What Actually Stays Free
Hatch’s own breakdown of free-vs-Hatch+ features is direct about what ships with the hardware, no ongoing bill attached:
- Customizable bedtime routines and sunrise alarms
- “Goodnight, Phone,” a reminder to put your phone away before bed
- 40 science-backed sleep sounds
- 20 gentle alarm sounds
- 20 circadian-backed lights
- 5 unwind audio routines (including a Sound Bath Sampler and Meditation Sampler)
That’s a genuinely usable free tier, not a stripped-down demo. The core reason most people buy a Restore, a sunrise alarm paired with white noise and a screen-free bedtime routine, works fully without paying anything beyond the hardware.
What Hatch+ Adds, and What It Costs
Hatch+
- Unwind audio100+ options
- Sleep sounds80+ (vs. 40 free)
- Alarm sounds80+ (vs. 20 free)
- Lights100+ (vs. 20 free)
Confirmed directly on Hatch’s own site on September 12, 2026: Hatch+ “unlocks even more audio and light beyond what’s included with Restore,” with new content released weekly, at $4.99/month or $49.99/year. Every new Restore ships with a 30-day free trial of Hatch+, so the first month effectively previews the full paid library before deciding whether to keep it.
Who Should NOT Pay for Hatch+
If you’re using the Restore mainly as a sunrise alarm clock and white noise machine, the free tier’s 40 sleep sounds and 20 lights already cover that use case completely; paying $4.99/month for a bigger sound library you won’t meaningfully explore is money spent on options rather than function. Skip subscribing past the 30-day trial unless you’ve actually run out of free sounds or routines you like.
Hatch+ makes more sense for someone who wants a rotating library of new content to keep bedtime routines from feeling repetitive, or who specifically wants the deeper meditation and story content that isn’t in the free tier.
Hatch Restore 3
Sunrise alarm, white noise, and bedtime routines work with no subscription. 4.3★ (1,784 ratings).
Hatch’s list price is $169.99, though it’s regularly discounted during sales events (Prime Day-style promotions have dropped it to the $140s). Check the live listing before buying.
A No-Subscription Alternative: Dreamegg Sunrise Alarm Clock
If you don’t want a companion app or a subscription tier in the picture at all, a newer wave of sunrise alarm clocks skips both entirely.
Dreamegg Sunrise Alarm Clock
Gradual sunrise wake-up, 29 sounds, no app required for any of it. 4.4★ (647 ratings).
Dreamegg’s pitch is explicit: everything runs on the device itself, no app pairing and no ongoing tier to consider. The tradeoff is scope: 29 built-in sounds against Hatch’s 40-free/80-plus-paid library, and a simpler light system than Hatch’s circadian-tuned lighting. For a buyer whose only complaint about Hatch is the existence of a $4.99/month option they’d never subscribe to anyway, that tradeoff isn’t necessary. For a buyer who wants zero app or account involved at any point, Dreamegg is the more direct fit.
This is the same shape our Eight Sleep without a subscription guide found in sleep tech generally: the hardware’s core job works free, and the subscription mostly sells a bigger content library or automation layer on top of it.
FAQ
Does the Hatch Restore stop working without a subscription? No. Bedtime routines, sunrise alarms, 40 sleep sounds, 20 alarm sounds, and 20 lights all work permanently with no subscription, confirmed on Hatch’s own site.
What exactly do I lose without Hatch+? Access to the larger content library: 100+ unwind audio options instead of 5, 80+ sleep sounds instead of 40, 80+ alarm sounds instead of 20, and 100+ lights instead of 20, plus new weekly content.
Is there a monthly option for Hatch+? Yes. $4.99/month, or $49.99/year if you prepay annually.
Does the free trial auto-renew into a paid subscription? Every new Restore includes a 30-day Hatch+ trial. Hatch doesn’t publish auto-renewal terms on the page confirming the free tier, so check your account before the trial ends if you don’t want it converting to a paid month automatically.
Is there a sunrise alarm clock with no subscription option at all? Yes. The Dreamegg Sunrise Alarm Clock runs entirely on the device with no companion app and no subscription tier, though with a smaller built-in sound library than Hatch’s.
Bottom Line
- You want a sunrise alarm and white noise machine, nothing more: the free tier already covers it. Don’t subscribe past the 30-day trial unless you’ve actually run out of sounds you like.
- You want a constantly refreshed library of sounds, stories, and meditations: Hatch+ is built for that specifically; budget $4.99/month for it.
- You want zero app or subscription involved at any point: the Dreamegg Sunrise Alarm Clock runs standalone at a lower price, with a smaller sound library than Hatch’s.
Also curious about other sleep hardware with a subscription attached? See our Eight Sleep without a subscription guide for the same free-tier-vs-paid breakdown.