6 Brick alternatives for iPhone, no device needed

Why look for a Brick alternative?

People look for a Brick alternative when the device itself becomes the problem: its cost, carrying it, or losing it. Brick is well liked, with 4.9 stars from 54,933 US App Store ratings as of September 24, 2026, and its idea is simple. Its FAQ says you can block from anywhere, but “You will still need the physical device to unbrick.” The reasons to compare:

• You pay for hardware first. The Brick costs $59, with no subscription after that. Brick offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
• The key has to be where you are. Traveling, a day at the office, a Brick left at home: without the device, your way out is one of five Emergency Unbricks, and after that you email Brick for more.
• Timed sessions. Since June 2026, more than a dozen App Store reviews we read ask Brick to bring back a timer that let a block end on its own. Reviewers say it was removed, and that scheduled modes are now the way to get blocks that end without a tap.
• Only iPhone and Android. Brick’s FAQ lists iPhones on iOS 17 or later and Android 12 or later. Two recent reviews say it didn’t work on their iPad.

If none of that bothers you, Brick is doing its job. The alternatives below are for people who want a similar commitment without the object.

Foqos: best if you like tapping to block but not the price

Foqos is the closest thing to Brick without buying a Brick. You block apps by tapping your iPhone on an NFC tag or scanning a QR code, and you tap or scan again to unblock. A QR code can be printed on paper and stuck on a wall, so the “key” can cost nothing. It is open source under the MIT license.

Compared with Brick

• Free, with optional tips from $1.99 to $9.99.
• Bring your own key: an NFC sticker you buy, or a printed QR code.
• iPhone only (iOS 17.6 or later), with a Mac version in beta. Brick also runs on Android.

Cost: $0, unless you buy NFC stickers. Pick it if the tap is what works for you and $59 is what doesn’t.

Jomo: best if you want a QR code, a password or a wait as the unlock

Jomo lets you choose what unlocking costs you. Its features page lists a short wait, a reason, retyping a text, a password or a QR code scan. Keep the QR code in another room and you have Brick’s walk-to-unlock, without a device. Strict Mode “makes your rules unbreakable,” per Jomo.

Compared with Brick

• The strength is set per rule, from a gentle wait to a hard wall.
• Daily limits and scheduled blocks in the same app.
• A subscription or a one-time $99.99, where Brick is $59 once.

Cost: $29.99 a year for Jomo Plus, or $5.99 a month, or $99.99 once. Pick it if you want to decide how hard each app is to reach.

Opal: best if you want software that is as strict as a Brick

Opal’s Hard Mode is the software version of leaving the key at home. Opal’s pricing page describes it as “No way out. You can’t turn Opal off.” If you need out, you get one Emergency Pass a week, which ends all blocks for an hour.

Compared with Brick

• Nothing to carry, and it runs on iPhone, Android and Mac.
• An Opal Score, reports and leaderboards, where Brick keeps a usage history.
• Hard Mode needs Opal Pro, at $99.99 a year, more than one Brick.

Cost: Opal Pro at $99.99 a year ($19.99 a month, $399 lifetime). Pick it if you want no way out and don’t mind a subscription. See Opal alternatives and Calma vs Opal.

Screen Time with someone else’s passcode: best free option

Apple’s Screen Time becomes a real barrier when you don’t know the passcode. On iOS 27 you set Time Allowances for categories and a Screen Time Schedule for times of day, then lock them in Manage Screen Time > Lock Screen Time Settings. Ask a partner or friend to type the four-digit code. Now the key is a person instead of a device.

Compared with Brick

• Free and built in.
• Relies on another person, who has to say yes each time you ask.
• Allowances are per category, so apps in one category share their time.

Cost: included with iOS. Pick it if you have someone willing to hold the code. The full free setup is in Calma vs Screen Time.

ScreenZen: best free app if a wait is enough

ScreenZen replaces Brick’s tap with a wait before a chosen app opens, and the wait can grow with each open. It can also strict-block apps by time range or after a number of opens. Its App Store purchases are only tips, from $5 to $40.

ScreenZen also sells a device of its own, halo, for $49. Its page says it “automatically blocks the apps you can’t resist, until you leave your bedroom.”

Compared with Brick

• Free, where Brick costs $59.
• Runs on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Android.
• By default the wait lets you in, so it is gentler than Brick.

Cost: free, tips optional. Pick it if a pause is enough. More options in our ScreenZen alternatives.

Calma: best if you want blocks that start and stop on their own

Calma is ours, so here it is against Brick. Brick asks you to tap to start and tap to stop. Calma runs on a schedule you set once, like every night from 10 PM to 7 AM, so the block begins and ends by itself and there is nothing to carry. During the block, the app shows “Instagram is resting.” with one button, Back to calm.

Calma is gentler than Brick on purpose. To use an app early, you open Calma and switch the rule off. That step stays available in the app, and some people want a harder wall than that.

Compared with Brick

• No device to buy, carry or lose, and no count of emergency unlocks.
• Daily limits (15 minutes to 2 hours) and open limits (3 to 50 a day), not only on and off.
• A subscription, where Brick is paid once. Two years of Calma costs more than one Brick.
• iPhone only.

Cost: Calma Pro is $39.99 a year or $3.99 a week in the US; new subscribers get 3 days free. Pick it if your problem is a time of day and you’d rather set it than tap it. See what Calma’s app blocker does.

Is Brick still worth it?

Yes, if you want your unlock to live outside your phone. It is a one-time $59, it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee, and its FAQ says blocking information “is stored locally on your phone.” Strict Mode, per Brick, closes the loopholes of deleting the app or changing settings.

It is worth less if you move around a lot, since the device has to be with you to unblock, or if you mostly want blocks that end on a timer.

How to switch from Brick to Calma

1. Unbrick your phone with the device, so no Brick mode is active when you remove it.
2. Turn off Brick’s schedules, so two apps don’t block the same things.
3. Install Calma, accept the Screen Time permission, and select the apps your Brick modes covered.
4. Recreate your modes as Moments. A Brick “Sleep” mode becomes Night Peace, and “Deep work” becomes Work Focus (weekdays, 9 AM to 5 PM). Tap the words to change apps, days and times.
5. Tap Protect this moment. The block now starts and ends on its own.

FAQ

Is there a free Brick alternative?

Yes. Foqos is free and works the same way, with an NFC tag or QR code you supply. ScreenZen and Apple Screen Time are free too, but they use a wait or a passcode instead of a tap.

Can I use an NFC sticker instead of a Brick?

With Foqos, yes. It is built for NFC tags or QR codes. The Brick app itself works with the Brick device.

What happens if I lose my Brick?

Brick’s FAQ says you get five Emergency Unbricks that unblock all apps, and you can email Brick to request more.

Is Calma as strict as Brick?

No. Calma’s block screen has only Back to calm, but you can switch a rule off in the Calma app. Brick needs the device or an Emergency Unbrick. If you want Brick-level strictness in software, look at Opal’s Hard Mode or Jomo’s Strict Mode.

How we compared

We read each app’s App Store listing, website, pricing page and help pages on September 24, 2026, and dated every price. We also read Brick’s App Store reviews from June to September 2026. None of the other apps were tested hands-on for this page, so it rests on what each company publishes. Anything an app doesn’t document is marked “Not publicly stated” in the table. Placement here isn’t for sale. For the wider field, see the best app blockers for iPhone.