Comparison

Alarm Clock HD vs ZenClock

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Alarm Clock HD

Wake up gently with your favorite music or sounds using this advanced alarm clock. It offers customizable nightstand displays, sleep tracking, and a sleep timer to help you unwind. Enjoy features like local weather and an instant flashlight, with an option to go ad-free via subscription.

Highlights
  • Unlimited alarms with Apple Music or custom sounds
  • Sleep tracking
  • Customizable nightstand display
  • Sleep timer
  • Local weather information
  • Instant flashlight
  • Screen saver for OLED displays
Features
Read full description

Sleep better and start the day with your favorite tunes. Are you curious to see how much you slept? Then, track your sleep in the app. Alarm Clock HD is the app to help you enjoy restful sleep and wake up worry-free. How Alarm Clock HD helps you sleep better: • Unlimited Alarms: Apple Music or Alarm Sounds • Customize Nightstand display colors • Sleep Timer • Local Weather Information • Instant Flashlight - shake the device • Full watchOS 2 support • Screen Saver - for devices with OLED display WAKE UP ON TIME: Proper Alarm Settings • Keep the app open and running always to have your alarm go off and play the sounds you’ve set for ‘Music'. When your app is open, you can use the volume slider within the app. When the app is in the background, use the device volume to set your volume. • Make sure your battery is charged and have your notifications turned on before you go to sleep, when the battery level goes below 30% it might not sound. This is due to prevent the device from dying and the alarm not going off. • Keep your Apple Music available on your device The music you can select consists of everything you have available on your ‘Apple Music' app on your device. If the music is saved on your iCloud, and not on the device itself, it won’t be available. NEVER MISS AN ALARM When you close the app and do not have it running in the background, the alarm will use the device volume instead and play the notification sound system. The app will close itself automatically after 10 hours of inactivity. This is due to prevent the device from dying and the alarm not going off. When your device is muted, set to ‘Do Not Disturb’, or your device volume is set to 0, the alarm won’t play properly. It will still show the notification without any sound. This is due to Apple’s restrictions as we are unable to access the app settings when the app is closed, only when it’s open or running in the background. SUBSCRIPTION IN ALARM CLOCK HD Upgrade to a Premium Membership and receive the following ongoing value: • Ad-Free • News & X feeds (Twitter) • Premium Customer Support Terms & Conditions: https://impalastudios.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://impalastudios.com/privacy >> WE LOVE FEEDBACK As always, we appreciate your feedback. Please email us at support@impalastudios.com with any suggestions or questions, our support team is ready and happy to help. WAKE UP YOUR WAY, EVERY DAY

About

ZenClock

This app transforms your iPad or iPhone into a visually appealing desk clock. It offers interactive time displays with customizable background color modes, including a unique spectrum that cycles through millions of colors over time.

Highlights
  • Minimalist design
  • Interactive time display
  • Widgets for quick access
  • Single background color modes
  • Color Clock modes with spectrum cycling
  • Optimized for desk stands
Features
Read full description

Zen Clock is a minimalist iPhone clock built around calm, legibility, and strong typography. Designed to work beautifully on a desk, nightstand, charging stand, or an always-nearby spare iPhone, it offers a full-screen time surface that never demands your attention. We intentionally avoided building a generic alarm, timer, or productivity app. Instead, Zen Clock’s promise is simple: make checking the time feel quiet, polished, and visually intentional. Signature Color Clock Modes Experience time as a living color, not just digits. Our signature Color Clock modes transform the current time into a shifting, live background gradient. Full Spectrum: Maps Unix time across the entire color spectrum. Day Mode: Maps the current day from midnight to night. Hour Mode: Maps the current hour from the top to the end of the hour. Curated Visual Themes & Typography Choose from seven striking visual themes, including White on Black, Black on White, White on Blue, Red on Black, and our signature Color Clock modes. Pair your theme with four distinct typographic styles (Zen, Rounded, Mono, and Serif) to make your clock feel airy, friendly, precise, or editorial. Composed for Your Space With our preview-first settings, you aren't just toggling options—you are composing a timepiece. Choose the layout that fits your environment: Pure: The ultimate minimalist experience. Time only. Calendar: Elegantly integrates the weekday and date. Editorial: A beautiful, designed asymmetric composition. Board: A restrained status surface that gracefully holds supporting information without overpowering the time. Supporting Context (Premium) For those who want a bit more at a glance, Zen Clock gracefully integrates extra details without the clutter. Add a curated World Clock rail to display up to two global cities (such as Los Angeles, New York, London, Paris, Tokyo, or Sydney). Access live local weather conditions and temperatures seamlessly integrated into your composed layout while the app is open. Home Screen Widget Bring a touch of Zen Clock to your Home Screen with our included minimal clock widget, featuring a stark black background, crisp white text, and our signature aesthetic. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://sociallycs.com/privacy.html

Screenshots

Alarm Clock HD4 screens
ZenClock4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Alarm Clock HD at 4.5 against ZenClock's 4.0. Alarm Clock HD also leads on ratings volume (104K vs 4) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months). ZenClock's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs freemium). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Alarm Clock HD sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month and ZenClock sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Alarm Clock HD holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Alarm Clock HD has 104K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 32% of Alarm Clock HD's written reviews are positive against 50% of ZenClock's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Alarm Clock HD ships an update fortnightly, ZenClock every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Alarm Clock HD versus ZenClock: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAlarm Clock HDZenClock
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (104K ratings) — better4.0 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews31.8% of reviews50.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings104K — better4
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 3 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
Best chart rank#193 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.6 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size230 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperImpala StudiosSocially Conscious Software LLC

Customer experience

Alarm Clock HD

All ratings104,102 ratings
Positive88.4%
Neutral4.7%
Negative6.9%
Written reviews924 reviews
Positive31.8%
Neutral8.2%
Negative60.0%

ZenClock

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Bugs and requests

Alarm Clock HD

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Alarm randomly snoozing itself
  • Alarm not working when phone is muted
  • Alarm sound not playing
  • Alarm screen freezing/crashing

Requested features

4 requests
  • 24-hour clock option
  • More alarm sounds/tones
  • Ability to use own music files
  • Do not disturb mode

ZenClock

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

11 purchases

Alarm Clock HD

Subscriptions11
  • Premium member - 1 month$1.491 Month
  • Premium Features - Weekly$1.997 Days
  • Premium Features - Monthly3 Days trial$2.591 Month
Show 8 more
  • Upgrade to Premium Features$5.496 Months
  • Premium Yearly$9.991 Year
  • Premium Yearly3 Days trial$11.991 Year
  • Upgrade Your Alarm Clock3 Days trial$14.991 Year
  • Premium yearly$19.991 Year
  • Premium yearly3 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • Premium yearly3 Days trial$24.991 Year
  • Premium yearly3 Days trial$29.991 Year
2 purchases

ZenClock

Subscriptions2
  • Zen Clock Plus Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Zen Clock Plus Yearly$19.991 Year

Questions

Is Alarm Clock HD free?
Alarm Clock HD is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ZenClock free?
ZenClock is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Alarm Clock HD or ZenClock?
Alarm Clock HD is rated higher. Alarm Clock HD averages 4.5 out of 5 from 104K ratings, while ZenClock averages 4.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Alarm Clock HD or ZenClock have ads?
Alarm Clock HD shows ads; ZenClock does not.
Which is updated more often, Alarm Clock HD or ZenClock?
Alarm Clock HD ships an update fortnightly, and ZenClock every 3 months. Most recently, Alarm Clock HD was updated on October 17, 2026 and ZenClock on October 6, 2026.

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