Focus and app blocker apps for Mac and iPhoneHead to head

one sec vs Freedom

one sec ranks #1 and Freedom ranks #4 in our guide to the best focus and app blocker apps for Mac and iPhone. one sec is our pick for most people.

The Useful TechResearched and written with AI under our rulesUpdated 14 Oct 2026

Our pickone sec app iconone secPick one sec if you open social apps on autopilot and a short pause is enough to change your mind.Free to start#4 in the guideFreedom app iconFreedomPick Freedom if you drift from your laptop to your phone and need both blocked at the same time.Free to start

What decides it

  • one sec costs less over 3 years: $59.97, against $119.97 for Freedom.
  • Both run on Mac, iPhone and iPad.
  • one sec has the higher App Store rating: 4.8 from 24K ratings, against 4.5 for Freedom.

Side by side

Prices are checked every day.

At a glanceone sec app iconone secFreedom app iconFreedom
PriceFree for 1 app. Pro is $6.99 a month, $19.99 a year or $99.99 onceFree. Premium is $39.99 a year or $8.99 a month
How you payFree, with paid upgradesFree, with paid upgrades
3 years of use$59.97 Yearly plan Cheaper$119.97 Yearly plan
Free trialFree to startFree to start
Runs onMac, iPhone, iPadMac, iPhone, iPad
Where to buyApp StoreApp Store, Developer
Rating4.8 24K ratings Higher4.5 6.1K ratings
FeaturesFamily Sharing, Free trialFree trial
Made byriedel.wtf apps S.L.Eighty Percent Solutions
Last updated20 Oct 202629 Oct 2026

Who should get which

Get one sec if

You reach for TikTok or Instagram on autopilot and want a moment to change your mind.

Get Freedom if

You block a site on your laptop and then pick up your phone, and need both locked together.

Skip one sec if

You want a hard wall around an app; Screen Time's App Limits in Settings block it free.

Skip Freedom if

You only lose time on your iPhone, where the free ScreenZen or Apple's Screen Time is enough.

Our verdicts

one sec app iconone sec

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.

Freedom app iconFreedom

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.

What each one helps you do

one sec app iconone sec

  • Pause before opening Instagram or TikTok
  • Get kicked out after 5 minutes of scrolling
  • Block distracting apps during set hours
  • Interrupt distracting websites in your browser

Freedom app iconFreedom

  • Block social media on phone and Mac together
  • Schedule focus hours that start automatically
  • Cut off the internet for a set time
  • Lock a session so you cannot cancel it

Where to get them

one sec

Free for 1 app. Pro is $6.99 a month, $19.99 a year or $99.99 once

  • App Store, every deviceWith in-app purchases
    Free downloadApp Store

Freedom

Free. Premium is $39.99 a year or $8.99 a month

  • App Store, iPhone and iPadWith in-app purchases
    Free downloadApp Store
  • From the developerPremium has a 7-day free trial. The lifetime plan is $199 once
    Free downloadGet it

Neither one quite right?

The other picks in our guide to the best focus and app blocker apps for Mac and iPhone.

Read the full guideAll one sec alternativesAll Freedom alternatives

More comparisons