ByeBed vs Erly: Which is the best mission-based alarm?
Quick answer: Erly is an accountability app: you set a wake-up goal, prove you got up on time and build a streak, and its alarms won't turn off until you complete a mission. ByeBed focuses on the alarm itself: it is built on Apple's AlarmKit (iOS 26+) and offers 14 missions. If streaks and accountability are what motivate you, Erly. If you want a wide choice of missions and an AlarmKit alarm that comes back if the mission is not done, ByeBed. (Written by the ByeBed team; Erly details come from its App Store listing, October 2026.)
Quick verdict
| Criterion | ByeBed | Erly |
|---|---|---|
| Mission types | 14 | Missions mentioned but not listed on its App Store page |
| 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. | Alarms won't turn off until you complete a mission; no snoozes (per its App Store description) |
| US App Store rating (Oct 2026) | 4.8 ★ | 4.8 ★ |
| Languages | 44 | 1 (English) |
| Platforms | iOS and iPadOS 26 or later | iOS 17.6 or later |
What Erly does well
Erly's strength is accountability. You set a target wake-up time, then record your wake-up before that time to keep your streak alive. Once you are within 4 hours of your wake-up time the goal locks, so you can't move it after oversleeping. A streak tracker, a history strip and a gamified progress system keep the score visible.
It is one of the best-rated apps in the category: 4.8 ★ on the US App Store (October 2026), from far more ratings than ByeBed. It runs on iOS 17.6 and later.
If what you lack is not a louder alarm but a reason to care about tomorrow morning, Erly's streak-first design is built for you.
Where Erly may not fit you
Erly is built around the streak more than the alarm, which has trade-offs:
- Missions are not listed. Erly's App Store description says its alarms won't turn off until you complete a mission, but it doesn't say which missions it has. ByeBed lists all 14.
- English only. The App Store lists one language for Erly and 44 for ByeBed.
- Streaks cut both ways. If a broken streak demotivates you more than it pushes you, an app built around streaks may not suit you. ByeBed has no streak to break: its Stats tab counts the days you woke up and shows this week's wake-ups, and the alarm does the work.
- 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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Erly'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.
Erly cognitive: its App Store description mentions missions but does not list them.
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.
Erly physical: not listed in its App Store description.
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.
Erly photo: not listed. To keep a streak alive, you record your wake-up time before your target time.
Frequently asked questions
Is Erly better than ByeBed?
Erly is stronger if accountability and streaks are what keep you consistent: you prove you woke up before your target time, and the goal locks 4 hours ahead. ByeBed is stronger if you want 14 listed 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 Erly have?
Erly's App Store description mentions missions but doesn't list them. ByeBed offers 14, including push-ups counted by Apple Vision, six AI-checked photo missions, typed math, drawing and four mini-games.
Is ByeBed worth switching from Erly for?
Switch to ByeBed if your problem is the alarm itself and you want a wide choice of missions, or an app in your own language (ByeBed is available in 44 languages). Stay with Erly if its streak and accountability system is what gets you up.
Does ByeBed have streaks like Erly?
No. ByeBed's Stats tab shows how many days you have woken up, this week's wake-ups, your wake-up times over the last 14 days, your average wake-up time, your average mission time and your favorite mission, all stored on your phone. There is no streak, no accountability check-in and no locked goal: ByeBed is focused on the alarm.
Sources
- Erly: Wake Up Early on the App Store (US). Description, rating, languages and requirements, checked October 15, 2026.
- ByeBed on the App Store (US). Rating checked October 14, 2026 (4.8 ★ on the US App Store).
- Apple Developer — AlarmKit Framework Documentation
- Robbins et al., Scientific Reports, 2025. Snooze alarm use in a global population of smartphone users.
Tired of hitting snooze?
ByeBed replaces the snooze button with a mission: math, push-ups, a photo. Stop the alarm without finishing the mission and it comes back, up to 10 times over 15 minutes. Subscription required, with a 3-day free trial on the annual plan for eligible new subscribers.
Download ByeBed on the App Store