Mac users must be extremely heavy sleepers, because there is no shortage of alarm clock software for your Mac. If you need to wake up, your Mac will get you up. But which one rules the rooster?Aurora, a popular choice, recently updated to version 4, and went from donationware to a licensing setup (a single copy will now run you EU$15.00. And Awaken was recently included in the Macheist bundle, but could it be that a donationware app like Alarm Clock 2 will do what you want, or is Koingo Software's Alarm Clock Pro the way to go?
We decided to wrap them all up into one big table-- app vs. app vs. app vs. app for a wakeup showdown. After the jump, find our first Tabulator battle (thanks to sister site Joystiq for the slick formatting) and discover which clock and timer program deserves to press play on your wakeup playlist.
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| Alarm Clock 2 | Alarm Clock Pro | Awaken 4 | Aurora 4 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Authorship and Pricing | |||||
| Made by | Robbie Hanson | Koingo Software | Embraceware | metaquark | |
| Version | 2.4.5 | 8.2.9 | 4.0.11 | 4.0 | |
| Price | Donationware | $19.95 | $12.95 | EU$15.00 (US$22.09) | |
| Trial | N/A | 15 days | 14 days | 14 days | |
| Requires | 10.4 or later | 10.4 or later | 10.4 or later and iTunes 6.0 or higher (10.3 can use version 3) | 10.5 only | |
| Universal | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Wake up! | |||||
| One-time alarm | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Weekly alarm | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Relative alarms | No | Yes | No | No | |
| Set alarm exclusions | No | Yes | No | Yes (skip next occurence) | |
| Name alarms | No (uses default time and date) | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Setting to wake computer on alarm | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Snooze alarm | Yes (adjustable) | Yes (adjustable) | Yes (adjustable only in 5-10 min increments | Yes (adjustable) | |
| Adjustable alarm duration | Yes | Yes | Yes (adjustable only in 5-10 min increments | Yes | |
| Wake up to... | |||||
| iTunes playlist | Yes | Yes (can pause/resume as well) | Yes | Yes | |
| iTunes podcast (without playlist) | No | No | Yes | Yes | |
| iTunes/MP3 stream from URL | No | Yes | Yes (using scripts) | Yes (using launcher) | |
| Custom sounds (without iTunes) | No | Yes (audio or video. ajustable playback speed) | Yes (updated) | Yes | |
| System functions | No | Many, including screensaver, screenshot, shell commands, internet functions, and system alerts | Run application | Launch any file | |
| Multiple events per alarm | No | Yes (many) | Yes (can play sound and launch item) | Yes (can play sound and run app) | |
| Fade-in | "Easy Wake" (adjustable) | Yes (adjustable per alarm) | Yes (adjustable per alarm) | Yes (adjustable) | |
| Sleepy time | |||||
| Sleep Timer | No | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Sleep out of... | |||||
| iTunes | No | No | Yes | Yes | |
| DVD Player | No | No | No | Yes | |
| Quicktime movie | No | No | No | Yes | |
| Extras | |||||
| Egg Timer | Yes | Yes | Yes | Kind of (can use sleep timer to count down) | |
| Stopwatch | Yes | Yes | No | No | |
| Menubar item | Yes (no other main GUI) | Yes (shows time and can create and edit alarms) | Yes (shows upcoming alarms) | Yes (shows upcoming alarms) | |
| Alarms outside of program | No | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Hourly chime | No | Yes | No | No | |
| Fullscreen mode | No | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple Remote support | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Growl compatibility | No | Yes | No | No | |
| Album display during playback | No | No | No | Yes | |
| Automatic updates | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Other extras | Not really | Chronoindex (whatever that is), Time zone calculator, Task list (with speakable events), Uptimer, Swimclock-- there's a lot of stuff in here | Good looking interface, backup alarm | Impressive sleep timer, nice display, EyeTV compatibility | |
Update: Ironically, I stayed up late doing a post about programs that help you wake up early, so if there are changes that need to be made, just post them in the comments, and I'll make sure the table stays updated. Already, we've identified one problem (a series of features in the table were listed under the wrong app), so if you see more, let me know and I'll fix it.
Also, this table reflects the defaults for the app's UI-- lots of things can be accomplished with Applescript or other tweaking, but the features listed in the table are according to whether the app itself offers an option, without extra coding.
Finally, already one developer has appeared in our comments and promised to update their app, so thanks to all the developers for going under the microscope for us-- all four of these are great pieces of software.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
2-08-2008 @ 12:45PM
Fraser Drew said...
Awaken doesn't do EyeTV does it? Aurora most definitely does (it is my alarm of choice).
Shameless Plug... go to MacApper.com for 20% discount on Aurora & A review: http://macapper.com/2008/02/06/aurora-4-a-new-dawn/
Reply
2-08-2008 @ 12:52PM
Slevin said...
