The 5 Best Silent Alarm Clocks For A Quieter Morning

If you dread the sound of your alarm every morning or simply need a quieter alternative, a silent alarm clock is an excellent option. The best silent alarm clocks emit vibrations or light to wake you up without any jarringly loud noises. They also come in wearable or tabletop designs, depending on the type of alarm they use.

What To Look For When Shopping For Silent Alarm Clocks

Across both wearable and tabletop designs, silent alarm clocks typically include common clock features like easy-to-read digital screens and snooze buttons, as well as audible alarm settings in case you ever want that option. Pricier silent alarm clocks sometimes include bonus features like touch screens, dimmable displays, USB ports to charge your devices while you sleep, radio functionality, smartphone connectivity, colorful night lights, and even sleep tracking features. Some even offer backup batteries, which allows them to function normally and save your memory settings in the event of a power outage.

To help narrow down your search, consider what type of silent alarm clock you think would work best for you. If you’re a heavy sleeper, a vibrating silent alarm clock — which is typically worn on your wrist or placed under your pillow or mattress — can quite literally shake you out of your slumber. Alternatively, if you prefer something more subtle, consider a model that uses light to mimic the sunrise. Or, if you’re shopping for a little one, consider a kid-friendly silent alarm clock that has multicolored lights.

Shop The Best Silent Alarm Clocks

In a hurry? These are the best silent alarm clocks:

1. The Best Wearable Silent Alarm Clock Under $30: Tech Tools Shake-N-Wake Silent Vibrating Alarm Clock

2. The Best Silent Alarm Clock For Heavy Sleepers: Mesqool Extra Loud Alarm Clock With Bed Shaker

3. The Best Sleep-Tracking Wearable With A Silent Alarm Clock: Fitbit Charge 4

4. The Best Silent Alarm Clock That Uses Light: Philips SmartSleep Wake-Up Light

5. The Best Silent Alarm Clock For Kids: LittleHippo Mella Ready To Rise Children’s Alarm Clock

Below you’ll find the best silent alarm clocks on Amazon, from vibrating watches to illuminating tabletop models.

1. The Best Wearable Silent Alarm Clock Under $30

The compact Shake-N-Wake clocks in at less than $30 and offers both vibrating and audible alarm options. Wear it around your wrist or place it under your pillow at night, or attach it to your belt buckle with the included clip to use it for daytime alarms and reminders. Activate the backlight on the LCD screen with the touch of a button to make it even easier to tell the time even in the dark. To snooze your alarm, just tap the “Start/Stop” button. Although the required AAA battery isn’t included, you can easily buy some online.

One reviewer wrote: “Needed something to give me a silent alarm to get up in the early, early a.m. without disturbing my wife. This worked fine. A bit cumbersome - having a clock strapped to your wrist - but, hey, it works. Woke me up with its vibrating alarm. [...] Easy to read, comparatively easy to set. And cheaper than any vibrating alarm watch I could find.”

Alarm type: Vibrating | Powered by: One AAA battery | Audible alarm setting: Yes | Dimmable display: Yes

2. The Best Silent Alarm Clock For Heavy Sleepers

This tabletop alarm clock comes with a puck-shaped bed-shaker that you can slide under your pillow, or even under your mattress. According to one reviewer, the “vibrating feature will wake up anyone, I mean anyone.” You can slide the switch on the back of the alarm clock to adjust the brightness. Plus, you can toggle the optional night light between seven different colors. It also features an optional sound alarm, which makes a buzzing noise instead of a traditional ringing sound.

While there are similar models out there, few of them are as efficiently designed as this one: The nightlight button doubles as a snooze button, while the USB ports can charge two devices simultaneously. The clock comes with an AC power cord, but you can also back up the clock with two AAA batteries (which you can buy here) so that your memory settings are automatically saved if the power goes out or you need to move the clock to another outlet.

