Disclosure: Reset is ours, and it is listed first. It gets the same four fields as every other app, including its drawbacks.
Short answer
For iPhone, our pick is Reset — Screen Time blocking where a friend holds the key, free with no subscription. For free delays instead of locks, ScreenZen.
Freedom’s strength is reach: one blocklist across phones, tablets and computers, with scheduled sessions. Its listing offers a 7-day free trial of Premium, then a subscription.
If your problem is mostly your phone, you may not need cross-device blocking — and several iPhone apps block just as hard for free.
Switch to Reset if
- Your phone is the problem, not your laptop
- You don’t want another subscription
- You keep ending your own sessions
Stay with Freedom if
- You block websites on your computer too
- You like scheduled recurring sessions everywhere
- You use its focus sounds
At a glance
| App | Best for | Pricing |
|---|---|---|
| Reset (ours) | People who keep tapping through their own limits and want a friend to hold the key | Free, with no subscription and no in-app purchases |
| Freedom | People who want the same blocks on phones and computers | Subscription after a 7-day free trial |
| Opal | People who want schedules, limits and a game layer | Free core app; Opal Pro subscription |
| ScreenZen | People who want free friction on every app | Free |
| one sec | People who want a breathing pause on one app | Free for one app; one sec pro for more |
| Apple Screen Time | People who want free built-in limits | Included with iOS at no extra cost |
The apps in detail
Reset
Ours
- Best for
- People who keep tapping through their own limits and want a friend to hold the key
- Highlights
- Real blocking built on Apple’s Screen Time
- The friend key: only a friend’s code ends a locked block early
- SOS for the urge and a 22-exercise Boredom Gym
- No account, no server, no ads
- Pricing
- Free, with no subscription and no in-app purchases
- Watch out
- iPhone only, on iOS 18 or later — no Android, no Mac and no browser extension. The friend key works best if you actually have someone to hold it; without one, a block ends only through the emergency unlock, which makes you wait.
Freedom
- Best for
- People who want the same blocks on phones and computers
- Highlights
- Blocks apps and websites across all devices
- Scheduled sessions
- Focus sounds included
- Pricing
- Subscription after a 7-day free trial
- Watch out
- Not free beyond the trial.
Opal
- Best for
- People who want schedules, limits and a game layer
- Highlights
- Scheduled blocks and daily limits
- Mindful block screens
- Leaderboards and rewards
- Pricing
- Free core app; Opal Pro subscription
- Watch out
- Harder modes are Pro.
ScreenZen
- Best for
- People who want free friction on every app
- Highlights
- Delay before opening, growing each time
- Scrolling interruptions
- Per-app goals
- Pricing
- Free
- Watch out
- Friction, not a lock.
one sec
- Best for
- People who want a breathing pause on one app
- Highlights
- A pause before a chosen app opens
- Research-backed
- Free Safari extension
- Pricing
- Free for one app; one sec pro for more
- Watch out
- Only one app free.
Apple Screen Time
- Best for
- People who want free built-in limits
- Highlights
- App limits and Downtime
- Passcode-protected limits
- Usage reports
- Pricing
- Included with iOS at no extra cost
- Watch out
- Ignore Limit is one tap away unless someone else holds the passcode.
Who can end the block?
Every blocker has an off switch. With Freedom, Opal or Screen Time, the person tempted is usually the person holding it.
Reset hands the switch to a friend: they scan your phone or tap a link, and only their code ends a locked block early. Calls, Messages and Maps stay open.
Common questions
Is Freedom free?
Freedom offers a 7-day free trial of Premium; after that it is a subscription.
What is a free alternative to Freedom on iPhone?
Reset for a hard block a friend holds the key to; ScreenZen for free delays.
Can I block apps on iPhone for free?
Yes — Apple Screen Time, Reset and ScreenZen all block without paying.
App Store listings checked on 27 September 2026. Prices change — each entry describes how an app is paid for rather than a number that goes stale.
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