Using an alarm clock forms an important part of the daily routine of most people.
Without one, you risk being late for work, the school run, important appointments, taking medication, and anything else that requires you to get out of bed at a certain time of the day.
For people who are deaf or hearing impaired, traditional alarm clocks are often not fit for purpose. Using a standard alarm clock, they may only faintly hear the alarm go off in the morning. Or if someone has no hearing at all, they may not hear the alarm at all.
However, there are plenty of alarm clocks designed specifically for deaf and hair-of-hearing users. Many of these alarms sport flat vibration pads that sit under a pillow or mattress, waking the user by vibrating strongly. Some also use wakeup methods such as flashing LED lights and loud sounds.
The best hearing-impaired alarms allow users to choose their preferred wakeup method, whether that’s vibration, flashing, or sound. Some models even allow users to combine several of these options, making it less likely they'll miss the alarm and fail to get up in the morning.
As well as offering alternative wakeup options for people with hearing impairments, they also boast traditional alarm features such as digital and analogue displays that show the time in 12 and 24-hour formats, alarm snoozing, the ability to create multiple alarms, LED display dimmers, stylish designs, long battery life, and USB ports for charging devices like phones and tablets.
Today, there is a vast market of hearing-impaired alarm clocks, with models varying in terms of design, features, and price. In terms of price, you can get hearing-impaired alarms for under £20, although more advanced models can cost over £50.
Best alarm clocks for hearing impaired at a glance
- Best overall: Geemarc Wake’nShake Vintage - £59.99, Amazon
- Best for affordability: Amplicomms TCL350 Extra Loud Vibrating Clock - £14.99, Amazon
- Best for most people: ROCAM Loud Alarm Clock - £19.99, Amazon
- Best for simplicity: OCUBE Alarm Clock - £28.99, Amazon
- Best for adding colour to your bedroom: ROCAM Alarm Clocks Bedside - £26.99, Amazon
- Best wearable alarm clock: TabTime Vibrating Alarm Watch - £24.99, Amazon
- Best option for travelling: Sonic Shaker vibrating travel alarm clock - £41.99, Hearing Dogs
- Best for smartphone users: Bellman Vibio Vibrating Alarm Clock - £83.99, Hearing Aid Accessories
- Best for couples: A5 Extreme Powerful Vibration Alarm Clock - £23.99, Amazon
- Best for modern bedrooms: Geemarc Wake 'n' Shake Curve alarm clock - £47.84, Amazon
Either way, there’s a hearing-impaired alarm for everybody. But of course, having so much choice at your disposal means making an informed decision can be difficult. To help, we’ve rounded up the best hearing-impaired clocks available in 2024. Shop now
Geemarc Wake’nShake Vintage
Best: Overall
If you’re hard of hearing and looking for a clock that provides a wide variety of alarm options, you’ll love the Geemarc Wake’nShake Vintage.
It rouses you with a flashing light, vibrating and flashing, ringing and flashing, or a combination of all three at the same time. You can also snooze the alarm or turn it off altogether, which could be useful if you want a lay-in on the weekend or your day off work. It’s possible to adjust the volume using high, medium, low, and off settings, as well as high, medium, and low options for controlling the alarm’s tone.
Other features include three dimming levels, two vibration levels, an analogue display, and a USB charging port for smart devices.
Buy now £59.99, Health and Care
Amplicomms TCL350 Extra Loud Vibrating Clock
Best for: affordability
The TCL350 Extra Loud Vibrating Clock from Amplicomms is one to consider if you’re looking for something cheap and cheerful.
It boasts a three-level alarm and a three-level vibration pad that goes under pillows. The sound-based alarm can reach volumes of up to 80dB. If you want more shut-eye, the alarm is easy to snooze. There’s a decently sized display that shows the time in either 12 or 24-hour formats.
Too bright to sleep with? Lower the brightness of the screen by two levels or switch it off completely.
Buy now £14.99, Connevans
ROCAM Loud Alarm Clock
Best for: most people
The ROCAM Loud Alarm Clock has three wakeup settings: “super buzzer”, “strong vibration,” or both. If you choose the “strong vibration” option, you can use it by placing a wired vibrator under your bed. It uses powerful vibrations to wake you up in the morning; there's no ignoring this.
Should the alarm go off when you’re not ready to get out of bed, just press the snooze button, and it’ll go off in nine minutes. The alarm clock also features four volume levels, which you can adjust to suit your needs.
Other nifty features include a 7-inch display with five brightness levels, easy-to-understand buttons, and a USB power port for easy recharging.
Buy now £19.99, Amazon
OCUBE Alarm Clock
Best for: simplicity
The OCUBE Alarm Clock sports a bed shaker with three different levels and a ringer with three different sounds, including a traditional ringing sound, bird noises, or music. The ringer’s sound will increase over time to ensure you get up in the morning, with the maximum loudness being 110dB, making it a useful feature for people with some level of hearing ability. You can get the clock to wake you up with the bed shaker, ringer, or both, and there’s also a dedicated button for snoozing the alarm for 9 minutes.