One reviewer wrote: “I am hard of hearing and I also sleep with earplugs so a sound as alarm does not work well for me. The vibration alarm does the job very well. I also like that it is possible to dim the numbers of the clock over the full range of brightness, all the way to off. [...] I liked the clock so much that I bought a second one. One for each place where I stay.”

Alarm type: Vibrating | Powered by: Wall outlet (with backup AAA batteries) | Audible alarm setting: Yes | Dimmable display: Yes

3. The Fan-Favorite, Sleep-Tracking Watch With A Silent Alarm Clock

The compact Fitbit Charge 4 has racked up more than 64,000 positive ratings on Amazon and is a super-versatile device. Not only is it a watch and GPS-enabled fitness tracker, but it also has other sleep-savvy features like a silent vibrating alarm clock. Even better, the smartwatch can track how well you slept and provide insights into your sleep patterns for you to review in the corresponding mobile app. One fan wrote, “The sleep tracking has been extremely beneficial, as have the customizable alarms that wake you up from light sleep so that it’s easier to get up in the morning.” This Fitbit is available in three colors, each of which includes a charging cable and two wristband sizes.

One reviewer wrote: “This tracker is great! It automates so much of the fitness tracking process, so the experience for the user is fairly hands-off. I like the fact that you can essentially just wear it, go about your routine, and check your stats as much as you’d like, or you can be in-depth and dive into the stats/logging. [...] I would say my favorite feature is sleep tracking and vibration for alarms. My wife and I don’t wake up at the same time during the week, so whoever’s alarm went off first would wake up both people. Not ideal if you’re trying to maximize sleep. With the Charge 4, it gently vibrates on your wrist when it’s time to get up, not disturbing your partner at all. Life saver for me.”

Alarm type: Vibrating | Powered by: USB cable (included) | Audible alarm setting: Yes | Dimmable display: Yes

Also available on: Walmart, $99

4. The Best Silent Alarm Clock That Uses Light

This sunrise alarm clock from Philips gradually wakes you up with light that imitates the effect of the sun rising. Use the touch controls to adjust your settings, and tap the face of the clock to snooze the alarm. Bonus features include an FM radio and 20 different brightness options that range from shades of orange to yellow to white. Plug the light into the included power cord and you’ll be good to go. (The silent option is just one setting — you can choose from five soothing, nature-inspired alarm sounds, too.) However, if you’re looking for a more affordable option and could go without as many sound and light settings, consider this more basic SmartSleep clock from Philips instead.

One reviewer wrote: “Absolutely worth the cost! [...] I am not a morning person. But when I use this alarm clock I wake up feeling refreshed and don’t feel the need to snooze it at all! It’s pretty easy to program and set up. Lots of adjustable features too.”

Alarm type: Light | Powered by: Wall outlet | Audible alarm setting: Yes | Dimmable display: Yes

Also available on: Philips, $200

5. The Best Silent Alarm Clock For Kids

This LittleHippo alarm clock comes in four colors and was designed with little ones in mind. Thirty minutes before it’s time to wake up, the alarm clock glows yellow; then, once it’s time to get up, the color changes to green. The light can also double as a nightlight — while you can't dim the brightness of the nightlight when it’s on, you can choose from one of six colors. To snooze the alarm, kids just have to tap the top of the clock.

It has a silent alarm setting, as well as three alarm sounds at five different volume levels. It comes with a USB charging cord and an adapter to plug it into a power outlet — while it needs to be plugged in to work, the clock will save your memory settings for the next time you use it if the power goes out.

One reviewer wrote: “We purchased this after reading that the nap has a silent alarm option. It took a bit to figure out how to make the nap alarm silent, but now that we have, we love this! Our son likes it and especially loves telling us when it's green!”

Alarm type: Light | Powered by: USB cable with a wall adapter | Audible alarm setting: Yes | Dimmable display: Yes

Also available on: Walmart, $50, and Bed Bath & Beyond, $50