Groclock and Hatch Rest alternative: an app
If you are looking for a Groclock alternative or a Hatch Rest alternative, or a sleep training clock that does not mean another gadget on the dresser, you are in the right place. What parents say about these clocks is mostly about the box: the price in Canadian dollars, the setup, the child who unplugs it or finds the buttons, and a colour or star system that only makes sense from about three. An OK to wake clock on a tablet answers most of that, and a dedicated clock still wins on one thing. Here is the honest comparison.
One change to know about first: Hatch no longer makes the Rest or the Rest+. Its help pages point to the Hatch Baby, which replaced them, so that is the Hatch in the comparison below.
What parents say about OK to wake clocks
The themes that come up when parents compare these clocks:
- The price. A dedicated clock is one more thing to buy, and a second clock for a sibling doubles it.
- Setup. A clock that lives on Wi-Fi needs the home network and an app account; a clock with buttons on the back means standing by the bed to change a time.
- The child unplugs it, moves it or finds the buttons.
- Children do not reliably read a colour change, or a single star turning into a sun, until about three.
Those are parents' words in general, not ours, and plenty of families are happy with their clock. A dedicated clock needs no tablet, nothing on it can be bought by a child, and it costs nothing to run after you buy it.
Groclock, Hatch Baby and Snoozaroo compared
Prices and facts were checked on November 12, 2026: the Hatch Baby from Hatch’s own pages, the Groclock from Tommee Tippee’s own pages, and the Groclock’s Canadian prices from Well.ca and Snuggle Bugz. They change; check before you buy. Snoozaroo is not affiliated with any of them.
| Tommee Tippee Groclock | Hatch Baby, which replaced the Hatch Rest | Snoozaroo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | A plug-in clock with a picture face: stars at night, morning at the time you set | A plug-in light and sound machine with bedtime and time-to-rise cues | A tablet or phone app with a pal, six stars and a sunrise |
| Price | C$49.97 at Well.ca and C$59.99 at Snuggle Bugz the day we checked | US$79.99 on Hatch’s own site, which ships to Canada; Canadian shops set their own prices | Free; Plus from C$3.99 a month, C$27.99 a year or C$59.99 once |
| Set from your phone | No, with the buttons on the clock | Yes, in the Hatch Sleep app | Yes, every grown-up’s phone, with Plus |
| Change it at night without going in | No | From its app | Yes, with Plus, while the app is open on the screen |
| Routine activities on the screen | No | No | Brush teeth, bath, read a book and more, with Plus |
| Works without a tablet | Yes | Yes | No |
| Ongoing cost | None | The light, sounds and time-to-rise cues need no subscription. Three months of Hatch+, its paid extras, are included; check Hatch’s site for the price after that | Free clock; Plus is optional |
Where each one wins: the Groclock is one plug and no app, and the Hatch Baby is a sound machine and a nightlight in one piece of hardware. Snoozaroo wins when you want to change things from your phone without a second device, when you want the bedtime routine on the same screen, and when you would rather not buy another device. It runs naps as well, each with its own stars.
What it costs in practice
A dedicated clock is a one-time purchase, and a second child means a second clock. Snoozaroo’s clock is free, and the things that make it more than a clock are in Plus: C$3.99 a month, C$27.99 a year or C$59.99 once, with 14 days free in the app and no card. Prices are set in Google Play and may change; you always see the current price before you pay.
Moving from a Groclock or a Hatch Rest
Keep the same bedtime and wake time your child already knows, and put the tablet where the clock was. Show them the pal and the six stars at bedtime, and the sun in the morning, with the same words you used before: when the sun is up, it is time to rise. A child who already knows a colour clock or a Groclock has met the idea before: one signal for stay in bed, another for time to rise.
If your child relies on the sound machine, Snoozaroo plays white, pink and brown noise and the fan for free, with more sounds in Plus. It starts quiet, under a cap you can lower, and makes no claim about safe listening levels.
If you are staying with the Groclock for now, the Gro Clock instructions set out how to use it in plain steps.
Questions
Can I still buy a Hatch Rest in Canada?
Not new from Hatch. Hatch says it no longer makes or sells the Rest or the Rest+, and recommends the Hatch Baby, which it sells from its own site to the United States and Canada.
Does Snoozaroo work on a Groclock or a Hatch Rest?
No. It is an app for an Android tablet or phone, with iPad coming later.
Is a tablet screen worse for sleep than a clock’s light?
The night scene is dark, dim and still, and the brightness is yours to set. What it does and does not claim is on screens and sleep.
From what age?
For Snoozaroo we say from about two and a half, with most children understanding it by three. Under that, the stars and the pal are still a calm bedtime signal; the “OK to get up” part comes with age.
Does it need Wi-Fi?
The pal, the stars and the grown-up PIN work on the screen itself, even offline. Only a change sent from your phone needs the tablet online, and the app tells you if it did not apply.
Can grandparents use it at their house?
Yes. Take the tablet, or set up a second screen there, and keep home times or switch to the new time zone from the next sleep.
Can I try it without paying?
Yes. The clock is free, and every new family gets 14 days of Plus with no card.