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Opal Alternatives: An iPhone App Blocker You Can't Turn Off
Before replacing a focus app, name the part that isn't working. Turning it off when it gets inconvenient, the price, and controlling it away from your phone are three different reasons to switch.
Start with what you need from Opal
Opal is an app-based blocker built on Screen Time access. That means it can be turned off any time with your phone passcode. Opal Pro costs $19.99/month, $99.99/year or $399 lifetime.
Write one sentence about the failure you want to fix: "I turn it off during work," "I want to manage it from my laptop," or "it costs too much for what I use." Keep that sentence beside you while comparing alternatives.
If you want a blocker you can't turn off: Toggle
Toggle doesn't use Screen Time. A one-time setup on a Mac with a USB cable supervises your iPhone with device management, so a Block can't be switched off in Settings and a timed Block can't be ended early, not even from your own dashboard. You choose which apps and websites each Block covers, and control it from the Toggle iPhone app or any browser.
If you want a physical boundary: Brick
Brick uses a $59 puck you tap to start a session, and one puck works with many phones. It includes 5 emergency unbricks that end a session early. Our Brick alternatives guide has a travel-day checklist.
If you want controls on a computer: SHIFT
SHIFT is controlled from a computer only, at $149 per phone. Its timed sessions can't be ended early, but its team decides which apps are blocked. Read our SHIFT phone blocker comparison.
If you want to begin with built-in limits
Apple Screen Time lets you set app limits and Downtime, with selected apps always allowed. Like Opal, it can be switched off in Settings, so treat it as a reminder. Our iPhone dumbphone guide walks through it.
A better trial than watching the screen-time total
- Choose one repeatable task. Use the same work block or evening routine for each trial.
- Record unplanned openings. Note when you tried to open a feed, not only how many minutes the phone recorded.
- Record every time you turned it off. If that number isn't zero, you need a blocker without an off switch.
- Check the essentials. A blocked ticket, map or authenticator is a real cost even if usage falls.
- Check total cost. Compare monthly, yearly and lifetime prices, and how many devices each plan covers.
What about Toggle?
Toggle is $4.99/week, $9.99/month, $49.99/year or $99.99 lifetime, for unlimited devices. That's half Opal Pro's monthly price, and a quarter of its lifetime price. The bigger difference is the off switch: Opal has one, Toggle doesn't.
To start by simplifying your setup, use our iPhone-to-dumbphone guide.
Common questions
Can Opal be turned off?
Yes. Opal uses Screen Time access, which can be turned off any time with the phone passcode.
Why can't Toggle be turned off?
Toggle supervises your iPhone with device management after a one-time setup on a Mac. A Block can't be removed in Settings, and a timed Block can't be ended early.
Is Toggle cheaper than Opal?
Toggle is $9.99/month, $49.99/year or $99.99 lifetime. Opal Pro is $19.99/month, $99.99/year or $399 lifetime.
Can I use Toggle on more than one iPhone?
Yes. Every Toggle plan covers unlimited devices on one account.