Compare
The best app blockers for iPhone, compared
The best app blocker for iPhone depends on how you slip. If you ignore limits, use a hard lock: Screenwage (you earn time by focusing) or Opal (scheduled sessions). If you open apps on autopilot, a pause can be enough: one sec or ScreenZen. For every device at once, Freedom; for a child’s phone, Apple Screen Time. We make Screenwage, so read this with that in mind.
Updated
At a glance
| App | How it stops you | Free? | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screenwage | Apps stay locked until you spend time you earned by focusing | Subscription, with a 3-day free trial on the yearly plan | People who keep ignoring their own limits |
| Opal | Blocks apps during scheduled or manual sessions; Deep Focus cannot be cancelled | Free version and paid plan | Protecting fixed hours of the day |
| Freedom | Blocklists and sessions that sync across iPhone, Mac, Windows and Android | Free trial, then subscription | Blocking on every device at once |
| one sec | A short pause, such as a breathing exercise, before an app opens | Free for one app; Pro for more | Breaking the autopilot habit |
| ScreenZen | A pause screen before gated apps, plus limits, cooldowns and schedules | Free (optional tips) | A free, flexible nudge |
| Apple Screen Time | Daily App Limits and Downtime; with a passcode, Block at End of Limit | Free, built in | Children’s phones, with Family Sharing |
1. Screenwage: best if you keep ignoring your limits
Screenwage keeps the apps you choose locked, and opens them only when you spend grains of sand you earned by focusing: one grain buys one minute, at an exchange rate you set from 1 focused minute = 3 grains to 4 focused minutes = 1 grain. There is no Ignore button to train yourself to tap, but there is always a way back in, so there is less reason to delete it.
It also has Lock hours for school or work hours and Quiz mode, which unlocks apps when you answer questions from your own study notes. iPhone only (iOS 17 or later). We make it. How Screenwage works.
2. Opal: best for scheduled deep-work blocks
Opal blocks apps with Apple’s Screen Time system during sessions you schedule or start yourself, such as a morning deep-work block. Its strictest level, Deep Focus, cannot be cancelled once it starts. It suits people whose problem is specific hours rather than the whole day. Screenwage vs Opal.
3. Freedom: best for blocking on every device
Freedom blocks apps and websites from blocklists during sessions you start or schedule, and the sessions sync across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Windows and Android, so the laptop is covered too. A Locked Mode makes a running session harder to end. It needs an account to sync.
4. one sec: best gentle nudge
one sec shows a short intervention, such as a breathing exercise, before a chosen app opens, and then lets you decide whether to continue. On iPhone it is set up with a Shortcuts automation. The free version covers one app. It suits people who mainly open apps without thinking. Screenwage vs one sec.
5. ScreenZen: best free option
ScreenZen is free (it asks for optional tips) and puts a pause screen between you and the apps or websites you gate. It can ask you to wait, state an intention or confirm, and adds daily limits, cooldowns and schedules. The basic pause can be dismissed, so it works best as a nudge rather than a lock.
6. Apple Screen Time: best for children, and free
Screen Time is built into every iPhone. App Limits and Downtime work well for children through Family Sharing, where a parent holds the passcode. For adults, a limit without a passcode offers One More Minute or Ignore Limit for Today, which is easy to tap. Screenwage vs Screen Time.
How to choose
- Do you tap past limits? Choose a lock: Screenwage or Opal.
- Do you open apps without noticing? A pause may be enough: one sec or ScreenZen.
- Is the laptop the problem too? Freedom covers every device.
- Is it for your child? Apple Screen Time with Family Sharing.
- Do you want scrolling to feel earned? Screenwage.
We make Screenwage. Facts about the other apps come from their own App Store listings, websites and help pages, checked in October 2026; apps change, so check theirs before you decide.
Questions
- What is the best app blocker for iPhone?
- It depends on how you slip. For people who ignore limits, a lock works best: Screenwage (earn time by focusing) or Opal (scheduled sessions). For autopilot opening, a pause such as one sec or ScreenZen. For every device, Freedom. For children, Apple Screen Time.
- Is there a free app blocker for iPhone?
- Yes. Apple Screen Time is free and built in, ScreenZen is free with optional tips, and one sec is free for one app.
- Which app blocker is hardest to get around?
- Any blocker built on Apple’s Screen Time stops working if you delete it or take away its permission. Within that, Opal’s Deep Focus cannot be cancelled once started, Screen Time is strict when someone else holds the passcode, and Screenwage has no Ignore button: a locked app opens only with time you earned.