Best app blocker for iPhone (2026): 9 apps compared, prices checked

Best app blocker for each need: the short answer

How we compared iPhone app blockers

We compared nine options using each app’s US App Store page (features, in-app purchase prices, ratings and privacy label) and Brick’s own store for the device price, all read on November 12, 2026. We make Bouncer, so we list it first and say where each other app beats it. We did not run long device tests of the other apps: this guide reports what each app says it does. None of them needs a jailbreak, because they all use Apple’s Screen Time framework.

Nine iPhone app blockers compared (US prices, November 2026)

🔍 Prices, ratings and privacy labels come from each app’s US App Store page on November 12, 2026. Some apps list several prices for the same plan; we show the lowest. Developers fill in privacy labels, and Apple does not verify them.

Bouncer: best for a block that gets stricter when it matters (ours)

Bouncer blocks the apps you pick during a scheduled window or after a daily limit. A blocked app shows a shield with no unblock button, so you go through Bouncer to get in. Each Rule has a Level. Normal adds a short wait, then gives you 5, 10 or 15 minutes. On High, each unblock costs more: a longer wait, then a shorter visit. Lockdown keeps the apps blocked until the window ends, with one Emergency Pass that comes back seven days after you use it. So you can keep a short wait for the day and a hard no for the night. More detail: Normal, High and Lockdown.

Bouncer costs $5.99 a month with a 7-day free trial for eligible customers, or $24.99 once for Lifetime (US App Store, November 12, 2026). If a subscription ends, your Rules keep working.

Where the others beat Bouncer: it has no free version, it runs on iPhone only, it blocks apps and not individual websites, and it is new on the App Store, with too few ratings to compare.

ScreenZen: best free app blocker

ScreenZen is the best free app blocker in this comparison: the only in-app purchases on its US App Store page are tips from $5 to $40 (November 12, 2026). Its listing describes a delay before an app opens that can grow each time, short visits, app goals with optional blocking, strict blocks for time ranges or after a number of opens, and locks on its own settings. It has 4.9 stars from about 54,000 ratings and also runs on iPad and Mac. It beats Bouncer on price and track record.

one sec: best for a pause before an app opens

one sec puts a short exercise in front of the apps you pick, then lets you go in or back out. It can step in again after a set time, which it calls Re-Intervention, and it has a Safari extension for websites. One app is free; one sec pro is $19.99 a year, $6.99 a month or $99.99 once, with 4.8 stars from about 24,000 ratings (US App Store, November 12, 2026).

one sec is the only app here with a peer-reviewed field study. In a six-week study of 280 people published in PNAS in 2023, about 36% of attempts to open a target app ended with the app closed again, and app openings fell 57% by week six (PNAS). One of the authors created one sec, and the field study had no comparison group. It beats Bouncer on evidence, price and platforms.

Freedom: best for phone plus computer

Freedom blocks the apps and websites on your blocklist during a session and shows a green screen instead. Sessions can start now, later or on a recurring schedule, and its listing describes a Locked Mode to commit to your blocks. It works across phones, tablets and computers. Freedom Premium is $39.99 a year or $8.99 a month, and a Forever plan is $199, with 4.5 stars from about 6,100 ratings (US App Store, November 12, 2026). It beats Bouncer when your laptop is half the problem.

Opal: the most features in one app

Opal combines app limits, blocking, schedules for work hours and sleep, focus sessions, real-time data, leaderboards and rewards. Its listing describes Deep Focus, which “won’t let you cancel or bypass at all.” Its US App Store page lists a Yearly Plan at $99.99 and a Monthly Plan at $19.99, among other plans. It has 4.7 stars from about 91,000 ratings and needs iOS 18 or later (November 12, 2026). It beats Bouncer on features, website blocking and track record. See also Bouncer or Opal.

Brick: best physical off switch

Brick pairs a free app with a small device. You tap your iPhone on the Brick to block your chosen apps and tap it again to unblock, so the device must be nearby. Its listing includes five Emergency Unbricks. The Brick costs $59 on getbrick.com, and Brick Night, a second device for the bedroom, costs $129 (November 12, 2026). The app has 4.9 stars from about 60,000 ratings. It beats Bouncer if you want the barrier to be an object in another room.

Jomo: best for websites in every browser on a budget

Jomo blocks apps and, its listing says, websites in all browsers, as well as whole categories such as Social Media or Games. It has a Strict Mode and links to Chrome and Firefox extensions. Jomo Plus is $29.99 a year or $5.99 a month, and a lifetime plan starts at $84.99, with 4.8 stars from about 2,600 ratings (US App Store, November 12, 2026). It beats Bouncer on website blocking, a Mac app and a lower yearly price.

Clearspace: best for friends who keep you on track

Clearspace describes app blocking and limits, schedules, a pause before opening an app, challenges, and accountability partners who help you keep your goals. Clearspace Premium starts at $44.99 a year or $6.99 a month, with 4.7 stars from about 9,000 ratings (US App Store, November 12, 2026). It beats Bouncer if other people help you stick to a limit.

Apple Screen Time: the free baseline

Screen Time is built into every iPhone and costs nothing. It limits apps by schedule and daily time: Downtime and App Limits on iOS 26, Screen Time Schedules and Time Allowances on iOS 27. On iOS 26, Apple notes that by default you can ignore a limit once you reach it. Block at Downtime, which needs a Screen Time passcode, keeps apps closed during Downtime, and it holds best when someone else keeps the passcode. See why Screen Time limits get ignored.

Which app blocker is best for you?

Think about the moment you give in, and pick the barrier that would have stopped you.