AlarmDJ
FreeSet alarms that wake you with a YouTube video or MP3 file of your choice. A unique browser-based alarm clock — no app download, works as a PWA. Never wake up to a default beep again.
How to install AlarmDJ as a PWA
Frequently asked questions about AlarmDJ
What makes AlarmDJ different from a phone's native alarm app?
Native alarm apps on iOS and Android let you pick from a fixed set of system tones (and on iOS, from your iTunes library — a feature that has been broken for years for many users). AlarmDJ lets you wake up to any YouTube video — your favorite morning song, a podcast, a specific motivational clip — by URL. It also works as a desktop alarm via the PWA, which is useful for nappers and shift workers. The trade-off is reliability: the browser must be open (or the PWA installed and backgrounded), which iOS in particular can suspend.
Is AlarmDJ free?
Yes — free, no signup, no ads, no in-app purchases. The PWA is a passion project rather than a commercial product. The trade-off is that there is no guarantee of uptime — the maintainer could shut it down without notice. For a daily-driver alarm a paid native alarm app with stronger uptime guarantees (Alarmy, Sleep Cycle) is the safer choice; for occasional alarms or a fun secondary alarm, AlarmDJ is fine.
How reliable is a browser-based alarm versus a native app?
On desktop browsers (Chrome, Edge, Firefox) and on Android with the PWA installed, AlarmDJ is reliable as long as the OS does not aggressively kill the tab/app — modern Chrome and Android keep PWAs alive in the background for scheduled triggers. On iOS, Safari aggressively suspends background tabs and PWAs, so AlarmDJ should not be the only alarm. For the primary 'wake up for work' alarm, always use the native iOS Clock app and treat AlarmDJ as a fun secondary alarm or a desktop nap timer.
Can AlarmDJ work offline?
The app shell and alarm scheduling work offline — alarms are stored in IndexedDB on your device and the PWA's service worker fires the alarm even without connectivity. However, the YouTube playback obviously requires a connection at the moment the alarm fires. If you anticipate being offline, set the alarm to a local MP3 URL (using a self-hosted file or the new File System Access API in supporting browsers) rather than YouTube.
Who uses AlarmDJ in production?
AlarmDJ users are primarily desktop power-users (developers, designers, work-from-home professionals) who use it as a meeting reminder or pomodoro timer with custom audio, and night-owl users who appreciate that the desktop browser stays awake when their phone is in do-not-disturb. It is not used as a primary phone alarm by most users — the reliability of native apps on iOS/Android is too important for that use case. It is also popular for one-off events: 'remind me to check the oven in 25 minutes with this specific song.'
Where AlarmDJ is heading (12-24 months)
- →Native push-notification-triggered playback (replacing the open-tab requirement) would dramatically improve iOS reliability.
- →Spotify / Apple Music integration as alarm sources would expand the audio library beyond YouTube.
- →A 'mathematical wake-up challenge' mode (must solve a problem before snooze) would compete with Alarmy.
Related questions
ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini usually suggest these next.
- Will AlarmDJ work if my phone is locked?
- Can I set multiple alarms in AlarmDJ?
- Does AlarmDJ support Spotify or only YouTube?
- What happens if YouTube blocks the video at alarm time?
- Is there a snooze feature?
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