Brick takes a refreshingly literal approach to phone addiction: it is a physical object. You tap your phone on it to start blocking the apps you chose, and you tap again to unblock them. The point is that the lock lives outside your phone, so you cannot talk yourself out of it with a swipe. Stillfeed is almost the opposite in spirit. It is software only, and it does not lock anything: it opens social platforms with Reels, Shorts and For You removed. This page compares the two honestly, including the many situations where Brick's approach is the stronger one.
In short: Brick is for people who need a hard, physical boundary and are willing to carry and use a device to get it. Stillfeed is for people who want to keep using Instagram, YouTube, X and the rest, but without the endless feed. They solve different problems, and one can sit alongside the other.
Friction you can touch, and friction you can't see
Every phone-habit tool adds friction somewhere. Screen time passcodes add a little. A software blocker you can switch off in a second adds less. Brick's argument is that the friction has to be physical to hold: if the thing that lets you back in is an object you left in another room, then giving in costs you a walk instead of a tap.
It is a sound argument, and for some people it is the only one that works. Stillfeed makes a different bet: that for many people, the answer is not to lock the phone but to make the most addictive parts of it absent. Neither is universally right.
What Brick does
As the Brick App Store listing describes it, Brick is a physical device that helps you block distracting apps. You tap to start a session, put the Brick somewhere out of reach, and tap again to unblock when you are ready to be connected. The listing contrasts this with screen time settings and blocker apps that switch off in a second, since the Brick is not on the phone you are trying to put down. A second device, Brick Night, is described as using Bluetooth to know when you are in your bedroom and blocking chosen apps automatically.
The companion app lets you pick the apps to block, with the listing noting that any app can be blocked except the dialer, per Apple policy, and Safari websites can be selected too. You can create custom modes for different parts of the day, set schedules, use a focus timer, and see usage history. The listing says five emergency unblocks are included for unexpected situations.
What Stillfeed does
Stillfeed is a browser for iPhone. It opens Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, X, Reddit, Snapchat, LinkedIn and Facebook inside itself and removes Reels, Shorts and For You. Direct messages, profiles and regular posts keep working. Hiding Reels and Shorts is free, and you do not need an account.
There is nothing to carry and nothing to tap. It does not block apps, run sessions or enforce anything. It changes what a handful of platforms show you, and leaves the rest of your phone as it was. If you open the official Instagram app, you get the normal Instagram; if you open it through Stillfeed, you get one without the Reels.
Side by side
| Brick | Stillfeed | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A physical device plus a companion app | An iPhone browser, software only |
| Core idea | Block chosen apps until you tap the device to unblock | Open social apps with Reels, Shorts and For You removed |
| Can you undo it from the phone? | The listing says the device is the barrier; five emergency unblocks are included | Nothing is locked, so nothing needs unlocking |
| Works on any app | Any app except the dialer, plus Safari websites | No: eight social platforms |
| Schedules and modes | Yes, per its listing | No |
| Bedroom boundary | Brick Night, using Bluetooth | Not part of Stillfeed |
| Keep using DMs and profiles | Only for apps you do not block | Yes, on every supported platform |
| Hiding Reels and Shorts | Not described in its listing | Yes, free |
When Brick is the better fit
Brick is the better fit when you know you will talk yourself out of any software rule. A tool you can disable from the same phone is only as strong as your mood at the moment you want to disable it. A physical barrier changes that, and it is why a device like this can feel like a different category from an app. It also makes a strong ritual: putting your phone into a blocked state and leaving the Brick elsewhere marks a clear start and end to focused time.
It reaches further, too. Brick can cover apps that have nothing to do with social platforms, such as games or news, which Stillfeed does not touch. And for sleep, a dedicated bedroom boundary is something Stillfeed makes no attempt at. If your central problem is staying off your phone entirely for stretches of time, Brick is aimed squarely at it.
When Stillfeed is the better fit
Stillfeed is the better fit when you do not want to lock the apps, because you need them. Plenty of people message friends on Instagram, follow channels on YouTube, read X for news or use LinkedIn for work. Blocking those apps blocks the useful parts, and then you unblock them, and then you scroll. Removing only the endless feed addresses the loop without cutting off the rest.
It also asks nothing of your routine. There is no device to remember, no session to start, no emergency allowance to ration. For someone who finds that kind of ritual burdensome, a feed that is simply gone can be easier to live with. If you want the Instagram and YouTube specifics, see our guide to blocking Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts on iPhone.
Using both
These fit together without strain. Use a physical blocker for the hours when you want the phone effectively unavailable, and use Stillfeed for the hours when you want to be reachable but not hooked. If you are not sure you need to buy a device at all, Stillfeed is a free place to start and a reasonable way to find out whether the feed was the real problem. For other approaches, our comparison of app blockers for iPhone covers the field. If you are still choosing a lock, see our list of Brick alternatives for iPhone. Software options that add friction instead are compared in Stillfeed vs one sec and Stillfeed vs ScreenZen.
More comparisons
See all of them side by side in the best social media blocker apps for iPhone, or browse every Stillfeed comparison. One on one: Stillfeed vs Opal, Stillfeed vs one sec, Stillfeed vs ScreenZen.
Common questions
Is Stillfeed an alternative to Brick?
For reducing social media scrolling, it can be. The methods are opposite: Brick is a physical lock on the apps you choose, and Stillfeed is a browser that removes Reels, Shorts and For You. If you need a hard boundary, Brick is the stricter tool.
Does Stillfeed block apps?
No. Stillfeed does not block whole apps. It opens eight social platforms with the endless feeds removed.
Do I need to buy anything to use Stillfeed?
No hardware is involved. Hiding Reels and Shorts is free, with no account.
Which platforms does Stillfeed support?
Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, X, Reddit, Snapchat, LinkedIn and Facebook.
Can I use Brick and Stillfeed together?
Yes. They address different parts of the same problem and do not conflict.
Weighing other options? Compare Stillfeed vs Opal, Stillfeed vs one sec, Stillfeed vs ScreenZen and Brick alternatives, or see the best app blockers for iPhone and every comparison in one place.
Download Stillfeed from the App Store and try it on the platform you open most.
