Alarmy is free to download with ads, and its premium tier runs about $4.99–$8.99/month or roughly $42–$70/year. The free version already includes missions like photo, math, shake, memory and QR/barcode; premium adds the step and squat missions and more. dawnr's core alarm is a one-time purchase with no subscription.

Why is a device better than a mission app?

Because the mission lives on the phone in your hand, it's easy to half-complete without really getting up. dawnr puts the off-switch out of arm's reach, so dismissing the alarm means a real walk and a real tap. It's deliberate friction, not anti-cheat — but it's harder to fake than a screenshot.

No. dawnr is a one-time purchase, no ads, and the sleep mic is off by default and on-device.

dawnr vs Alarmy: a device vs phone missions

dawnr vs Alarmy

Alarmy keeps the fight on your phone — solve a task to dismiss it. dawnr moves the off-switch out of arm's reach. Here's the honest difference.

See dawnr — $67

Last updated June 19, 2026

Short answer

Alarmy is the big mission-alarm app: to dismiss it you complete a task on your phone — a photo, math, shaking the device. dawnr moves the off-switch off the phone entirely: to stop it you get up, walk over, and tap. A mission in your hand is easy to half-finish in bed; a real walk to a real object is harder to fake.

Alarmy: Mission-based wake-up app (no hardware) — dismiss by solving a task on your phone

At a glance

dawnr compared with Alarmy
	dawnr	Alarmy
Hardware	Yes — a real object out of arm's reach	None — app only
How you dismiss it	Walk over and tap	Solve a task on your phone (in hand)
Price	$67 one-time	Free + ~$5–9/mo premium
Can you do it in bed?	No — it's out of arm's reach	Often yes (phone stays with you)
Ads	None	Ads on the free tier

Where Alarmy is genuinely good

A huge, proven install base and a deep set of missions and sounds
Free to start, and effective for people who'll actually do the missions
No hardware to buy or carry

Alarmy works for a lot of people and has an enormous user base. Common complaints are ads on the free tier and that phone-based missions can be gamed from bed. (Reviewer sentiment, attributed.)

Where dawnr is different

A mission lives on the phone in your hand — easy to half-complete in bed; dawnr makes the dismissal a real walk to a real object you can't reach from bed
A calm, designed object waiting on the dresser instead of an ad-supported app you fight at 6am, in bed, with the phone in your hand
The core alarm is a one-time purchase, not a subscription you keep paying

Pick Alarmy if…

You want a free app to start, you'll actually do the missions, and you don't want to buy any hardware.

Pick dawnr if…

You've gamed phone missions from bed before, you want the dismissal to require physically getting up, and you'd rather have a calm object than an ad-supported app you fight at 6am.

The alarm you can't kill.

You can't kill it from bed. No snooze loophole, no reaching for the phone in the dark — you get up, walk over, tap, and you're already standing in your day.

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Questions people ask

Is Alarmy free?: Alarmy is free to download with ads, and its premium tier runs about $4.99–$8.99/month or roughly $42–$70/year. The free version already includes missions like photo, math, shake, memory and QR/barcode; premium adds the step and squat missions and more. dawnr's core alarm is a one-time purchase with no subscription.
Why is a device better than a mission app?: Because the mission lives on the phone in your hand, it's easy to half-complete without really getting up. dawnr puts the off-switch out of arm's reach, so dismissing the alarm means a real walk and a real tap. It's deliberate friction, not anti-cheat — but it's harder to fake than a screenshot.
Does dawnr have ads?: No. dawnr is a one-time purchase, no ads, and the sleep mic is off by default and on-device.