Ruthie Darling/NYT WirecutterUpgrade pickThis clock looks great on a nightstand and has the largest variety of options for lights and sounds, but it requires the use of an app and a subscription for full use of its features.The Hatch Restore 3 is our most expensive pick, but the extras you get with this clock are worth the price tag. Of all the clocks we tested, it has the most options for meditations and soundscapes as you begin or end your day. It also can be used as a bedside light, with more than 20 colors to choose from.It’s a beautiful addition to any nightstand. The sunrise alarm clock’s fabric covering, available in three colors, looks attractive and unobtrusive in the bedroom and nicely softens the bright light when your alarm goes off.The light is bright, and the colors are highly customizable. We measured the brightness from this clock’s light at 140 lux from 2 feet away, the same brightness as our top pick, the Philips SmartSleep Wake-Up Light HF3520. In testing, it was bright enough to wake testers up without sound in the pitch dark. Even without the Hatch+ subscription, you can choose from 20 different colors of alarm lights to rouse you from your slumber, ranging from realistic warm-toned sunrises to cooler-toned blue and green options.Timelapse of the simulated sunrise for the Hatch Restore 3 alarm clock. Erica Solano/NYT WirecutterProgramming your routine on the app is easy. The Hatch Restore 3 requires use of a companion app, unlike our other picks. You can customize your whole bedtime and wake-up routine from the app, setting different color or light cues that prompt you to get in bed, go to sleep, or wake up. Once you set these routines in the app, you don’t need to use your phone again unless you want to edit them. You simply press the big button on top of the clock to start and stop your routine rather than fiddle with the tiny, hard-to-reach buttons on our other picks.It has the largest library of sounds to choose from (but you can’t play your own music). If you subscribe to Hatch+, you have access to a large library of more than 2,500 bespoke soundscapes, ambient noises, meditations, and podcasts (even ASMR) that sound crisp and high-quality through the built-in speaker. Hatch regularly adds new sounds (often themed to holidays or even sporting events). You can’t play your own music or sounds through the Bluetooth speaker, though. Ruthie Darling/NYT WirecutterIt has a low profile, and it’s more stable than other clocks with a lot of buttons. It’s smaller and sturdier than our top pick and also includes fewer buttons, meaning it’s harder to jostle or tip over when you reach over to turn it on or off — a common issue people have with the Philips Wake-Up Light HF3520.Flaws but not dealbreakersYou need to pay for a subscription. There’s one catch to the incredible array of sounds and lights: you need an annual subscription to access them all. You get one month free, but after that, you’ll need to pay $50 a year or $5 a month for full use of the library. Without a subscription, you have a much more limited range of sounds and lights to choose from for your unwind, sleep, and alarm steps of your routine.
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