Opal Alternatives 2026: Cheaper Screen-Time Apps That Actually Lock You Out

10 min read

Prices checked Oct 17–24, 2026 on each vendor’s official site; dates per item, sources linked below. No affiliate links on this page (how we work). Disclosure: the team behind this site has a stake in FriendLock.

The best free Opal alternative is ScreenZen, which is completely free on iPhone, Android, Mac and Windows; if you want a strict lock for less, AppBlock Premium is $29.99 a year against Opal Pro’s $99.99. So you looked at your screen time, winced, found Opal, then saw Pro monthly at $19.99. Fair wince. Here are eight alternatives, from free to a $59 plastic block, with what each costs and how hard each makes it to cheat.

We haven’t tested these apps or measured anyone’s screen time with them.

TL;DR: the best Opal alternative by situation

• Free Opal alternative: ScreenZen, completely free. Also one sec (essentials free) and FriendLock Free (3 apps, Android).
• Opal alternative for Android: FriendLock, AppBlock or ScreenZen. More in our best app blocker for Android list.
• Opal alternative for Windows: Cold Turkey Pro ($45 lifetime), Freedom, ScreenZen or one sec’s browser extension. Details below.
• Strict mode on a budget: AppBlock, Premium from $29.99 a year, or $89.99 once.
• iPhone and Mac only, pay once: Jomo, $99.99 one-time.
• You’ll cheat on yourself, and you’re on Android: a friend holds the key with FriendLock. Read the disclosure.
• A lock you can touch: Brick, $59 one-time for the device.

What Opal costs in 2026

Opal’s own pricing page listed these on Oct 23, 2026:

• Free: $0, with 1 rule, on iOS, Android and Mac.
• Pro Yearly: $99.99 billed annually, shown as $8.29 a month.
• Pro Monthly: $19.99 a month.
• Pro Lifetime: $399 one-time.
• Teams: “Contact for pricing”. Students get “up to 50% off” (Oct 17, 2026).

Twelve months at $19.99 is $239.88, against $99.99 for the yearly plan. Pro includes Hard Mode, which Opal describes as “No way out. You can’t turn Opal off.” Site blocking is most reliable in Safari, per Opal’s help docs (Oct 17, 2026). Opal’s help center covers refunds for App Store, Stripe and email purchases, and reads mostly like an iPhone manual; it doesn’t say whether Hard Mode works on Android (Oct 24, 2026).

And the lifetime plan for an app that helps you use your phone less is $399. That has Connor Roy-for-president energy: bold, expensive, and nobody’s sure who it’s for.

Opal alternatives compared

All prices USD unless shown in €. Dates are in each app’s section. “Check current price” means the vendor doesn’t publish one we could read.

App	Free tier	Paid price	Platforms	Unlock	Sites?	Source
Opal (baseline)	Yes, 1 rule	$19.99/mo; $99.99/yr; $399 lifetime	iOS, Android, Mac	Hard Mode: “No way out” (Pro)	Yes; best in Safari	opalapp.com
ScreenZen	Yes, everything	None; optional donations	iOS, macOS, Windows, Android	Pause that grows	Yes	screenzen.co
one sec	Yes, essentials	$6.99/mo; $19.99/yr; $99.99 lifetime (US App Store)	iOS, Android, browser extension	Breathing pause	Yes, via extension	one-sec.app
Freedom	Yes	$8.99/mo; $3.33/mo yearly; $99.50 Forever	Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, Chromebook	Locked Mode (Premium)	Yes	freedom.to
FriendLock	Yes, up to 3 apps	Pro: check current price	Android only	Friend approves or shares a code	Yes, major Android browsers	Google Play
AppBlock	Yes, with limits	$4.99/mo; $29.99/yr; $89.99 lifetime	iOS, Android, browsers	Strict Mode	Yes	appblock.app
Jomo	Yes	$29.99/yr; $99.99 one-time; Student $14.99/yr	iPhone, iPad, Mac	Wait, password, QR, selfie and more; Strict Mode	Yes, on Mac	jomo.so
Forest	Yes, with ads	Plus: check current price	iPhone, Android	Give up, lose your tree	Yes, extension; 1 site free	forestapp.cc
Brick	App free	$59 device; Night $129	iOS 18+, Android 12+	Tap the Brick	Yes	getbrick.com

Unlock methods as described by each vendor.

