What one sec does
one sec puts a deep-breath animation in front of the apps you pick, triggered by a Shortcuts automation, and then lets you carry on or close the app. Its FAQ lists other interruptions: a breathing technique such as 4-7-8, a reminder of healthier things to do, a look in the mirror, or a check on your intention. Re-Interventions pull you out after a set time, and full blocks can run during a session or on a schedule. It also has a Mac app and browser extensions.
Sources: one sec: App Store listing · one sec: FAQ · one sec: platforms
The apps, side by side
We read each app’s App Store listing and, where it has one, its own site on Oct 20, 2026. We haven’t used every app for weeks, so each note says what the vendor documents and what we couldn’t confirm. Champ makes this site, and its row was last checked against the app on Oct 13, 2026, so read it the way you’d read any vendor describing itself. There are no prices, plans or ratings here, Champ’s included.
| App | How it interrupts | What it rewards or blocks | Bypass style | Platform | Checked on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ScreenZen | A wait before an app you picked opens, which can grow with each open, with a prompt such as “Is this important” | Blocks after a goal, for time ranges or after a number of opens. Streaks for staying within your limits | Pause or hard lock. You can open after the wait. A strict block holds for the range you set. | iPhone, iPad and Mac; its site also lists Windows and Android | |
| ClearSpace | A deep breath before an app you picked opens. Then you go in or opt out | Limits sessions and opens, with schedules. Streaks, budgets and challenges | Pause. You decide after the breath. Limits and schedules can block. | iPhone and iPad; its site also links a Chrome extension and an Android app | |
| Phoneless Garden | A pause of 5 to 90 seconds that shows today’s time on the apps you picked. It comes back when your chosen time is up | Blocks nothing. A plant grows on days under your goal and rests on days over it | None. It never blocks. You close the app or carry on. | iPhone and iPad; its site also lists Android | |
| Champ | A Screen Time shield when an app you guard opens, then a 30-second reset: a breath, an affirmation, a short meditation or your vision board | Each finished reset opens a flower in a garden. Rules and Focus rounds block the apps you pick | Pause or hard lock. A Guarded app opens after the 30-second reset, or right away for a few Coins. Locked apps and running Rules don’t offer a reset, and Strict means you can’t turn a rule off or change it while it’s on. A Focus round keeps the apps you pick closed until it ends. Emergency access still works. | iPhone and iPad | |
| Jomo | A block screen during the times you set, which can show tips or healthier things to do | Blocks apps, whole categories and websites on your schedule | Pause. Its listing says you can always take a mindful break. | iPhone, iPad and Mac | |
| Opal | A block screen with quotes or puns during scheduled sessions, after a daily time limit, or after an open limit | Blocks apps and websites you pick. Rewards you with a Focus Score, milestones and a leaderboard | Pause or hard lock. Breaks are allowed by default. Its listing says Deep Focus can’t be canceled or bypassed. | iPhone and iPad; its pricing page also lists Android and Mac | |
| Freedom | A green block screen during a session you start or schedule | Blocks apps through Screen Time and websites through a VPN profile, or the whole internet at once | Pause or hard lock. You can end a session by default. Locked Mode prevents quitting one, per its site. | iPhone and iPad; its site also lists Mac, Windows, Android, Chromebook and Linux |
Notes on each app
ScreenZen
ScreenZen works at the same moment one sec does: you open an app you picked, and you wait before it lets you in. The wait can grow with each open, and a message such as “Is this important” can sit on it. Its listing adds breathing and other activities to fill the wait, open limits, a strict block for time ranges, and a lock on its own settings. Version 4.0 added a Practice mode where you breathe, journal or learn something to earn opens. ScreenZen doesn’t say which Apple framework it uses, and we didn’t test how its strict block holds up on a phone.
Champ vs ScreenZen, compared at length
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ClearSpace
ClearSpace asks for a deep breath when you open an app you picked, then lets you go in or opt out. Its site calls this a centering exercise, and says it can pull you out once the time you asked for is up. The listing adds schedules, limits, streaks, budgets and accountability partners. The newest App Store update we saw is from Aug 19, 2026. We couldn’t confirm how its screen time challenges work on iPhone.
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Phoneless Garden
Phoneless Garden never blocks anything. When you open an app you picked, a pause of 5 to 90 seconds shows your time on those apps today, and you close it or choose how long to stay. When that time is up, the pause comes back and asks what you want from the next few minutes. A plant grows on days you stay under your goal and rests on days you don’t. It’s a young app (version 1.0.7 when we looked), so we can’t say how it holds up over months.
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Champ
Champ shields the apps you pick through Apple’s Screen Time framework. When one opens, the shield offers a 30-second reset: a paced breath, an affirmation, a short meditation, or your own vision board. Finish it and a flower opens in your garden, which is the main thing one sec doesn’t have. Rules and Focus rounds can also keep apps closed for a set window. Champ runs on iPhone and iPad only, with no Mac app.
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Jomo
Jomo blocks apps, whole categories and websites for the times you set, through Apple’s Screen Time API; its listing says website blocking works in every browser. Its block screens can show expert tips or healthy alternatives, and you can still take a mindful break. It fits better than one sec if you want set hours with no access, and worse if you want every open slowed down all day. We couldn’t confirm a strict mode on its current listing.
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Opal
Opal starts from a plan instead of the open: sessions on a calendar, daily time limits and open limits, all through Apple’s Screen Time API. When a block is on, a block screen shows quotes or puns, and a break asks you to choose the app, write your intention and set a timer. Its listing says Deep Focus can’t be canceled or bypassed, and its pricing page describes a Hard Mode with “no way out.” It also scores your day with a Focus Score, milestones and a leaderboard.
Champ vs Opal, compared at length
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Freedom
Freedom blocks during sessions you start or schedule, and shows a green screen when you open a blocked app or site. On iPhone it runs two systems, per its support article: Screen Time for apps and a VPN profile for websites. Its site says Locked Mode prevents quitting a session. It’s the one to pick here if you also want your computer blocked, because sessions sync across phones, tablets and computers.
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Frequently asked questions
What app is closest to one sec on iPhone?
Which one sec alternatives block apps completely?
Does one sec use Screen Time or Shortcuts?
Is there a one sec alternative that rewards you for pausing?
Why is Champ on this list?
Who should skip Champ
Skip Champ if you want one thing done well: a pause and nothing else. one sec and ScreenZen are more focused, and a garden, Guardians and coins will feel like clutter. Skip it too if you need the same interruption on your Mac or in a desktop browser, where one sec and Freedom reach and Champ doesn’t. And if you want a pause that never blocks at all, Phoneless Garden is built for exactly that.
More comparisons
If a 30-second reset and a garden sound like your shape, try Champ on your iPhone.
