Groclock alternative: a sleep trainer clock app
If you are looking for a Groclock alternative in South Africa, you are probably not looking for another clock. The Groclock is imported, and its price in rand varies by shop. The things parents say about it on parenting forums are about the box: it is fiddly to set, a child can get at the buttons, and it is one device that has to be in the room. It also runs from the mains, so it stops when the power does. A sleep trainer clock on a tablet you already have answers most of that, and the Groclock still wins on one thing. Here is the honest comparison.
What parents say about the Groclock
From threads on Mumsnet, the UK parents' forum, that we read on 12 November 2026:
- It is fiddly to set. Settings live on the clock’s buttons, so a change means standing by the bed.
- Some children press the buttons until the sun shows, or work out how to change the settings and get past the key lock.
- It is too bright at night for some families, though it can be dimmed and its light can be turned off.
- Children take to it at different ages: some at about two, some nearer three, and some not at all.
Those are parents' reports, not ours, and plenty of families are happy with it. One more thing, from its maker’s pages and not from parents: the Groclock is mains powered, so when load-shedding starts the clock stops. It keeps its settings, but its maker says the time is then out by as long as the power was off and has to be set again. It is a sleep trainer clock many parents know, it costs nothing to run, and it does not need a tablet. If your clinic nurse or paediatrician suggested a sleep clock as part of a bedtime routine, the same routine works on a tablet.
The comparison
Facts checked on 12 November 2026 from Tommee Tippee’s own pages. We could not confirm a current price in rand from a South African shop that day, so none is given: prices vary by shop; check before you buy. Facts change too. Snoozaroo is not affiliated with Tommee Tippee or with any shop.
| Groclock | Snoozaroo | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A plug-in clock with a picture face: stars at night, morning at the time you set | A tablet or phone app with a pal, six stars and a sunrise |
| Price | Varies by shop; check before you buy | Free; Plus from R29.99 a month, R199.99 a year or R449.99 once |
| What you need to buy | The clock | Nothing, if the family has an Android tablet or phone |
| Set from your phone | No, on the clock itself | Yes |
| Change it at night without going in | No | Yes, with Plus, while the app is open on the screen |
| Routine activities | No | Brush teeth, bath, read a book and more, with Plus |
| Naps | A second wake time | Yes, each with its own stars |
| Power | Mains, through a USB cable | The tablet’s own battery, charged before bed or plugged in when the power is on |
| Works without a tablet | Yes | No |
Where each one wins: the Groclock needs no tablet and no app, and nothing on it can be bought. Snoozaroo wins on what it costs a family that already has a tablet, when you want to change things from your phone, when you want the bedtime routine on the same screen, and when the power goes.
What it costs in practice
A Groclock is a one-off purchase, and its price in rand varies by shop. Snoozaroo’s clock is free, and the things that make it more than a clock are in Plus: R29.99 a month, R199.99 a year or R449.99 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
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.
Questions
Does Snoozaroo work on a Groclock?
No. It is an app for an Android tablet or phone, with iPad coming later.
What happens during load-shedding?
The schedule, the stars and the sounds run on the tablet itself, so once a sleep has started it does not need the internet or the plug. When the power and the Wi-Fi go, the tablet carries on from its battery and the stars keep going out as planned. Charge it before bed. A change sent from your phone during the night needs the tablet online, and the app tells you if it did not apply.
Is a tablet screen worse for sleep than a Groclock’s face?
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?
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.
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.