Opal Alternatives (2026): 6 Free and Cheaper Apps Like Opal
Opal is only partly free: the full app costs about $99 a year. 6 Opal alternatives, free and paid, sorted by why you're leaving: price, platform or strictness.
The best Opal alternative depends on why you're leaving. Too expensive? ScreenZen is free and Jomo costs about a third of Opal. Need your laptop covered? Freedom. Blocks fold when you push? Pick a stricter blocker like Detox. Opal itself is a good app; you're just looking for the thing it doesn't do for you.
Quick answer
- Free: ScreenZen, Apple Screen Time.
- Cheaper, same structure: Jomo or one sec.
- Phone + computer: Freedom.
- Harder to bypass: Detox.
What does Opal do well?
The fair version of what you'd give up:
- Polish and automation. Schedules and sessions are well designed and feel native to iOS.
- A wellbeing score. One number to watch improve, motivating if you like streaks.
- Coaching, not just walls. Prompts and encouragement alongside the blocks.
The trade-offs are the price ($99.99 a year, $19.99 a month or about $399 lifetime) and that standard sessions can be worked around in a weak moment unless you use its stricter Deep Focus mode. Full pricing in is Opal free?
Leaving because of price: ScreenZen, one sec, Jomo
ScreenZen is the free answer. Donation-supported, on iOS and Android, it adds a pause before a distracting app opens, enough to break the reflex tap. No dashboards or coaching, but 4.9 stars across tens of thousands of reviews. More in ScreenZen alternatives.
one sec has a free tier and a cheap Pro plan, built around a research-backed breathing pause, on iOS, Android and browser extensions. See our one sec review.
Jomo is the closest to Opal's structure for less: clean, customisable scheduled blocking at around $5.99 a month, $29.99 a year or about $99.99 lifetime. See Jomo alternatives.
All three are far cheaper. ScreenZen and one sec are also softer: they interrupt rather than lock, so they suit mindless opens more than compulsive ones.
Leaving because of platform: Freedom
Opal runs on iOS, Android and Mac but not Windows. Freedom blocks across macOS, Windows, iOS, Android and ChromeOS from one account, for roughly $3.33 a month billed yearly, with a lifetime option. Its Locked Mode is firmer than Opal's standard sessions. Head to head: Opal vs Freedom.
Leaving because you want free and built in: Apple Screen Time
Already on your iPhone and great at measuring. The catch is Ignore Limit, one tap away, and a passcode that's yours to undo. Use it to see your numbers, not to hold you back. Here's where it breaks.
Leaving because the blocks don't hold: Detox
This is the gap in the whole category, Opal included: a session you can end, a schedule you can disable, a pause you can breathe through.
Detox is built to close it. It's for iPhone and iPad (no Android), paid with a free trial.
- A session limit, not a schedule you dread. Glance at Instagram, reply, close it: untouched. Scroll it continuously past your limit and it's blocked for a while. It targets the binge, not the quick check.
- Hard to bypass by design. Strict mode locks the rule while it's active, can stop you deleting Detox mid-block, and emergency unblocks are limited to one a day.
- Schedules and daily limits too, for fixed hours.
- Research-backed. Developed with Swiss research partners and peer-reviewed in 2026 (our research).
Opal alternatives compared
| App | Price vs Opal | Platforms | Best for | Hard to bypass? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opal | ~$99.99/yr (baseline) | iOS, Android, Mac | Tracking, coaching, polish | Moderate (Deep Focus mode) |
| ScreenZen | Free | iOS, Android | Free gentle friction | Moderate |
| one sec | Much cheaper | iOS, Android, browser | Breathing-pause fans | Moderate |
| Jomo | Cheaper | iOS | Scheduled blocks on a budget | Moderate |
| Freedom | Cheaper | macOS, Windows, iOS, Android | Phone + computer | Strong (Locked Mode) |
| Apple Screen Time | Free | iOS | Measuring usage | Low |
| Detox | Paid, free trial | iPhone, iPad | Strict, scroll-specific blocking | Strong |
The bottom line
Name your reason first. Price points to ScreenZen, one sec or Jomo; platform to Freedom; "it has to actually hold" to Detox. And if Opal's price is fine and you love the score, stay: it's a strong app.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to Opal?
It depends why you're leaving. Too expensive: ScreenZen (free) or one sec. Need a computer covered: Freedom. Blocks that don't hold: Detox, a strict iPhone blocker that's paid with a free trial.
How much does Opal cost in 2026?
Opal Pro is about $99.99 a year, $19.99 month to month, or around $399 for lifetime. There's a limited free tier with one Rule.
Is there a cheaper app than Opal?
Yes. ScreenZen is free, one sec has a free tier and a cheap Pro plan, Jomo is around $29.99 a year, and Freedom works out to roughly $3.33 a month billed yearly.
Is there a free Opal alternative?
Apple Screen Time is free and built in, though one tap dismisses it. ScreenZen is free and donation-supported, and adds a pause before a distracting app opens.