Focus & Productivity

Brick vs Opal in 2026: A $59 Physical Block or a Screen-Time App?

Brick is a $59 tap-to-unlock block; Opal is an app with a free tier and a $99.99 yearly plan. Which one locks you out harder, and what each really costs.

By Engineer Foodie Desk Oct 24, 2026 ✓ Sources checked Oct 24, 2026

5 min read

Brick checked Oct 24, 2026; Opal prices Oct 23, 2026, on each official site (see Sources). No affiliate links on this page. Disclosure: the team behind this site has a stake in FriendLock.

Brick vs Opal comes down to one question: do you want the off switch in a drawer or in an app? Brick is a $59 physical block you tap your phone on to lock apps, and you have to tap it again to get out. Opal is a screen-time app with a free plan and a Pro plan from $99.99 a year, whose paid Hard Mode says “No way out.”

We haven’t tested either one; everything below comes from each company’s own pages, dated. Want more options? See Brick alternatives and Opal alternatives.

TL;DR: Brick or Opal, by situation

You want a lock you can leave in another room: Brick.
You want to start free: Opal. Its Free plan gives you 1 rule.
You’re on Android: Brick (Android 12+). Opal runs there too, but its help center doesn’t confirm Hard Mode.
You hate subscriptions: Brick, at $59 one-time. Opal’s no-subscription option is $399 for life.
You also block things on a Mac: Opal. Brick lists phones only.

Brick vs Opal at a glance

Item	Brick	Opal
Price	$59 device, one-time	Free; $19.99/mo; $99.99/yr; $399 lifetime
Free tier	No device, no Brick	Yes, 1 rule
Platforms	Android 12+, iOS 18+	iOS, Android, Mac
Unlock	Tap the Brick again	Depends on rule; Hard Mode in Pro
Escape hatch	5 Emergency Unbricks	Weekly Emergency Pass
Refund	30-day money-back	Per store or checkout

What Brick costs and how it works

Brick is $59.00 one-time (getbrick.com, Oct 24, 2026). You pick apps in the Brick app, tap your phone on the device to start a session, and Brick’s FAQ says you need “a rescan to exit”. New: Brick Night, $129.00, a Bluetooth blocker for your bedroom.

Compatibility: “Android devices running version 12.0 or later and iPhones running iOS 18.0 or later.”
Strict Mode: built “to close the loopholes and prevent deleting the app or changing settings to unbrick.”
Remote Activation: start from the app, but “Unbricking still requires a tap to your Brick.”
Emergency Unbricks: “You get 5”, “meant for emergencies, not daily use”. Used them all? Request a reset: Brick’s support article says that takes 1 business day; its Emergency Unbricks page says 2.
Money-back: 30 days.

It’s a block. They’re minerals, Marie. And you can’t negotiate with a mineral at 1 AM.

What Opal costs and how it works

Opal’s pricing page, checked Oct 23, 2026:

Free: $0, on iOS, Android and Mac, with 1 rule (schedule, time limit or open limit) and app blocking.
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” Pro (Oct 17, 2026).

Pro adds Hard Mode: “No way out. You can’t turn Opal off.” Stanley Hudson would approve: did I stutter? Opal’s help center (Oct 20, 2026) adds “No Unblocks Allowed” rules, a weekly Emergency Pass and iPhone extras like App Uninstall Protection.

The Android catch: Opal’s current help center reads like an iPhone manual and never says Hard Mode runs on Android. Its older Android article, filed under “Legacy”, says Android “does not yet have an Emergency Pass” and lacked feature parity (Opal legacy help, Oct 24, 2026). On Android, look before you pay.

Cost over 1 and 3 years

Just multiplying the listed prices:

Option	1 year	3 years
Brick	$59	$59
Opal Yearly	$99.99	$299.97
Opal Monthly	$239.88	$719.64
Opal Lifetime	$399	$399

One year of Opal Monthly buys four Bricks. Opal Lifetime only beats Yearly after about four years at today’s prices.

Which is harder to cheat?

We haven’t tried to break either, so going by each company’s own words: both leave a door open on purpose. Brick’s door is 5 Emergency Unbricks, then you ask for more. Opal’s is a weekly Emergency Pass. Brick’s real edge is distance: the device can sit in another room. More on why the off switch is the whole game in why app blockers don’t work.

Neither? Other options

ScreenZen: free, donation-supported, iOS, macOS, Windows and Android (screenzen.co, Oct 22, 2026). See Opal vs ScreenZen.
one sec: essentials free; a pause, not a wall (one-sec.app, Oct 23, 2026). See one sec vs Opal.
FriendLock (Android only): a blocked app opens only when a friend approves or reads you a 6-digit code. Free blocks up to 3 apps; Pro: check current price in the app (Google Play, Oct 24, 2026). Its listing calls it “a commitment device, not an unbreakable lock.” Disclosure: the team behind this site has a stake in FriendLock.

Android-only list: best app blocker for Android. The idea behind all of this: the commitment device.

Here’s what I’d do

Start with Opal Free for a week; one rule tells you whether a software lock holds you. If you keep switching it off, don’t pay $99.99 for a stricter app. Buy the $59 Brick and leave it in the kitchen. Skip Opal Monthly no matter what, and on Android, check that Hard Mode shows up before paying for Pro.

FAQ

Is Brick better than Opal? Brick is better if you want a physical lock with no subscription for $59, and Opal is better if you want a free start, a Mac app or finer rules.

Can you use Brick and Opal together? Neither company documents it, so we can’t confirm it; Brick plus Opal Free would cost $59.

Does Brick have a subscription? Brick sells the device for $59 one-time, and its US App Store listing showed no in-app purchases when we checked on Oct 15, 2026.

Is Opal free? Yes, Opal Free is $0 with 1 rule, and Pro costs $19.99 a month, $99.99 a year or $399 for life (Oct 23, 2026).

Brick or Opal for Android? Both support Android, but Brick needs Android 12 or later and Opal’s current help pages don’t confirm Hard Mode on Android.

Sources

Brick: https://getbrick.com/ (checked 2026-10-24)
Brick Emergency Unbricks: https://support.getbrick.com/en/articles/7950209 and https://getbrick.com/pages/emergency-unbricks (checked 2026-10-24)
Brick product page and US App Store listing (no in-app purchases): https://getbrick.com/products/grey-brick (checked 2026-10-15)
Opal pricing: https://www.opalapp.com/pricing (checked 2026-10-23); student discount (checked 2026-10-17)
Opal help, making Opal foolproof: https://help.opalapp.com/article/how-do-i-make-opal-foolproof (checked 2026-10-20)
Opal help center: https://help.opalapp.com/ (checked 2026-10-24); legacy Android article: https://help.opalapp.com/legacyopal/introducing-opal-for-android (checked 2026-10-24)
ScreenZen: https://screenzen.co/ (checked 2026-10-22)
one sec: https://one-sec.app/ (checked 2026-10-23)
FriendLock on Google Play: https://link.sayne.design/friendlock (checked 2026-10-24)