ScreenZen Review: Is the Free App Blocker Worth It? (Plus 8 Alternatives)
By Fred Smith, maker of Drill Sergeant / Updated / 8 min read
Yes, for most people. ScreenZen is the best free app blocker on iPhone and one of the best on Android: a pause before your distracting apps, limits on time and on how often you open them, and strict blocks for set hours, with no subscription. It's rated 4.9 from about 53,000 App Store ratings. Skip it if you need a block you can't talk yourself out of (try Foqos or Brick) or a reason to put the phone down (try Drill Sergeant).
ScreenZen has quietly become one of the most loved screen time apps on both stores, without charging a subscription. Here's what it does, where it falls short, and the eight best alternatives if it isn't quite right for you. We built this review from ScreenZen's own store listings, website and prices on 2 November 2026; we make Drill Sergeant, one of the alternatives, and say so where it comes up.
What ScreenZen does
ScreenZen gives you several ways to slow down before a distracting app, and lets you mix them per app and per day[1]:
- A pause before the app opens, which can get longer each time you open it that day, with a question like “Is this important?”
- Short allowed bursts, so a quick check doesn't turn into an hour.
- Daily goals per app, with an optional block once you hit the limit.
- Strict blocks for set hours, after a number of opens, or after a set amount of screen time.
- A lock on its own settings, so you can't loosen the rules in the moment you want to scroll.
- Screen time for distracting apps only, plus streaks and breathing exercises while you wait.
The pause is the heart of it, and it's the approach with the strongest evidence. In a six-week study of a similar pause app, people closed their social app again 36% of the time the pause appeared, and opened those apps 57% less by the end[5].
- Free, with no subscription and no ads
- Very flexible: rules per app, per day and per hour
- A pause that grows each time you give in
- Strict blocks and a settings lock when you need them
- On both iPhone and Android, and very highly rated
- You set the rules, so on a bad day you can loosen them before the lock is on
- On iPhone it blocks whole apps, never just Reels or Shorts
- Lots of options: the first setup takes a few minutes
- No goals, friends or rewards: it stops you, it doesn’t pull you anywhere
Who should use it, and who should skip it
Use ScreenZen if you open Instagram or TikTok on autopilot and want a moment to catch yourself, without paying for it. It's the first thing we'd suggest to most people.
Skip it if you already know you'll switch any app-based rule off, because you need the key out of reach; or if blocking alone hasn't worked and you want something to do instead. Both are covered below. One more option from ScreenZen itself: halo, a $49 device you stick up in your bedroom that blocks your chosen apps when you walk in and unblocks them when you leave. It ships in the US only[4].
The eight best ScreenZen alternatives
| App | Price (US) | How it differs from ScreenZen | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| one sec[6] | Free for one app; Pro $6.99/mo or $19.99/yr | The same idea, a pause, with a peer-reviewed study behind it | 4.8 (24K) |
| Foqos[8] | Free (tips) | Apps stay blocked until you tap an NFC tag or scan a QR code | 4.9 (5.7K) |
| Brick[9] | App free; device $59[10] | A physical device you tap to block and unblock | 4.9 (59K) |
| Refocus[11] | Pro from $7.99 | Strict Mode: unblock only with a passcode, tag, wait or typing challenge | 4.8 (12K) |
| Opal[7] | $19.99/mo or $99.99/yr | More polished; Deep Focus sessions you can't end early | 4.7 (91K) |
| Jomo[12] | $5.99/mo or $29.99/yr | Built around scheduled blocking | 4.8 (2.5K) |
| ClearSpace[13] | $6.99/mo or $44.99/yr | A pause and limits, plus an exercise option | 4.7 (9K) |
| Drill Sergeant[14] | See the App Store | You earn apps back: 10 push-ups or a report of real work | New |
Ratings are App Store averages and prices are US in-app prices, both checked on 2 November 2026.
If you like the pause: one sec
one sec makes you take a breath before the app opens and asks if you still want to go in. It's the app the 57% study was run on, and it's free for one app[6][5]. More in one sec alternatives.
If you need the key out of reach: Foqos, Brick or Refocus
Foqos and Brick block your apps until you tap something physical, so the decision to unblock means getting up[8][9]. Foqos is free and uses any NFC tag or a printed QR code; Brick is a $59 device with a 4.9 rating from about 59,000 reviews[10]. Refocus can make you wait, type a passage or find a tag before anything unblocks[11]. See our Brick review.
