One of the strengths of Linux is the vast number of small, niche utilities that are made available under an open source license.
One of the most basic utilities supplied with any operating system is a clock utility. The clock typically resides in the taskbar /menubar, showing the current system time. Nothing very exciting there.
However, the clocks featured in this article are more sophisticated than the basic tray clock. In this article we pick the finest analog clock, timezone clocks, and alarm clocks that are available for Linux. They are all small, well-crafted, unobtrusive utilities that are released under an open source license, and add the perfect finishing touch to a well designed desktop environment.
To provide an insight into the quality of software that is available, we have compiled a list of 12 high quality Linux GUI clock utilities. Hopefully, there will be something of interest for anyone who wants more functionality offered by the standard clock featured in desktop environments.
Here’s our verdict captured in a LinuxLinks-style ratings chart. Only free and open source software is eligible for inclusion.
Let’s explore the 12 clock utilities at hand. For each title we have compiled its own portal page, providing a screenshot of the tool in action, a full description with an in-depth analysis of its features, together with links to relevant resources. We used to recommend Digital Clock 5, but it’s now abandoned software.
Terminal-based clocks are now explored in a separate roundup.
| GUI Clocks | |
|---|---|
| KClock | Convergent clock application for KDE Plasma |
| GNOME Clocks | Stopwatch, timer, alarms, and multiple clocks |
| QTalarm | Qt based alarm clock |
| catclock | xclock with an enhanced cat mode |
| svg-clock | Analog clock using Scalable Vector Graphics |
| retro | Customizable clock widget |
| multiClock | Track the time around the world |
| Alarm Clock | Fully-featured alarm clock for your GNOME panel or equivalent |
| xdaliclock | Advanced xclock substitute |
| dclock | Displays the time in digital format only |
| Lumalarm | Smart alarm clock that wakes your computer from sleep |
| Hyprclock | Customisable clock application for the Hyprland window manager |
This article has been updated to reflect the changes outlined in our recent announcement.
 Explore our carefully curated directory of recommended free and open source software, covering every major software category.The directory forms part of our extensive collection of articles for Linux enthusiasts. It includes hundreds of detailed reviews, together with free and open source alternatives to proprietary software from companies such as Google, Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, IBM, Cisco, Oracle, and Autodesk. LinuxLinks also covers interesting projects worth exploring, Linux-compatible hardware, free programming books and tutorials, and much more. Know a useful free and open source Linux application that we haven’t covered? Tell us about it using our submission form. |
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Thanks for this compilation