TollieBrick alternatives: the same lock, without the $59 device
Brick made one thing obvious: a blocker holds when the key is somewhere else. Here is how to keep that idea without buying, carrying or losing a puck.
What Brick gets right
Brick is a small NFC device you stick to a wall or keep on a shelf. Tap your phone on it and your distracting apps lock. Tap again and they open. The app is free; the device costs $59, and a $129 bedroom version is on the way.
The idea works because the unlock is physical. Every software blocker has a way out that is one tap away: a passcode you know, an "Ignore Limit" button, a toggle in Settings. Brick moves the way out across the room. Standing up and walking is enough friction to stop a 2am scroll, and not enough to lock anyone out.
Tollie closes the apps you pick. The key is a spot in your home.One booth free forever · No account · iPhone
Get TollieWhy people look for an alternative
- The device. $59 before you know whether the idea works for you, and you have to keep it somewhere you remember.
- Losing it. Brick gives a limited number of emergency unbricks. After that you are writing to support.
- Away from home. If the Brick is on your kitchen wall and you are not, the lock either stays shut or you carry the puck, which defeats the point.
- One key for everything. Brick locks and unlocks a set of apps together. Bedtime for Instagram and a daily budget for YouTube are two different rules.
What to check in any replacement
- Where is the key? If the key is a passcode or a button, you will use it at 11pm. It has to be a place, an object or a walk.
- Does it survive the obvious tricks? Change the clock, force-quit, delete the app, restart. The reviews of every blocker list which ones fail.
- Is there an honest emergency exit? "Locked out, no way back in" is as common a complaint as "too easy to bypass". You want an exit that costs something, not one that costs everything.
- What does it cost over two years? Hardware once, a subscription forever, or an app once.
The alternatives, compared
| Option | The key | Price | Away from home | Emergency exit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brick | NFC device on your wall | $59 device, free app | Carry the device | Limited unbricks, then support |
| Foqos | Any NFC tag, open source | Free, plus a tag | Carry the tag | Depends on your tag setup |
| Tollie | A spot in your home you scan, or real steps | Free for one booth, €59.99 once for all | Walk 100 to 2,000 steps | Break Glass: 30 min, once a week, witness told |
| Opal, one sec, Screen Time | A passcode or a button | Subscription or free | Always available | Always available, which is the problem |
How Tollie does the Brick idea without the brick
Tollie's key is a spot in another room. During setup you scan a corner of your kitchen, hallway or bathroom for a few seconds. Tollie keeps a 3D map of the scene to recognise it, and it stays on your phone. To open a blocked app you stand at that spot and scan it again. A picture of the spot on another screen is refused.
When you are not at home, you walk. The walk key counts 100 to 2,000 real steps on your phone's motion sensors and opens the booth for ten minutes. Shaking the phone does not count.
Each booth has its own rule: a closed window such as 23:00 to 07:00, or a daily budget of free minutes. Each pass lasts ten minutes and passes don't stack. On the Strict level, the second pass inside the same block costs more steps than the first.
Making a rule stricter applies at once. Making it easier waits 24 hours. The rule belongs to the person who set it in the afternoon, not the one holding the phone at night.
Try the idea before you buy anything. Tollie is free for one booth and one key, with Break Glass and every safety feature. If you want every booth, it is one payment, no renewal.
Questions
Can I use the Brick app without the device?
No. The app needs the physical Brick to lock and unlock. If you want the same idea without hardware, an app whose key is a place in your home, or an NFC tag with an app built for it, are the two routes.
Is there a cheaper Brick alternative?
Foqos is free and open source but needs an NFC tag. Tollie is free for one booth, and €59.99 once for everything. Brick is $59 for the device.
Is a spot in my home as strict as a puck?
In one way it is stricter: it can't be lost or carried to bed. In one way it is softer: if you keep a stool next to your spot, you can scan without much of a walk. Put the spot somewhere that costs a real trip, and pick the Strict level so the second pass costs more.
Brick, Foqos, Opal and one sec are the names of other products, used here to describe them. Prices were read from the App Store and the makers' sites on 21 October 2026 and may have changed.