By Eli Young, founder of Lock In Squad · Published · Updated
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 September 22, 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 iOS and Android
Lock In Squad blocks distracting apps with conscious friction. Ending a session early means holding a button for the 1 to 10 seconds you set, which interrupts the autopilot reach without trapping you. Its core features are free on both iOS and Android, and you also get a timer or stopwatch for each session, automatic stats with a heatmap, and streaks on the work days you choose, with squad features rolling out next.
- Price: Free core features. An optional $4.99 purchase, paid once, removes ads. No subscription.
- Best for: Anyone who wants real blocking, stats, and streaks without a paywall.
- Watch out: Mobile only, with no desktop app yet, and no scheduled blocking, so every session starts when you tap Lock In.
2. Opal, a polished screen time app
Opal is a polished screen time app for iPhone, Android, and Mac, with an Opal Score and focus reports. The catch is the price. Its free plan gives you one rule (a schedule, time limit, or open limit) and block lists only. The allow list and Hard Mode, which won't let you turn Opal off, come with Pro at $99.99 a year.
Lock In Squad vs Opal, side by side
3. Forest, the gentle gamified option
Forest grows a virtual tree while you focus, and its free Deep Focus mode blocks other apps during the session. It is charming and good for light accountability, since the tree dies if you give up early. The app is free on iOS 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. Its free plan only runs sessions you start on the spot, up to 2 hours, with no scheduling or Locked Mode. Premium costs $8.99 a month, $39.99 a year, or $199 for life (recently $99.50 on sale). There is no hold to unlock, and Freedom's help pages list blocking everything except chosen sites for Mac and Windows only.
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 locked and frozen modes are genuinely difficult to circumvent. But it is desktop only (Windows and macOS), with no iOS or Android app. The free version blocks websites, with timed blocks and statistics, while app blocking, scheduling, and the full lock options need 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.
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.
Questions
What is the best app blocker?
It depends on where you lose time. On a phone, Lock In Squad and Forest are the free picks, and Opal suits people who want several schedules and will pay for Pro. On a laptop, Freedom syncs blocks across phone and computer, and Cold Turkey's locks on Windows and macOS can make you wait out a countdown first.
What is the best free app blocker?
For a phone, Lock In Squad and Forest's Deep Focus both block apps for free, and we would pick Lock In Squad, though we make it, because none of its blocking features sit behind a subscription. For a computer, Cold Turkey's free version blocks websites, and Freedom's free plan runs sessions you start right away.
What is the cheapest app blocker for iPhone in 2026?
Several cost nothing. Screen Time is built into iOS, Lock In Squad and Forest are free downloads, and Opal's free plan allows one rule. Among paid options, Lock In Squad's only purchase is $4.99 once to remove ads, while Forest Plus is $5.99 a month and Opal Pro $99.99 a year, as of September 22, 2026.
Do app blockers work?
They can, and the studies above point that way. Most can still be switched off by someone determined, so the real test is how much effort quitting takes. Pick one where leaving early costs a few deliberate seconds, or ask a friend to set your Screen Time passcode so you do not know it.
Prices checked on September 22, 2026 on each vendor's own page: Opal, Forest, Freedom, Cold Turkey.
Try Lock In Squad free
Real blocking, stats, and streaks, free on iOS and Android. The App Store and Google Play list it as Lock In until the next update.
