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Freedom Alternatives in 2026: Cheaper, Stricter Ways to Block Apps and Sites
Freedom costs $8.99 a month or $99.50 for life. These alternatives block apps and sites for less, or lock you out harder, with prices and unlock rules.
8 min read
Prices checked Oct 15, 2026 (Cold Turkey $45, Jomo unlocks, one sec websites and ScreenZen Halo checked Oct 17, 2026; Cold Turkey features checked Oct 18, 2026) on each vendor’s official site, linked under Sources. No affiliate links on this page (how we work).
Freedom sells the dream of blocking apps and sites on every screen you own. Then you see $8.99 a month, or $99.50 “for life,” and wonder if Locked Mode is the only way out of your own habits. Here are eight alternatives that cost less, lock harder, or hand the key to someone else.
We haven’t tested Freedom or any of the apps below.
TL;DR: the best Freedom alternative by situation
- Free, donation-supported: ScreenZen. Pause before open, on phone and desktop.
- Desktop-first, pay once: Cold Turkey. $45 Pro for Windows and macOS.
- Phone-first, Apple only: Jomo. Strict Mode plus picky unlocks; $99.99 once for up to 5 family members.
- Phone-first, Android budget: AppBlock. Premium from $29.99 a year, or $89.99 once.
- Strictest software lock on a phone: Opal Hard Mode (Pro), or Freedom’s own Locked Mode if you stay.
- Friend-held unlock (Android): FriendLock. A person approves. Read the disclosure.
For a broad focus list, see best focus apps. Freedom also shows up as one row on our Opal alternatives and Brick alternatives pages; this page is about quitting Freedom early, or never buying it.
What Freedom costs and how Locked Mode works
Freedom’s premium page listed this on Oct 15, 2026:
- Free: $0. Block apps and sites on unlimited devices (freedom.to/pricing).
- Premium monthly: $8.99 a month.
- Premium yearly: $3.33 a month billed yearly (“Save 40%”), 7-day free trial on that toggle. Freedom’s Google Play listing prints $39.99 per year.
- Forever Premium: $99.50 one-time, shown as 50% off $199 at the time of writing. No subscription.
Platforms: Mac, Windows, iOS, Android and Chromebook. Premium adds scheduling, Locked Mode and longer sessions.
Locked Mode, per Freedom: “Locked Mode prevents you from quitting a session early” (freedom.to/features). The limited early exit “can only be used once every 7 days” (Freedom support). So if you treat that early exit like Ross treated “We were on a break,” you get one shot a week, not a lifestyle.
Locked Mode is Premium only. We haven’t tested whether uninstalling or other workarounds beat it.
Freedom alternatives compared
All prices USD unless shown in €, checked Oct 15, 2026 unless marked. “Check price” means the vendor doesn’t publish a plan price we could read.
| App | Free tier | Price | Platforms | Unlock | Sites | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom (baseline) | Yes | $8.99/mo; $3.33/mo yearly; $99.50 Forever | Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, Chromebook | Locked Mode (Premium) | Yes | freedom.to |
| Cold Turkey | Yes | $45 Pro, one-time (Oct 17) | Windows, macOS | Pro lock | Yes | getcoldturkey.com |
| Opal | Yes, 1 rule | $19.99/mo; $99.99/yr; $399 lifetime | iOS, Android, Mac | Hard Mode (Pro) | Yes, best in Safari | opalapp.com |
| ScreenZen | Yes, all of it | Optional donations; Halo $49 (Oct 17) | iOS, Android, Mac, Windows | Wait out a pause | Yes | screenzen.co |
| one sec | Yes, 1 app | 3.99 €/mo; 14.99 €/yr; 99.99 € lifetime | iOS, Android, browser | Breathing pause | Yes, extension | one-sec.app |
| AppBlock | Yes, limits | $4.99/mo; $29.99/yr; $89.99 lifetime | iOS, Android, browsers | Strict Mode | Yes | appblock.app |
| Forest | Yes | Plus: check price | iPhone, Android | Give up, lose tree | Yes, 1 site free | forestapp.cc |
| Jomo | Yes | $29.99/yr; $99.99 once; Student $14.99/yr | iPhone, iPad, Mac | Wait, code, reason; Strict Mode | Yes, Mac | jomo.so |
| FriendLock | Yes, 3 apps | Pro: check price | Android only | A friend approves | Yes | Google Play |
Unlock methods as each vendor describes them.
