Clutch Alarm: A Close Game Alert App That Wakes You Up
Following a league in another time zone means a choice every match night: stay up for a game that may end 3-0 by half-time, or sleep and miss the one that goes to the wire. Clutch Alarm watches the matches for you, rates each one from 0 to 10 for drama, and rings your phone only when a game you follow gets close. This piece covers how it decides, what you can set it to wake you for, and how it compares with the score apps you may already have.
OneTimePay.app
6 min read
Is there an app that wakes me up only if the game gets close?
Yes. Clutch Alarm, free on iPhone, scores every live football and basketball match from 0 to 10 for drama and sounds a loud alarm only when a match you follow crosses your threshold, such as a one-goal game in the last 15 minutes. Quiet night, no alarm.
On this page
Is there an app that wakes me up only if the game gets close?
In short
Yes. Clutch Alarm tracks every live match on its own servers and gives each one a Drama Score from 0 to 10. You pick a threshold and the kinds of moment you care about. When a match you follow crosses the line, the phone goes off like an alarm. If nothing gets close, you sleep straight through.
Football drama score
The score blends the scoreline against the clock, shifting momentum, big chances, red cards, penalties, comebacks, underdog upsets and the stakes of the competition. The developer's own example: a tense 1-1 in the 88th minute climbs toward 10, while a 4-0 dead rubber stays quiet. Open any match to see the number move on a live Drama Timeline, next to per-minute momentum, expected goals, win probability, lineups, a shot map and a ball tracker.
Wake me up for late goals
A goal alert, from any app, reaches you after the goal. Clutch Alarm's answer is to wake you before the decisive moment: Late Drama fires when the score is within one goal in the last 15 minutes, and Drama Radar fires when any match in a league you follow crosses your threshold. You get up for the finish, not the replay.
What you can set it to wake you for
In short
Follow a team, a player, a whole league or the World Championship, then mix the alerts per match or league. Each alert is set to Alarm (loud, full-screen) or Silent (a normal notification) on its own, so a routine goal can be a quiet ping while a late comeback rings.
Drama Radar: any match in the league crossing your drama threshold.
Late Drama: the score within one in the last 15 minutes.
Comebacks and Sensations: a side clawing back, or an underdog beating a favourite.
Big-Chance bursts, cards and penalties: frantic spells and the moments that decide games.
Player and Match Moments: goals, braces and hat-tricks from players you follow, plus kickoff, every goal, half-time, full-time, lineups and a pre-match reminder.
Sports alarm that bypasses silent mode
The developer says Alarm mode is a loud, time-sensitive, full-screen alert that cuts through silent mode and Do Not Disturb, with the score, the minute and the drama score on the lock screen, and you can choose the alarm sound. If the mute switch is on, the app warns you in advance. We have not tested the bypass ourselves, so try it on a weekend afternoon before you trust it with a 3 a.m. final.
Spoiler-free score alerts
A no-spoiler mode hides scores until you are ready, which helps if you plan to watch a replay in the morning. Followed fixtures can also go straight into Apple, Google or iCloud calendars, with kickoff times kept up to date for the next 60 days in your time zone.
Price
Free, no IAP listed
Platform
iPhone, iOS 17+
Drama Score
0 to 10, live
Sports
Football, basketball
Languages
English, Hebrew
Latest version
3.0 (Jun 2026)
Close game alert apps, compared
In short
Price does not separate these apps: all of them are free to download. FotMob and Sofascore alert you for each event, Sports Alerts has a close-game alert type, Sports Alarm rings for moments you pick, and Halftime Fan watches the margin in NBA games. Clutch Alarm's difference is one drama number across football and basketball.
| App | Price | Alerts on | Sports | Rings like an alarm |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Clutch Alarm this one this article | Free, no IAP listed | Drama score, late close games | Football, basketball | |
Sports Alerts Luno Software | Free, ad removal from $0.99/mo | Events, close games | Many, incl. soccer | Not stated |
Halftime Fan NBA only | Free, no IAP listed | Point margin and time left | NBA | Not stated |
Sports Alarm game moments | Free, no IAP listed | Moments you pick | EPL, MLS, US leagues, UFC | |
FotMob score app | Free, plans from $1.99/mo | Goals and match events | Football | Not stated |
Sofascore score app | Free, ad removal from $0.99/mo | Goals and match events | Many | Not stated |
If you mainly want every goal from your club, FotMob or Sofascore already does that and covers far more competitions. Sports Alerts is the closest older rival: its close game alert works across many sports. Halftime Fan is the simplest pick for NBA fans who want a point-margin rule and nothing else. Sports Alarm rings loudly like Clutch Alarm, but for moments you choose in advance, such as kickoff or the final score, not for how close a match is. Clutch Alarm is the one here that judges the drama for you, across a dozen-plus football and basketball competitions from the Premier League to the EuroLeague and the Israeli top flights.
