u/Milky_Moon_Stuff

I started building little apps last year for my own personal pain points, and none really took off but they still scratched some itches that I had.

My most recent app RISER, an alarm clock that trains you to wake up earlier by gradually shifting your alarm each day, has just broken $100 proceeds and I can’t really believe it, I’m so grateful for everyone who has tried the app and has committed to pay their own money for it.

The biggest change in this app compared to my others is I’ve added a low cost lifetime purchase, my others are subscription and made ~$60 between them over MONTHS of being available.

What would you do from here? I’m thinking about putting at least half of it back into ads, just not sure where to begin.

I’ll add the link to the app in the comments if requested.

Since adding a lifetime purchase to my app I’ve had some really good interactions on Reddit and X, I’ve had great feedback and suggestions from users.

I’ve been changing things, improving the app, and adding features every couple of days. And each time I’ve submitted an update Apple have been on it, very quick review times and no issues.

Seems like things are getting better, have you found the same?

I’ll link to the app below, it’s an alarm app for retraining your body clock. Instead of setting an alarm you’re not used to and trying to force yourself awake, RISER gradually shifts your alarm a little earlier each day until you hit your goal.

App Store: RISER

I recently changed business model after not seeing much traction with subscriptions.

I originally set my app RISER to be a freemium subscription based alarm app, and I got a few signups but no consistent revenue.

I shipped an update and with it removed the subscriptions and pitched a low lifetime purchase, and since then each day I’ve had revenue.

It’s not much, but it’s daily.

If you’re interested, the app is not a typical alarm app. It’s an alarm app that acts as a coach to help you achieve your goal of waking up earlier.

You setup your plan and RISER automatically shifts your alarm in line with the plan until you hit your goal.

This part is free, PRO gives you better tools and alarm settings to make it even easier, and you also get some nice themes and alarm sounds.

I’ll leave a link below:
App Store: RISER

Let me know if you try it out

When I shipped my latest app RISER I thought if I copied what the popular alarm apps are doing with subscriptions I’ll be fine.

Initially I got a few subscriptions, but it dropped off. Since changing to lifetime, at a pretty low rate, I’ve seen revenue each day and have made more in sales that I did with the subs.

RISER PRO was originally it was $19.99 per year, or $2.99 per month.

It’s now $2.99 lifetime purchase.

The response from the community has been more positive, I’ve had great feedback from PRO users with excellent feature requests that have mostly been shipped now.

What the app does is gradually shift your alarm earlier each day to help you become an early riser, it works out a training plan based on your inputs in the onboarding.

It’s not a typical alarm app, it’s a coach for earlier mornings.

Link to the App Store:
RISER: Wake Up Earlier Everyday

I built RISER because I realised most alarm apps are focused on forcing you out of bed, but they don’t really help you build the habit of waking up earlier.

The problem I kept running into was this:

I’d feel motivated at night, set a 5am alarm, manage it for a couple of days, then slip straight back into my old routine.

RISER takes a different approach.

Instead of jumping straight from, say, 8am to 6am, you set your current wake-up time, your goal wake-up time, and the pace you want to move at.

Then RISER gradually shifts your alarm earlier over time.

So rather than trying to shock yourself into becoming a morning person, the idea is to train the habit more sustainably.

A few things that make it different:

• It moves your alarm earlier in small steps
• You choose how quickly you want to progress
• If you snooze, your plan holds steady instead of pushing you too fast
• You can set one-off temporary alarms without affecting your main plan
• It’s built more like a wake-up coach than a traditional alarm app

I’ve also recently changed RISER PRO from a $19.99/year subscription to a $2.99 lifetime purchase, mainly to make it more accessible.

The free version lets you build a wake-up plan, while PRO adds extra features designed to help you reach your goal more easily and make the habit more likely to stick.

It’s basically for people who want to become morning people, but need a more realistic way to get there than just “try harder tomorrow”.