The 8 Opal alternatives

ScreenZen

What it is: A free app that puts a pause before a distracting app opens, and the wait can grow each time. Groundhog Day, but the loop gets longer. Price (checked Oct 22, 2026): “ScreenZen is completely free.” Donations are optional (screenzen.co). Platforms: iOS, macOS, Windows and Android. The optional Halo device is $49 one-time (Oct 17, 2026). How hard to bypass: You can wait it out. That’s the design. The catch: No hard lock. Head to head: Opal vs ScreenZen. Want stricter? ScreenZen alternatives.

one sec

What it is: A breathing pause before your chosen app opens, plus a Reels and Shorts blocker that leaves the rest of the app alone (one-sec.app, Oct 17, 2026). Price (checked Oct 24, 2026): “Essentials are free” (Oct 23, 2026), and on iPhone one app is free. The US App Store lists pro at $6.99 a month, $19.99 a year or $99.99 lifetime. one sec’s FAQ lists 3.99 €/month, 14.99 €/year or 99.99 € lifetime and says prices vary by region (Oct 17, 2026). Platforms: iOS, Android, and a browser extension on Windows, macOS and Linux (Oct 23, 2026). The catch: No USD price on its own site. Head to head: one sec vs Opal.

Freedom

What it is: For when your phone isn’t the only screen eating your day. Block sessions cover apps and websites and sync across devices (freedom.to). Price (checked Oct 23, 2026): Free, then Premium at $8.99 a month or $3.33 a month billed yearly. Its Google Play listing shows $39.99 a year. Forever is $99.50, shown as 50% off $199. Platforms: Mac, Windows, iOS, Android and Chromebook. How hard to bypass: “Locked Mode – prevents quitting so you stay committed”. Premium only. The catch: The part that stops you is paywalled, like Opal’s Hard Mode, at less than half the yearly price. See Freedom alternatives.

FriendLock

Disclosure: the team behind this site has a stake in FriendLock. (How we work)

What it is: An Android app blocker where someone else holds the key. Think Hodor, except he holds the door shut. How it blocks: A blocked app opens only when your friend approves or shares a 6-digit code, and access is temporary. It can block only Reels and Shorts, block websites in major Android browsers, and set lock hours (Google Play, Oct 24, 2026). Price (checked Oct 24, 2026): Free blocks up to 3 apps and may show ads on in-app screens, never on the lock screen. Pro isn’t priced on the listing, so check current price in the app. Pro has a 7-day free trial. Platforms: Android only. iPhone readers: ScreenZen or one sec instead. How hard to bypass: Its listing says it’s “a commitment device, not an unbreakable lock”: the phone’s owner can still get around it. The catch: It works only if your friend picks up at 1 AM and doesn’t say yes just to make you stop texting.

A different iPhone app is also called FriendLock. It’s not this one.

AppBlock

What it is: Schedules, usage limits and a Strict Mode that “makes your blocks much harder to bypass” (appblock.app, Oct 24, 2026). Price (checked Oct 23, 2026): Free with limits, then Premium at $4.99 a month, $29.99 a year or $89.99 lifetime (AppBlock Premium). Platforms: Android, iOS and browser extensions. How hard to bypass: On Android, the free tier caps Quick Block at 3 apps and 3 websites and Strict Mode at 24 hours; Premium removes the caps. The catch: A small free tier. Its lifetime price is less than a quarter of Opal’s.

Jomo

What it is: An Apple-only screen-time app (jomo.so). Price (checked Oct 17, 2026): Free, then $29.99 a year, $99.99 lifetime, or $14.99 a year for students. Platforms: iPhone, iPad and Mac. How hard to bypass: Unlocks can need a wait, password, QR code, proof, typing, a selfie or a reason, and Strict Mode locks rules, per Jomo (Oct 17, 2026). Websites: Mac only. The catch: No Android.

Forest

What it is: A focus timer that grows a cartoon tree while you stay off your phone, with app blocking in the free version (forestapp.cc). Price (checked Oct 23, 2026): Free for core focus, but “The free tier shows occasional ads (never during active focus sessions).” Plus pricing “varies by region and platform”, so check current price in your app store. And “Forest Pro is no longer available for purchase on any platform”. Platforms: iPhone and Android, plus a Chrome or Firefox extension (1 site free, Oct 17, 2026). The catch: Guilt as a service, now with ads and no one-time option.

Brick

What it is: A physical block. Tap your phone on it to lock distracting apps; Brick’s FAQ says you need “a rescan to exit”. Your Inception totem, in plastic. Price (checked Oct 24, 2026): $59.00 one-time, with a 30-day money-back guarantee (getbrick.com). New: Brick Night, $129.00, a Bluetooth blocker for the bedroom. The app is free. Platforms: Android 12 or later and iPhones on iOS 18 or later. The catch: Hardware costs up front. Websites are blockable too (Brick support, Oct 17, 2026). More in Brick alternatives.

