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ByeBed vs 1% Alarm: Which is the best mission-based alarm?

Last updated: October 15, 2026

Quick answer: 1% Alarm is built around four physical challenges: scan an object, do push-ups or squats, or brush your teeth before the alarm stops. ByeBed is built on Apple's AlarmKit (iOS 26+) and offers 14 missions that mix body, brain and photo tasks. If you want a short list of physical challenges, or your iPhone can't run iOS 26, 1% Alarm. If you want more variety, including brain missions for mornings when push-ups aren't an option, and an AlarmKit alarm that comes back if the mission is not done, ByeBed. (Written by the ByeBed team; 1% Alarm details come from its App Store listing, October 2026.)

Quick verdict

Criterion	ByeBed	1% Alarm
Mission types	14	4 challenges listed (Object Hunt, push-ups, squats, toothbrush)
Alarm behavior	No snooze. Rings on silent and Do Not Disturb (iOS AlarmKit). Stop opens the mission; left unfinished, the alarm rings again up to 10 times over 15 minutes.	The alarm stops once the challenge is verified (per its App Store description)
US App Store rating (Oct 2026)	4.8 ★	4.7 ★
Languages	44	12
Platforms	iOS and iPadOS 26 or later	iOS 15.1 or later

What 1% Alarm does well

1% Alarm keeps things simple. Its App Store description lists four challenges, and all of them get you physically moving: find and scan a chosen object (Object Hunt), do push-ups, do squats, or brush your teeth. In its own words, it is an alarm clock to wake up your body, not just make noise.

It is well rated: 4.7 ★ on the US App Store (October 2026), from more ratings than ByeBed has so far. It also runs on iOS 15.1 and later, so it works on iPhones that cannot run iOS 26.

If you already know a physical task is what gets you up, and you like a short, focused list, 1% Alarm is a solid choice.

Where 1% Alarm may not fit you

The trade-off of a short list is less room to vary your mornings:

• Four challenges listed. ByeBed has 14: push-ups, shake, typed math, drawing, four mini-games (bird hop, maze, memory sequence, memory pairs) and six photo missions (random object, sky, made bed, an object you chose, grass, your pill).
• All physical. Its description lists no brain mission such as math or memory. If you are injured, unwell or sharing a small room, push-ups and squats are not always an option; ByeBed lets you pick a brain or photo mission per alarm.
• Fewer languages. The App Store lists 12 languages for 1% Alarm and 44 for ByeBed.
• Alarm technology not stated. Its listing does not say whether it uses Apple's AlarmKit on iOS 26. ByeBed requires iOS 26 precisely because every alarm is an AlarmKit alarm.

Why ByeBed suits heavy sleepers

In a 2025 study of Sleep Cycle users, heavy snoozers pressed snooze 4 times on average on mornings that ended with a snooze (Robbins et al., 2025). Three things in ByeBed are aimed squarely at them:

1. System alarms. ByeBed schedules every alarm with Apple's AlarmKit (iOS 26+), so alarms are handled by iOS itself, like the Clock app's: they ring on silent and in Do Not Disturb, even when the app is closed.
2. It comes back. There is no snooze. Tapping Stop opens the mission, and if you leave it unfinished the alarm rings again, up to 10 times over 15 minutes.
3. Missions you can't do from under the covers. Push-ups are counted by the front camera with Apple Vision body-pose detection, on the device. Photo missions send the picture to Google's Gemini AI to check that it shows the requested object or scene. Math answers are typed on a keypad, with no multiple choice.

The mission engine, compared

Both apps replace the snooze button with a task. Here is what each one offers, based on 1% Alarm's App Store description and ByeBed's current version (1.7.3).

Cognitive missions

ByeBed Math: typed answer on a numeric keypad, no multiple choice. Easy starts with addition and subtraction, Normal adds multiplication up to 9×9 and Hard up to 12×12; each wrong answer makes the next problem harder, up to the Hard level. 3, 4 or 6 correct answers needed depending on difficulty. ByeBed also has two memory games, a maze, bird hop and a drawing mission.

1% Alarm cognitive: no math, memory or other brain challenge is listed in its App Store description; its four challenges are physical.

Physical missions

ByeBed Push-ups: 5, 10 or 20 push-ups counted via the front camera using Apple Vision body pose. Counted on the device, no video uploaded. Shake (30 shakes) is the lighter physical option.

1% Alarm physical: push-ups and squats are both listed. Its description does not say how reps are counted.

Photo missions

ByeBed Photo: six photo missions: a random household object, the sky, your made bed, an object you chose, grass, or your pill. Each photo is checked by Google's Gemini AI, so these missions need an internet connection. No QR codes or stickers to set up.

1% Alarm photo: Object Hunt asks you to find and scan the selected object to prove you are out of bed.

Frequently asked questions

Is 1% Alarm better than ByeBed?

1% Alarm is a good fit if you want a short list of physical challenges (object scan, push-ups, squats, toothbrush) or have an iPhone that can't run iOS 26. ByeBed is stronger if you want more variety: 14 missions mixing body, brain and photo tasks, alarms built on iOS AlarmKit, and an alarm that rings again (up to 10 times) if the mission is not done.

How many missions does 1% Alarm have?

Its App Store description lists 4 challenges: Object Hunt, push-ups, squats and a toothbrush challenge. ByeBed offers 14 missions, including push-ups counted by Apple Vision, six AI-checked photo missions, typed math, drawing and four mini-games.

Is ByeBed worth switching from 1% Alarm for?

Switch to ByeBed if you are on iOS 26 and want more mission variety, brain missions for mornings when push-ups aren't possible, and AlarmKit alarms. Stay with 1% Alarm if its physical challenges work for you or your iPhone can't run iOS 26.

Is 1% Alarm free?

It is free to download, but its App Store description says it requires a premium subscription, with a free trial. ByeBed is also a subscription app: an annual plan with a 3-day free trial for eligible new subscribers, or a weekly plan. Prices are shown in the App Store and vary by country.

Sources

1. 1% Alarm: Scan to Wake Up on the App Store (US). Description, rating, languages and requirements, checked October 15, 2026.
2. ByeBed on the App Store (US). Rating checked October 14, 2026 (4.8 ★ on the US App Store).
3. Apple Developer — AlarmKit Framework Documentation
4. Robbins et al., Scientific Reports, 2025. Snooze alarm use in a global population of smartphone users.