I’d love to know if the gradual wake-up idea makes sense for your routine.

Hey everyone! I’m reposting because my original post was removed because I didn’t follow the ABC Post Format

I’ve made a pretty big change to my app RISER after feedback from Reddit and early users.

A: What problem does RISER solve?
RISER is for people who want to wake up earlier but struggle to make it stick.

Instead of suddenly setting your alarm from 7am to 5am and hoping motivation carries you through, RISER gradually moves your alarm earlier over time. The idea is to help your body adjust slowly so waking up earlier feels more sustainable.

It’s more of a wake-up training app than a standard alarm clock.

B: Why is it different from other alarm apps?
Most alarm apps focus on making it harder to ignore the alarm, with louder sounds, missions, puzzles, or challenges.

RISER is focused on helping you build the habit before the alarm even goes off. You set your current wake time, your target wake time, and RISER works towards that goal gradually.

I’ve also just shipped a feature requested by someone on Reddit: temporary alarms for when your schedule deviates from the plan.

So if you’re following your normal wake-up plan but tomorrow is different because of an early meeting, flight, school run, or one-off commitment, you can set a temporary alarm for the next day without affecting your main plan.

C: Pricing and App Store link
RISER is free to download and use, the core feature is free.

I’ve now removed subscriptions from RISER PRO and replaced them with a simple $2.99 lifetime purchase which unlocks advanced alarm settings and features to help with your plan, as well as all alarm sounds and themes.

I know subscription fatigue is real, especially for smaller utility apps, so I wanted the pricing to feel fair and straightforward.

App Store link:
RISER: Wake Up Earlier Everyday

I’ve made a pretty big change to my app RISER after getting feedback from Reddit and other early users.

I’ve removed the subscriptions for RISER PRO and replaced them with a simple $2.99 lifetime purchase.

RISER is an alarm app for people who want to wake up earlier, but struggle to make it stick. Instead of forcing you to suddenly jump from, say, 7am to 5am, it gradually moves your alarm earlier over time so your body can adjust and the habit feels more sustainable.

It’s less of a “loud alarm to scare you out of bed” app, and more of a wake-up training app.

I’ve also just shipped a feature requested by someone on Reddit: temporary alarms.

So if your normal plan is running, but tomorrow is different because you have an early meeting, a flight, a school run, or just need to get up at a one-off time, you can set a temporary alarm for the next day without affecting your main wake-up plan.

I know subscription fatigue is real, especially for smaller utility apps, so I wanted to make RISER feel more fair and straightforward. The app still has a free plan, but the full unlock is now a low-priced lifetime purchase instead of another monthly subscription.

Would genuinely appreciate any feedback, especially around the pricing, onboarding, or whether the idea of “training” your wake-up time makes sense from the App Store page.

Download from the App Store: RISER

I have always had random motivation to be an early bird, but have never been able to make the habit stick. I wanted to be able to get things done before the world woke up.

What worked for me and helped me go from 7am to 6am was moving my alarm a little earlier each day, but I wanted to be a 5am person.

I started trying to build an automation to move my alarm earlier automatically, and that turned into RISER. It’s built for iOS26 and will help you become an early bird.

The app guides you through setting up a training plan for earlier mornings and gradually shifts your alarm back by a few minutes each day while you get used to it.

Wake up and stop the alarm, tomorrow is earlier. Snooze? Tomorrow is the same.

Let me know if you want me to share the link, otherwise the app can be found on the App Store by searching RISER Alarm.

Granted I searched “riser alarm”, but it’s still pretty incredible to me that it returned my app as a key option!

Link below to the app:

App Store: RISER

I’m working on a new onboarding flow, trying to walk the user through in a more engaged way to setup the app for their needs.

The current onboarding is fairly short, and covers the basics. The potential new one is longer, but I feel is better overall in explaining each step and getting the user setup.

What do you think? App linked below:

App Store: RISER