If you want polished and don't mind paying: Opal
Opal is the most designed app here, with schedules and Deep Focus sessions you can't end early. It's also the most expensive, at $19.99 a month or $99.99 a year in the US[7]. Compare in Opal alternatives.
If you want a reason to put the phone down: Drill Sergeant
ScreenZen asks “is this important?”. Drill Sergeant asks for ten push-ups first. Captain Jack keeps the apps you pick locked until you earn them back with push-ups, counted by your camera, or a report of real work, and turns your goals into daily objectives[14]. If pausing works for you, stay with ScreenZen. If you blow straight through pauses, earning your time might stick. More in apps that make you do push-ups first.
A pause or ten push-ups. Pick the one you won't skip, and turn it on today.
A note on how iPhone blockers work
ScreenZen, and every app in the table, blocks apps on iPhone through Apple's Screen Time API[15]. That has two consequences: they block whole apps, never just Reels inside Instagram, and any of them can be switched off in Settings by the person using it. The strict ones just make that harder to want. On Android, see the best app blockers for Android for AppBlock, StayFree and Regain.
How we reviewed ScreenZen
We read ScreenZen's App Store and Google Play listings, its website and its in-app prices on 2 November 2026, and did the same for each alternative. ScreenZen's user count is its own figure. We weren't paid by ScreenZen or anyone else on this page, and there are no affiliate links. More options in the best app blockers for iPhone.
Questions people ask
Is ScreenZen really free?
Yes. Every feature is free, with no subscription. ScreenZen is paid for by optional tips: the App Store lists tips of $5, $10, $20 and $40. It also sells a separate $49 device, halo, that blocks apps in your bedroom.
How does ScreenZen make money?
From donations. ScreenZen calls itself the only donation-supported screen time app; in the app you can leave a tip, and the company sells its halo device on its website.
Can you get around ScreenZen?
With effort. ScreenZen can lock its own settings and strictly block apps for set hours or after a number of opens. But on iPhone any blocker can be switched off by removing its Screen Time access in Settings, so a determined person can always get through. That's the case for every iPhone blocker, not just ScreenZen.
Does ScreenZen block websites?
Yes. ScreenZen blocks distracting apps and websites. On Android it uses Accessibility permission to block websites.
Is ScreenZen better than Opal?
For most people, yes, because it's free. Opal costs $19.99 a month or $99.99 a year in the US and is more polished, with Deep Focus sessions you can't end early. If you want a pause and limits, ScreenZen does the job for nothing.
What is the best alternative to ScreenZen?
one sec if you want the same pause with a published study behind it; Foqos or Brick if you want blocks you can only lift with a physical tag; Opal if you want a paid, polished app; Drill Sergeant if you want to earn your screen time with push-ups or real work.
Sources
- ScreenZen- Screen Time Control, App Store listing and in-app purchases (checked 2 November 2026).
- ScreenZen・Screen Time Control, Google Play listing (checked 2 November 2026).
- ScreenZen. Homepage: "Less screen time. No subscription." (checked 2 November 2026).
- ScreenZen. Halo product page (checked 2 November 2026).
- Grüning, D. J., Riedel, F., & Lorenz-Spreen, P. (2023). Directing smartphone use through the self-nudge app one sec. PNAS, 120(8).
- one sec | screen time + focus, App Store listing and in-app purchases (checked 2 November 2026).
- Opal: Screen Time Control, App Store listing and in-app purchases (checked 2 November 2026).
- Foqos - Tap to Block, App Store listing (checked 2 November 2026).
- Brick - Ditch Distractions, App Store listing (checked 2 November 2026).
- Brick. Product prices (checked 2 November 2026).
- Refocus: App Blocker & Lock, App Store listing and in-app purchases (checked 2 November 2026).
- Jomo - Screen Time Blocker, App Store listing and in-app purchases (checked 2 November 2026).
- ClearSpace: Reduce Screen Time, App Store listing and in-app purchases (checked 2 November 2026).
- Drill Sergeant: App Blocker, App Store listing.
- Apple Developer. Family Controls (Screen Time API).