How this page is funded: we earn a commission if you buy through the links below, at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. It does not change which products we pick or the order they appear in. Full disclosure.
How these picks were made: by comparing published specifications and clearly-credited public reporting. We do not run a laboratory, we have not measured these products, and we do not claim to have slept with them. Here is exactly how we choose.
Short version: the Hatch Restore 3 is the pick, because the app is doing real work - scheduling wind-down and wake routines you would never program on buttons. The Loftie Lamp is the choice if you want an object you would leave out on display. The Casper Glow is the wind-down specialist, with the caveat that its app is iOS-first.
When app control genuinely helps
- Multi-step routines. Setting a sequence - dim at 9:30, red at 10, sunrise at 6:15, sound at 6:30 - on three physical buttons is miserable. On a phone it takes a minute.
- Different weekdays and weekends. Nearly every app-controlled clock handles this and nearly no button-only clock does.
- Changing an alarm without sitting up. Genuinely useful, and genuinely the thing that keeps your phone within arm’s reach.
- Firmware updates. Which cuts both ways - a device that can be updated is a device that can change under you.
When it gets in the way
The honest tension: most people buy a sunrise alarm so their phone can charge in another room. An app-controlled clock quietly reinstalls the phone as the interface. If that is your reason for shopping, the test is simple - can you do the everyday things (change the alarm, turn the light on, silence it) on the device itself?
The Loftie Lamp is the best-behaved on this front: three of its modes live physically on the lamp, so it still works with the Wi-Fi down. The Hatch has on-device controls too. A device that is fully app-dependent is one router reboot away from being a paperweight.
The broader argument about phones in bedrooms is on the sound machine versus app page, and the snooze page covers the habit that no amount of scheduling fixes.
What each app actually does
| Hatch Restore 3 | Loftie Lamp | Casper Glow | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunrise length | Configurable routine | 9 minutes, fixed | Configurable in the app |
| Sound | Yes - large library | No | No |
| Works without Wi-Fi | On-device controls | Three modes on the lamp | Gesture controls |
| Platforms | iOS and Android | iOS and Android | iOS-first, limited Android |
| Subscription | Optional Hatch+ content | None | None |
| Portable | No | Battery, but lamp-sized | Yes - wireless charging base |
Do not let the app distract you from the light
App features are easy to compare and light output is not, which is how people end up with a beautifully scheduled lamp that does not wake them. Independent light-meter testing of this category exists precisely because manufacturers do not publish comparable brightness figures - one tester measured fifteen models and found the spread enormous.
The Loftie’s nine-minute ramp is short by the standards of how these are meant to work, and the Casper makes no sound at all, so neither can be your only alarm if you sleep heavily. That is not a flaw so much as a scope decision, but it is the thing to notice before buying either.
If none of the app features matter to you, the budget page and the Hatch comparison are the two shorter roads to the same result.
Sunrise devices with genuinely useful app control
Tap any row to jump to the full write-up. The photographs are licensed stock images chosen to illustrate the category - they are not photographs of these specific products, and each one’s alt text describes what is actually shown.
| # | Product | Best for | The spec that decides it | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Hatch Restore 3The most complete bedside device of the group - sunrise, wind-down, sound library and alarms in one - and the only one with a subscription attached. | One device for the whole bedtime routine | Roughly 30-minute sunrise, deep orange through to bright white | |
| 2 |  Loftie LampA lamp first and an alarm second: three fixed modes on the body, two custom ones in the app, and a nine-minute sunrise that climbs the column. | A real bedside lamp that happens to do sunrises | 9-minute sunrise, Day / Reading / Night modes plus two custom, Wi-Fi app | |
| 3 | Casper Glow LightThe gesture light: flip it to wind down, twist to set brightness, shake for a low night glow - and schedule a gradual sunrise in the app. | Winding down, more than waking up | Gesture control, wireless charging base, app-scheduled sunrise (iOS-first app) |
We have no live price feed for this site yet, so every button reads “Check price on Amazon” rather than showing a number that could be out of date. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Ranked by what the app lets you do that the buttons cannot - and by whether the device still works when the Wi-Fi drops, which is the question nobody asks until it happens.
Our top pick · One device for the whole bedtime routine
1. Hatch Restore 3
The most complete bedside device of the group - sunrise, wind-down, sound library and alarms in one - and the only one with a subscription attached.
