Physical and no-hardware app blockers

7 Best Brick App Blocker Alternatives in 2026

Brick solves a real problem: the off switch should not live beside the impulse. You may just want that idea without buying another object.

Compared by where the override livesUpdated August 27, 2026

Brick lets you choose distracting apps, tap your phone to a physical device to block them, and tap again to regain access. Leave the Brick somewhere inconvenient and a weak moment has to become a small field trip. It is clever because it changes the geography of self-control.

The best Brick alternative depends on which part you actually want. Unpluq keeps the physical-key idea with an NFC tag. StillAcre, Opal, AppBlock, Jomo, ScreenZen, and Freedom remove the extra object and replace it with reward, strict software, flexible routines, or one boundary across devices.

StillAcre grove gameplay with crops, a cottage, a keeper, and build controls — Build a world that keeps going.

An active StillAcre focus session showing crops and resources growing while selected apps are quiet — Focused time becomes game time.

A personalized StillAcre cottage interior with furniture, plants, a keeper, and a cat — Return to something you made.

Actual in-game captures from StillAcre on iPhone.

Try StillAcre See how it works

At a glance

Best Brick alternatives with and without hardware

StillAcre is the best overall Brick alternative for iPhone users who want no extra hardware and a positive reason to keep apps blocked. Unpluq is closest to Brick's physical model. The rest trade the object for software friction, strict schedules, or cross-device coverage.

Comparison of the best Brick app blocker alternatives
Alternative	Best for	Hardware	How it holds the line
1 StillAcre	Positive reward	No	Blocked focus grows a world
2 Unpluq	Physical tag	Optional NFC tag	Retrieve and scan to unlock
3 Opal	Polished software	No	Hard sessions and limits
4 AppBlock	Automatic strictness	No	Profiles plus Strict Mode
5 Jomo	Apple routines	No	Sessions, rules, and locks
6 ScreenZen	Free friction	No	Pauses, prompts, limits
7 Freedom	Multiple devices	No	Synced Locked Mode

Features were checked against official product information on August 27, 2026. Hardware, plans, and platforms can change.

Comparing software options? See the best Apple Screen Time alternatives, best Opal alternatives, and best AppBlock alternatives.

The full list

The 7 best alternatives to Brick

Best overall without extra hardware

StillAcre

StillAcre shields chosen apps and websites during a focus session, then makes every protected minute grow one cozy farming world. There is nothing else to buy, charge, carry, or remember before leaving home.

Brick makes distraction less convenient by moving the unlock. StillAcre works on the other side of the equation. It makes focused time more rewarding, so the blocked app is not the only interesting thing in the room.

Try StillAcre See how it works

Best physical-tag alternative

Unpluq

Unpluq can work as an app alone or with an optional NFC key fob. During a schedule, you retrieve and scan the tag to regain access. That makes it Brick's closest conceptual neighbor while offering other distraction barriers when the tag is not involved.

Choose it if: The physical ritual is exactly what you like, but you want a tag-style system with additional friction options.

Visit Unpluq

Best polished software-only alternative

Opal

Opal replaces the physical object with sessions, schedules, time limits, open limits, and harder blocking levels. It gives you a polished view of the time you recovered, which can be motivating if progress data works better than hiding a device in another room.

Choose it if: You want a serious iPhone blocker but do not want to carry hardware.

Visit Opal

Best strict automatic profiles

AppBlock

AppBlock can run blocks by time, usage, opening count, and location, then use Strict Mode to stop an active rule from being casually edited. It is less tangible than Brick but more capable of making the same boundaries appear automatically.

Choose it if: You want the block to know when you arrived at work before you remember to start it.

Visit AppBlock

Best Apple-first routine builder

Jomo

Jomo combines sessions, locks, limits, and routines on iPhone and Mac. It can also make access conditional on completing a task. It is a thoughtful alternative when you want a calm system that fits the day instead of one object that toggles everything.

Choose it if: Your boundary changes between work, evenings, and weekends.

Visit Jomo

Best free no-hardware alternative

ScreenZen

ScreenZen uses configurable delays, prompts, limits, and schedules to place friction between impulse and entry. It will not move the unlock into another room, but it is an unusually capable way to test whether a smaller interruption is enough.

Choose it if: You want to try software friction before buying anything.

Visit ScreenZen

Best for phone and computer together

Freedom

Freedom synchronizes blocklists across major phone and computer platforms. Locked Mode can prevent an active session from being ended normally. Brick is powerful because it changes the room; Freedom is useful when distraction follows you into every room and every device.

Choose it if: Blocking the phone simply sends you to the laptop.

Visit Freedom

Choose by what you want to keep

Do you need the object, the friction, or the commitment?

You want no hardware

StillAcre adds reward without adding another thing to carry.

You want a physical key

Unpluq is the closest tag-based alternative.

You want hard software

Opal and AppBlock make rules harder to edit.

You want calm routines

Jomo fits different boundaries around the day.

You want to spend nothing first

ScreenZen lets you test configurable friction.

You need every screen quiet

Freedom carries one session across devices.

My honest recommendation: If getting up to scan Brick already changes your behavior, that is the point. Do not replace a mechanism that works because another app has prettier charts. Switch when the hardware itself is the problem.

Common questions

Brick alternatives FAQ

What is the best Brick alternative?

StillAcre is the best no-hardware alternative when you want a lasting reward for focus. Unpluq is the closest physical alternative, Opal is best for polished software blocking, and Freedom is best across devices.

Is there a Brick alternative without hardware?

Yes. StillAcre, Opal, AppBlock, Jomo, ScreenZen, and Freedom all work without a separate physical device. They replace the hardware with reward, strict software, opening friction, schedules, or cross-device rules.

What apps are like Brick?

Unpluq is most like Brick because it offers an optional physical NFC tag. AppBlock and Opal resemble the strict blocking side, while StillAcre is similar in blocking selected distractions but adds a persistent focus game.

Is there a cheaper alternative to Brick?

ScreenZen is a strong place to start if you want free software friction. StillAcre and other apps remove the need for dedicated hardware, but current app plans and hardware prices can change.

Which Brick alternative rewards focus?

StillAcre turns every protected minute into crops, resources, and progress in one persistent cozy world. The result stays after the block ends.

No extra object required

Block the distraction. Keep what your focus grew.

Choose the apps, start one session, and let the better decision leave something behind.

How this guide was made

I compared official product information for Brick, StillAcre, Unpluq, Opal, AppBlock, Jomo, ScreenZen, and Freedom. The ranking separates physical-key alternatives from no-hardware options and looks at what each product uses instead: distance, friction, strictness, routine, coverage, or reward.

Features were checked August 27, 2026. No temporary price was used to decide the order.