Which iPhone app blocker
actually holds at night?

The best iPhone app blocker is the one you can't talk yourself out of when you're tired. Screen Time is free and works, but its owner can switch it off. Opal, Freedom and AppBlock add modes you can't cancel or that are much harder to bypass. one sec and ScreenZen take a softer route and make you wait before an app opens. Here's each one, ranked roughly from gentlest to strictest, with what it costs on the US App Store.

Screen Time: free, built in, easy to undo

Your iPhone's Screen Time can block apps at night with downtime and Block at Downtime, or on iOS 27 with a Screen Time schedule. It costs nothing and needs no account. The weakness is the passcode: if you chose it, you can type it at midnight. We cover the fixes in why Screen Time downtime isn't working and what Block at Downtime really does. Try it for a week before paying for anything.

Gentle: apps that make you wait

one sec

one sec puts a short pause, like a breath, in front of the apps you pick. Its site cites a study with the Max Planck Institute claiming 57% fewer app openings on average. It can also block apps fully on a schedule and pull you out of an app after a set time. It has 4.8 stars from 24,000 ratings. One app is free; pro costs $6.99 a month, $19.99 a year or $99.99 once.

ScreenZen

ScreenZen also adds a delay, one that can grow each time you reopen the app. It sets daily limits, offers stripped-down versions of apps like Instagram without the Reels feed, and can lock its settings behind an accountability partner. It's free, with optional tips from $5 to $40, and has 4.9 stars from about 52,000 ratings.

Both are good if you mostly open apps on autopilot. A pause gives your brain a second to notice. If you'll happily wait out the timer and scroll anyway, you need something stricter.

Strict: apps that lock you out

Opal

Opal blocks on a schedule, sets daily limits and lets you pick how hard a block is to bypass. Its top level, Deep Focus, can't be cancelled or bypassed. It has 4.7 stars from about 90,000 ratings, and paid plans show at $19.99 a month or $99.99 a year.

Freedom

Freedom runs the same block across iPhone, Mac, Windows and Android at once. Recurring schedules start sessions on their own, and Locked Mode stops you quitting early. Premium is $39.99 a year, or $199 once.

AppBlock

AppBlock blocks apps, sites and keywords, with profiles such as Sleep that start by time, place or Wi-Fi. Strict Mode makes a block much harder to undo, with a cooldown or approval from someone else. Its site doesn't list prices.

How to choose

1. Try Screen Time for a week. If it holds, you're done and it's free.
2. If you mostly open apps without thinking, add a pause with one sec or ScreenZen.
3. If you knowingly override things, go strict: Opal's Deep Focus, Freedom's Locked Mode or AppBlock's Strict Mode.
4. Before you commit, check the exit. Decide what happens the night someone really needs you. Calls and messages should always get through.

All of them work better with the phone charging across the room. That one costs nothing.

Common questions

Is there a free app blocker for iPhone?

Yes. Screen Time is built in and free, and ScreenZen is free with optional tips. one sec is free for one app.

Can an iPhone app blocker be bypassed?

Screen Time can be, if you know the passcode. Strict modes like Opal's Deep Focus and Freedom's Locked Mode are built so you can't end a session early. Deleting the blocker app is the last way out, which Screen Time's Content & Privacy Restrictions can prevent.

Which iPhone blocker is best for sleep?

One that starts on its own before bed and doesn't end until you're properly up. Any of the strict apps can run on a nightly schedule. Dawnwell, which isn't released yet, is built around that one job.