App blocker
A gentle app blocker
for iPhone.
Calma is an app blocker for iPhone that rests Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or any app you pick during the times you choose. You get a calm block screen instead of a wall, and no scoreboard.
- Free trial
- Data stays on your iPhone
- No ads
What makes it gentle
What is a gentle app blocker?
A gentle app blocker stops the apps you choose at the times you choose, without punishing you. It shows a calm screen instead of a warning, and it keeps a deliberate way out instead of a lock you can't undo. Calma is a gentle app blocker for iPhone: it rests the apps you pick at set times, shows one button, Back to calm, and keeps the way out inside the Calma app.
- A pause, not a wall.
A calm screen names the rule and when it ends, with one button: Back to calm. The way out lives in the Calma app, not on the block screen.
- Set times, not just minutes.
Block apps at dinner, at bedtime or in your first hour of work. Rules read like a sentence you'd say out loud.
- No streaks, no shame.
No usage charts, no scores, no rankings. The only number is the time you protected.
Hard blockers are built so you can't get in. Screen Time lets one tap on Ignore Limit undo a limit. Calma sits between the two: iOS enforces the block, and you stay the adult in the room.
Calma vs Screen Time
How is Calma different from Screen Time?
Calma is built on Apple's Screen Time, so blocks are applied by iOS and keep working when Calma is closed. The difference is the block screen: Screen Time's limit screen offers Ignore Limit by default, and Calma's scheduled blocks offer only Back to calm.
| Question |  Calma | Apple Screen TimeBuilt into iOS |
|---|---|---|
| When you open a blocked app | "Instagram is resting." with the rule and when it ends | A limit screen with Ignore Limit by default |
| Blocks at set times | Moments by day and time, including overnight, and several can overlap | Screen Time Schedule in iOS 27 (called Downtime in iOS 26) |
| Daily time limits | 15 min to 2 h a day per app or category | Time Allowances in iOS 27 (called App Limits in iOS 26) |
| Opens per day | 3 to 50 opens a day, 15 minutes each | Not available |
| Websites and devices | Apps only, iPhone only | Apps and websites, across Apple devices |
| Price | Free to download. Calma Pro after a 3-day free trial | Free |
Screen Time is free and already on your iPhone. If a simple limit works for you, keep it.
Kinds of blocks
What kinds of blocks can Calma set?
Moments
Weekdays, weekends, every night. Ready-made Work Focus and Night Peace to start.
Block 5 apps on weekdays from 09:00 to 17:00.
Minutes per day
When the time is used, the app rests until midnight.
Allow apps for 30 min a day.
Opens per day
Decide how many times an app can open. Each open asks: is this where you want to be?
Allow Instagram 3 opens a day.
Drag the dial, pick your apps, begin. Sessions end on their own.
What you'll see
What does the block screen look like?
Each kind of block has its own quiet screen that says what the rule is and when it ends.
Getting past a block
Can I get past a block?
Sometimes, on purpose. A focus session ends early with a 3-second hold, any Moment can be switched off in the app, and open limits have an Open app button. Scheduled Moments and daily limits show only Back to calm.
Blocks at set times
Work Focus, Night Peace or your own. The block screen names the rule and when it ends, with one button: Back to calm.
To step past it, switch the Moment off in Calma.
Minutes per day
When today's time is used, the app rests until midnight. The block screen shows only Back to calm.
To step past it, switch the rule off in Calma.
Opens per day
You choose how many times a day an app can open, from 3 to 50. Each open unlocks the app for 15 minutes.
Tap Open app to use one of today's opens.
One task, right now
Pick the apps and a length from 15 to 180 minutes. The session ends on its own when the time is up.
To end it early, hold for 3 seconds.
Price
How much does Calma cost?
Calma is free to download, and blocking needs Calma Pro. In the US, Calma Pro is $3.99 a week or $39.99 a year as of September 25, 2026, after a 3-day free trial for new subscribers.
- Two plans
Weekly or yearly. There is no monthly plan.
- Everything is in Pro
Scheduled Moments, daily limits, open limits, focus sessions and the widget. Without Pro or a trial, Calma does not block apps.
- Cancel anytime
Cancel in Settings > [your name] > Subscriptions. The App Store shows the price in your currency before you confirm. No ads.
Private by design
What can Calma see?
Very little, on purpose. Calma is built on Apple's Screen Time, which keeps your activity on your iPhone.
- Your activity stays on your iPhone
Screen Time handles the blocking locally.
- Nothing inside your apps
Calma never sees what you do inside your apps.
- No ads, no selling data
Paid by Calma Pro subscriptions, not by your attention. Privacy policy
Compare
Which app blocker is right for you?
It depends on how you slip. We make Calma, and these pages say plainly when another app is the better pick.
- Best app blockers for iPhone
Gentle, strict and free options sorted by use case, with dated prices.
- Calma vs Screen Time
The free built-in option first, step by step, and when it is enough.
- Opal alternatives
For people who want stricter sessions, reports, or a lower price.
- Calma vs one sec
A studied pause on every open, or blocks at set times.
Try a gentler blocker tonight.
Start with Night Peace. See how the evening feels.
- Free trial
- Data stays on your iPhone
- No ads