ONE QUESTION AT A TIME
The comparison list.
Thirty-two real apps, compared fairly: what each one actually does well, where it genuinely beats Mr. Grummel, and the one mechanical difference that matters. No logos, no implied partnership — just what's true and what's checkable.
Hard locks & enforced modes.
HARD LOCK
Freedom
Locked Mode syncs across every device you own, and genuinely won't let you out early.
HARD LOCK
Freedom for Mac
Blocks quitting, Trash, and even Activity Monitor on your computer.
HARD LOCK
Cold Turkey
Frozen Turkey mode can lock your entire computer, not just an app list.
HARD LOCK
FocusMe
Enforced Mode is built, by its maker's own description, to be genuinely unbypassable.
HARD LOCK
AppBlock
Strict Mode closes split-screen, recent-apps and reinstall workarounds specifically.
HARD LOCK
LockMeOut
A password-gated lock that also closes Android's split-screen and pop-up-view escape routes.
Friction & pause-based.
FRICTION
one sec
A breathing exercise before a flagged app opens — with an honest, built-in skip button.
FRICTION
ScreenZen
A pause screen with day-of-week rules, on a pay-what-you-can model.
FRICTION
Clearspace
Can require real pushups, verified by your phone's own motion sensor, to unlock.
FRICTION
Roots
A grounding ritual — breathing, a virtual pet, nature sounds — instead of a plain pause.
Physical-key devices.
HARDWARE
Brick
Tap your phone to a separate physical device to lift the block — nothing to reason with.
HARDWARE
Unpluq
A keychain NFC tag, or a shake, tap-sequence or QR scan as a software fallback.
HARDWARE
offtime
Unlocks only by scanning a QR code or NFC tag you deliberately hid somewhere inconvenient.
HARDWARE
Light Phone
Not an app at all — a separate minimalist device with no app store or browser.
Gamified & social.
GAMIFIED
Forest
Grow a virtual tree while you stay off your phone — an honour system, not an enforced block.
GAMIFIED
Flora
Forest's basic idea, plus growing trees collaboratively with friends.
GAMIFIED
Focus Plant
Earn currency for staying focused — currency you can also spend to break Strict Mode.
SOCIAL
Opal
A daily focus score, friend leaderboards, and shared co-working sessions.
SOCIAL
Flipd
Session timers plus shared "focus rooms" where other users work alongside you.
Analytics & coaching.
ANALYTICS
RescueTime
Deep, automatic time-tracking first, with blocking as a paid, self-classified add-on.
ANALYTICS
Space
An 8-day guided course on phone/life balance, built to nudge rather than block.
ANALYTICS
Moment
Strict Mode blockers plus mood-tracking, on Apple devices only.
ANALYTICS
Session
A Pomodoro-style timer with genuinely well-synced blocking across Mac and iPhone.
Built into your OS.
BUILT-IN
Apple Screen Time
Free and excellent for a parent managing a child's phone — less so for managing your own.
BUILT-IN
Google Digital Wellbeing
Free and built into Android — with a one-tap, no-passcode "5 more minutes" button.
BUILT-IN
Jomo
Built directly on Apple's own Screen Time framework — genuinely persistent, iPhone/Mac only.
BUILT-IN
SelfControl
Free, open-source, and blocks at your Mac's own firewall level.
Browser & lightweight tools.
BROWSER
StayFocusd
A free, granular Chrome/Edge extension with a daily time budget — no phone app.
BROWSER
LeechBlock
Free, open-source, and refreshingly honest that a determined user can just disable it.
BROWSER
BlockSite
The broadest platform coverage here — browser, phone and desktop, all synced.
LIGHTWEIGHT
Siempo
A randomized-icon Android launcher — the company folded in 2020, the idea lives on.
LIGHTWEIGHT
AntiSocial
Compares your usage against other people your age and gender, not just your own history.
Why three questions instead of a timer.
PRODUCT
Why we chose quizzes over push-ups
Physical friction costs you the room. Cognitive friction costs you a few minutes and pays you back three facts.
FOCUS
The psychology of an unlock
Why a three-question gate changes behaviour more than a hard block.
GUIDES
The block list
Short guides for the specific app you're stuck on, not the tool you'd use instead.