I'm a big user of awaken and I doubt you actually used it in depth because many of the answers are just wrong. Here is where you are wrong.
If you cycle through the preferences you can set a custom sound without using iTunes
For multiple events per alarm I have it wake me up by playing an iTunes playlist AND opening iCal so I can what I have going on for my day.
The egg timer is available via the egg looking icon right next to the sleep timer button at the bottom right edge of the application.
While I can’t speak for the options on any of the other apps I find that if you are going to write a review and comparison you should at least look at the application in depth prior to writing the review.
Reply
2-08-2008 @ 1:58PM
Katanna said...
Ya, I totally agree. Nice article, but parts of the Awaken column are just plain wrong (I too am an Awaken User).
I am sure Jerry will get on and correct everything.
Matthew
2-08-2008 @ 1:13PM
Mike Schramm said...
You're exactly right. I've updated those notes.
2-08-2008 @ 1:18PM
tukan said...
I second that. Also, in the extras, Awaken also has a backup alarm, so it's like Aurora in this matter. C'mon, these are all comments we could make just by flicking through preference panes - not good enough TUAW ;)
Anyway, it looks pretty good for Awaken, especially considered I got it in the bundle...
2-08-2008 @ 1:00PM
albanyco said...
My Mac isn't near by bed; but my Airport Express speakers are... do any of these have the ability to switch iTunes to remote speakers as part of the alarm?
Reply
2-08-2008 @ 1:10PM
inrpce said...
If Awaken doesn't It will. Jerry is very good to incorporate feature requests.
Infact. I'll email him now.
2-08-2008 @ 1:45PM
MurphyMac said...
Albanyco - scripting a way to change the speakers is tricky, but here's some help with it:
http://murphymac.com/select-a-playlist-by-email-and-more/
2-08-2008 @ 1:08PM
GM said...
I thought it was supposed to be "..rule the roost" not "rooster"......
Reply
2-08-2008 @ 1:12PM
Worth said...
mirroring what slevin said above me, awaken does in fact have many of the features that you describe it as lacking, ie, an egg timer. i highly recommend the app, and wish you'd get its specs right!
Reply
2-08-2008 @ 1:13PM
Hernan J. Colon said...
Awaken all the way!
Reply
2-08-2008 @ 1:14PM
hubartt said...
Slevin is correct. You can most definitely set a custom sound with Awaken. Also, I'm not sure how the egg timer could be missed as it is right next to the sleep timer button which was mentioned. It is also listed as a feature on the website: http://embraceware.com/software/awaken/
Additionally, Awaken offers free lifetime updates and the developer works very quickly in addressing issues and responding to support questions.
Reply
2-08-2008 @ 1:16PM
Jerry Brace said...
Hey Guys - just a couple corrections for our app "Awaken".
- Custom sounds can be added and used instead of iTunes. We also have over a dozen alarm sounds built in.
- We do have an Egg Timer.
- Alarms can have multiple actions via the launch item option.
Alarm exclusions are coming in an update this weekend along with some other features. Thanks for the review!
Reply
2-08-2008 @ 1:20PM
tukan said...
Now this kind of attention is why I choose Awaken no matter what. Thanks Jerry, you're truly are a student's friend :D
2-08-2008 @ 1:22PM
Mike Schramm said...
Apologies to Awaken-- there was a problem with the table, and some features that were missing on other apps were listed as missing under Awaken. The table should now reflect the truth-- apologies again.
2-08-2008 @ 1:24PM
Jerry Brace said...
One feature a lot of our customers like is the fullscreen modes for easy viewing across the room. We also have a backup alarm incase of iTunes failure. We love hearing feedback from everyone. support@embraceware.com. Our existing customers know all this stuff :)
2-08-2008 @ 1:37PM
hubartt said...
"Alarm exclusions are coming in an update this weekend along with some other features."
Since purchasing Awaken I have been extremely impressed with the frequency and fullness of Jerry's updates. One of the best applications I have purchased.
2-08-2008 @ 1:26PM
EMoShunz said...
the only 2 things that keeps me from using an alarm program are
1) no *cheap 9V* battery backup like an alarm clock.
2) the day after i d/l awaken for trial there was a snow day. i left both on just in case (it was a trial after all) and my nice itunes and gentle screen brightening was nice, but were it not for the other alarm going off to the news saying snow day i would have sent the kids off to school.
guess a feature request for awaken too would be to add an internet sync to school closure information
@inrpce: maybe you could ask for that too...
Reply
2-08-2008 @ 1:30PM
EMoShunz said...
just realized the awaken folks posted above me, must have been during my rambling.
Mr. Brace, please consider my feature request.
(i can see solving the battery thing by utilizing os x's boot after power failure option some how, and the snow day thing by opening to a specific web page somehow)
2-08-2008 @ 1:43PM
Jerry Brace said...
Awaken will be able to boot your computer at alarm time from a turned off state soon. We're testing this now and hope to release this feature by the end of this month.