The 8 Freedom alternatives
Cold Turkey
What it is: A desktop website and app blocker billed as “The Toughest Website & App Blocker on the Internet” (getcoldturkey.com, Oct 18, 2026). Features there: lock blocks in place, uninstall prevention, keyword blocks, and optional “Pause for a Cause” (can be disabled). Price (checked Oct 17, 2026): Pro is $45 one-time (“pay once, own forever”) via US Paddle checkout. Free tier, 7-day Pro trial, 20% student discount and 30-day refund (pricing, Oct 15–17). Platforms: Windows and macOS only. Why it’s here: Freedom syncs every screen; Cold Turkey owns one laptop. $45 once beats $8.99 a month if tabs are the problem. The catch: No phone app.
Opal
What it is: Schedules, limits and a Pro-only Hard Mode Opal describes as “No way out. You can’t turn Opal off.” (opalapp.com/pricing). Price (checked Oct 15, 2026): Free with 1 rule. Pro is $19.99 a month, $99.99 a year or $399 lifetime. Students get “up to 50% off”; Teams Pro is contact for pricing (Oct 17, 2026). Freedom vs Opal: Freedom yearly is cheaper ($3.33/mo shown; $39.99/yr on Play) and covers Windows plus Chromebook. Opal Hard Mode is the phone/Mac twin; sites are reliable in Safari, often not elsewhere (Opal help, Oct 17, 2026). See Opal alternatives.
ScreenZen
What it is: A free, donation-supported app that makes you wait before a distracting app opens. Site quote: “ScreenZen is completely free” (screenzen.co). Price (checked Oct 15, 2026): $0, optional donations. Optional Halo device: $49 one-time (Oct 17, 2026); app stays free. Platforms: iOS, Android, Mac and Windows. The catch: A pause you can wait out, not Locked Mode.
one sec
What it is: A breathing interruption before chosen apps open, plus a browser extension for websites (one-sec.app, Oct 17, 2026). Price (checked Oct 15, 2026): Free for one app. Pro is 3.99 €/month, 14.99 €/year or 99.99 € lifetime on the FAQ (prices vary by region; no USD on the site). US App Store: $6.99/month, $19.99/year or $99.99 lifetime. The catch: Friction, not a lock.
AppBlock
What it is: Schedules, usage limits and Strict Mode for phones and browsers (appblock.app). Price (checked Oct 15, 2026): Free with limits. Premium $4.99/month, $29.99/year ($2.50/mo, 1-week trial for new subscribers) or $89.99 lifetime. Checkout localises by region. Platforms: iOS, Android and browsers. Why it’s here: Yearly undercuts Freedom’s Play-listed $39.99/year; lifetime undercuts Forever at $99.50. The catch: Phone and browsers, not Freedom’s full desktop set.
Forest
What it is: A focus timer that grows a cartoon tree while you stay off your phone; Deep Focus app blocking is in the free tier (forestapp.cc). Price (checked Oct 15, 2026): Free for core focus. Plus pricing “varies by region and platform,” so check your store. Sites: Time Guard (1 app/site free; Plus for more) plus Chrome/Firefox extension (forestapp.cc, Oct 17, 2026). How strict: “The only way out is to give up,” which kills the tree. The catch: Guilt as a service. Not Locked Mode.
Jomo
What it is: Apple-only screen time with unlocks (wait, password, QR, photo proof, type text, selfie, reason) plus Strict Mode that makes rules unbreakable (jomo.so/features, Oct 17, 2026). Mac sites: any URL, keywords, wildcards (Firefox needs an extension). Price (checked Oct 15, 2026): Free; Plus $29.99/year, $99.99 one-time for up to 5 family members, or Student $14.99/year (jomo.so/pricing). Why it’s here: Strict Mode is Locked Mode’s Apple cousin, without Windows. The catch: No Android. Sites on Mac only.
FriendLock
Disclosure: the team behind this site has a stake in FriendLock.