Is there an Opal alternative for Windows or Mac?

Yes. Opal runs on Mac but not Windows, so Windows users need something else.

• Cold Turkey: Pro is $45 lifetime, Windows and macOS only (getcoldturkey.com, Oct 17 and Oct 23, 2026).
• Freedom: Mac, Windows and phones, Premium from $3.33 a month billed yearly.
• ScreenZen: free, with Windows and macOS apps.
• one sec: browser extension on Windows, macOS and Linux.

The desktop showdown is in Freedom vs Cold Turkey.

Which one should you pick?

At 1 AM, what actually stops you?

• A pause is enough: ScreenZen or one sec, free.
• You tap through pauses: a strict mode. AppBlock (cheap), Freedom (laptop too) or Opal Pro (Hard Mode).
• You switch those off too: hand the off switch to a person (FriendLock, Android only) or an object (Brick).

For the wider list, see our best screen time apps. If it’s the scroll more than the apps, read how to stop doomscrolling.

Here’s what I’d do

Free first. Install ScreenZen, or Forest if a dying tree motivates you more than a waiting screen. Still cheating? Pay for a strict mode: AppBlock at $29.99 a year is the cheapest serious one, Freedom covers your laptop, and Opal Pro yearly is $99.99 if you want Opal itself. Skip Opal monthly; over a year it costs more than double the yearly plan. And if you’re on Android and know you’ll cheat on yourself, hand the key to a friend with FriendLock, and hold it to the same standard as the other seven.

FAQ

Is there a free alternative to Opal? Yes, ScreenZen is completely free, and one sec, FriendLock, Forest, Freedom, Jomo and AppBlock all have free tiers with limits.

How much does Opal cost? On Oct 23, 2026, Opal listed Free at $0, Pro at $19.99 a month or $99.99 a year, and Pro Lifetime at $399 one-time.

Is Opal lifetime worth $399? At current prices $399 equals about four years of the $99.99 yearly plan, so it only pays off if you’d keep paying for more than four years.

Is Opal worth it? It suits people who want Hard Mode on iPhone or Mac and will pay $99.99 a year for it, while ScreenZen is the cheaper first try.

What is the best Opal alternative for Android? FriendLock, AppBlock and ScreenZen are the strongest Android picks here, and one sec, Freedom, Forest and Brick also run on Android.

Is there an Opal alternative for Windows? Yes, Cold Turkey Pro is $45 lifetime on Windows and macOS, and Freedom and ScreenZen also have Windows apps.

Can you get around Opal’s Hard Mode? Opal describes Hard Mode as “No way out. You can’t turn Opal off.” and we haven’t tested it.

Does Brick work without a subscription? Brick lists the device at $59 one-time and says its app is free, so check getbrick.com before you buy.

Sources

1. Opal pricing: https://www.opalapp.com/pricing (checked 2026-10-23); student discount (checked 2026-10-17)
2. Opal help: https://help.opalapp.com/article/why-isnt-blocking-working-correctly (checked 2026-10-17) and https://help.opalapp.com/ (checked 2026-10-24)
3. ScreenZen: https://screenzen.co/ (checked 2026-10-22); Halo: https://screenzen.co/products/halo (checked 2026-10-17)
4. one sec: https://one-sec.app/ (checked 2026-10-23); FAQ: https://one-sec.app/faq/ (checked 2026-10-17)
5. one sec on the US App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/one-sec-screen-time-focus/id1532875441 (checked 2026-10-24)
6. Freedom pricing: https://freedom.to/pricing and Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=to.freedom.android2 (checked 2026-10-23)
7. FriendLock on Google Play: https://link.sayne.design/friendlock (checked 2026-10-24)
8. AppBlock: https://appblock.app/ (checked 2026-10-24) and https://appblock.app/premium/ (checked 2026-10-23)
9. Jomo pricing: https://jomo.so/pricing and features: https://jomo.so/features (checked 2026-10-17)
10. Forest: https://www.forestapp.cc/ (checked 2026-10-23; extension 2026-10-17)
11. Brick: https://getbrick.com/ (checked 2026-10-24); support: https://support.getbrick.com/en/articles/5290433 (checked 2026-10-17)
12. Cold Turkey pricing: https://getcoldturkey.com/pricing/ (checked 2026-10-17 and 2026-10-23)

Related reading

• Brick vs Opal in 2026: A $59 Physical Block or a Screen-Time App?
• one sec vs Opal in 2026: A Pause Before the App, or a Wall in Front of It?
• Opal vs ScreenZen in 2026: Is Opal's $99.99 a Year Worth It Over Free?
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