Compare phone blockers
Brick Alternatives: Phone Blocking Without a Physical Device
A physical puck makes a boundary feel concrete. If carrying one, or keeping emergency unbricks in your back pocket, doesn't fit how you work, compare where each alternative puts the control.
What Brick brings to the decision
Brick pairs an app with a $59 physical puck. You tap your phone on the puck to start a session, and one puck works with many phones. There's no monthly plan.
Brick also gives you 5 emergency unbricks, which end a session without the puck. That's a safety net, and it's also an exit. If your problem is talking yourself out of a limit, those unbricks are where the habit comes back.
Three alternatives to consider
Toggle: a Block you can't end early, no hardware
Toggle sets your iPhone up once on a Mac with a USB cable, using the Toggle app. It supervises the iPhone with device management, so a Block can't be switched off in Settings and a timed Block can't be ended early. You start Blocks from the Toggle iPhone app or any browser, and you choose which apps and websites they cover.
SHIFT: manage the phone from a computer
SHIFT is controlled from a computer only, and its timed sessions can't be ended early. It costs $149 per phone, and its team decides which apps are blocked. Our SHIFT alternatives comparison goes deeper.
Opal: an app on Screen Time
Opal runs on Screen Time access, so it can be turned off any time with your phone passcode. Opal Pro is $19.99/month, $99.99/year or $399 lifetime. See our Opal alternatives guide.
Run a travel-day test before buying
- List the stops. Commute, office, gym, evening plans. Where would a puck need to stay, and could you reach it?
- List the essentials. Maps, tickets, messages, authentication and any work app you may need without warning.
- Test changes to the plan. What happens if a meeting runs late or you need an app you blocked?
- Count the exits. Emergency unbricks, a passcode, a settings switch. Each one is a way back to the feed.
Is a hardware-free blocker better?
It depends on why the puck appeals to you. If you like the ritual of tapping in, Brick delivers it. If you want the session to hold no matter where you are, Toggle has no puck to forget and no emergency unbricks to spend. With Toggle, the pause comes before you start: set the Block length, then it runs to the end.
Where Toggle fits
Toggle is for people who want their iPhone to stay useful while the distracting parts stay locked. Unlimited devices per account, control from your iPhone or any browser, and Blocks you can't end early. Plans are $4.99/week, $9.99/month, $49.99/year or $99.99 lifetime.
To start with built-in settings first, read how to turn an iPhone into a dumbphone.
Common questions
Do I need to carry anything with Toggle?
No. After a one-time setup on a Mac with a USB cable, you start and manage Blocks from the Toggle iPhone app or any browser.
Can I end a Toggle Block early, like an emergency unbrick?
No. A timed Toggle Block can't be ended early. Brick gives you 5 emergency unbricks.
How much does Toggle cost compared with Brick?
Brick is a $59 puck with no monthly plan. Toggle is $4.99/week, $9.99/month, $49.99/year or $99.99 lifetime, for unlimited devices.