What it is: An Android app blocker where a friend holds the unlock key. They approve or deny in the app, or read you a 6-digit code; access is temporary (Google Play). Price (checked Oct 15, 2026): Free blocks up to 3 apps and may show ads on in-app screens. Pro isn’t priced on the listing; check current price in the app. Also: surgical blocks (Reels, Shorts, Spotlight), website blocking, tamper alerts to your friend. Android only. How hard to bypass: A commitment device, not an unbreakable lock — a determined owner can still get around it. The catch: Works only if your friend picks up and says no. A different iPhone app shares the name; this one is Android via the link above.
Desktop vs phone: which blocker for which device
Freedom’s real hook is one block list across laptop and phone. Most cheaper tools specialize.
| Problem | Start with | Why |
|---|---|---|
| PC/Mac tabs | Cold Turkey | $45 once, desktop lock |
| iPhone + Mac | Jomo or Opal | Strict / Hard Mode |
| Android phone | AppBlock, ScreenZen, FriendLock | Budget, pause, or friend key |
| Every screen | Freedom, or Opal + Cold Turkey | Cross-device, or phone + desktop |
| A pause is enough | ScreenZen or one sec | Free tiers |
Hardware like Brick ($59): Brick alternatives. Android depth: best app blocker for Android.
Here’s what I’d do
Try Freedom free for a week. Never touch Locked Mode? Skip Premium. Still cheating? Laptop: Cold Turkey at $45 once. Phone only: ScreenZen free, then AppBlock yearly or Jomo on Apple. Want Hard Mode without Freedom? Opal Pro yearly at $99.99. On Android, if you’ll override anything you control, hand the key to a friend with FriendLock — same honesty bar as the rest.
FAQ
Is Freedom worth it? Worth Premium if you need Locked Mode across Mac, Windows, iOS, Android and Chromebook; free tiers like ScreenZen are cheaper first tries.
Is there a free Freedom alternative? Yes. ScreenZen is fully free and donation-supported; Freedom, Opal, one sec, AppBlock, Forest, Jomo, Cold Turkey and FriendLock all have free tiers with limits.
Freedom vs Cold Turkey? Freedom syncs blocks across phones and desktops from $8.99/mo or $99.50 Forever (Oct 15, 2026); Cold Turkey Pro is $45 one-time for Windows and macOS only (Oct 17, 2026).
Can you bypass Freedom? Locked Mode limits early exit to once every 7 days per Freedom support; we haven’t tested other bypasses.
Does Freedom block websites? Yes. Freedom’s free and Premium plans cover apps and sites across its listed platforms.
Sources
- Freedom Premium: https://freedom.to/premium (checked 2026-10-15)
- Freedom on Google Play ($39.99/year text): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=to.freedom.android2 (checked 2026-10-15)
- Freedom Locked Mode: https://freedom.to/features and https://support.freedom.to/en/articles/1776713-ending-a-block-session (checked 2026-10-15)
- Cold Turkey pricing / $45 Pro: https://getcoldturkey.com/pricing/ (checked 2026-10-17); features: https://getcoldturkey.com/ (checked 2026-10-18)
- Opal pricing: https://opalapp.com/pricing (checked 2026-10-15); website blocking help: https://help.opalapp.com/article/why-isnt-blocking-working-correctly (checked 2026-10-17)
- ScreenZen: https://screenzen.co/ (checked 2026-10-15); Halo: https://screenzen.co/products/halo (checked 2026-10-17)
- one sec FAQ: https://one-sec.app/faq/ (checked 2026-10-15); site / websites: https://one-sec.app/ (checked 2026-10-17)
- one sec US App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/one-sec-screen-time-focus/id1532875441 (checked 2026-10-15)
- AppBlock Premium: https://appblock.app/premium/ (checked 2026-10-15)
- Forest: https://www.forestapp.cc/ (checked 2026-10-15 and 2026-10-17)
- Jomo pricing: https://jomo.so/pricing (checked 2026-10-15); features: https://jomo.so/features (checked 2026-10-17)
- FriendLock on Google Play: https://link.sayne.design/friendlock (checked 2026-10-15)