Comparison

Barcode Alarm Clock vs Challenges Alarm Clock

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

Head to head
About

Barcode Alarm Clock

This app is a loud alarm clock designed for heavy sleepers. It requires scanning a barcode to turn off, forcing you out of bed. Features include customizable loud ringtones, lockable alarms, and a 'don't wake my spouse' option.

Highlights
  • Barcode scan to stop alarm
  • Blaringly loud ringtones
  • Impossible to mute alarms
  • Lockable alarms to prevent cheating
  • Bedtime reminder and enforcer
  • Don't wake my spouse button
  • Customizable themes and clock faces
Read full description

Are you a heavy sleeper who just can’t manage to get out of bed on time? Do you need a LOUD alarm clock that WAKES you up? Are you late to meetings and calls? We have created an alarm clock that will get you out of bed. How? It requires you to scan a barcode. It’s impossible to miss. In fact, this alarm clock is so annoying, it will make you want it to stop immediately. You will HAVE to get up to turn it off. *** Blaringly Loud Ringtones *** Our alarm ringtones are procedurally generated and unpredictable to prevent auditory adaption. Every time one of them goes off, no matter how deep asleep you are, your brain is going to wake your body up instantly. *** Toothpaste Barcode Scan *** To turn off this alarm clock, you will need to scan the barcode of your toothpaste or any other predetermined barcode. That way, you will be forced to get out of bed to stop the alarm. Yes, you will have to look yourself in the mirror to make it stop. *** Multiple and Repeating Alarms with LOCK Feature *** We’ve made it impossible to cancel your alarm. There is no way to stop it from ringing once it’s set. How annoying is that? You can’t mute it either! *** Alarm Features *** - Interactive wake-up technology that works - Barcode scan required to stop annoying sound - Choose different objects with barcodes to stop alarm - Impossible to mute - Use it anywhere - Crazy loud ringtones for heavy sleepers and night owls - Procedural Ringtones¹ to never sleep through any alarm again - Multiple, repeating alarms - Lockable alarms to prevent yourself from cheating - Randomizable ringtone playlists - Mix in ringtones with your own music *** Motivational Features *** - Bedtime Reminder - Bedtime Enforcer - Morning Routine *** Bonus Don’t Wake My Spouse Button *** Do you want to allow your spouse to keep sleeping while your phone alert wakes YOU up? We’ve included a ‘don’t wake my spouse button,’ which comes with a super short time snooze. Trust us, your spouse will thank you later. *** Totally Customizable *** - Dark mode to help you power down at night - Bright alarms - Customizable color themes and alternative app icon colors - Bedside Clock with changeable clock face - Highly customizable with full-screen clock, analog clocks, digital clocks, hourglass clock, landscape and portrait, clock wallpaper, and more. *** Say Goodbye to Bad Sleeping Habits *** You deserve good sleep. But, you also deserve good habits. Our phone alarm clock will help you create a schedule that is productive and healthy for you. Whether you need our Bedtime Reminder or Bedtime Enforcer option, our app will ensure you are awake, alert, and enthusiastic whenever you need to be. *** Track Your Morning Routine *** Our heavy sleep alarm clock will help you create and track a morning routine that is right for you. Download our app today!

About

Challenges Alarm Clock

This alarm clock uses challenging games to ensure you wake up on time. It eliminates snooze and offers bedtime reminders with a clean interface. Turn your mornings into a game and never oversleep again.

Highlights
  • Unstoppable alarm with challenge games
  • No snooze or stop button
  • Bedtime reminder notifications
  • Clean and modern interface
  • Math, Maze, Shake, Remember Number, Lucky 777 games
Features
Read full description

Challenge Alarm Clock — Never Oversleep Again! Wake up guaranteed! Challenge Alarm Clock is the fun yet ruthless alarm that makes sure you jump out of bed and start your day right. No more snooze, no more late mornings! Why You’ll Love It - Unstoppable Alarm: it won’t stop until you beat a challenge game — MATH, MAZE, SHAKE, REMEMBER NUMBER or LUCKY 777. - No Snooze, No Excuses: the first alarm clock with no “Stop” or “Snooze” button. - Sweet Bedtime Reminder: gentle notifications help you relax and fall asleep. - Beautiful Design: clean, modern interface that makes waking up a little nicer. Wake up on time, every time — and turn mornings into a game! Subscription details: - This app may offer monthly or yearly subscriptions - Payment will be charged to your Apple ID Account at confirmation of purchase - Subscription automatically reviews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period - Subscription may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Setting after purchase - Your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period - You can cancel your subscription at any time, but please note that you will not get a refund for any remaining period of a subscription - This app requires monthly or yearly subscriptions then you are able to access all features Terms and Conditions: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://docs.google.com/document/d/16Tb_p0xYf_44oedCI8vBZhoVIIGi5e1uCKXM-1YKTy8/edit?usp=sharing Help and Support: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bn1d1aDT7Ci7kvAYyVUzSwWwGkcht_owOzh37f_KE28/edit?usp=sharing

