Tasks, calendars and focus7 picks
The best focus and app blocker apps for Mac and iPhone
one sec is the focus app most iPhone users should try first, and ScreenZen is the best free one.
one secPick it if you open social apps on autopilot and a short pause is enough to change your mind.Free to startone sec adds a short breathing pause before Instagram or TikTok opens, enough friction to rethink the scroll, and it is free for 1 app. ScreenZen does a similar job for free, with daily open limits you can lock away. If you need a hard block, pick Cold Turkey on the Mac or Freedom across devices, and Endel suits people who focus better with background sound.
How we chose
- 1A gentle pause or a hard block
- 2Blocks that cover phone and computer
- 3Settings you can't switch off on impulse
Compare at a glance
Tap a name to jump to its write-up.
| App | Price | How you pay | Mac | iPhone | iPad | Watch | App Store | Developer | Setapp | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| one sec | Free to start | Free, with paid upgrades | 4.8 | |||||||
 ScreenZen | Free | Free | 4.9 | |||||||
 Cold Turkey | Free to start | Free, with paid upgrades | Too few ratings | |||||||
 Freedom | Free to start | Free, with paid upgrades | 4.5 | |||||||
 Opal | Free to start | Free, with paid upgrades | 4.7 | |||||||
 Session | Free to start | Free, with paid upgrades | 4.8 | |||||||
 Endel | Free to start | Free, with paid upgrades | 4.6 |
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The picks, in order
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Pick it if you open social apps on autopilot and a short pause is enough to change your mind.
If you open Instagram without ever deciding to, one sec makes you sit through a short breathing pause first, and often that is enough to close it. It delays apps instead of blocking them, and the developer reports a 57% average drop in app use from studies with the Max Planck Institute. The free version covers only 1 app, and Pro at $19.99 a year is far better value than $6.99 a month.
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Pick this if you want a pause plus daily open limits on your iPhone without paying anything.
Every feature in ScreenZen is free, while one sec and Opal limit their free tiers to 1 app or 1 rule. It makes you wait a few seconds before a distracting app opens, caps how many times a day you can open it, and locks your settings so you cannot quietly switch it off. It runs on optional tips, and Freedom is the pick if you want 1 block running on your phone and computer at the same time.
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Pick it if you always find a way to disable blockers and need one on your Mac you can't undo.
Screen Time limits on a Mac are easy to ignore, while Cold Turkey can lock a block in place and stop you uninstalling it mid-block. The free version blocks websites on a timer in Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Arc and most other browsers. App blocking, schedules and the locks need Pro at $45 once for every Mac and Windows PC you use, cheaper than Freedom's $39.99 a year, though Freedom also covers your phone.
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Pick this if you drift from your laptop to your phone and need both blocked at the same time.
Blocking a site on your laptop does nothing when your phone is right there. Freedom runs 1 session across your Mac, iPhone, iPad, Windows PC and Android phone at once, and the free plan already syncs those blocks to unlimited devices. Schedules and a Locked Mode you can't end early need Premium at $39.99 a year, and Cold Turkey is stricter on a computer for $45 once.
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Pick it if you keep tapping Ignore Limit in Screen Time and want iPhone sessions you can't cancel.
Deep Focus sessions in this iPhone app's Pro plan can't be cancelled or bypassed once they start, which is exactly what Apple's Screen Time lacks with its 1-tap Ignore Limit. You can also block apps after a daily time limit or after too many opens, and compare your focus score with friends. The free plan allows only 1 rule, and Pro, with Hard Mode and unlimited rules, is a steep $19.99 a month or $99.99 a year.
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Pick this if you work in Pomodoro sprints on a Mac and want Slack and distracting sites silenced until the break.
Free gets you unlimited timed sessions and breaks, and the $4.99-a-month Pro plan adds the part that does the real work: blocking the sites and apps you pick on your Mac while a session runs. Pro also mutes Slack, restores everything when the break starts and logs what you worked on. Setapp subscribers get Pro included, the cheapest route if you already pay for Setapp, though the blocking only works on the Mac.
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Pick this if you want background sound that shifts with your day instead of a playlist that ends.
Put on sound that shifts with the time of day, the weather and, with an Apple Watch, your heart rate, so you get background audio without lyrics or a playlist that runs out. The free edition keeps the classic Focus, Sleep, Relax and Move soundscapes, and they play offline. Premium adds colored noise and a focus timer, but Dark Noise is cheaper at $19.99 a year if steady noise is all you want.
Head to head
Stuck between 2 of these? Each comparison lines up price, devices and who should pick which.
- one sec vs ScreenZenPick this if you want a pause plus daily open limits on your iPhone without paying anything.
- one sec vs Cold TurkeyPick it if you always find a way to disable blockers and need one on your Mac you can't undo.
- one sec vs FreedomPick this if you drift from your laptop to your phone and need both blocked at the same time.
- ScreenZen vs Cold TurkeyPick it if you always find a way to disable blockers and need one on your Mac you can't undo.
