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We make this one
15 of 15 points
Calma rests the apps you pick at set times, like 10 PM to 7 AM, with a calm block screen and no streaks or scores.
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12 of 15 points
Screen Time is free and built in, with Downtime and daily App Limits (renamed in iOS 27), though limits can be ignored by default.
Calma vs Screen Time12 of 15 points
Freedom runs recurring block sessions (Premium) for apps and websites, synced across iPhone, Mac, Windows and Android.
Freedom alternatives| App | Points |
|---|---|
| Calma | 15 |
| Apple Screen Time | 12 |
| Freedom | 12 |
| ScreenZen | 10 |
| Clearspace | 10 |
| Brick | 10 |
| one sec | 9 |
| Opal | 10 |
Method
Each answer gives every app 0 to 3 points, from public facts about that app. The lock style counts double, because how you get out of a block is the biggest difference between these apps. The app with the most points is your best fit. Calma, which we make, gets 3 only for what it is built for (gentle blocks at set times, slipping at certain times) and 0 for websites, Mac, Android and free only, and a 0 on any of those rules it out.
Lock style, budget, what to block, your devices and how you usually slip. Your answers stay in this page and in the link, nowhere else.
3 is the best fit, 2 fits, 1 fits partly, 0 does not fit. With free only, a lock style that needs a paid plan does not count. For budget, we use the cheapest way to pay over the first year: the yearly price divided by 12, or a one-time price spread over 12 months. Under $5 a month means $5.00 or less.
Budget, websites and devices are must-haves: an app that scores 0 on one of them drops below every app that meets them all. Then the most points wins. Ties go to more lock-style points, then more points for how you slip, then the lower monthly cost, and Calma loses any tie left. Your result explains every 0 in plain words.
Each app links to our comparison or alternatives page, with prices, platforms and how to end a block early, all with dates and sources. For the whole field, see the best app blockers for iPhone.
Lock style counts double, so its rows show 0, 2, 4 and 6.
| Answer | Calma | Apple Screen Time | Opal | one sec | ScreenZen | Brick | Freedom | Clearspace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1How do you want to be stopped?×2 | ||||||||
| A hard lock I can't undo | 2 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 0 |
| A pause before an app opens | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Gentle blocks at set times | 6 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| 2What can you spend? | ||||||||
| Free only | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Under $5 a month | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Price doesn't matter | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 3What do you want to block? | ||||||||
| Apps only | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Apps and websites | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 4Which devices? | ||||||||
| iPhone only | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| iPhone and a Mac | 0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| iPhone and Android | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 5How do you usually slip? | ||||||||
| I open apps without thinking | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| I stay too long once I'm in | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| At certain times, like late at night | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Swipe sideways to see all 8 apps.
With "Free only", paid lock styles don't count, so these lock-style points change: Opal hard lock 2, Freedom hard lock 2 and set times 0, one sec hard lock 0 and set times 0.
Monthly cost over the first year, used for "Under $5 a month": Calma $3.33, Apple Screen Time $0.00, Opal $8.33, one sec $1.67, ScreenZen $0.00, Brick $4.92, Freedom $3.33, Clearspace $3.75.
We make Calma. That is why the scoring rules and the full points table are public.
Facts checked September 24 to 28, 2026 (Calma: October 5, 2026), US App Store prices, from each app's App Store listing, pricing page and help center: Apple Screen Time, Opal pricing, one sec FAQ, ScreenZen, Brick, Freedom Premium, Clearspace. The one sec study is PNAS, 2023. Prices and features change, so check the App Store before you pay.
FAQ
Start from how you want to be stopped. If soft limits never hold for you, pick a hard lock like Brick or Opal's strictest mode. If you open apps on autopilot, a pause before opening (one sec, ScreenZen, Clearspace) catches that moment. If your scrolling happens at the same times every day, gentle blocks at set times (Calma, Screen Time) fit. Then check budget and devices: free only points to Screen Time or ScreenZen, and a computer too points to Freedom.
We make Calma, so we published the rules and the full points table above. Calma scores 0 for websites, Mac, Android and free only, which puts it below every app that meets those needs, and it loses any tie left after the tie-break rules. Answer "hard lock" or "free only" and another app comes out on top.
Apple Screen Time is free and built in, and ScreenZen is free with optional tips. one sec and Clearspace are free for one app, Opal's free plan has 1 rule, and Freedom's free plan runs sessions of up to 2 hours (checked September 2026). Calma is free to download with a 3-day free trial, then needs Calma Pro. See Calma vs Screen Time.
Both can work, for different people. A good test: if you end up deleting a strict blocker to get out, try a gentler one; if you tap through a gentle one every time, go stricter. Our guide on hard blockers vs a gentle pause walks through the choice.
Freedom syncs blocks across iPhone, Mac, Windows and Android from one account. Screen Time works across iPhone, iPad and Mac, and Opal, one sec and ScreenZen have Mac apps too. Calma is iPhone only and blocks apps, not websites.
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