- Sunrise:
- Gradual ramp beginning around 30 minutes before the alarm
- Color path:
- Deep orange warming to bright white
- Sound:
- Built-in sound library plus alarm tones
- App:
- Required for setup; premium library is subscription-gated
What it gets right
- Sunrise, wind-down and sound machine in a single footprint
- The app makes complex schedules genuinely easy to set
- The display dims properly, unlike most clock radios
Where it falls short
- The best sound content sits behind a subscription
- App dependency: no phone, no changes
- Most expensive way to buy a sunrise
Skip it if: You resent subscriptions. The Philips does the light half with no account at all.
Pick 2 · A real bedside lamp that happens to do sunrises
2. Loftie Lamp
A lamp first and an alarm second: three fixed modes on the body, two custom ones in the app, and a nine-minute sunrise that climbs the column.
- Sunrise:
- 9 minutes, rising up the column from the base
- Modes:
- Day, Reading and Night on the lamp, plus two custom app modes
- App:
- iOS and Android, over 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi
- Light:
- RGB plus warm white LED, with a red night setting
- Size:
- 16 in tall with the shade, 2.12 lb, lithium-ion battery
What it gets right
- Looks like furniture rather than a gadget - the only pick here you would leave out in a guest room
- Red night mode for getting up without resetting your eyes
- Physical modes on the lamp mean it still works when the Wi-Fi does not
Where it falls short
- Among the most expensive sunrise devices sold
- Nine minutes is a short ramp next to a 30-minute wake-up light
- No sound - the Loftie Clock is a separate purchase
Skip it if: You want the alarm sound and the light in one device. This lamp does not make a sound.
Pick 3 · Winding down, more than waking up
3. Casper Glow Light
The gesture light: flip it to wind down, twist to set brightness, shake for a low night glow - and schedule a gradual sunrise in the app.
- Controls:
- Flip to wind down, twist for brightness, shake for a night light
- Sunrise:
- Gradual, scheduled and timed in the app
- Power:
- Wireless charging base - it works unplugged once charged
- Size:
- 5.25 in tall, 3.75 in diameter
- Sound:
- None
What it gets right
- Genuinely portable - lift it off the base and carry it through the house
- The wind-down gesture is the one bedtime control people actually use
- Two units can be synced together
Where it falls short
- App support is iOS-first; Android is limited
- No sound and no radio, so it cannot be your only alarm
- Expensive for a light with no speaker
Skip it if: You are on Android and want full app control, or you need an audible alarm as a backstop.
Questions people actually ask
What is the best sunrise alarm clock with an app?
The Hatch Restore 3, because the app is doing work you could not do on buttons - multi-step wind-down and wake routines, different schedules for weekdays and weekends, and a large sound library. The Loftie Lamp is the better-looking alternative and the Casper Glow is the wind-down specialist.
Do sunrise alarm clocks work without Wi-Fi?
The good ones do. The Loftie Lamp keeps three modes physically on the lamp, the Hatch has on-device controls, and the Casper Glow is driven by gestures. A device that can only be operated from an app is one router reboot away from being useless, so check before buying.
Does app control defeat the point of a sunrise alarm?
It can. Most people buy one so the phone can charge in another room, and an app quietly reinstates the phone as the interface. The practical test is whether you can change the alarm, switch the light on and silence it from the device itself.
Does the Casper Glow work on Android?
Only partly - the app is iOS-first and Android support is limited. The gesture controls work regardless of platform, so the light is usable, but scheduling a sunrise is the part you would be relying on the app for.
Do any of these need a subscription?
Not to function. Hatch offers the optional Hatch+ tier for extra app content; the Loftie Lamp and the Casper Glow have no subscription at all. The core sunrise and alarm behavior works without paying anything ongoing on all three.
Sources
- Loftie - Loftie Lamp product specifications (manufacturer).
- Casper - Glow Light product specifications (manufacturer).
- Optimize Your Biology - Best Sunrise Alarm Clocks 2026 (independent light-meter measurements, theirs not ours).
- Tom's Guide - The best sunrise alarm clocks, tested and ranked.
- Sleep Foundation - Best Sunrise Alarm Clocks.
Back to the best sunrise alarm clocks.
Read next
- Best sunrise alarm clocksThe full field, ranked on light first.Read it
- Best sunrise alarm clocks under $50If none of the app features matter to you.Read it
- Sunrise alarm vs HatchWhether the Hatch is worth its price.Read it
- How sunrise alarm clocks workWhy ramp length and output matter more than software.Read it