Calma vs one sec: every open or set times

Is Calma like one sec?

Calma is like one sec in spirit, but the two work at different times. Both are gentle app blockers: neither is built to lock you out for good, and both try to catch the moment you reach for an app on autopilot. one sec pauses every open, while Calma blocks apps at set times.

one sec works at the door. Each time you open a chosen app, like Instagram, a short pause appears first, such as a breathing animation. Then you choose: continue, or close the app. Its FAQ lists other interruptions too, like a small task, a reminder of something else to do, or noting your intention.

Calma works on the clock. You pick the apps and the part of the day, like weeknights from 10 PM to 7 AM. Open Instagram in that window and you see a calm screen saying it is resting, with a single Back to calm button. Outside that window, the app opens normally.

Pick one sec if you slip all day in small moments. Pick Calma if you slip at a known time, like in bed or in the first hour of work.

Does one sec actually work? Does Calma?

one sec has real evidence, and Calma doesn’t have any of its own. A 2023 PNAS study followed 280 new one sec users for six weeks. People closed the target app about 36% of the time after the pause, tried to open it 37% less by week six, and actual openings fell 57%. A separate online experiment with 500 people found the option to dismiss mattered most, the waiting time helped, and a message alone did not.

Read it with its limits: there was no control group in the field study, participants chose to install one sec, it measured openings rather than time, and the paper states that co-author Frederik Riedel “is the originator of one sec.” Our guide on whether a pause before opening an app works covers this and other studies in detail.

Calma has not been studied. We can tell you what it does, not what it will do for you.

Pick one sec if research behind the exact tool matters to you.

Can you skip a block in one sec? Can you skip one in Calma?

In one sec, skipping is part of the design. After the pause you can continue to the app. That choice is also what the study found most effective. For a harder stop, one sec’s FAQ says you can block apps so they “can’t be opened at all during a block session or scheduled time.”

In Calma, it depends on the rule:

• Scheduled Moments and daily limits show only Back to calm. There is no continue button on the block screen. To get the app back early, you open Calma and switch that Moment off.
• Open limits are Calma’s closest match to one sec. You choose how many opens an app gets per day (3, 5, 10, 20 or 50), and each open shows Open app and lasts 15 minutes.
• Focus sessions end on their own. Ending one early takes a 3-second hold.

Pick one sec if you want a choice every time. Pick Calma if you want the whole bedtime window blocked, with the way out moved into the Calma app.

Which is cheaper, Calma or one sec?

one sec is cheaper. As of September 25, 2026, one sec pro in the US App Store costs $19.99 a year, $6.99 a month or $99.99 for life, and there are family plans. Calma Pro is $39.99 a year or $3.99 a week.

one sec also has a free version that covers one app, and its FAQ offers a 1-week free trial of one sec pro. Calma is free to download, but blocking needs Calma Pro after a 3-day free trial.

Pick one sec if price decides it. It costs about half as much per year.

Does one sec work on Mac and Android? Does Calma?

one sec does, and Calma doesn’t. one sec has apps for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Android, plus browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge, and one account works across them. Calma is an iPhone app that blocks apps only. For websites on iPhone, use Screen Time’s own website limits alongside Calma.

Pick one sec if your laptop is part of the problem.

Where one sec is better

• Research. The only app in this category we found with a peer-reviewed field study.
• Price. $19.99 a year, against Calma’s $39.99.
• A free version that keeps working for one app.
• More devices. iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android and browsers.
• Websites as well as apps.
• More kinds of pauses, from breathing to small tasks, plus full blocks when you want them.
• Track record. 4.8 stars from 23,603 US App Store ratings as of September 25, 2026, and an update on September 20, 2026.

Where Calma is better

• Blocks tied to the clock. Ready-made routines like Night Peace (10 PM to 7 AM) and Work Focus (weekdays, 9 AM to 5 PM), including windows across midnight.
• No continue button during a scheduled block, for people who tap through every pause.
• No Shortcuts setup. Calma uses Apple’s Screen Time permission and app picker.
• Open limits, like 3 opens a day, if you want a pause-style rule with a daily cap.
• No stats or charts. The only number is time protected today.
• No account. Rules stay on your iPhone.

Can you use Calma and one sec together?

Yes, if you give them different jobs. For example, one sec’s pause on YouTube during the day, and Calma’s Night Peace resting Instagram and TikTok at night. Putting both on the same app at the same time gets confusing, because you won’t know which one is stopping you.

How to set up Calma if you are coming from one sec

1. Decide what to keep. If one sec still works for some apps, keep it there. If you’re switching fully, cancel one sec pro in Settings > [your name] > Subscriptions.
2. Turn off one sec’s automations in the Shortcuts app for any app Calma will handle.
3. Install Calma, allow Screen Time access, and choose the apps from Apple’s picker.
4. Pick a Moment. Start from Night Peace or Work Focus, or tap New moment. For a one sec-like feel, add an open limit, like 5 opens a day.
5. Tap Protect this moment. It runs at the times you set, even when Calma is closed.

FAQ

Is Calma a cheaper one sec?

No. one sec costs less: $19.99 a year, against $39.99 for Calma Pro in the US as of September 25, 2026. Calma does a different job: blocks at set times, daily limits and open limits on iPhone, without a pause on every open.

Does Calma have a breathing exercise?

No. Calma shows a calm block screen during the times you choose. Its open limits ask whether this is where you want to be and offer Open app while opens are left.

Is one sec free?

Partly. one sec’s free version adds a breathing interruption to one app. More apps and features need one sec pro, with a 1-week free trial.

Do one sec or Calma see what I do in my apps?

one sec’s FAQ says its intervention logic runs locally on your device and it does not sell your data. Calma works through Apple’s Screen Time, cannot see what you do inside apps, has no account, and keeps your rules on your iPhone.

Should you use Calma or one sec?

• one sec: a studied pause on every open, a free version for one app, and your Mac and Android too.
• Calma: apps blocked for the whole window at the times you slip, on iPhone, with no charts.
• Both: one sec on some apps during the day, Calma at night.

For more options, see our one sec alternatives, the best app blockers for iPhone, or how Calma’s gentle app blocker works.