On the front of the clock is a decently sized display that shows the time, and you can adjust its brightness using the large dials at the top. These will also allow you to change the time and minutes of the clock. You can purchase this clock in either black or white, with the former sporting a blue rim and the latter sporting a turquoise rim.
Buy now £28.99, Amazon
ROCAM Alarm Clocks Bedside
Best for: adding colour to your bedroom
This is another great bedside alarm clock from ROCAM, waking up users with a “super buzzer”, “a strong vibrator”, or both.
A large button at the top of the clock allows you to snooze the alarm for 9 minutes, giving you more time in bed. Some buttons let you pause the alarm for 24 hours or switch it off altogether, which is handy when you're hoping for a lie-in.
On the front of the clock is a 7-inch display that shows the time and minutes. It also doubles as a night light with seven different colours, which include cobalt blue, sky blue, green, oyster white, orange, pink, and violet.
What’s more, the clock provides two USB ports for charging your phone and another device.
Buy now £26.99, Amazon
TabTime Vibrating Alarm Watch
Best: wearable alarm clock
The TabTime Vibrating Alarm Watch is a great option for anyone looking for a portable alarm solution.
With it, you can set up ten different alarms to go off throughout the day. The alarm works by vibrating, with the first lasting for 40 seconds and the others lasting for 20 seconds. The initial 40-second vibration is a great way of waking you up in the morning, while you can use the other alarms to remind you to take medication, drink water, or perform another task. There are two buttons on the side of the watch for turning off the alarms and displaying the time on the digital display.
The watch is also splashproof and has a battery life of up to 10 days. You can get it in blue, red, black, grey, and pink.
Buy now £24.99, Amazon
Sonic Shaker vibrating travel alarm clock
Best for: travelling
If you have a hearing impairment and travel a lot, the Sonic Shaker vibrating travel alarm clock could be a good option. Sporting a lightweight and compact design, it won’t take up much room under your pillow and can wake you by vibrating, beeping, or doing both at the same time.
The clock comes with a travel pouch, keeping it protected while in your suitcase. In terms of other features, the clock sports a clip so that it doesn’t move under your pillow and a four-minute snooze function.
It’s powered by AA and AAA batteries, and you get a two-year warranty with your purchase.
Buy now £41.99, Hearing Dogs
Bellman Vibio Vibrating Alarm Clock
Best for: smartphone users
Bellman’s Vibio Vibrating Alarm Clock uses powerful vibrations from under a pillow to wake up people with hearing impairments.
By connecting this alarm clock to an iOS or Android smartphone, you can easily set alarms, alter the vibration strength, view the remaining battery life, and change the length of the snooze function. To snooze the alarm, simply pull the red strap. It provides 10 days of battery life and takes just an hour and a half to reach full capacity after charging.
Another unique feature of this alarm is its ability to alert you to an incoming phone call or message by vibrating and displaying an LED light.
Buy now £69.99, Hearing Aid Accessories
A5 Extreme Powerful Vibration Alarm Clock
Best for: couples
With this alarm clock, you get a flat vibration pad designed to fit snuggly under a pillow or mattress; in the morning, it’ll deliver a strong vibration to wake you up.
It provides three different wake-up modes, including a vibrator, alarm, and both. The alarm can reach volumes of up to 110db, and thanks to a dual alarm feature, couples can set two different alarms if they wake up at different times of the day. The front of the clock features a 6-inch LED screen that displays the time, with five brightness levels available.
Available in either black or white.
Buy now £23.99, Amazon
Geemarc Wake 'n' Shake Curve alarm clock
Best for: modern bedrooms
The Wake 'n' Shake Curve alarm clock from Geermarc provides a range of wake-up modes for people with hearing impairments, including sound, an LED light, and vibration. Thanks to a snazzy-looking curved display that shows the time in either 12 or 24 hours, this alarm clock will look great in any modern bedroom. You can adjust the brightness of the display by three levels, and the sound has low, medium, and high options. There’s also a USB port so that you can charge your phone, tablet, and any other devices while you sleep. The alarm will last up to an hour, but you can turn it off manually.
Buy now £47.84, Connevans
Verdict
Overall, our favourite hard-of-hearing alarm is the Geemarc Wake’nShake Vintage. While it’s more expensive than many of the alarms on this list, it boasts an impressive range of wakeup options, including flashing lights, vibration, and ringing. And the great thing is that you can use a combination of these options.
For people looking for something cheaper, we’d recommend the Amplicomms TCL350 Extra Loud Vibrating Clock. Aside from costing under £20, it offers a three-level alarm and a three-level vibration pad.