Who Clutch Alarm suits, and who should skip it
In short
It suits football or basketball fans who follow matches in another time zone and want to sleep through the dull ones. Skip it if you need Android, a language other than English or Hebrew, American football, baseball or hockey, or an app with a long track record.
Clutch Alarm is young. Version 1.0 arrived on 31 March 2026 as a basketball app, and football was added in version 3.0 on 10 June 2026, which is still the latest release. It has two ratings on the US App Store. It was built by Itamar Kenan and Nadav Keshet, computer science students at Ben-Gurion University, and the press kit cites more than 1,000 users in its basketball beta. The press kit also lists Android, but we found no Google Play listing.
Because the tracking runs on the developer's servers, your phone does almost no work overnight, by their account. It does mean the alarm needs a network connection and depends on their service staying up. The App Store lists no in-app purchases, and the developer does not say how the app will be paid for later.
Before a big night
Set one alert to Alarm, turn on Late Drama for a league with a match on, and check that the alarm rings with your phone on silent. Everything here was verified on 25 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Will Clutch Alarm wake me up if my phone is on silent?
The developer says yes, if you set that alert to Alarm mode: it fires a loud, time-sensitive, full-screen alert that cuts through silent mode and Do Not Disturb. If the mute switch is on, the app warns you ahead of time so you can fix it before you sleep. We have not tested the bypass ourselves. Alerts set to Silent arrive as a normal quiet notification.
Does Clutch Alarm drain my battery overnight?
According to the developer, no. The live tracking runs on Clutch Alarm’s own servers, not on your phone, and your phone only receives a push when one of your conditions is met. The flip side: the phone needs a network connection overnight, and the alarm depends on the developer’s service being up.
Is Clutch Alarm really free?
Yes. It is free on the App Store, and on 25 October 2026 the App Store page listed no in-app purchases. The developer does not say how the app will make money in future. Its privacy label lists analytics, diagnostics and a device ID, all marked as not linked to you.
Will a goal alert wake me in time to see the goal?
No. Any goal alert, from Clutch Alarm or another app, reaches you after the goal. To be woken while a match is still in the balance, turn on Late Drama (the score is within one in the last 15 minutes) or Drama Radar (the drama score crosses your threshold) instead of the goal alerts.
Is Clutch Alarm available on Android?
Not that we could find. The developer’s press kit lists Android, but a Google Play search on 25 October 2026 showed no Clutch Alarm listing. The App Store version needs iOS 17 or later and also installs on iPad.
Is Clutch Alarm the only app with close-game alerts?
No. Sports Alerts by Luno Software has a close game alert type across many sports, and Halftime Fan alerts you when an NBA game is within a point margin you set late on. Clutch Alarm differs by folding the score, the clock, momentum, cards, penalties and upsets into one 0 to 10 number, and by ringing like an alarm.
Sources
- 1
Drama Engine (0 to 10 score), alert types, Alarm or Silent per alert, server-side tracking, league list, calendar subscriptions, FAQ on silent mode and battery. Free on iPhone, iOS 17+.
- 2
Fact sheet: free, iPhone and Android listed, English and Hebrew, developer Itamar Kenan, founders Itamar Kenan and Nadav Keshet, 1,000+ users in the basketball beta.
- 3
Free with no in-app purchases listed, 70.7 MB, rated 4+, English and Hebrew. Version history: 1.0 on 31 March 2026, silent-mode warnings in 2.1, football in 3.0 on 10 June 2026.
- 4
Free; in-app purchases include Standard Monthly $1.99, Standard Annual $15.99 and Remove ads $2.99. Instant goal notifications.
- 5
Free; Remove Ads from $0.99 a month, Sofascore Plus $6.00. Notifications for goals, kickoffs, final scores, red cards and substitutions.
- 6
Sports Alerts on the App Store
Luno Software. Free; Remove Ads from $0.99 a month to $4.99 a year. Alert types include close games, lead changes and overtime.
- 7
Free, no in-app purchases listed. Alarms for chosen game moments in the EPL, NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, college football and UFC.
- 8
Free, no in-app purchases listed. Close NBA game alerts by point margin and time remaining.
Clutch Alarm
Never miss a clutch moment in live football.
iOS · iPadOS
More apps you buy once: browse the desktop