Build an alarm app around a task the person has to complete to turn the alarm off. That is how Alarmy earns, $654K–2.62M a month by our estimate, and how Wayk got in after launching on February 3, 2026 (not Apple data, October 16, 2026). Since iOS 26 third-party alarms have AlarmKit, so the alarm no longer depends on regular notifications.
How much alarm clock apps make
Alarmy holds the money in this niche. On October 16, 2026 it was number 27 in the US top grossing Lifestyle chart, and on October 1 it reached number 19. Below it are apps that make several times less, but still a visible amount.
| App | Released | US ratings | Top grossing rank | Monthly revenue, our estimate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alarmy | Oct 18, 2016 | 249,227 | #27 | $654K–2.62M |
| Wayk | Feb 3, 2026 | 19,990 | outside top 100 | $183K–732K App Store sales not confirmed by the charts |
| Alarm Clock HD | Nov 9, 2011 | 104,272 | outside top 100 | $58K–233K App Store sales not confirmed by the charts |
| SuperAlarm | Apr 23, 2024 | 5,274 | outside top 100 | $69K–277K App Store sales not confirmed by the charts |
| Loud Alarm Clock (last update Feb 15, 2025) | Sep 10, 2016 | 39,053 | outside top 100 | rating count stalled, no estimate |
Appto data as of October 16, 2026. Rating growth September 16 to October 16, 2026. Rating counts and chart positions from the US App Store on October 16, 2026. Revenue is our estimate, not Apple data.
Rating counts say little about money here. Alarm Clock HD has 5 times as many as Wayk, yet its range is lower. Neither has appeared in the US grossing charts yet, so their App Store sales are not confirmed. Loud Alarm Clock, with 39,053 ratings, has not been updated since February 15, 2025, and its rating count did not move in a month.
Newcomers in 2026
Wayk launched on February 3, 2026. In 8 months it gathered 19,990 ratings in the US, and by rating growth our range for it is $183K–732K a month. It has not appeared in the grossing charts yet, so treat that as a rough guess, the sales are unconfirmed. On October 8 it was number 23 among free Health & Fitness apps.
In the summer of 2026 several more task alarms entered the niche. Tagdawn launched on July 28, 2026 at $8.99 and has 3 ratings. According to Appto's research on October 2, 2026, Roostavo with 36 ratings, WakeProof with 9 and Snuzu with 4 sat next to it, all three launched in July. Many get in, and so far the one making money is the one that made the task easy to use.
What AlarmKit changed
Before iOS 26 a third-party alarm ran on local notifications. A notification sound has to be shorter than 30 seconds, otherwise the system plays the default one (Apple documentation, October 16, 2026). So many alarm apps asked people not to close them and kept background audio running.
iOS 26 added AlarmKit. It schedules prominent alarms and timers, supports one-time and repeating alarms, snooze and its own Lock Screen presentation. The person grants alarm permission once. If version 1 targets iOS 26 and later, build the whole app on AlarmKit.
What goes into version 1
- A list of alarms with weekday repeats. Scheduled through AlarmKit.
- One task to turn it off. A math problem, steps counted by the motion sensor or a barcode in the kitchen. DataScannerViewController in VisionKit reads codes and text with the camera and has been there since iOS 16.
- A test ring. A "test the alarm now" button removes the main fear that it won't go off in the morning.
- A clear fallback. If the person declined camera or motion access, the task switches to a math problem and the alarm still rings.
Version 1 needs no sleep tracker, no sleep sounds and no statistics. The less the app asks for in the morning, the longer it stays on the phone.
How alarm apps charge
Alarmy, Wayk and SuperAlarm are free to download and charge inside the app. Tagdawn tries selling for $8.99 upfront and has 3 ratings after two and a half months. For an alarm that needs no server, a workable plan is a plain alarm for free and tasks plus multiple alarms for one purchase or a yearly subscription.
Risks
- Reliability is the product. An alarm that failed once gets deleted. Test it overnight on a real phone, in silent mode and with a Focus on.
- The built-in Clock is free. Without a task the app is no better than the system alarm.
- Permissions. Camera and motion are needed only for the task. Explain that before asking.
How we counted
Appto estimates revenue from 30 days of App Store rating growth, before Apple's commission. It is our estimate, not Apple data. In half of the cases the estimate is within 2x of the real figure, in four out of five within 3x, and for large apps it tends to run low. Ads, web sales and Google Play are not included. The method is explained in our article on estimating app revenue.
Next steps
In the book 50 iPhone App Niches the task alarm is niche 38, with a narrow angle for a newcomer, five version 1 screens and a task for the agent.
In Appto you can recheck the niche on fresh App Store data on the day you start. Then Appto and the agent build the screens, the code and the App Store page, and the app goes to Apple from your account, or Appto shows you what to press in App Store Connect.
Questions
How much do alarm clock apps make?
By our estimate as of October 16, 2026, Alarmy makes $654K–2.62M a month. Wayk's range is $183K–732K and SuperAlarm's $69K–277K, but their App Store sales are not confirmed by the charts yet. It is an estimate from App Store rating growth, not Apple data.
Can a third-party alarm ring in silent mode?
Since iOS 26 there is AlarmKit for that. Once the person allows it, it schedules alarms as prominently as the built-in Clock.
Which wake-up task should I build first?
The one that is easiest to test. A math problem needs no camera access. A barcode in the kitchen makes people get up, and DataScannerViewController reads it.
Is it worth entering in 2026?
Wayk launched on February 3, 2026 and gathered 19,990 ratings in the US in 8 months. The summer 2026 newcomers have a handful of ratings, so getting in is possible but not guaranteed.
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