By Eli Young, founder of Lock In Squad · Published June 24, 2026 · Updated November 1, 2026

The 6 Best App Blockers in 2026

The six best app blockers in 2026 are Lock In Squad, Opal, Forest, Freedom, Cold Turkey and the Screen Time or Digital Wellbeing tools already on your phone. Each entry below gives its price as of November 1, 2026 and where it is strong or weak. We make Lock In Squad, so read that entry with this in mind.

An app blocker is one of the most direct ways to take your attention back from a phone that is designed to hold it. In a 2025 randomized trial, blocking mobile internet for two weeks improved people's measured ability to sustain attention, and 91% of participants improved on at least one of the three outcomes measured (attention, mental health and well-being).

1. Lock In Squad, free on iPhone and Android

Lock In Squad blocks distracting apps with conscious friction. Ending a lock-in early means holding a button for the time you set, 5 seconds on a new account and up to 30, which interrupts the autopilot reach without trapping you. Every Lock In Squad feature is free on iPhone and Android, including a timer or stopwatch for each lock-in, up to 5 schedules that block apps at set times, automatic stats with a heatmap and streaks on the focus days you choose.

Lock In Squad is also built for friends. You can start a group lock-in and follow the live standings, invite friends with a link that friends without the app can open, keep a friend streak going and compete on the weekly leaderboard, whose winner wears a crown.

• Price: Every feature is free, with no subscription. An optional $4.99 purchase, paid once, removes ads.
• Best for: Anyone who wants real blocking, stats and streaks without a paywall, and friends who want to lock in together.
• Watch out: Lock In Squad has no app for computers and no daily time limits for single apps.

2. Opal, a polished screen time app

Opal runs on iPhone, Android and Mac, with an Opal Score and focus reports. Opal's free plan gives you one rule (a schedule, time limit or open limit) and block lists only. Opal's allow list and Hard Mode, which won't let you turn Opal off, come with Opal Pro at $99.99 a year. On iPhone, Opal friends can share their daily screen time, and Opal's App Store listing describes a leaderboard for challenging friends, while Opal's help pages say Android and Mac have no social features.

Lock In Squad vs Opal, side by side

3. Forest, the gentle gamified option

Forest grows a virtual tree while you focus, and Forest's free Deep Focus mode blocks other apps during the session. Forest is charming and good for light accountability, since the tree dies if you give up early. Forest's free Plant Together runs one focus session for a group of friends, and everyone's tree dies if one person gives up. Forest is free on iPhone and Android, and a custom app allowlist needs Forest Plus, which costs $5.99 a month or $35.99 a year.

Lock In Squad vs Forest, side by side

4. Freedom, best for desktop and syncing across devices

Freedom syncs blocks across phone, tablet and computer, which makes it a strong pick if your distractions live on a laptop too. Freedom's free plan only runs sessions you start on the spot, up to 2 hours, with no scheduling or Locked Mode. Freedom Premium costs $8.99 a month, $39.99 a year or $199 for life (recently $99.50 on sale). Freedom has no hold to unlock, and Freedom's help pages list blocking everything except chosen sites for Mac and Windows only. Freedom also has no friends features, and its site says it has no streaks, points, leaderboards or rewards.

Lock In Squad vs Freedom, side by side

5. Cold Turkey, strongest desktop blocking

If your problem is your computer, Cold Turkey is hard to beat, since its locks can make you type random characters or wait out a countdown before a block ends. But Cold Turkey runs only on Windows and macOS, with no iPhone or Android app, and it has no friends features. Cold Turkey's free version blocks websites, with timed blocks and statistics, while app blocking, scheduling and the full lock options need Cold Turkey Pro, which costs $45 once.

Lock In Squad vs Cold Turkey, side by side

6. Screen Time and Digital Wellbeing, the tools already on your phone

Free and already on your phone, Apple Screen Time and Android Digital Wellbeing are a fine starting point, and setting limits in advance does help. In an experiment published in 2022, economists Hunt Allcott, Matthew Gentzkow and Lena Song found that "allowing people to set limits on their future screen time substantially reduces use." The problem is enforcement, since Screen Time limits can be ignored by default, a Digital Wellbeing timer can simply be deleted, and neither adds friction that makes you reconsider or lets you block apps together with friends.

In a 2023 study of 280 people using the one sec app, which puts a pop-up with a short wait in front of a chosen app, people backed out of 36% of their attempts to open it, and after six weeks they opened those apps 57% less. Screen Time and Digital Wellbeing are great at reporting your usage and weak at changing it.

For a deeper breakdown, feature by feature, see our full app blocker comparison.