Screenshots

Barcode Alarm Clock3 screens
Challenges Alarm Clock4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Barcode Alarm Clock at 4.4 against Challenges Alarm Clock's 3.8. Barcode Alarm Clock also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and review sentiment (51% vs 26%). Challenges Alarm Clock's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months). On price, ratings volume, ads 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. Challenges Alarm Clock sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Barcode Alarm Clock asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Barcode Alarm Clock holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.2K and 2.3K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 51% of Barcode Alarm Clock's written reviews are positive against 26% of Challenges Alarm Clock's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Barcode Alarm Clock ships an update every 4 months, Challenges Alarm Clock monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Barcode Alarm Clock versus Challenges Alarm Clock: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBarcode Alarm ClockChallenges Alarm Clock
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (1.2K ratings) — better3.8 (2.3K ratings)
Positive reviews50.6% of reviews — better26.1% of reviews
Number of ratings1.2K2.3K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsMonthly — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size77 MB44 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJarig Duvalduytu tran

Customer experience

Barcode Alarm Clock

All ratings1,240 ratings
Positive82.7%
Neutral5.7%
Negative11.5%
Written reviews251 reviews
Positive50.6%
Neutral12.7%
Negative36.7%

Challenges Alarm Clock

All ratings2,192 ratings
Positive67.5%
Neutral7.0%
Negative25.5%
Written reviews188 reviews
Positive26.1%
Neutral10.6%
Negative63.3%

User reviews

Barcode Alarm Clock

From 1.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Effective at waking up
  • 👍 Innovative concept
  • 🚀 Forces you to get out of bed
  • 👍 Helps with sleep disorder

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes frequently
  • 🔋 Drains battery
  • 🔒 Easy to bypass alarm
  • 🔒 Alarm doesn't work on silent

Challenges Alarm Clock

From 2.3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • ⭐ Good app that wakes up user
  • 🔔 Alarm is effective at waking up heavy sleepers
  • 🧠 Challenges help get brain working in the morning

Room to improve

  • 🚫 Ads make the app unusable
  • 🔇 Alarm doesn't make any sound, only vibrates
  • 🤯 Challenges are too difficult or confusing
  • ⏰ Alarm turns off on its own without completing challenges

Bugs and requests

Barcode Alarm Clock

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Alarm doesn't go off sometimes
  • Barcode scanner not working properly
  • Constant background crash notifications

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add option to disable 'Plan B' feature
  • Allow importing custom ringtones
  • Improve stability and reduce crashes
  • Ensure alarm works even on silent mode

Challenges Alarm Clock

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Alarm doesn't go off at scheduled time
  • App crashes when trying to set alarm
  • Notifications and messages are glitchy or inappropriate

Requested features

3 requests
  • More customizable alarm sounds and challenges
  • Option to choose specific challenge type
  • Ability to set own custom challenges

In-app purchases

None

Barcode Alarm Clock

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Challenges Alarm Clock

Subscriptions2
  • Premium 1 month$2.991 Month
  • Premium 1 year$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Premium$19.99

Questions

Is Barcode Alarm Clock free?
Barcode Alarm Clock is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Challenges Alarm Clock free?
Challenges Alarm Clock is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Barcode Alarm Clock or Challenges Alarm Clock?
Barcode Alarm Clock is rated higher. Barcode Alarm Clock averages 4.4 out of 5 from 1.2K ratings, while Challenges Alarm Clock averages 3.8 from 2.3K ratings.
Do Barcode Alarm Clock or Challenges Alarm Clock have ads?
Both Barcode Alarm Clock and Challenges Alarm Clock show ads.
Which is updated more often, Barcode Alarm Clock or Challenges Alarm Clock?
Barcode Alarm Clock ships an update every 4 months, and Challenges Alarm Clock monthly. Most recently, Barcode Alarm Clock was updated on September 22, 2026 and Challenges Alarm Clock on September 24, 2026.

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