StillfeedBest app blockers for iPhone: Opal, Brick, one sec and Screen Time compared
The best app blocker for your iPhone depends on what you want blocked: a whole app, a whole afternoon, or just the endless feed inside an app you still need. Here's how the main options compare.
Quick answer: Screen Time, Opal, Brick and one sec all work on whole apps: they block an app, schedule it, or slow you down before it opens. That's right if you want less of an app altogether. If you still need Instagram or YouTube for messages and the people you follow, and it's Reels, Shorts and Explore that eat your time, Stillfeed removes just those feeds, for free.
First, which problem are you solving?
Most people looking for an app blocker want one of two things:
- Less time in an app, or none at certain hours. You'd be fine not opening Instagram at all during work, or after 10pm. A classic app blocker is built for this.
- The app, without the part that swallows the evening. You need Instagram for messages or YouTube for one specific video, but every visit ends in Reels or Shorts. Blocking the whole app cuts off the useful part too, which is usually when people start tapping "Ignore Limit".
The tools below are good at the first. Only one of them does the second.
The main options
Details below are as of October 2026, from each app's App Store listing and published guides. Check their own sites for the latest.
Screen Time (built into iPhone)
iPhone's own controls. App Limits set a daily time for an app or category, Downtime blocks apps during set hours, and a Screen Time passcode that someone else chooses stops you overriding them. It's free and already on your phone. The weak spot is the "Ignore Limit" button when you know the passcode, or don't have one. We compare it with Stillfeed in detail in Stillfeed vs Screen Time.
Opal
An app built on Apple's Screen Time system. You choose apps and websites to block, then block them on a schedule or once a daily limit runs out. It can tie sessions to Focus modes and Shortcuts, and its strictest mode can't be cancelled once it starts. It's free to download, with paid features.
Brick
A small physical tag plus a free app. You choose apps to block, tap your phone on the Brick to start blocking, and tap it again to unlock. The idea is that unlocking needs you to walk to the Brick, so you leave it in another room. There are a limited number of emergency unlocks if you're away from it. You need to buy the device.
one sec
Rather than blocking, one sec adds a pause. When you open an app you've chosen, it asks you to take a breath and says why you're opening it, then lets you continue or close it. On iPhone it's set up through a Shortcuts automation for each app. It has a free tier and a paid upgrade.
Stillfeed
Not an app blocker in the usual sense: an in-app browser for iPhone. It opens the real Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, X, Reddit, Snapchat and LinkedIn websites, signed into your own account, and removes the endless feeds before they reach your screen: Reels and Explore on Instagram, Shorts on YouTube, For You on TikTok, and so on. Messages, search and the people you follow stay.
Side-by-side comparison
| Screen Time | Opal | Brick | one sec | Stillfeed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it does | Limits or blocks whole apps | Blocks whole apps and websites | Blocks whole apps until you tap the device | Pauses before an app opens | Removes the endless feeds inside the app |
| Removes just Reels, Shorts and Explore | No | No | No | No | Yes, free |
| Keeps your messages | Only until a limit hits | Only outside blocks | Only when unlocked | Yes | Yes |
| Schedules and daily limits | Yes | Yes | Tap to start and stop | No | Daily limit with Pro |
| Hard to get around | With a passcode you don't know | In its strictest mode | Unlocking needs the device | No, it's a pause | No: the official app is still there |
| Works with | Any app | Any app and websites | Any app | Apps you set up | Seven platforms |
| Needs anything extra | No | No | The Brick device | A Shortcuts automation per app | No |
Where Stillfeed fits
We built Stillfeed for the second problem above. Blocking Instagram outright works until a friend messages you; then the block goes, and so does the evening. Stillfeed keeps the reason you opened the app and removes the feed you'd fall into:
- Instagram opens on your Following feed, with Reels and the Explore feed removed. How it works on Instagram.
- YouTube loses the Shorts tab and Shorts shelves; search and subscriptions stay. How it works on YouTube.
- TikTok, X, Reddit, Snapchat and LinkedIn lose For You, Trends, r/popular, Spotlight and similar feeds. See all seven.
The core removal is free from your first launch, with no trial and no account. Stillfeed Pro is optional and adds Stories and Feed blocking, a DMs-only mode and a daily time limit.
Where it falls short, honestly: it only works inside Stillfeed, so the official apps are still a tap away; it uses each platform's website, which doesn't do everything the app does; it covers seven platforms, not every app on your phone; and it's iPhone only.
Using Stillfeed with an app blocker
The two approaches cover each other's gaps. The setup that works best for most people:
- Use your blocker (Screen Time, Opal or Brick) to block the official Instagram and YouTube apps, or move them off your home screen.
- Put Stillfeed where those apps used to be, and use it when you need to reply to someone or watch something specific.
- Block the apps, not instagram.com or youtube.com: Stillfeed uses those websites, so a website block may stop it too.
You keep your messages and the people you follow, and the feeds are gone everywhere you'd normally find them.
Which one to pick
- You want hard limits on lots of apps: Screen Time with a passcode someone else holds, or Opal for stricter, scheduled blocks.
- You want unlocking to take real effort: Brick, kept in another room.
- You open apps on autopilot: one sec's pause interrupts the reflex.
- You need the app but not its feed: Stillfeed, on its own or alongside any of the above.
Not sure which pattern is yours? The phone addiction test takes a minute, and the screen time calculator shows what the feeds add up to over a year.
Opal, Brick and one sec are trademarks of their respective owners. Stillfeed is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by them, or by Apple.
Common questions
What is the best app blocker for iPhone?
It depends on what you want to stop. To block whole apps on a schedule or after a daily limit, Screen Time is built in and Opal adds stricter modes. Brick makes unlocking a physical step. one sec adds a pause before an app opens. If you want to keep Instagram or YouTube for messages and videos but lose Reels, Shorts and Explore, Stillfeed removes just those, for free.
What's a good Opal alternative?
iPhone's own Screen Time covers app limits and scheduled Downtime at no cost. If you want something that keeps the app but removes its endless feed, Stillfeed does that for Instagram, YouTube and five other platforms. You can also use both: Opal or Screen Time on the official apps, Stillfeed for the feed-free version.
Is there a Brick alternative without buying a device?
Yes. Screen Time with a passcode someone else sets gives a similar firm limit, Opal's strictest mode can't be cancelled once started, and one sec adds friction every time you open an app. None of them needs extra hardware.
Can an app blocker block only Reels or Shorts?
Not the usual ones. Screen Time, Opal, Brick and one sec work on whole apps, so blocking Instagram also blocks your messages. Stillfeed works inside the platform instead: it opens the real Instagram and YouTube websites with Reels, Shorts and Explore removed.
Can I use Stillfeed together with an app blocker?
Yes, and it works well. Block the official Instagram and YouTube apps with your blocker, and use Stillfeed when you need them. Block the apps rather than instagram.com or youtube.com, because Stillfeed uses those websites.
