We make LocatAlert, one of the seven. The other rows come from each app's own store listing or website, read on 28 October 2026. We haven't tested the other apps ourselves, and a listing's claim isn't proof that an app does it.
The seven apps at a glance
| App | Phones | Cost | Locked phone | No mobile data | Underground | Rings on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LocatAlert | Android; iPhone coming | Free for two alarms; Plus and Family subscriptions | Full-screen alarm over the lock screen | Needs data to find your stop; no offline claim | No underground mode: rings only on a GPS fix | Distance, 50 m to 5 km; arrive, leave or both with Plus |
| Wake Me There | Android | Free with ads; in-app purchases | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Distance before your stop; leaving an area; a separate clock alarm |
| Nap Alarm | Android | Free with ads; Pro through ad-earned coins or a one-time purchase | Says it sounds through the lock screen and silent mode | Says it needs no internet once the route is set | "Subway Watchdog": after 2 minutes without GPS, it estimates your position from the route's stop timings | Distance, or estimated time to arrival |
| NapStop | Android | Free; the listing shows no ads or purchases | Full-screen alert notification | Says no internet is needed after you set the destination | Not stated | Distance, minutes before arrival, or a number of stops |
| GPS Alert – Bus Location Alarm | Android | Free with ads | Full-screen alarm on a locked phone | Not stated | Lists subways; no plan for lost GPS stated | Metres before arrival |
| AlarMap | Android | Free with ads; one-time Premium | Says it runs with the screen off; how it shows the alarm isn't stated | Not stated | Not stated | Distance, 100 m to 10 km; weekday repeats with time windows in Premium |
| Stopwise | iPhone, iOS 26 | Free with a subscription | Alarm controls on the lock screen | Not stated | A backup timer that runs without GPS and reminds you to check where you are | Radius, with approach warnings |
Wake Me There is the most used here, with 100K+ downloads and 4.3 stars from 2.38K reviews on Google Play. Every other Android app showed under 500 downloads, LocatAlert included, and Stopwise had three ratings on the US App Store.
What to check before you rely on one
- It rings like an alarm on a locked phone. A notification is easy to sleep through. Look for a full-screen alarm with sound, and on Android let the app ignore battery optimization, so the system doesn't stop it in the background.
- The radius suits your speed. Your warning is the radius divided by your speed: 1 km gives about 2 minutes on a city bus at 30 km/h, and 23 seconds on a train at 160 km/h. The train stop alarm guide has the full table.
- It has a plan for lost signal. GPS fails underground and weakens inside train carriages. Only Nap Alarm describes a fallback. The rest, LocatAlert included, wait for the next position.
- It is easy on the battery over a long trip. Nap Alarm, GPS Alert and LocatAlert say they pace GPS by your distance to the stop. Wake Me There lets you set how often it updates your location.
- You test it once. Whichever app you pick, arm it for a place nearby and walk there with the phone locked before you rely on it for a trip.
Which one fits your trip
- Underground metro lines: Nap Alarm is the only app here with a stated plan for lost GPS. Its own site calls the result an estimate, so treat it as a backup to a wide radius.
- The most-used option: Wake Me There, by a wide margin in downloads and reviews.
- iPhone today: Stopwise. The LocatAlert iPhone app isn't out yet.
- Weekday commutes: AlarMap Premium repeats on the days and hours you set. LocatAlert Plus lets you pick the days each alarm rings.
- A full-screen alarm in the free app: LocatAlert (two alarms), NapStop and GPS Alert all describe a full-screen alarm or alert without paying.
- Leaving a place, not arriving: Wake Me There has an alarm for leaving an area, and LocatAlert Plus adds leave and both triggers.
Where LocatAlert fits
Choose LocatAlert if you're on Android and want a full-screen alarm over the lock screen, a radius from 50 m to 5 km, and two free alarms without an account. Far from your stop it uses low-power location and turns precise GPS on only for the last stretch, and the distance checks run on your phone.
It isn't the pick for deep metro lines: it has no underground mode and rings only once it has a position. It has no arrival-time trigger either, and the iPhone app isn't out yet. The bus stop alarm guide covers how it behaves without data and underground.
How we compared
We read each app's Google Play or App Store listing on 28 October 2026, logged out and as a US visitor, plus Nap Alarm's website for its offline and underground features. Where a listing doesn't mention a feature, the table says "Not stated", which doesn't mean the app lacks it.
We left out Android apps with under 100 downloads, an iPhone app with no ratings yet, and one app with no store listing. We found no independent test that measures any of these apps. If a listing has changed, write to support@locatalert.com and we'll update the table.
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