissal challenges)
AMdroid has the most varied ways to stop an alarm: math, CAPTCHA, connecting to a specific Wi-Fi network, tapping an NFC tag, scanning a barcode, or detecting light. An NFC tag stuck in the kitchen is one of the most effective “get out of bed” tricks there is. It also has a gentle wake-up mode, sleep tracking and a holiday calendar.
- Best for: tinkerers who want a hardware-based dismissal like an NFC tag.
- Trade-off: ad-supported; Premium removes ads.
Google Clock (when you do not need any of this)
The built-in Clock app is free, ad-free and reliable. It is also one tap to dismiss. If you wake up to a normal alarm, you do not need Alarmy or any alternative. This list is for people who don’t.
How to choose
- You want Alarmy-style missions with a physical push-up check and no account: Arisely.
- You want to track and improve your sleep: Sleep as Android.
- You want free puzzles from a big, proven app: Alarm Clock Xtreme.
- You want to dismiss with an NFC tag or Wi-Fi: AMdroid.
- You keep dismissing and falling back asleep: pick an app with a physical mission (push-ups, steps, a code across the room), not just math. Math wakes your brain for ten seconds; walking to the kitchen wakes your body.
For the features that matter most for heavy sleepers regardless of app, see best alarm apps for heavy sleepers.