What Opal does
Opal blocks apps and websites on a plan: sessions on a calendar, daily time limits and open limits, through Apple’s Screen Time API. A blocked open shows a block screen with quotes or puns. Its listing says Deep Focus can’t be canceled or bypassed, and its pricing page lists a Hard Mode with “no way out.” It tracks a Focus Score, milestones you can share, and a leaderboard, and its pricing page lists iPhone, Android and Mac.
Sources: Opal: App Store listing · Opal: pricing page (modes and 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| BePresent | App-blocking sessions you start alone, with friends, or in a stricter Beast Mode | Streaks, tiers, weekly leaderboards, and points you can redeem for partner rewards | Not stated. Its listing doesn’t say what Beast Mode locks. | iPhone and iPad | |
| 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 | |
| one sec | A deep-breath animation before an app you picked opens, through a Shortcuts automation. Other interruptions include a mirror or an intention check | Slows opens down. Can block apps during a session or on a schedule, and pull you out after a set time | Pause. You continue after the pause. Full blocks are there for sessions and schedules. | iPhone and iPad; its site also lists Android, a Mac app and browser extensions | |
| 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 | |
| Forest | A focus timer you start. A tree grows while you stay off your phone and withers if you leave early | Trees, new species and a forest of past sessions. Deep Focus and Time Guard block other apps | None. Nothing stops you leaving. Giving up costs you the tree. | iPhone and iPad; its site also lists Android and browser extensions |
Notes on each app
Jomo
Jomo works the way Opal does: you pick apps, categories or websites, set the times, and Apple’s Screen Time API blocks them. Its listing says website blocking works in every browser. Block screens can show expert tips or healthy alternatives, and you can still take a mindful break, so by default it’s softer than Opal’s Deep Focus. We couldn’t confirm a strict mode on its current listing.
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Freedom
Freedom is the cross-device option: one account blocks apps and websites on phones, tablets and computers, and sessions sync between them. On iPhone it blocks apps through Screen Time and websites through a VPN profile, per its support article. It can also block the whole internet with one button, and its listing says calls and texts still come through. Its site says Locked Mode prevents quitting a session. There’s no score or leaderboard like Opal’s.
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BePresent
BePresent keeps Opal’s social side and pushes it further. Sessions can be solo, with friends, or in a stricter Beast Mode. You keep a streak by staying under your limits, can put money on a daily goal, and climb weekly leaderboards. Points earned off your phone can be redeemed for rewards from partner brands. Its listing doesn’t say what Beast Mode locks, so we couldn’t confirm how strict it is.
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ScreenZen
ScreenZen slows each open down instead of waiting for a schedule: a wait before the app opens, which can grow every time. It can also block after a goal, for time ranges or after a number of opens, and lock its own settings. Its 4.0 release notes describe a Minimal mode for Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Reddit without Reels, Shorts or endless feeds. It suits people whose trouble is many short opens, not whole lost hours.
Champ vs ScreenZen, compared at length
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one sec
one sec puts a deep-breath animation in front of apps you pick, triggered by a Shortcuts automation, then lets you carry on or close. Its FAQ lists other interruptions, such as a breathing technique, a look in the mirror or an intention check, plus Re-Interventions that pull you out after a set time. It can also block apps outright during a session or on a schedule. Pick it over Opal if your trouble is the unplanned tap, not planned hours.
Champ vs one sec, compared at length
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Champ
Champ meets the open instead of the calendar. Open an app you guard and the shield offers a 30-second reset, and finishing it opens a flower in your garden. Rules block apps on a schedule, after a daily limit or after a number of opens, and Strict stops you turning a rule off while it’s on. It shows far less usage data than Opal: no daily score, and its only leaderboard, under Friends, ranks self-care practice among the friends you add, not screen time.
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Forest
Forest is a focus timer more than a blocker: you start a session, a tree grows while you stay off your phone, and it withers if you leave early. Deep Focus uses an allow list to block other apps during a session, and Time Guard blocks apps on a schedule. Its site says Forest plants real trees through Trees for the Future and covers the cost itself. Pick it over Opal if a tree you can see motivates you more than a score.
Champ vs Forest, compared at length
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Frequently asked questions
What app is most like Opal on iPhone?
Which Opal alternative also blocks my computer?
Which Opal alternative is hardest to get around?
Is there an Opal alternative with a leaderboard?
Can I use Opal and another blocker at the same time?
Who should skip Champ
Skip Champ if you want Opal’s numbers: a score for your day and a report against your peers. Champ has no daily score, its Friends leaderboard ranks self-care practice rather than screen time, and it shows less usage data on purpose, so Opal or BePresent will suit you better. Skip it too if you want one blocker across your phone and your computer. Freedom does that, and Champ is iPhone and iPad only.
More comparisons
If a 30-second reset and a garden sound like your shape, try Champ on your iPhone.
