TollieThe best app blockers for iPhone, ranked by how hard they are to beat
Most lists rank blockers by features. This one ranks them by the only thing that matters at 11pm: where the key is, and what it costs to use it.
How to read this list
Every app blocker on iPhone runs on Apple's Screen Time framework, so they all shield apps the same way. They differ in three things:
- The key. A passcode you know, a button, a timer, a device, or a place.
- The exits. Clock change, force-quit, delete, the browser, and the one Apple keeps open for everyone: Settings, Screen Time, off.
- The price over two years. Subscription, hardware, or once.
Tollie closes the apps you pick. The key is a spot in your home.One booth free forever · No account · iPhone
Get TollieThe ranking
| # | App | The key | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brick | A $59 NFC device you tap | $59 once, free app | People who want a physical object and don't mind carrying it |
| 2 | Tollie | A spot in your home you scan, or 100 to 2,000 real steps | Free for one booth, €59.99 once for all | People who beat a software lock and want to pay once |
| 3 | ScreenZen | A waiting period and limited opens | Free, tips optional | People who want a nudge, not a wall |
| 4 | one sec | A breathing pause before the app opens | One app free, about €15 / year | Breaking the reflex on one or two apps |
| 5 | Freedom | Schedules; a locked mode with a timer | $39.99 to $59.99 / year, $199 once | Blocking on Mac and Windows too |
| 6 | Opal | Sessions; deep focus is a timer | $99.99 / year | People who like stats and a focus score |
| 7 | Jomo | Apple's Screen Time plus shared goals with friends | About $30 / year | Accountability with a group |
| 8 | AppBlock | Schedules and a strict mode with a PIN | $29.99 to $59.99 / year | Android users who also have an iPhone |
| 9 | Apple Screen Time | A passcode you set yourself | Free | Parents managing a child's phone |
Why the key decides it
Read the one- and two-star reviews of the top blockers and a quarter say the same thing: "too easy to get around". A quarter more say the opposite: "locked out, no way back". The software blockers fail in both directions because their lock is a promise the app makes to itself.
Brick and Tollie fail in neither, for the same reason: the key is somewhere else. Brick puts it on a device. Tollie puts it in a corner of your kitchen that you scan, and in your legs when you are out. Both give you a way in that costs a trip, not a tap.
What each one leaves open
| Exit | Screen Time | Opal, Freedom, AppBlock | Brick | Tollie |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passcode you know | Yes | Yes (PIN or timer) | No | No |
| Ignore / end early button | Yes | Varies | No | No |
| Clock change | Partly | Varies | No | No |
| Delete the app | n/a | Usually | In strict mode, no | No, while a block runs |
| Settings → Screen Time → off | n/a | Yes | Yes | Yes, counted as Break Glass, witness told |
| Emergency exit | Passcode | Varies | Limited unbricks | Break Glass: 30 min, once a week |
Tollie is free for one booth. One window or one daily budget, one key, Break Glass and every safety feature. If it holds for a week, every booth is one payment, no renewal.
Questions
What is the best free app blocker for iPhone?
ScreenZen if you want gentle. Tollie's free tier if you want one real block with a key that isn't on your phone. Apple's Screen Time is free and works for a child's phone, not your own.
Which app blocker is the strictest?
Brick and Tollie, because the key is physical. Between them, Tollie adds a Strict level (each pass in the same block costs more steps) and a 24-hour wait on any change that loosens a rule.
Do any of these block Safari?
Freedom, AppBlock and BlockSite do, and it is where they collect their worst reviews. Brick and Tollie block apps only.
Tollie is made by the people who wrote this page. Other product names belong to their owners and are used to describe them. Prices were read from the US App Store on 21 October 2026 and may have changed. Review themes come from reading each app's most recent public App Store reviews.